Apartment Living & Dating Newsome

Once I got into an apartment things did change a little bit. I saw Newsome a lot more because for one, I had a phone and could actually communicate and coordinate things but also, it was just easier because there was some place to meet and some place to go. Its not like this SSG could come hang out in the barracks all of the time and his apartment was a bit further away.

I also loved that right across the street from my apartment was a small pond that had ducks. I'd often just stand at the edge of the pond and watch them --sometimes bringing bread out to feed them. It was a quiet street, a red brick street as many of the side streets in Germany were. All of it gave a flavor of European living.

Apartment living also meant I had to get up earlier to make formation. Living in the barracks, I could literally roll out of bed, walk down a flight of stairs and there I was. Living off post I'd have to leave myself plenty of time to walk and in every kind of weather too. Most of the time that wasn't much of a problem.

Connie and I still got along very well. I did most of the cooking, when we didn't eat in the Mess Hall. One particular time we were both getting in each other's nerves so I just left and sat at a park for a few hours. It wasn't like I was venting off steam --I just knew we needed to be away from each other for a little while. Other than that, we always got along quite well. Even though we were sharing a rather small space, at least we were down to one roommate as opposed to the 5 we had been sharing the barracks room with. As Christmas approached we were very excited to get our own tree. We went downtown Ansbach and got us a real live tree. I have no recollection of how we got the tree home but if we didn't just drag it through town, which would have been something the pair of us would be very likely to do, then I'm sure Newsome had a hand in helping us.

Getting away from the barracks drama was actually a very good thing. Instead of being a part of everything I could just concentrate on my work and the small circle of friends that I had. By now, I spent most of my free time still writing a lot of letters and longing for home but I'd also go to the gym quite often. I took an Aerobics class, watched Newsome play basketball, attempted racquet ball, ran, lifted weights and generally hung out. It was Ansbach, what else was there to do? On occasion Connie and I would take a bus to Katterbach and catch a movie or get some Tacos from a Mexican place that was on base there. Newsome and I had a lot of dinners out and on Saturdays he'd drive me to Nuremberg and we'd shop, eat, hang out . . . .

One particular Friday night Newsome and I had plans to go out to dinner after work. About 3pm he was heading to the gym to play basketball then after the game was going to head over to my apartment to pick me up. Connie was gone for the night-- I can't remember where she was but she might have been home on leave or just off for the weekend some place. I rushed home after work because I wanted to be ready on time and I was always excited to spend time with Newsome. I got home got ready and waited. And I waited, and I waited and I waited. I checked the phone 100 times to see if it was working. Dial tone. I kept holding out hope Newsome would show up but as night time fell upon me, I realized --

I had been stood up.