Continuing the story...

We stayed in that two room apt.in Oakland a few weeks and then the landlady asked us if we would like to move into her apt. because she had bought another apt. house and was going to move there! She would give us a big rake-off on our rentif we would rent Apts. to anyone who needed one. Lafay had quit his job at the shipyards and went home so it was just Cappy and I alone again. It sounded like a pretty good offer and so we moved down one story but directly over that bar, remember??? Anyway, it was a nicely furnished room with a hideaway bed, table and chairs, a stove to cook on, etc. so we put up with the "music?" till I got sick and the Dr. told me I might have to have an operation! Mother and Bob came down and Mother stayed with me in my apt. for a couple of days and Bob went down the hall again to a vacant room with Cappy! The 2nd night she, Mother, was there, in the middle of the night there was a rap on the door and we had a chain lock so that one could open the door a "crack" and see who was there. There stood three of the biggest, drunk, black men I had ever seen in my life! And they wanted to know if we had any "girls" there!!! I said no and slammed the door and locked it as fast as I could!! Well that did it for Mother! The next day she got on the phone and called some lady she knew, a "relative" of a friend. so to speak, but this lady happened to be a realtor! She found us a really nice apt. in a much better part of town and even if we had to leave the other lady, it was worth moving!! This was almost in Berkeley which was North of Oakland. We had a nice kitchen, (in fact it was big enough that my stepson Les could have a cot in there and stay with his father and I!) In the living room was a Murphy bed covered with a curtain and a nice couch, comfortable chair, coffee table and end tables, lamps, etc. It was very nice and clean. There was a shower and toilet but no bathtub, but who cared!!!I could feel safe walking up or downtown and there was a movie house about a block away, restaurants, bars, etc. But it was in a neighborhood with tree-lined streets, etc. There were only two apts. in the building and one was occupied by a single woman. The laundry room was at the back of her apt. and then there was a small backyard! We could see the Campanile (spelled right?) from the University of Ca. in Berkeley if we went over one block to Telegraph Avenue! While Cappy worked for the shipyards which was a year or so, he got a call from a friend of his folks,who asked him if he would be interested coming to work for him. He had a big dairy and orchards! He would furnish us a house and the job was to help with the Mexicans which the U.S. Govt. had started with Mexico to bring in farm workers, etc. to take the place of the men who were called into the War! Since Cappy was born and raised of Mormon parents, he could speak perfect Mexican and so the Govt. gave him new rating for the Draft into the Army that was taking every man the age of 18 and older. He was rated from 1A to 3A which meant that he was necessary to the war effort on the home front! From the Sandercock Farms where we were, the National Farm Security took over these Braceros and a whole new chapter began in our lives! Some funny and some pretty trajic, etc. Oh not THAT bad! But did any of you ever pick cotton????