Shirley was sent by her parents to San Diego, California to live out her pregnancy and give birth to the baby she was carrying. Her parents felt that she was needing to face the future and find someway to raise her unwanted child by herself. Punishment was what they offered her instead of loving family support and they did not want to hear about how either Shirley or the baby was doing. They hoped fervently that the pregnancy would resolve itself and that their "good little girl" would come back to them, childless.
Shirley was on her own. She could not confide in either her husband or her parents. She had no friend that she trusted to tell her secret to because she felt no one would understand how a married woman could allow herself to be raped. She imagined that they all felt that she must have stirred up her rapist or he would never have had anything to do with her. Her family felt that she should not have been spending so much time at the USO seeing as she was a married woman with her poor husband in a war and needing her total support.
Shirley found a family, the Ladisaws, who were looking to rent one of the rooms in their home in downtown San Diego. When they met Shirley they saw that she was pregnant and assumed that the baby was her husband's, since she was married. They felt sorry for the poor girl living so far from family and trying to go through a pregnancy alone. They became her friends and gave her encouragement and support. She started to prepare for a child and buy the clothes and bottles and diapers that she would need. She found employment as a riveter at Ryan Aeronautics on the Pacific Coast Highway and used the buses and a trolley to get to work. When she was two weeks away from her birth due date, she was sent home to have her baby and told that she could return to her job after the baby was six weeks old.
It was 102 degrees outside when Shirley felt her contractions begin. Mid-summer in San Diego was beautiful but warm. She wrestled with the birth of her baby. She knew that she loved her baby, but the fact of the rape made her feel estranged to the child, and on top of that, she only had enough income to support herself. How was she going to care for a child alone? What would she use for money to raise her? What was she going to tell her husband? Would he understand, or would he also be angry and put her away for adultery? The birth pains were more than just physical pain, they were also reminders that she would soon be responsible for a child that no one really wanted in this world. She strained against the pain, but it just made the pain worse. Finally, a little baby girl was born and Shirley called her Ruby Lee after the name of a little girl who was the grandchild of the Ladisaws and who lived with them with her mother whose husband was also overseas in the Army. She gave the child the same last name as her husbands as she had told everyone that she was married and her husband was in Hawaii serving in the Army. The newspaper printed an announcement that a baby girl had been born to Mr. and Mrs. Orville Baker, at (her address at the Ladisaw's), on July 14, 1944.
Shirley had helped her mother to care for her younger brothers and sisters and so she had no problem taking care of little Ruby. What worried her was that she did not have any money to continue to take care of the child since she no longer worked and all she received was a small monthly stipend from her husband who knew where she was and her address, but did not know that his wife was pregnant, let alone had a new little child.
For six weeks, Shirley took care of her little girl and knew such love as she had never experienced before. But love did not buy the ingredients for formula, or clothe a rapidly growing child. She struggled with what she must do. She knew she had to go back to work in order to take care of her own needs and doubly so to take care of a growing baby's needs. What to do?
Shirley had never stopped going to church. She went to the Brethren Church on El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego, and there she met a woman, Eleanor Carpenter, who owned a home that was an orphanage for little babies. Mrs. Carpenter lived only six blocks from where Shirley lived and offered to solve her problem by caring for her baby while she went to work. Shirley confided in Eleanor about her true situation and Eleanor understood her and did not make her feel like an awful person. Eleanor understood that at some point Shirley was either going to have to inform her husband of what was going on, or give the child up for adoption. Shirley could not just give up her baby, but neither could she find the strength to confide in her husband and hope for the best. So, when little Ruby was six weeks old, Shirley asked the Ladisaw's to take pictures of herself and little Ruby, then she took the child and all of her belongings and walked with her over to the Carpenter's orphanage. Shirley could not bring herself to give the baby up for adoption but at least she would have a safe place to stay while she went back to work at Ryan.
Tomorrow: Life in an orphanage and giving up your child for adoption.
Shirley was on her own. She could not confide in either her husband or her parents. She had no friend that she trusted to tell her secret to because she felt no one would understand how a married woman could allow herself to be raped. She imagined that they all felt that she must have stirred up her rapist or he would never have had anything to do with her. Her family felt that she should not have been spending so much time at the USO seeing as she was a married woman with her poor husband in a war and needing her total support.
Shirley found a family, the Ladisaws, who were looking to rent one of the rooms in their home in downtown San Diego. When they met Shirley they saw that she was pregnant and assumed that the baby was her husband's, since she was married. They felt sorry for the poor girl living so far from family and trying to go through a pregnancy alone. They became her friends and gave her encouragement and support. She started to prepare for a child and buy the clothes and bottles and diapers that she would need. She found employment as a riveter at Ryan Aeronautics on the Pacific Coast Highway and used the buses and a trolley to get to work. When she was two weeks away from her birth due date, she was sent home to have her baby and told that she could return to her job after the baby was six weeks old.
It was 102 degrees outside when Shirley felt her contractions begin. Mid-summer in San Diego was beautiful but warm. She wrestled with the birth of her baby. She knew that she loved her baby, but the fact of the rape made her feel estranged to the child, and on top of that, she only had enough income to support herself. How was she going to care for a child alone? What would she use for money to raise her? What was she going to tell her husband? Would he understand, or would he also be angry and put her away for adultery? The birth pains were more than just physical pain, they were also reminders that she would soon be responsible for a child that no one really wanted in this world. She strained against the pain, but it just made the pain worse. Finally, a little baby girl was born and Shirley called her Ruby Lee after the name of a little girl who was the grandchild of the Ladisaws and who lived with them with her mother whose husband was also overseas in the Army. She gave the child the same last name as her husbands as she had told everyone that she was married and her husband was in Hawaii serving in the Army. The newspaper printed an announcement that a baby girl had been born to Mr. and Mrs. Orville Baker, at (her address at the Ladisaw's), on July 14, 1944.
Shirley had helped her mother to care for her younger brothers and sisters and so she had no problem taking care of little Ruby. What worried her was that she did not have any money to continue to take care of the child since she no longer worked and all she received was a small monthly stipend from her husband who knew where she was and her address, but did not know that his wife was pregnant, let alone had a new little child.
For six weeks, Shirley took care of her little girl and knew such love as she had never experienced before. But love did not buy the ingredients for formula, or clothe a rapidly growing child. She struggled with what she must do. She knew she had to go back to work in order to take care of her own needs and doubly so to take care of a growing baby's needs. What to do?
Shirley had never stopped going to church. She went to the Brethren Church on El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego, and there she met a woman, Eleanor Carpenter, who owned a home that was an orphanage for little babies. Mrs. Carpenter lived only six blocks from where Shirley lived and offered to solve her problem by caring for her baby while she went to work. Shirley confided in Eleanor about her true situation and Eleanor understood her and did not make her feel like an awful person. Eleanor understood that at some point Shirley was either going to have to inform her husband of what was going on, or give the child up for adoption. Shirley could not just give up her baby, but neither could she find the strength to confide in her husband and hope for the best. So, when little Ruby was six weeks old, Shirley asked the Ladisaw's to take pictures of herself and little Ruby, then she took the child and all of her belongings and walked with her over to the Carpenter's orphanage. Shirley could not bring herself to give the baby up for adoption but at least she would have a safe place to stay while she went back to work at Ryan.
Tomorrow: Life in an orphanage and giving up your child for adoption.
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