The Bookie's Daughter Read Online Free Page B

a waitress. Given the extreme abuse she endured in her formative years, Bonnie’s maturing process was hindered by the ghosts that haunted her, and by her constant guilt and worry for the siblings she left behind. Al understood the damaging effect of her horrific childhood and made allowances for her mean-spirited behavior. In many ways, they were two wounded souls who recognized their own pain in each other. Each was protective of the other when it came to outside threats, but unfortunately, their intimate understanding of the other’s vulnerability was often wielded as a weapon during their tumultuous thirty-two-year marriage.
     
    Only a child when she declared her autonomy, my mother was a lonely, young woman who had little faith in adults. When not working at the restaurant or cleaning the boarding house in which she lived, Bonnie would explore the downtown district of Greensburg, visiting the local antique stores, theatres, and bookstores. It was during one of her weekly excursions in search of a new mystery book to occupy her lonely nights that Bonnie met my father, home on break from the University of Pittsburgh. Al, a lifelong movie buff, was in Greensburg to see a movie at the magnificent Palace Theatre. Arriving at the theatre early, he decided to pop into the bookstore next door and peruse their collection of comic books. Al gathered his selections and hurried to make his purchase, not wanting to miss the opening credits. In his rush, he crashed into my tiny mother and knocked her to the ground. My father never made the movie, but within a few months, he had a wife. Bonnie and Al were married on April 22, 1951 in a civil ceremony in West Virginia. Their volatile marriage began with a lie—one of many to come. Bonnie, just past her sixteenth birthday, somehow convinced her husband that she was a very young-looking twenty. Twenty-two years would pass before he discovered that he had indeed married a child bride.
     
    Shortly after their marriage, Al found a job in a chemical plant in Cleveland. My mother was at first excited by the promise of a fresh start in a new city but quickly became distressed and anxious at being so far away from her younger brothers and sister in Pennsylvania. Torn between worry for her siblings and the desire for a “normal” life, she occupied her time settling into their new apartment and quickly found a part-time job at a local bookstore. Although her mind was too often occupied with thoughts of her family, she made an effort to create a home for her husband, who was excelling at his job at the nearby factory. Al’s passionate love for his work and his spirited personality allowed him to quickly attain popularity among his colleagues, who were attracted by both his skillfulness at work and his zest for life.
     
    Although desperate to put the past behind her, Bonnie could not find peace. She constantly complained of her loneliness and worry. Al finally agreed to go back to Pennsylvania but made it clear that they would not live near her family in Johnstown. They would go back to his hometown, Jeannette, where he could open a business to provide for her and her family. Thankful for his sacrifice, Bonnie agreed. Al quit his job and they moved back to Jeannette, settling into an apartment on the upper part of Clay Avenue. Now only fifty miles from her family, Bonnie was able to keep an eye on the “kids” and still have the solitude she so desperately needed.
     
    As they settled in, Al began to look for business opportunities that would provide for his wife, her four young siblings, and, by extension her mother, Greta. My father soon opened a store selling televisions, cameras, and household appliances. Drawing on the skills he had honed as a kid selling goods on street corners, his business took off almost immediately. Al’s Bargain Center attracted customers who would normally have to drive into Pittsburgh for the merchandise Al offered at a discount. By the time my sister was