Above the hi-fi behind the sliding cabinet door you may be granted permission to peruse the shelf of grown-up books. Such splendid, serene, sustaining times as a kid flopped down on the living room carpet paging through the big books, smelling the paper and ink and binding, saving the images to memory. I still have three of those books, though I occasionally regret letting go of the first 25 years of New Yorker cartoons, and a history of chair design. Dad was good about answering my questions if I didn't understand the cartoons. Dad would also talk about cartoons in Bill Mauldin's book, though he rarely mentioned his time in the service.
He didn't say much about the book in German with the cross stitch cover beyond that it was a gift, which made it mysterious. Seven decades after the gift, and more than five since I suspected it held more than it told, I am trying to decipher the meaning of the cross stitch book.
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After V.E. Day, Tech Sgt. Mastalir remained in Germany eight months. For the first he was just grateful not to be sent to the Pacific. Then he spent his time moving from town to town, packing up, setting up, packing up, setting up. His letters are typewritten, and tell of guard duty, occasional raids, and his overworked state when the First Sgt. was laid up with severe athlete's foot.
My own toes are tired after a long week, and I am fantasizing about texting in sick due to severe athlete's foot. My boss would not believe I am a severe athlete... That is all for tonight history mystery folks.
1 comment:
I hope you'll learn more! Claudia
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