ottersinhats

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removing the "minor" from my bio

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As summer crept into Copperdale, Elsie had discovered that once again she was pregnant. Arthur was excited to have a new sibling, but Elsie and James still worried for their finances.

They had just bought the new house, and money was tighter than ever to keep up the payments. Still, they tried to be as excited as possible for the new addition.

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With the money from Charlie the Baer's were now able to purchase a small townhome in Copperdale.

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As Charlie was walking home from work one day, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him. It took a minute to recognize her, 20 years had passed, but undeniably this woman was Kathleen Bergeron.

She told him that she and Anthony had run off to Sulani to flee his boss. Anthony had lived a long, happy life, and passed away last month.

She gave her condolences, and he his, before handing him an envelope, filled with 2000 dollars.

He was shocked. Nora knew about his past as a bootlegger, but only Elodie and Violet knew the true nature of his relationship with Tony.

They were thankful for the money, but decided they couldn't keep it all for themselves. They split the funds first between May and Douglas, then Elodie and the boys, finally giving the rest to Elsie.

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Baer family portrait c.1932

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In the blink of an eye, Arthur celebrated his birthday, aging up to a toddler.

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As Arthur neared his birthday, Elodie, Jack, and his girlfriend Clarissa came to Copperdale to visit. The three were thrilled to finally meet the little boy.

Jack had grown up a lot since Elsie had left Henford, and she was proud of her kid brother. Clarissa was sweet, and not so subtly nudged Jack when she held Arthur.

Elodie made time to check in on James as well. She often worried for her son-in-law, but he assured her that he was very happy.

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James had begun to feel a little under the weather, and it seemed that Arthur did too. They both had a fever and were getting sick constantly.

Elsie didn't know what to do, they couldn't afford a doctor much less medicine. They just kept getting sicker everyday. Eventually Elsie convinced her boss to give her one day off so she could attempt to help them.

James' fever broke that night but Arthur showed no signs of getting better. Elsie cried as she held him, not knowing what was going to happen.

The next day as dawn broke, so did Arthur's fever. He still cried and occasionally got sick, but the scary part had passed. Elsie woke up with relief knowing that her baby was on the mend.

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Life continued on and the family settled into the new normal. Elsie went to work everyday at 6am sharp. James would cook breakfast and feed Arthur.

Even when he felt bored, which was often, he cherished this time spent with his son. As Elsie was always working she missed a lot of Arthur's pivotal moments.

When she would return home at night she was usually too tired to do much of anything. Most nights she would fall asleep cuddling her baby boy.

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Elsie's labor began and ended in less than an afternoon. She suddenly found herself in a great deal pain and knew what was coming.

There was no time to call a midwife, so she began to push. She pushed for only an hour before her son entered the world.

They decided to name him Arthur James Baer.

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As spring began in Copperdale, Elsie entered the end of her pregnancy. On a rare day that she did not have a shift the couple decided to take a walk around town.

The square was busy with children off from school, running an yelling. It reminded Elsie of home. She missed being a carefree teenager taking her brothers downtown.

James noticed the look on Elsie's face and grabbed her hand. He was excited to become a father, no matter how hard it would be.

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As Elsie's pregnancy progressed she found it harder and harder to keep up with all of her obligations. Bills piled up and the couple could no longer get by.

As she reached her second trimester she could no longer hide the pregnancy from her employers, and the family she was a maid for fired her.

With the lack of extra money Elsie now had to take a full time position at the editors office- meaning she would need to drop out of university. She was devastated, but it was her only option.

They tried to look on the bright side- they were about to start a family together. She had always dreamed of being a mother and had already found her soulmate. Elsie vowed to appreciate what she did have in life.

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The long days were really starting to get to Elsie. She often found herself very tired throughout the day, and she seemed to catch the flu.

When the sickness persisted for more than a week, it became obvious to her; she was pregnant.

As much as this should have been a happy moment for them, money was very tight with Elsie's loans piling up. James tried to comfort her and assure her that this was a blessing.

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Once her story was published in the paper, Elsie sent a copy to her family back in Henford.

Elodie teared up when she realized that the story was inspired by her own parents love story. Everyone was so proud of Elsie for managing to pursue her dreams in troubling times.

The story made Jack realize how much he missed his big sister. He found himself sitting on the porch and managed to doze off in the rocking chair.

He was woken up when Clarissa came home, greeting him as she walked up to the house. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and tried to start a conversation with her.

She was very aware of Jack's crush on her, and thought it was sweet. She tried not to entertain the thought as she didn't want to disrespect his parents while they let her stay there, but she couldn't deny that he was cute.

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Elsie had decided to focus her studies on literature, and began dreaming of writing a book one day. On the rare occasion that she had free time she would go down to the local library to use their typewriters.

She had so many ideas and couldn't decide what to write. she had pages and pages of the beginnings of manuscripts scattered around the apartment. James loved to hear his wife's stories and urged her to publish some of them in the newspaper.

After class one day she decided to go for it. She marched down to the office of the Copperdale Chronicle and asked for an audience with the editor.

He flipped through her manuscripts and told her he would publish one short story. It was James' favorite one; the love story of two teens during the Great War.

The publisher shook her hand and gave her $10 for the story.

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Elsie and James struggled in Copperdale, but at least they could struggle together. The apartment they lived in was small, and James wasn't able to move around it a lot.

Elsie worked part time as a maid for a few of the richer residents in Copperdale. She continued her schooling when she wasn't working. It helped to keep her motivated for her future.

She also had begun a part-time office job in the evenings as an editor for a small publishing company. She enjoyed this job much more than being a maid, it even helped her with her own writing.

Unfortunately, due to her multiple jobs and school, she was struggling to keep up. She often fell asleep at work and James was beginning to worry for his wife.

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Dear Sister,

Life here continues in the new normal. We missed you and James this Winterfest, but I hope you are enjoying Copperdale.

Mama decided to rent out your old room to a young lady. Her name is Clarissa, she's very quiet, and very lovely. She gets on well with Willard but she seems to find me annoying.

Aunt Nora and Uncle Charlie seem to be doing alright. The company she works for is still afloat and Charlie and Dad get construction jobs every so often.

Willard started high school, but tried to drop out and join me at work. I told him there was no way I would let him do that and he's still somewhat bitter about it.

Visit soon. We miss you.

Love, Jack