Memories of My Sister CC

Memories of My Sister CC

By Rosemary Wolfe Stewart

My sister CC was as different from me as night is today. She was 19 months younger than me and since I could not pronounce Cecilia I just called her CC and so that became the name she was called. She was bold and adventurous with a vivid imagination and talked constantly.

I can remember being too cautious to venture into new ideas but when I passed them on to her it was like pressing go. Sometimes she would be punished if her antics displeased Mother. She was given to messiness and Mother was often pushed to the max. Sometimes Mother would spank her for leaving a mess in her room. One day when CC came home from school Mother told her to go up to her room and change from school clothes into play clothes. I recall that CC appeared on the scene after making her usual mess and mother began to spank her but CC was not crying like she ordinarily did. Mother also noted a different feel to CC’s backside so she peered under CC’s jeans (known as dungarees in those days) and realized that CC had on not just one pair of underpants but a dozen pairs. Well, CC got punished that day with Mother spanking her bare bottom. Later in the day Mother was amused by relating the story to the rest of the family.

My fondest memories of my younger sister were when we played house after completing our chores. Dad let us have an unused part of a shed and mother gave us empty bottles that had held ketchup, salad dressing, pickles, etc. We also had a table with chairs. The shed had windows so we used discarded curtains. We also had rugs, brooms, dust cloths and other discarded household items so it was kept immaculately clean. We had tea parties, dinners, naps and lots of other things there. We could not wait to finish the chores which were expected of us to play house. These memories of playing house took place during World War II when we were 6 to 10 years old. Sometimes our older brothers reluctantly let us play in dirt piles with their trucks or we all played war in the back woods.

Once when CC was about 8 years old we were supposed to be weeding Mother's flower garden and CC soon became bored. Dad had a ladder leaning against a tree and she climbed up a few rungs and putting out her arms said “Look at me, I’m not holding on” I pretended to ignore her and kept on weeding. So she advanced a few more rungs up the ladder and repeated “Look at me, I am not holding on.” This went on until she was nearly to the top of the ladder with me ignoring her until I heard a thud and she was lying face down on the ground. Fortunately she only sustained an open wound in her chest which had to be sutured. She carried that scar for the rest of her life. While recovering from the fall, Aunt Bobbie Clagett visited and gave her a chain with a metal. While Mother and dad were entertaining downstairs CC was upstairs in bed alone. We heard a shriek at one point and Mother rushed upstairs to be told that CC had swallowed her chain and metal. Mother in exasperation just threw up her hands.

When she was a little older David, CC and I were supposed to clean up after dinner. While she was washing dishes and David and I were drying them she began to pinch David and pester him with her mouth. When David had enough of CC’s harassment he took off after her. She ran from room to room returning to the kitchen and back again. This was kept up until she sped by the stove and dipped her hands into the left-over mashed potato pot then took off again. The next time she ran into the kitchen she put on the brakes, put out one hand and said “let’s shake on it.” Opening his hand, David agreed and ended up with a hand full of mashed potatoes. Off she went again with David in hot pursuit.



 
L-R: Rosemary, Mother and CC with identical dolls - photo taken about 1943 at the Greentree Road house

We had no playmates other than siblings or occasional visiting cousins. When she was 11 years old a family built a home close to us. It was eventually learned that the Mother, June Garland, was a third cousin to mother. Her eldest child Susie was CC’s age and they became best of friends. Susie’s personality was close to CC’s and I can recall feeling a little jealous. I never had this feeling before then and was uncomfortable with it.

A year later CC came down with Rheumatic Fever and died after suffering for 9 months. I had lost my best friend, my sparring partner and roommate. I have missed her all these years wishing she was still living and able to share in each other’s lives but at the same time being grateful that as a 12 year old child our Lord took her home to His care.

 Addendum by Walter Wolfe: While my memories about my sister CC are faint, I do recall that when she became bedridden, she got lonely and if I appeared anywhere within her hearing, she would seduce me into her bedroom where I became reluctant company. When I spent a long time with her and got bored, I would try to break out by crawling under her bed when she nodded off. But, often she would hear my escaping and order me back. After all, I was only five years old and she was my big sister.


CC"s CARDS
CC made the classroom Christmas card for Mother and Dad when she attended Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School located off East West Highway in Bethesda.

The other card below from CC is for Valentine’s Day