29 May May 29, 1945

Letter
from: Mrs. G. Shonkwiler
to: Pvt George W. Shonkwiler
May 29th, 1945
Tuesday, 11:00 P.M.

Hello, honey,

Gee, honey, I’m so lonesome tonight.  Here it is the day before Memorial Day
and I have no plans other than staying home by ourselves. I still have my cold
and Ronnie now has a runny nose, I think he’ll be O.K., as I’ve kept him
sitting in a chair, and also had a 3 and 1/2 hour nap this afternoon.  I only
wish I could take as good care of myself when I’m sick, but my colds just
linger on because I haven’t a chance to stay in bed.

Guess this is one of those nights when I feel sorry for myself.  The Pages left
today for Ottawa and I won’t be back until Saturday, so it’s really deserted
around here.  Fact is I’m pretty scared when they’re not here at night.

I’ve been sitting here re-reading your letters that I received yesterday.

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Sue (a girlfriend of Elinor’s, who works at Pullman) called at 10:00 o’clock.
She said Elinor now has a cyst in her lower jaw and has to have several teeth
pulled and a partial plate put in.  She sure has her troubles, too.  One thing
after another.  Sue’s husband has been in the Army 5 yrs (S. Pacific) and
overseas 3 yrs.  In fact they were married only a week before he went overseas.
She said her husband is in the medical corps and trained in Malaria research,
and he has written that even if he were told to go home he wouldn’t, because
it wouldn’t be humane, knowing that he could be helping the suffering.  He’s in
Manila now.  This girl has sinus trouble and an asthmatic condition and her
doctor told her she should have a change in climate before the year’s up.  She
also just had an appendectomy a month ago.  At present she lives with a sister
and husband and 2 small children and they don’t want her

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there, so guess she’s even worse off than I think I am at that.

Judy still looks "chubby,* but I still don’t know what to think.  I’m keeping
my fingers crossed, as I sure don’t want any more additions to our family.
Sure wished she’d behave herself while you’re away, at least.

The Pages had their refrigerator fixed which cost $3.75.  I s’pose I should
pay it, but I didn’t even offer to this time.  He also had a couple men here
last night taking down all the storm windows.  Guess I’d better offer to pay
for that at least, when they come back.  I could have asked Murray to do it,
but he acted so damn (excuse me) condescending about it last year that I
decided to get along without him this time.  He’s too tired to move

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most of the time.  He claims he can’t sleep well at night.  It’s no wonder[,]
he has his pajamas on as soon as he gets home at 4:00 and sleeps until Marge
gets home, eats and then lays around until 9:00 and goes to bed again.  After
all even 8 hrs at Pullman can’t be that tough.  It would be different if he
worked as hard there as you used to, but I know better than that.  Jim is
working 10 hrs a day now and is still a supervisor, but he always complains,
too, about how tough it is.  I get so mad at their laziness sometimes I could
give them both a swift kick. - Someday perhaps I will.

You’re always saying that I forget to mail your letters, as the postmarks are
later than the letter.  I can’t figure that out, as I always mail them the
morning after they’re written.  Either

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the Pages take them, or I give them to the mailman, or I go to the post office.
I notice, by the way, that your letters are postmarked, always, two or three or
four days later than the inside date.  In my case it might happen sometimes
that I have the wrong date on my letter, unless I look at a calendar every
time[,] I don’t know, anymore, what day of the week it is.  Every day is the
same to me, anyway.

How many boxes have you rec’d from me to date?  I’m so glad you’re finally
getting them, as I s’pose for a while, I doubt if you believe I had sent all
I had claimed to.  What are you going to do with the sweater and muffler?  Save
them for the Fall?

As you say, time will somehow pass, but it does seem even harder to

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wait now that the war is over in Europe than before, doesn’t it

To go back to the picture you sent of you with 2 other fellows and 2 Parisian
girls.  Everyone who has seen these pictures says that your girlfriend was
evidently taking the picture.   I hadn’t thought of that angle and had kept
saying that you were the odd fellow in the group and therefore you weren’t with
a girl.  Now I’m worried.  Am I making a mistake being true and staying home
every night?  See - you’ve got me worried!  (Way deep in my heart, however,
something tells me I can trust you and that’s why I married you, I s’pect -

at least one reason).

I’ve been ironing all day, plus sewing and making over my old clothes, so I
won’t have to buy new ones.  I’m so sleepy, so

bye, now and remember we love you,
mom and Ronnie