“In those days people got married because they wanted to have sex. There was no reliable birth control. All the girls knew that they had to be careful or they would get knocked up and sent away. I had already had some close calls. It was the 1920’s and we were all party girls.
I would come home drunk and pregnant and Gigi would say, “Oh, Mimi… Let’s call the doctor and get you taken care of. ” I would go get an abortion from the doctor who could be bribed and then Gigi would buy me a new car. My father died several years before I came of age. So, I had the freedom my mother never had. I bobbed my hair, threw away my corset, rolled my stockings down, and sought out the local whoopee spots.
The invention of the automobile took sex out of the barn and the buggy and made it possible to arrange a liaison anywhere you could drive. I had sex in my own car at the beach the first time. I loved it! And I couldn’t stop doing it!
The music was fun! We danced and drank, took cocaine, and smoked reefer. We didn’t care; we were careless! I got married the first time because I was pregnant again, and I had almost died after the last abortion. My new husband was the son of the owner of the first Ford dealership in town. He always had a new car, liked to drink and party, so I thought, “Why not? He’s a good match.”
I didn’t realize that I still had some wild oats to sow and so did he. He cheated on me, I cheated on him. I got pregnant again by one of my lovers, a handsome dark skinned Hawaiian gentleman, so we divorced. I was still living with Gigi, and she was taking care of my girls. I got married again when I met the handsome captain of a flying fish boat I met while on vacation in Catalina. He’s the man you call, “Grandad.”
I had you two girls in tow on a weekend trip. Gigi was with us, so Grandad and I could meet up after the tour and go out sparkin’. He was the best man I had ever been with: tan, blond, athletic, and he loved my girls.
This was the beginning of three generations of women who had children first and then married the man they wanted for the father. You kids couldn’t have asked for a better grandfather. ” She looked around at the progeny of her progeny and they all nodded in agreement. Grandad had been the very best grandfather.
(First published 3/8/13)
