Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Jonesing for Alaska


Bill had been jonesing to go to Alaska ever since he talked to some guys at work about it. He got a subscription to Alaska magazine and that only made his desire to go more powerful. 

According to the guys Alaska was desperate for workers and the pay was great. They said you could get a huge chunk of land, build a log cabin and live off the land while making money hand over fist.

Gosh, that sounded good to Bill, who having been drafted to fight in WWII at the young age of 18, and having returned from the European Theater four years later, was stuck working in a factory. He was making a living, but just that, with not much hope for a great financial future.

Maybe it was a result of having been to other countries, experiencing the hardships of war, the brotherhood, the adventure, but he craved that adrenaline rush, and let’s face it, working in a paper plate factory wasn’t much of a rush.

He also wanted to give his young family the life he’d always dreamed of, one of all the comforts without having to worry about every penny. A good living, a nice place to live, and all the adventure you could ever want. According to the guys at work, Alaska was the place to do just that.

I can only imagine the cajoling, sweet-talking, and promises he made in order to get Lois to agree. To get her to pack up and leave her family and friends. But somehow, he managed to get her to agree. He should follow his heart.  

2 comments:

Unknown said...

She must have adored your dad .. similar to the love L has for C

C.Y. Bourgeois said...

We were lucky to have had parents who truly loved each other...and us!