Cape Breton's Magazine

material. So I went to work in this big factory. It was working night and day. I was inspecting the thread on booster shells--what they use for strapping on. The men were on the big machines then. And I was an inspector, to see that the thread was perfect before it was shipped off. I was there when the war was over. I remember it so well. We got word that the war was over in Europe. Everybody went crazy. Everybody left their jobs. We all made for the streets, and we took every? thing that could make a noise. We had great big pans, you know, for the shells, bang them together. The whole place went crazy. This was over in Cambridge. Well, I was kept on. I liked machinery. You know, they took teachers and nurses, everybody was working in war plants at that time. Then they went back to their work. But there were about 200 or more kept on the whole place. I was one of them. I stayed for awhile after. Then I left, and I went back to my nursing. (Did you complete your training?) No. Not in hospitals. I had this patient, I went to her home. Her husband had died, and she Drinovz Catering Company Ltd. 583 MAHON STREET, NEW WATERFORD - CATERING FOR ALL OCCASIONS '' Weddings - Parties - Anniversaries 862-6040 or 539-5300 (ext 182) was all aloneo And she was taken from the hospital after suffering a stroke. So there I was with her. In fact, I postponed my marriage for 6 years o No way could I get away from her--no way, no way, no way. I nursed her through thr'e strokes. She'd get all better. She would lose her speech. When she was at the worst, we'd hire an R.N. And then I ran the house. But when she was on the mend, I took over the nurs? ing again, and then I hired a housekeeper to do the work. And then she got that well that in the summertime we went away to dif? ferent places. She had lots of money, you know. We had a lovely cottage, and a young high school boy to do all the chores, and I just took care of her. (But all this time you didn't marry. You were seeing your future husband.) Oh yes, we were engaged for 10 years. And we were married 10 years from the night I met him at my sister's wedding. He proposed to me the same night, first time I ever met him. I looked at him and he looked at me. My sister knew him before I went up there. They would have boys picked for me, you know, 'cause they knew which were the good ones and bad ones. It was funny--they wouldn't make up with American boys, be? cause they thought they were too wise. And the Nova Scotian boys--there were an awful lot of Nova Scotian and Cape Breton boys up there working. And here the American boys that they knew had to tell them that they were from Nova Scotia or Cape Breton, or the girls wouldn't look at them! I said, "What did you say the name was?" And she said, "O'Hare." Well, I never heard anything but Mies and Macs, you know. "For God's sake," I said, "who'd marry any? body with that name?" "Well," she said, "I invited him up, Lexie, and you're going to like himc He's the one who taught me to drive a car." So the party was going on, we were prepar? ing and getting ready. She put me on the punch bowl. And I had my dress on that I had for her wedding. My sister brought him up on the dining room side--I'm in the pan- HottZ Rent a Car 1430 George St. Sydney, N.S. Sydney Airport 24 HOUR SERVICE - 7 DAYS A WEEK 539-1538 539-5623 • Specializing in all makes of cars, trucks, 4-wheel drives, and passenger vans.i • Local pickup and delivery. fMifftzi To reserve a car anywhere in the worid, caii Toil Free 1-800-268-1311 The*l way to rent a can Flenz rents Fords and other fine cars. (10)