Claudia turned back the white sheet and sat up on the side of the bed. Alan was in the shower. It must be four-thirty. She pulled her housecoat over her blue cotton nightgown and stumbled down the dark hall tiptoeing past the boys’ room. She entered their small kitchenette and switched on the light.
Why she needed the light she was uncertain. She could brew a pot of coffee with her eyes closed. Or so it seemed. She ran water into the aluminum percolator filling it to the six-cup mark etched on the outside. Scooping roasted coffee grounds from a tin, Claudia filled the basket insert with coffee then turned on the front gas burner. She placed the pot over the flame and waited for the water to boil. Soon the brown brew would be seen burbling against the bubble of glass atop the coffee maker’s lid. Why Alan insisted upon having his first cup of coffee with her before he left the house so early, she never understood. Was it that he enjoyed starting his day with her or just enjoyed having a hot cup of coffee ready as soon as he showered and dressed?
Alan walked into the kitchen nicely dressed in dark navy slacks, black boots, and a starched white short-sleeved shirt. He slipped his hands around Claudia’s waist and kissed the back of her neck. She poured coffee into his mug bearing the Port of Corpus Christi’s name in sea green letters.
“You should trim your beard.”
“You don’t like it? Keeps my face warm.”
“It’s not cold,” Claudia laughed as she turned and kissed his bearded cheek. “Want some eggs or toast? I can stir up something.”
“Nah, I’ll eat at the port. Busy day today. Tons of oil being freighted out. What are you doing today?”
Claudia poured herself a cup of coffee and joined him at the table in the living room. The kitchen had barely enough room for one person much less a dining table.
“Hmmm. Not sure. The boxes have been unpacked. The apartment is clean. Not much more to do in this tiny space.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, honey, it’s not your fault. But you have to agree it’s small. The boys were excited about the bunk beds the first couple of weeks. But now Matthew has little interest sleeping on the top…even with a cool ladder on the end.”
Alan smiled and took a big gulp from his mug.
“Think after we walk Matthew to school, I’ll pull the little guys in the wagon to that park I saw by the water the other day. Need groceries, too.”
“Is this the week we use a stamp for coffee and sugar?”
“Coffee…yes. Sugar not for two more weeks. Hope they have pork chops.”
“Good. Sounds like you have a good day planned. I’ll see you guys around six tonight. What’s planned for dinner?”
“A surprise I’m sure…never know what the grocer will have.”
“We can drive down to the marina Sunday to see if there’s speckled trout to buy…too early for fresh shrimp. The boys might get a kick out of seeing the fishing boats.”
Claudia stood when Alan did. She followed him across the room to the front door where he grabbed his navy-blue jacket from the closet and kissed her goodbye. After closing the door, Claudia leaned back against it. It was too early to wake Matthew for school, and she certainly didn’t want to accidentally wake the younger two. Made for an extremely long day with two cranky little boys under foot. She wanted to dive back into bed and spin herself into a cocoon deep inside the blanket but knew better. She looked around. Nothing more to unpack or stuff in a drawer or hang on a wall. She would have to search for something constructive to do before boredom set in. Seems she too had lost all her initial enthusiasm about moving to Corpus Christi.
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Fun Fact:
Orders signed by President Roosevelt in February and April 1942 gave control of terminal and port facilities and the movement of ships to the War Shipping Administration. Responsibility for port security and merchant-marine personnel went to the United States Coast Guard. The intracoastal waterway was opened to nine-foot barges. By the end of 1943, the Port of Corpus Christi exported 1,005,916 tons of crude and refined oil for the war effort.
https://www.cctexas.com/sites/default/files/American-World-War-II-Heritage-Texas-Coastal-Bend-Cities.pdf
For my story Alan is not a member of the Coast Guard but is a newly hired harbor traffic controller. The park Claudia plans to take the boys is called Cole Park, located off of Ocean Drive near the Corpus Christi Bay. The park is in existence today.
All community members participated in rationing food, clothing items, auto parts, rubber, and gasoline. Ration books which contained stamps were issued to every American. These stamps were used to purchase sugar, coffee, cooking oil and canned goods. Each stamp had point values and had to be used with each item purchased. Once a person’s monthly stamps were used up, that particular item could not be purchased. This made meal planning and menus difficult to manage at times. And we think grocery shopping and meal planning a chore.
Claudia’s Story Part II will be posted Wednesday, October 23, 2024.