Once In A While (The Cherished Memories Book 1) Read online

  ONCE IN A WHILE

  By

  Linda Ellen

  Synopsis

  In the tradition of The Notebook comes…Once in a While.

  It’s 1937…

  Victor Matthews is a down on his luck young man, frustrated with his life and his inability to find gainful employment.

  Louise Hoskins is a young woman content in her life with her family and friends. Her biggest concern is her upcoming lead part in a play.

  One rainy night, they meet…and both are forever changed.

  Neither could foresee that the world as they know it is on the precipice of experiencing the now famous ’37 Flood, and that daily life is about to be transformed into a bone chilling waterlogged state of affairs. But as that harrowing experience fades and their lives return to normal, the two young lovers embark on an unforgettable courtship – that is, until a terrible argument and a tragic misunderstanding tear them apart. How will they survive the separation? And why does one special song have the power to instantly transport the sweethearts back into the realm of cherished memories?

  Reviews

  “This story took me through a rollercoaster of emotions. I couldn’t help but fall in love with the characters as they wove me through this brilliant story. It is a rich blend of history, tragedy, love, and most importantly hope. With each chapter Linda Ellen opened up the untouchable world that was 1930’s Louisville, and made me feel like I was part of that nostalgic time. It is a story that I will hold dear in my heart for years to come.”

  ~Author Venessa Vargas

  “A heartfelt story about life, love, and finding your way back.”

  ~Amazon Bestselling Author H. D’Agostino.

  “I have read, ‘Once In A While’ and loved the book. Linda was nice enough to give me a sneak preview of her work. She is very talented. Her novel brought me to tears and made me laugh too. She captures a great sense of love, loss and struggle. Thumbs up Linda on this book, I would recommend it to anyone.”

  ~Katheryn Ragle, author and owner of Gibson-Ragle Publishing.

  Once in a While

  Book 1 of The Cherished Memories Series

  Written By Linda Ellen

  Gibson-Ragle Publishing Co.

  PO Box 21

  Bronston, Kentucky 42518

  Copyright © 2014 by Gibson-Ragle Publishing Co.

  Trade Paperback Release: November, 2014

  Electronic Release: November, 2014

  www.gibsonraglepublishing.weebly.com

  ISBN: 978-0-9909044-1-0

  Kindle Edition

  All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author or the publisher, Gibson-Ragle Publishing Co. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated.

  Although this book is a work of fiction, the story was loosely based upon events in the lives of the author’s parents. Names were changed or details altered; characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Brands are used respectfully. Details regarding Louisville and the Flood were taken from several sources, including Rick Bell’s wonderfully illustrated book The Great Flood of 1937.

  The following story contains themes of real life, but is suitable for all ages, as it contains no gratuitous sex or profanity.

  Cover design by Kari March at K23Designs

  Cover photography by Bill Klein of Bill Klein Photography

  Formatting by BB eBooks

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Synopsis

  Reviews

  Copyright Page

  PROLOGUE

  PART I – SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE

  CHAPTER 1 – Vic and the Guys

  CHAPTER 2 – Louise, the Girls, and The Family

  CHAPTER 3 – The Meeting

  CHAPTER 4 – Something is Coming

  CHAPTER 5 – Flood!

  CHAPTER 6 – B-13 and The Rescue

  CHAPTER 7 – The Shots and Dove Creek

  CHAPTER 8 – Black Sunday

  CHAPTER 9 – Life at Dove Creek

  CHAPTER 10 – The Surprise

  CHAPTER 11 – Going Home to the Unknown

  CHAPTER 12 – Their First Official Date

  PART II – THAT ENCHANTING SPRING AND SUMMER

  CHAPTER 13 – Dating and Juggling Secrets

  CHAPTER 14 – Fleet, Louise, and The Hearse

  CHAPTER 15 – Song of the Old South

  CHAPTER 16 – The Brownie, The Stash, and The Derby

  CHAPTER 17 – Fontaine Ferry Park

  CHAPTER 18 – On the Idlewild

  CHAPTER 19 – Contests at the Knights of Columbus

  PART III – MISUNDERSTANDING AND SEPARATION

  CHAPTER 20 – Shocks, Surprises, and Harsh Words

  CHAPTER 21 – When it Rains it Pours

  CHAPTER 22 – Evansville and the C’s

  CHAPTER 23 – Louise! Don’t do it!

