In a series of letters home, Amanda Fitzpatrick - the young wife of Cherry Hills's ambitious new doctor - shares the ups, downs, and excitements of life at that time.
When we last left our heroine, she was planning a trip to Regina with her son Bobby's Little League team. Normally her husband Paul would go along but he's been a little tied up of late with medical conventions and a certain Nurse Val.
Luckily, Amanda has handsome war hero turned coach, Jack Wilson, to keep her company....
May 21, 1947
Dear Mother,
I just received your letter and want you to stop worrying! Everything is just fine between Paul and I - it's just that his ambition tends to get the better of him. Besides, he's constantly going on about what a super wife and mother I am and how happy he is that I'm content to stay at home. I haven't had the heart to tell him otherwise and am trying my best to continue to fit in with the Protestant Ladies Association as they are really my only other diversion besides the children.
Speaking of the Association, rumour has it that Paul's nurse Val has her sights set on Jack!
All I can say is, I knew it!
Last Thursday at the monthly General Meeting and Potluck (I brought my famous Peanut butter Chocolate Banana Cream Pie), Mrs. Wilson was all aglow. It seems Val showed up at Jack's house with some kind of French Apple Tart and Mrs Wilson would not stop talking about it!
You would have been proud of me because I kept my tongue, but for some unknown reason the very idea has the hair on the back of my neck standing straight on end!
The very thought of that woman with Jack!
She just rubs me the wrong way - and to be honest Mother, she has never been overly friendly or even particularly polite where myself and the children are concerned.
I never say anything to Paul, but there are times when she's flitting away on a conference with him that I wonder why she wears her skirts so terribly snug.
Of course Paul never notices a thing - when he's around Val he goes out of his way to demonstrate his indifference. However, she certainly must know her way around the examining room because Paul claims - professionally of course - that he can't do without her when away.
According to Mrs. Wilson, Val knows her way around a bakery too; and the ability to purchase a French Tarts is just tres chic enough to give the woman her stamp of approval. She's even gone so far as to invite a group of us to her home next weekend for a Parisienne dinner. Paul and I have been invited as have Val and Jack. I will definitely be writing you after that one!
Speaking of Jack, we had a marvelous time in Regina during Bobby's baseball tournament. Sadly, the boys didn't win - but Jack was so wonderful, and funny, and encouraging with them you'd have thought they were World Series Champions despite some rather shattering losses.
He treated all the boys to a lunch at the Woolworth's counter on the Saturday and Bobby is still talking about his coke float and double cheeseburger! While they had lunch I took the time to do some shopping and found the most wonderful fabrics for my summertime drapery and a lovely hat to wear to church.
As promised, on Saturday evening Jack introduced me to Peking Duck - and though Paul would blow his last gasket if he knew I'd been out to dinner alone with a man - Jack is simply a good friend who, as it turns out, needed someone to talk to. As we ate our crispy, tasty duck and rice, he began to tell me about some of his experiences in the war - sharing his fears of coming home shell shocked. He swore me to secrecy, but says there are some nights when he can't sleep at all for fear of the nightmares.
Mother, I felt so much compassion for him as he told his story - such a big strong man on the outside that, at one point when he got tears in his eyes, I wanted to reach across the table, hold his hand, and make it all better.
Of course, I didn't do this. But he told me yesterday that he's been feeling relieved ever since our trip - like a weight he'd been carrying had been lifted off. I'm just so happy I was able to help.
Well that's all the news from Cherry Hill this week! I will write again soon.
Your loving daughter, Amanda.
Click the link to visit the next installment in the Cherry Hill Web Series: Green Bean Catastrophe
Just getting started with Cherry Hill? Catch up on the rest of the series HERE.
Learn how to make Amanda's Pie and visit the recipe HERE
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