Rylie
My sister Edith had a boyfriend named
Lucas, and he was our brother’s best friend. We didn’t know she liked him until
he went to war. I discovered she wrote to him every day just like she did our
brother, George. Edith worried about both of them and had trouble focusing on
anything, but her concerns. I tried my best to cover for her.
Everyone was distracted when Mother
became ill from the flu. We nearly lost her, and she still hasn’t recovered
fully. One of our neighbors down the street had a baby who died because of the
flu. I hope no one else gets sick.
The Flu
By Judy
The flu was a deadly illness
during Rylie’s lifetime, and it is still a serious illness. I lived in an apartment with
three, four or five other girls my senior year in college. The number of girls
living there varied from week to week. One, two, or maybe even three girls were
off campus doing professional semesters, and rarely were we all living there at
the same time. Now, I cannot even remember the names of everyone who lived in
that apartment. One nameless roommate, though, brought the Hong Kong flu back
to the apartment after Christmas break. It was not a welcomed gift.
None of us were nursing
students nor had much experience with the flu. One girl was ill enough we did
take her to the emergency room. Fortunately, I did not require a trip to the
doctor, but I did miss a couple of days’ classes. During my long week of
aching, moaning, and complaining, one of my roommates, whose name I do
remember, did my laundry. It meant a lot to me. Thank you again, Ginny.
I recovered from the Hong
Kong flu and have never again been that sick with the flu. However, there are
those who will say each time I talk about having the Hong Kong flu, the
severity of my illness increases.
