STORY FOUR

DAYTON, OHIO AND ENVIRONS, OR WELCOME TO SINUS VALLEY

We drove across country from San Francisco, following the old US 40 Highway. It was a fascinating trip for us, since that was the first time we had traversed the country from West to East by car. While driving through the mountain passes in Colorado we stopped at a ski lift. I took our son up on the lift while Molly was waiting below. A few days later we arrived in Fairborn, Ohio, a small community adjacent to the Air Force Base at which I would work. We stayed at a local motel while I was processing paperwork with my new employer and was also looking for an apartment at the same time. We took advantage of our free time by visiting the local sights including the Air Force Museum and the Dayton Institute of Art, where Molly at a later date, was awarded first prize for a watercolor that she had entered. Dayton seemed to be a pleasant Mid-Western city and we found an apartment in the city not far from downtown.

On the weekends we would take advantage of our return to the Mainland by driving off in different directions and exploring the countryside. One time we would head for Xenia and Cincinnati, another time for Springfield and Columbus. There were many choices and I guess we overcame some of the feeling of our past Island confinement by a series of auto excursions. We gradually expanded our circle so that we would go to Akron, Youngstown, and then into the neighboring states to visit Indianapolis, Lexington, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Detroit. On our vacations we would do what most people did, that is, hit the road. We visited the East Coast where we had family, took a vacation in Canada one summer, and traveled through the Blue Ridge Mountains the next time. We liked to take side trips, stop in small towns and explore the native areas.

Gradually, over the next few years as we made friends and acquaintances, our need to travel abated somewhat and we turned our attention to inviting people and in turn visiting with them as well. As always we met some very delightful people, a number of whom we continued to correspond with over the years. They were of varied background and included a number of different professions and skills. Because of the additional traffic in the house, Molly felt she need a larger apartment, especially one with a formal dining room. We looked around and found a duplex in North Dayton on Salem Avenue which we arranged to rent. The couple next door were very nice, and since they did not have any children they sort of adopted our son and gave him a lot of attention.

Meanwhile our car had gathered a lot of miles and it was time to replace it. I had talked to Molly about a Mercedes but actually took her to a showroom to see a Saab, which had recently been introduced from Sweden. I was impressed because Saab made airplanes and the first car engines were two cylinder miniature airplane types. She liked the car, which was a two seater with a small back bench and a pull down sun roof that made it into a semi convertible. It was also about one third the price of a Mercedes, so she felt very relieved. I took it home and showed it to our neighbor who always drove a big Oldsmobile. When he saw the engine, he was surprised and said it did not look much bigger than that of a lawn mower. He may have been right. One requirement that was a bit unusual was, when we tanked up the car, and I asked the attendant to add a quart of oil to the gas tank; the common response was, "What did you say Mister?"

Molly was starting to talk about the possibility of buying a modest house. We had never owned a home since we were used to renting and the idea was somewhat novel to us. We looked around and found that a new development called, Huber Heights was being built within easy travel distance of the Base where I worked. After looking at the models, we chose one that was second lowest in price, but suited our small family needs. It was a brick home, reasonably well insulated with nice windows in every room and a small, but convenient Pullman kitchen. In other words, it was a good starter home, reasonably priced. We arranged to buy one and after three months we moved in. The neighbors were very friendly and they helped each other when needed. There were plenty of kids around and our son soon made friends with a youngster, named Gary who got his attention by hitting him in the head with a small stone from across the street. Boys often make friends in unorthodox manners. Even our poodle, Dora made friends with a big white poodle, named Fancy that our next door neighbor owned.

One day, not long after we had moved to Huber Heights, Molly saw an ad for a librarian at a local nursing school. It was part of a Catholic Hospital and she applied to the Sister in charge. She was hired for a modest salary and although she had worked previously in public libraries, a medical library was a new experience for her. She soon began to like her job working with the students and the interns and doctors. She would come home and relate some of her experiences of the day. Often they were very funny since the interns apparently kidded each other frequently and made fun of their specialties. A number of them also played musical instruments and off-time they sometimes got together as a small band. There were also a number of foreign interns such as from the Philippines and Italy. Molly would invite them over periodically for meals and a long nap, since rest was a short commodity working in the emergency room or being on stand-by. Molly was also designated as the school's social director and had to arrange for dances, outings and other extra curricular activities. On most occasions, I would be asked to help her either as a chaperon or in a more general way, such as on picnics. Pretty soon, with Molly's schedule and my own, plus all the other social activities, we had a very full calendar.

Perhaps it was the full schedule, or perhaps it was the prevailing weather, which was nothing to be proud of either during the hot humid summers, or the cold snowy and icy winters, but Molly was having more headaches than ever before and a repeatedly stuffy sinus nose. Locals attributed that to the location of the area, which some folks tabbed, the Sinus Valley. Since she wore glasses I took her to the ophthalmologist, who incidentally had five sons, all of them raised to be doctors. He prescribed slightly more powerful reading lenses for Molly and assured her that her eyes were all right otherwise. Although things were going well at work, I took the opportunity of registering with the Civil Service Commission for a position in the Capital or the Washington, D. C. area both from the vantage point of a more responsible job and as a possible relief for Molly. We had spent nearly five years in Ohio when I received word that there was an opening in Washington; after some brief letters my transfer was approved and we prepared to sell our house and relocate a few months later.

Dear reader, this STORY should have been just the right length to put you happily to sleep. So for your next tranquil reading session, should you need it, please turn to STORY FIVE. Thank you.

©1990 Herbert Holzbauer

published @1997 edition S.p.N.LAUB

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