Bob and Dora Hundley lived next to Pennington with their two kids, Bob and Naomi. Young Bob was Don’s age and Naomi was just a little younger than me. I remember Mr. Hundley as having a medium body build and black hair. He sported a thin mustache which gave him a dashing appearance. Mr. Hundley had been in the Navy during the war. I don’t know if he was assigned to a ship, or saw any action. The Hundley house (below & #5) was small, covered with imitation yellow brick siding made of heavy rolls of tarpaper impregnated with a sandy grit to give it a brick-like appearance. It was inexpensive stuff, not convincing in appearance, but commonly seen in those days. Several different patterns existed beside the brick. There was a white flat stone design outlined in black that was also popular.
A covered porch ran along the south side of the house, and the front door lead into a small living room dominated by a pot-bellied stove. It sat just off center, toward the back of the room. I don’t remember much else other than Mr. Hundley’s easy chair was close to the stove. We played hide-the-thimble in that room, and searched an extra long time on one occasion. It seemed to have vanished - every possible location had been revisited several times. I was the lucky one to find it. I spied it sitting on the stove, atop one if the shiny bolts. I shouted in triumph as I reached for the thimble, but let go right away. It was winter and the stove was aglow. It had not occurred to me, even though it was cold outside, and the stove was radiating, that the thimble would be hot. I was too young to have experienced that particular situation, but did learn to avoid the mistake thereafter. We played at other times and I always made a point of looking at the stove, but it was never there. I guess the memory of me dancing around and blowing my fingers discouraged the further use of hot hiding places.
A green colored house (#6, Now a vacant lot) next to Bob and Dora Hundley belonged to the McGovern family. I did not know much about them. I think the father died in the early forties, and his wife and grown son ,who was Mom and Dad’s age, lived in the house. Their place was neat, but older and small. It sat very near the street, and the front yard was fenced or a hedge bordered the sidewalk. I don’t know if I ever heard their first names, but I understand the son‘s name was Thomas and his mother was Hazel. He was of medium height and weight, but her physical shape has escaped me. I did not see them often and remember no transactions with either except to nod and say hello.
Bob Hundley, the elder, died in 1956 and Dora married her neighbor, Thomas McGovern, the following year. They both died in a fiery automobile crash in 1958. He died in the wreck and Dora lingered, badly burned, for nearly two weeks. Mom had been a friend of Dora when we lived on Lafountain, and once said that it was a double tragedy because Dora had finally found some happiness, but it had lasted only a year. She was 41 and he 44.
Young Bob Hundley offered me a ride as I was walking from school toward downtown the week his mom was in the hospital. I knew about the crash but did not say anything. It was a bit awkward and the two of us made small-talk until he let me out. I told mom and she asked if I had inquired about his mother. I told her, “no“, I was not sure if it was okay - I didn’t know how he would react. She said it would have been alright, that people need to talk at such times. Bob moved to Florida in 1966. Naomi is married and lives in Kokomo.
GO TO: Part 6
No comments:
Post a Comment