The year was 1944 and our country was in the middle of World War II. I was eight years old and lived in Denver Colorado with my mother, father, sister and two brothers. I remember the day my father went in to sign up for the Army. My mother cried all day until he got home and found out he was 4F. They wouldn’t take him into the service because he had a heart murmur. In those day a heart murmur was very serious. They really wanted him in the Army because he was a Doctor. Since, my father couldn’t serve his country in the Army, he bought a Doctor’s practice in Casper, Wyoming. Many things had to be taken care of in preparation for the move. To purchase Gas there were gas stamps, so they had to save up enough gas stamps to make the trip. The move could only take one day. Pulling a trailer behind the car with all of our belongings. Many household items had to be sold, yes, my desk had to be sold. I loved that desk and cried when someone came a took it away. I told my mother I would never forgive her for selling my desk.
I remember that trip from Denver, Colorado to Casper Wyoming a 350 miles trip but it took all day from dawn to dark. The speed limit was 35 miles per hour and with pulling the trailer, filled with all our belongings, behind the car of course slowed us down.
Fast forward thirty years. I’m now married living in Kent, Washington with my husband and two daughters. I received a phone call from the bus station saying they had a package for me from Watertown, South Dakota. Well of course I was baffled trying to think who I knew in Watertown. Then remember my mother, her mother and sister were on a trip to visit my uncle in South Dakota. I called my mother and asked if she sent me something while on her trip. She said yes, it was to be a surprise for me, but she would tell me what it is right then. I said, ”No, I’ll wait until the package is picked up”. My daughter went to pick up the package from the bus station, she drove a small car, we had no idea the size of the package, just figured it would fit in her car. Waiting was not easy. Finally, here my daughter is coming down the street with this big and I mean big box tied on the top of her car. She pulled into the driveway and my husband and I went out and brought the package in the house. I proceeded to open the huge box. Once the box was open there is was- MY DESK. I was crying and my husband and daughter couldn’t figure why I was crying over and desk, so I reminded them of the story about my desk. I went to the phone and called my mother and when she answered all I said was “Your forgiven and I love you. It is now Forty years after my mother sent me the desk, I still have it in my home.
Winona Ione Hahn Laird
