Alex & Mary

Alex and Mary

Alex George moved to San Francisco and moved in with his sister when he was a teen. They lived in a rather seedy part of town. Later, his sick twin brother, Paul, whom he tried to protect, joined him. Alex told stories of fighting off the toughs in the neighborhood, employing the tops of tin cans, which he strapped to his knuckles using baling wire. These homemade brass knuckles served him well as they tore up the faces of the neighborhood bullies. They were also instrumental in getting Alex beaten up several times, as the locals did not take kindly to his use of such means.

During the war years, Alex, like many other youths of that time, enlisted in the Armed Services (the Navy to be precise) and left his sister’s home to join the war effort in the Pacific. About this time, Mary Morris, living in Boston, was engaged to be married to one Philip Edwards. Philip, too, enlisted (in his case the Army), and subsequently saw extensive combat in Europe and sadly, died. After her loss, Mary was inconsolable and her grief consumed her.

To get away from all the things that reminded her of Philip, she moved to San Francisco to stay with family friends. After several months in her soon to be beloved City of Dreams, Mary found a job and decided to stay for a while. The lovely Pacific Coast city was doing the trick, distracting her from her lost love as well as providing her with a new locale to create new memories and perhaps even call home.

Mary, through the family friend she was staying with, found a job at a department store downtown and began looking for a place of her own. Meantime, Alex’s sister had placed an advertisement looking to rent out the vacant room in her home. Seeing this advert, Mary contacted Alex’s sister, Julie, and agreed to rent the room. Before long, Mary found herself settled. She began to discover all of the wonderful things for which San Francisco is so renowned. She found herself drawn as well to the new life she recently built there.

After a time, the war drew to a close and the soldiers and sailors returned home. Alex was among these, although he neglected to inform his sister Julie of his plans. On the night of his return, Mary was sound asleep in what she believed to be her own bed and which Alex believed to be his. Caught unaware, Alex startled Mary severely when he noisily entered the bedroom and began loudly protesting her presence.

Julie, for her part, soon defused the acrimonious situation but Alex remained unappeased. Mary insisted on knowing who this obnoxious loudmouth jerk was, while Alex demanded the removal of this interloper. After the dust settled, Alex retired to a couch, leaving Mary to sleep unmolested. The next morning, introductions were made, explanations given, Alex softened a bit; somewhat surprisingly, Mary found him beguiling even attractive.

Eventually Mary succumbed to homesickness and she and Alex, now married, moved back to Boston. Alex sired seven sons and one beloved daughter. Mary and Alex’s lives, you see, are based on my parents’, and I am one of those seven sons. Mary loved Alex until the day he died, nearly fifty years later. In fact, she loved him even beyond death namely the ten years by which she survived him.