1989..I finally finish the 80's.

The End of a Decade, a New Beginning

I’m finally completing my series about the 1980s. Unfortunately, life and a few health issues got in the way of my initial plans. I may delve into some of these details in the future, but it’s time to wrap up this chapter. While this may be shorter, it holds no less significance than the rest of the decade.

1988 ended with my marriage to Alison. Many people believe that their first year of marriage is the best, but that isn’t true for us. As mentioned earlier, Alison was pregnant when we got married. We didn’t go on a honeymoon because she was not feeling well. In addition to the normal challenges of pregnancy, she had a severe cold. Working at the White House had its perks, one of which was direct access to the Bolling Air Force Base medical unit commander. He had worked in the White House Medical Unit and assured us that we could call him anytime, and he genuinely meant it. So, I had to make a phone call from Pennsylvania to find out what medications she could take while pregnant. She seemed to recover quite quickly.

Unfortunately, our troubles didn’t end there. We returned to our apartment in Maryland earlier than planned. We managed to take her sister to the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. On our way home, we narrowly avoided a serious accident. To this day, we can only attribute it to divine intervention. A car pulled out in front of us while we were traveling at around 60 miles per hour. Somehow, I managed to steer into a space that a car could barely fit in and swerve around the vehicle. A few days later, I woke up in pain. We visited the Fort Meade Medical Unit, and I discovered that I had a severe ear infection. Then work caused issues.

We both resumed our work routines. Alison had a regular job from Monday to Friday and didn’t have to travel during her pregnancy. Around March, she was transferred to quarters for the remainder of her pregnancy. I wasn’t as fortunate. I had to travel again, which meant I was away from home more often. My best man and his wife kindly filled in for me during childbirth classes. We did manage to participate in a few Volksmarches and spent some quality time together, but my frequent absences made it challenging. I had to fight to stay at the shop for the last couple of weeks of her pregnancy, which wasn’t easy due to the heavy travel demands. I believe President Bush traveled twice as much as President Reagan.

On May 19th, I received a call informing me that Alison’s water had broken. When I got the call, I was already on another call taking an equipment order for a Presidential trip. Despite the urgency, I managed to stay calm and finish the other call before heading out. However, the journey ahead was challenging. I had to drive from Anacostia Naval Station to Laurel, Maryland, followed by a trip from Laurel to the hospital on Andrews Air Force Base. The combined trip would take approximately an hour with favorable traffic conditions. Every time we encountered traffic or she experienced labor pains, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.

We arrived between 5 and 6 pm. I dropped Alison off at the emergency room exit and had to find a parking spot. As I finally entered the hospital, they informed me that we still had some time before the birth. I promptly called my family, Alison’s family, my best man, and his wife, as well as work, as I had signed a blank leave form that they would fill out. It was an exhilarating yet terrifying experience.

Just before midnight, Matthew was born. Everyone had requested that I call regardless of the time, so I had numerous calls to make once he was safely in the nursery.

This was a wonderful time, but it was short-lived. When I called to request leave, I was informed that the best I could get was seven days off. I would be flying to Paris, France, for the 1989 World Economic Summit on the first day of my leave. This would be a month-long trip. My mother-in-law was at our apartment, and she was terminally ill. This added to the workload that week. My parents arrived in town, which was a relief because they helped out. I saw my son a few days before I left for Paris.

Paris wasn’t easy on me. I was concerned about my wife being alone, and I was missing both of them. It turned out that she spent most of the month with her parents. When I returned, I discovered that I had a few days off before embarking on another trip. After a week, I found out that our team was traveling to another city, so my week turned into two. Again, my wife went home to her parents. The rest of the year would follow a similar pattern.

Alison returned to work and found a sitter. She was essentially a single mother. It was taxing on our marriage. I would come home wanting to spend time with her and our son, but often, things were difficult. My wife would hope to relax in a bath, but our son didn’t know me. He would scream whenever he was out of her sight. I couldn’t calm him down. I would want to spend some time with my wife, but she just wanted a break. As soon as things settled in, I would be off again. While things weren’t entirely bad, at times I wondered. Somehow, Alison managed to avoid travel.

Around the end of summer, I managed to get some leave, and we embarked on a delightful trip to New York. Alison had the opportunity to shop with my mom. We all visited various sites and my family got to meet our son. The only hiccup was a brief three-hour period when Matthew cried when Alison went shopping. Overall, it was an enjoyable trip.

In late October, Alison exited the Army and we finally secured our first apartment in Butler, Pennsylvania. I wouldn’t leave the Air Force until May 1st of the following year. To save money, I stayed with my best man and his family, and I traveled to Butler almost every weekend. However, my travel abruptly came to an end around that time. There were still trips, but I always ended up staying behind in the shop.

That concludes the 80’s. 1989 was not a particularly enjoyable year. We welcomed our son, and there were some bright moments, but it was undoubtedly the roughest year of our marriage. The year concluded with a trip to New York for Christmas and a brief stay in Butler, Pennsylvania, before I had to return to work for the New Year.

1990 marked a fresh start for us. Despite initial challenges in finding work, we were finally able to establish a sense of family. Alison and I were able to build the relationship we had always wanted, and by the end of the 90’s, we had two more children. Like any relationship, there were both good and bad times, but the positive aspects far outweighed the negative. The 80’s began and ended with change, and I suppose that’s the essence of life.