  CHAPTER 24 – Vic…Happy, Until the Bottom Drops Out

  CHAPTER 25 – Life in the Trenches

  CHAPTER 26 – Life in the CCC

  CHAPTER 27 – Bittersweet Joy in the Midst of Misery

  CHAPTER 28 – For Vic, Life Must Go On

  PART IV – THE TURNING POINT

  CHAPTER 29 – The Devastating Surprise

  CHAPTER 30 – The Last Straw

  CHAPTER 31 – Pushing Away the Memories

  CHAPTER 32 – The Emotional Reunion

  CHAPTER 33 – God Please Don’t Take her From Me Now

  EPILOGUE

  DEDICATIONS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ‡

  PROLOGUE

  Present day, Louisville, Kentucky

  “Here, Mom, sit down. We’ll take care of it,” Louise’s daughter, Linda, encouraged as she tried for the fourth time to get her eighty-nine year old, still feisty mother to rest. The family had been spending the day moving Louise’s belongings from the house she’d lived in since 1966, and nervous energy had kept the slightly stooped, elderly lady fretting and trying to help.

  “I want to make sure my blue dishes don’t get broken,” Louise fussed, regarding her beloved Liberty Blue collection, even as she acquiesced and slowly lowered herself onto a chair in what would be her new kitchen.

  “Jim took care of it. He packed them tight, and put the boxes in the back seat of his car. Don’t worry,” Linda reassured her once more. She smiled softly and shook her head as she gazed down at her mother, thinking, but of course she’s going to worry, that’s just her nature.

  At her comment, Louise relaxed a bit and nodded, satisfied for the moment. However, another thought popped into her mind and had her nearly rising from the chair.

  “Oh, did we get the important papers from the closet under the stairs?”

  “Yes, Mom. Remember? They’re in the back seat of my car,” Linda replied, glancing toward the door just as her oldest son, Will, came through it with one of the aforementioned boxes. “See? Here they come.”

  “Oh good,” Louise intoned with a nervous sigh. “Honey, bring that here for me, will you?” she called to her grandson and he switched directions, placing it on the table at her elbow.

  “Here you go, Grandma,” he smiled before turning to go back outside for more.

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” she cooed at him as she laid a slightly shaking hand on the decades old cardboard tied with a cloth strip. Observing it, her brow furrowed as she notic
ed one corner had broken open. Immediately becoming concerned that some of its precious contents may have spilled out, she gasped, “Oh no! Oh honey, help me get this untied,” as her arthritic fingers began picking at the knot in the cloth.

  Obliging her mother, they worked together to remove the dusty old top, revealing her treasures inside. Louise anxiously ran her gaze over the collections of cards, letters, and old photographs, which were banded together in groups. “Oh, I hope none are missing…I couldn’t bear that…” she whispered, her fingers lovingly touching image after image. She then reached to caress the edge of a small wooden treasure chest, the sides covered in intricately carved designs, and the top displaying a picturesque scene of a village and people of the 1600’s. The box contained her most cherished memories, and she gave a nod as she assured herself it was still all right, with no marks on it except the decades old cigarette burn put there by her younger brother, Billy.

  The chest was lovely and seemed to imbue an air of mystery. Having never been allowed to rummage through the secret box as a child, Linda was unable to resist reaching over and turning the latch – raising the lid to find its underside was a frost-edged mirror. From the stack of papers and photographs inside, she picked up an envelope with To Louise From Vic written in a neat script; it had obviously been handled hundreds of times. Underneath, she saw a black and white, well-worn snapshot of a couple gazing at one another, circa 1930’s. Straightaway, she knew she was looking at an image of her mother and father. They were sitting in the back of a large old black car with a group of other young people, each one laughing joyously.

