Love Letter 4 – Nite Shift

Love Letter 4 – Nite Shift

The chilling autumn evening falls fast upon the fading summer hours as night shifts approach the Lower Mainland. I slump under the weight and warmth of the king duvet and into the comfort of Mom’s Love Letter 4:

Apt #102 2331 Blake
Berkeley, California
Sept 8/60 2 A.M.

Hi Honey!
My how I love you!
You’re on my mind constantly and can only wait until we’re together again – oh boy!
Here it is 2 A.M. and all is well. To-nite I’m working on a female ward and w/ only 10 patients.
So far have done about 20 mins of work in all – so you see dear nite shift is the time for rest, letter writing and reading.
A signal lite just went on – will continue in a few minutes – just a bed pan – you might know it – females always have their bladder on their minds.
Thought you’d be interested in my every move honey!
Have been leading a very lazy, innocent life since you’ve gone –
Sleep, eat and work –
Usually am in bed by 8 A.M. and sleep thru’ until 4 pm – so get enough of that stuff.
Couple of evenings ago Joan, Ernie and I went down Telegraph to our beatnik district to have some java.
Really dear, you should see them.
We never did get around to having our coffee there, but gosh – a varied bunch I’ve never seen before.
If only I could sketch – I’d have a great time w/ them.
Even saw one fellow w/ hair nearly as long as mine and wearing lipstick – man can you beat that!
The 3 of us sat in that place for over an hour.
Had Mary Kaye over for pm and drank wine w/ our meal.
Then I went over to visit w/ the newlyweds Marion and Kirk – seem the same, and truly enjoying married life.
They got a lot of lovely gifts and nearly $700 in cash.
They haven’t stopped raving about the salad bowls we gave them – the best gift they got so they say.
Two characters tho’ – you should see that crazy Kirk – about 5 of their gifts were real gaudy and you’d have no use for them whatsoever – you should have heard the comments.
I can just see your face honey when you open some of our gifts and see something rather weird and useless –
Sure miss you lover and can only count the days until we’re in the same spot at the same time.
I love you so very, very much dear!
Oh, I’m so glad we have so many wonderful memories –
1) care for another restless nite honey –
2) care to run out in your pajamas for a Pepsi dear
3) anyone kill your (our) car motor lately
4) need any cold showers lately.
I LOVE YOU!!

Ah, how the once dreaded night shift provides the time for loving prose to flow from Mom’s heart through ballpoint pen onto delicate pages during the wee hours huddled around the dimly lit nurses’ station, only to be interrupted by an occasional ‘bedpan duty’ . . .