This is a true story.
Several times in my childhood my parents abandoned me, but they always left me with a baby sitter, a complete stranger who they paid, just to keep her honest. My favorite babysitter was Veronica. She wore velour sweaters and had a faint little mustache. I had a kindergarten-age crush on her because she was nice.
My second favorite babysitter was Miss Mary Eileen. Now SHE was a freakin’ hoot.
That’s Miss Mary Eileen on the left with her cousin Miss Bevel.
They both lived in a house that was walking distance from mine.
Miss Mary was my favorite. She was a lot of fun. Let us climb on the furniture and stuff. She liked rock n’ roll, too, and brought over 45s of songs my parents wouldn’t allow me to listen to.
Later on, Miss Eileen married a handyman named “Lefty.” I don’t recall his real name, and they moved into a townhouse up the hill.
Mary and her husband opened up a successful restaurant/bar that was very popular, especially with the left-leaning bohemian crowd.
She and her husband raised four sons (youngest 10, eldest 20 in this pic from 1998).
Here’s her youngest son Bobby (nicknamed “Wilt the Tilt” by his classmates) in his senior year in High School, in front of his grandfather’s house.
Eventually Mary and her husband retired to this comfy little cottage in the same neighborhood she grew up in, and they lived happily ever after.
THE END.