  Linda stood studying it for a minute before slowly lowering herself into the chair perpendicular to her mother. Her parents were so young in the photo, but obviously very much in love. Indeed, one could physically feel the emotions radiating between the couple in the image captured so long ago. Linda’s heart constricted a little as she stared at the picture. Daddy’s been gone so long…I wish he were still with us…

  Just then, Louise’s sons, Tom, Bud, and Jim, brought in the last of the boxes, closing the storm door behind them. Wandering into the kitchen together, each one looked tired and dusty.

  “Well, that’s about got it,” Jim murmured as he took a seat at the table to rest. Bud paused next to their mother’s chair as he laid a hand on her shoulder, concerned that she had done too much and hoping her heart wasn’t “pounding like a racehorse” as she often said.

  Linda’s husband, Steve, came in and stopped behind her chair. Resting his hands on her shoulders, he leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek.

  “What’cha got there?” Steve whispered, smiling softly as his wife met his eyes. Hers were a trifle misty. “A picture of Mom and Daddy,” she whispered back and he inclined his head in silent support.

  Louise looked up from several photos she was holding and saw her daughter’s expression. “Let me see that one,” she requested gently, reaching for the photo. Linda handed it over and Louise gazed down contemplating it lovingly. Pressing her lips together, Louise shook her head once, and then drew in a slightly ragged breath. It had been a long, exhausting day and her emotions were quite fragile. “This is my favorite picture of us. My Vic, he always was such a handsome devil. We were so much in love,” she sighed, and they could tell she was remembering the day the photo had been taken.

  Soon, the doorbell rang prompting Tom, the eldest brother, to answer it, and he brought back several boxes of pizza on his return. Linda rose and began gathering paper plates and cups as they set about taking a well-deserved break.

  However, as her family milled around the kitchen, eating and chatting, Louise continued to stare at the photo, lost in the past.

  “Mom, you really should eat something,” Linda chided a few minutes later.

  “Grandma,” her youngest grandson, David, murmured as he slid into the chair nearest hers. “Don’t you want some pizza? It’s your favorite – ham, bacon and pineapple.”

  Louise looked up at the young man and smiled. Marveling at him, she could see the family resemblance and something about him brought on more memories – the way he held his head…his dimples…his long eyelashes and his perfect white teeth. Reaching out a shaky hand, she caressed his cheek and murmured, “Did I ever tell you how I met your Grandpa Vic?”

  David started to open his mouth to say that he’d heard the stories many times, as throughout the years, Louise had often regaled her family with snippets of her tumultuous young adulthood during the 30’s and 40’s…and of Vic, her handsome, dark-haired, dark-eyed sweetheart, whom she had adored from their first meeting. His mother, however, caught his eye and managed a small shake of her head. He raised his eyebrows at her, before grinning at his grandmother and answering, “No, Grandma…but I’d like to hear it,” as he sank his teeth into a juicy slice of pizza.

  The family matriarch glowed happily, excited to have an interested audience. It was always more fun to reminisce with someone, rather than alone. She’d been alone with her cherished memories for far too long.

  As the family settled down to eat together at the kitchen table, Louise leaned toward her grandson and began in an evocative tone, “It was a long time ago…just before the Great Flood…the winter of ‘37…”

  PART I

  SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE

  ‡

  CHAPTER 1

  Vic and the Guys

  Wednesday, January 6, 1937, Louisville, Kentucky

  Steady rain streamed down the blue and white striped awnings of the White Castle at First and Market as a young man sprinted to the door. Yanking it open, he ducked inside, and smoothed dripping locks of his hair back as he scanned the other patrons.

  Seeing no familiar faces, Victor ‘Vic’ Matthews huffed a small sigh and approached the counter. Absently noticing line cooks flipping burgers and dipping fries into boiling oil, he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped some of the rain from his face and hair as he waited for the person ahead to finish. Breathing in the aromas, he wondered for a moment what it was about White Castle hamburgers that smelled so mouthwateringly delicious. His stomach growled longingly.

