Friends

 If a mother has 13 pregnancies in 20 years how does she have time to have friends? The neighbors watch as the children play in the backyard and the front sidewalk. They become Eleanor's friends and outlet to the daily grind of cooking, cleaning and laundry. They share ideas chatting over the fence as they both hang the laundry on the clothes lines. They pickup dog shit so the children do not march it through the house. Neighbors greet each other with a smile no matter what happens behind closed doors.

Every Tuesday morning Nan would go to the church and clean the alter and the pews of debris left over from 6 Sunday masses. A group of women bond over the chores of the church and look forward to Together Tuesdays. They get away from the hustle of the family for a few hours to do their church duties. These days with a hello hug, mean you are among friends and a strong bond is formed. You do not consider the priest your friend you just know he will listen, most of the time you are afraid to talk. You go to confession twice a month, say your penance and the priest knows it is you on the other side of the curtain.

Her friends are the crossing guards who guide her children 4 times a day, going to school, to and from for lunch and home at 3 o'clock. She counts on the mail man for a kind word and a jolly laugh once a day. In the 1940's and 1950's you went to the meat market for meat, to the grocery store for groceries and to the vegetable gardens for fresh vegetables. You had a bread man who delivered bread, a milk man who delivered milk, an ice man for your ice box and a beer man who delivered your beer. All were your friends and there were lots of conversations every week. OH! YES! I forgot there was the coal man who delivered the coal that would heat the house and if you were lucky an oil man who delivered your oil. Intermingling of people coming and going from your back door through your alley or they parked out front to deliver to several houses at once.

There was running and screaming every summer night at 6 o'clock when the ice cream truck rang the bells of his truck at the entry to the street. Get out your nickels and run to the truck and try to be first. An average of 20 children a night would tumble down the sidewalk or ride their bikes to the ice cream truck stopping place. The mothers would stand on the lawn and wave to the ice cream man because this was another friend and she never knew his name.

Without friends where would we be?

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