November 13, 1952

I went to go see Nate again today. Edward is off to some business conference. So, I have the weekend to myself. Nate got off of work early. We hung out in the back storeroom. I ordered some food, and brought it over. We set up a little table to eat. It's as close as we can get to a real date. We laughed and talked. He asked me about my childhood. I told him about my parents dying when I was  a baby. And, how George and Caroline took me in. How they drank while I worked to bring food into the house.

He told me about his childhood too. His father took off with another woman when he was young; leaving his mother to care for two young children. His mother did what she could to feed him and his younger brother, but it proved to be too difficult. She had to give them up to an orphanage. His mother came to see them as much as she could, but she worked so much that those visits became less and less. Then one day she got sick and died.   He said that he also has tried to learn from the past, and be a different man than his father was.  He told me about his dreams of the future. He wants to be a teacher. He wants to help kids make something of themselves. Right now he is working during the day, and going to school at night. It is very trying, but he is determined.

We stayed there well after the store closed. When it got too late, Nate locked up, and we went home. I could have stayed there all night with him. I enjoy being around him. His smell. His smile. His laugh.   If only these moments could last forever.