Sing Me a Bawdy Song

Book excerpt: After serving in the 'Great War' Casey Bretten returns to college and graduates with honors. He begins a new vocation as the manager of an Automobile Service and Repair business in Toledo, Ohio near his family farm. Through no fault of his own Casey had suffered abrupt endings to three affairs. He had tasted the 'honey of sex' and is eager to marry and settle down. He meets Emma Haan where she is working in a local bank. They fall in love and are married. Everything is going well until the Great Depression and Casey and Emma lose all they have worked for. They are near the point of destitution when Charlie Nash stops by Casey's business and offers Casey a job in Kenosha, Wisconsin at his Nash Motors Plant. The family moves to Kenosha and in 1933 they have their last child, a girl. Casey names the girl 'Tiona' which means 'Little Princess' in Indian. Unknown to Emma, Tiona is the name of Casey's first love. In 1936 Casey is promoted to the position of 'Regional Service Manager' of the entire Western United States. The family moves to Los Angeles. From 1936 to 1945 Casey flies more than 300,000 miles on United Air Lines planes. He is home with his family one week out of every twelve. During that time Emma is home with the children. Some of the problems Emma faces are: The death of her Mother. The 1938 flood in Los Angeles which almost results in the death of one of the children. The two youngest children contacting 'whooping cough.' Buying and moving to a two-bedroom house that is all they can afford. Emma's brother's young widow comes to visit them there with her baby and eventually marries a sailor who is transferred to Pearl Harbor. After several years they are able to buy a larger house. Here, Tiona's best friend is sent to Manzanar, a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp. Bill, after being rated 4-F is drafted into the service and Bob is also drafted even though he has a heart problem. Bob is later wounded while serving in the Philippines. Later Emma finds out she has breast cancer and Tiona, Casey's first love moves in next door.