THE STRUGGLETHE STRUGGLE They struggled for years on a farm the inherited from his parents, scrimping and saving whatever they could. Mechanization and the big conglomerates finally did them in. Marta and Hurly Bookbinder just gave up. They sold what they could, taking a financial beating, and moved to the closest town (Clayton, Iowa) with their six children: Beverly 16, Bevin 12, Baily 10, Benton 6, Bambi 2 and six-month-old Bertram. Hurly landed a job the local feed lot, feeding the stock, rucking out stalls, transferring milk to large tank trucks that carried it to the pasteurization plant. Marta was hired by the feed store, supplementing her income by taking in sewing and selling doilies which she constantly crocheted. Beverly got a job at Flo’s Eatery, the town’s only diner. Her good looks seemed to bring in higher tips. Bevin worked at the hardware store with no name other than “Hardware Store”, owned by Clyde Whiteside. Bevin was a combination salesperson, stock boy and a strong right arm for Clyde who was fast approaching his eightieth year. Marta and Hurly decided, after thirty years of hard labor and dismal luck, to take their first and only vacation of their lives. A dream cruise with the money they saved, was the solution. Beverly and Benton were old enough to take care of the younger kids, so all was in place for their “trip of a lifetime”. They chose the cheapest accommodations possible on Oceans Cruise Line’s “Exposition”, a huge six-thousand passenger ship. Their inside cabin, more like a prison cell without bars, had a bed which took most of the floor space, a small closet and an equally small bathroom – similar to ‘steerage’ on the Titanic. The Bookbinders sampled food, served at a table with linen table cloths and napkins! It was like a dream come true. They ate seafood and meat that they never tasted before. It was a food wonderland! On the second day of the cruise, Marta sprained her ankle, getting off a gang plank. For the rest of the trip, she hobbled on a cane. They feared they would never be able to pay for the exorbitant medical bill. Then, a further disaster. Hurly came down with a severe case of gastric distress. He couldn’t keep anything down, subsisting on tea and toast. “Look at them little plastic do-dads filled with jelly”! Martha continued to eat like a horse, downing everything she was served and then some. She added several pounds to her already corpulent body. On the fifth day another disaster. Hurley had to be taken off the boat with a severe case of appendicitis. He was taken to a hospital in Honduras, where his appendix was removed. “They darn brown people did a hell of a job”! The rest of the trip was spent in Honduras where they recovered from his operation and her sprain. When they got home, they were thrilled to be united with their kids and their normal surroundings. They often reminisced about the dream cruise that wasn’t. They vowed never to leave home again. At least they had two terrific days at sea. That was more than most folks had. They were thankful for it. Ironically, their youngest, Bertram, trained at the U.S. Maritime Academy. He gradually gained in rank until he captained a ship for the same line on which his parents cruised! They struggled for years on a farm the inherited from his parents, scrimping and saving whatever they could. Mechanization and the big conglomerates finally did them in. Marta and Hurly Bookbinder just gave up. They sold what they could, taking a financial beating, and moved to the closest town (Clayton, Iowa) with their six children: Beverly 16, Bevin 12, Baily 10, Benton 6, Bambi 2 and six-month-old Bertram. Hurly landed a job the local feed lot, feeding the stock, rucking out stalls, transferring milk to large tank trucks that carried it to the pasteurization plant. Marta was hired by the feed store, supplementing her income by taking in sewing and selling doilies which she constantly crocheted. Beverly got a job at Flo’s Eatery, the town’s only diner. Her good looks seemed to bring in higher tips. Bevin worked at the hardware store with no name other than “Hardware Store”, owned by Clyde Whiteside. Bevin was a combination salesperson, stock boy and a strong right arm for Clyde who was fast approaching his eightieth year. Marta and Hurly decided, after thirty years of hard labor and dismal luck, to take their first and only vacation of their lives. A dream cruise with the money they saved, was the solution. Beverly and Benton were old enough to take care of the younger kids, so all was in place for their “trip of a lifetime”. They chose the cheapest accommodations possible on Oceans Cruise Line’s “Exposition”, a huge six-thousand passenger ship. Their inside cabin, more like a prison cell without bars, had a bed which took most of the floor space, a small closet and an equally small bathroom – similar to ‘steerage’ on the Titanic. The Bookbinders sampled food, served at a table with linen table cloths and napkins! It was like a dream come true. They ate seafood and meat that they never tasted before. It was a food wonderland! On the second day of the cruise, Marta sprained her ankle, getting off a gang plank. For the rest of the trip, she hobbled on a cane. They feared they would never be able to pay for the exorbitant medical bill. Then, a further disaster. Hurly came down with a severe case of gastric distress. He couldn’t keep anything down, subsisting on tea and toast. “Look at them little plastic do-dads filled with jelly”! Martha continued to eat like a horse, downing everything she was served and then some. She added several pounds to her already corpulent body. On the fifth day another disaster. Hurley had to be taken off the boat with a severe case of appendicitis. He was taken to a hospital in Honduras, where his appendix was removed. “They darn brown people did a hell of a job”! The rest of the trip was spent in Honduras where they recovered from his operation and her sprain. When they got home, they were thrilled to be united with their kids and their normal surroundings. They often reminisced about the dream cruise that wasn’t. They vowed never to leave home again. At least they had two terrific days at sea. That was more than most folks had. They were thankful for it. Ironically, their youngest, Bertram, trained at the U.S. Maritime Academy. He gradually gained in rank until he captained a ship for the same line on which his parents cruised!3

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