  As he stepped forward, the girl behind the counter, with short but attractive dark hair and a friendly smile chirped a practiced, “Welcome to White Castle. May I take your order?”

  Vic nodded, choosing to focus on her nametag, ‘Judy’, as he tried to ignore the aromas wafting his way. Lamenting the fact that he was the first of the group to arrive and therefore had no one from which to bum, he rummaged through the pockets of his jacket and pants, and finally came up with one lone nickel.

  With an embarrassed shrug, he rasped, “Jus’ gimme a Coke.”

  Judy nodded, thinking Big Spender, and gave him the once over as she stepped to the side and shoved a cup under the nozzle.

  Just then, two girls squealed raucously as they dashed in the door. Giggling, they immediately began to wrestle with an unruly umbrella.

  Vic glanced over his shoulder at them as he placed the nickel in Judy’s palm. Picking up the soda, he nodded again to the counter girl, and then his gaze shifted around as he headed toward the back corner to wait for his friends in their favorite booth. Once there, he shrugged out of his wet jacket and sprawled onto the seat with a tired sigh.

  As minutes ticked by, more customers entered. Families enjoyed their meals…friends laughed together…lone patrons wolfed down food as they cast their gazes around at the other customers…bums wandered in hoping for a handout. All the while, Vic merely sipped his drink and stared out the window, his chin resting on his palm, watching as relentless rivulets of water crashed down from the awnings onto the already soaked pavement below.

  Seated at a table across the dining area, the two young ladies who had arrived after him sipped hot chocolate and nibbled French fries as they cast furtive glances his way. The girls whispered privately about Vic’s rugged good looks and his muscular physique outlined by the nice fitting dress shirt. One murmured about the ‘d
reamy’ rich mahogany brown hair that crowned his head in thick waves, and wondered aloud what it would be like to run her fingers through it. Her companion sighed over the clean, square contour of his face and full, sensually curved lips, which seemed to her to be literally begging for a kiss. Surreptitiously watching him, they wondered what could be making such a ‘swell’ looking guy seem so down. As one whispered that she’d be glad to try and make him smile, they covered their mouths with their fingers to muffle the escaping giggles.

  Preoccupied and restless, Vic took no notice of them as he relentlessly drummed the fingers of his left hand on the table. Normally, the continual splashing of the rain outside the window would have lulled him into a peaceful state of mind. On this day, however, it was achieving the opposite, and adding fuel to his brooding dissatisfaction. The usual soft warm shade of his sepia-toned eyes had turned as hard and cold as rusting steel, the phenomenon reflecting his mood as his thoughts chased one another around in never-ending circles.

  Is this rain ever gonna stop? It seemed to him as if it had been raining forever, as the sky had been dumping water on the city for over a month. He couldn’t remember the last time he caught a glimpse of the sun. It’s sure been a beastly wet ‘n warm winter so far, he mused.

  Shaking his head with a sardonic smirk, he thought back to six months before, during the record-breaking, extremely hot and dry summer of ’36 – the hottest summer ever recorded in Louisville. Everyone in the city had wished and prayed for rain. I guess the Man upstairs saved up and decided to dump on us now, he silently griped. The constant rain they had been experiencing of late had transformed the simple task of traversing the streets of downtown into one of continuous aggravation. A prime example being that morning, when he had been forced to interview for a job in uncomfortably damp clothing.

  Figures. Nothin’ ever goes my way. He snorted softly as he pondered the fact that his life hadn’t ever been the stuff of dreams. Like snapshots in an album, memories of losing his parents as a child and being shuffled from one relative to another made his mood sink another notch. He knew that none of them had wanted to take in a needy boy, and that everyone was struggling to make it in the lean times of the Depression. But was that his fault? Feeling as if he were wound tighter than a two-dollar watch, he muttered a few choice words under his breath. He was raring to go, to work, to laugh… and to love. But circumstances beyond his control always seemed to be holding him back, like the mooring ropes on a steamboat.