In The Twinkle of an Eye
When I began this project, I immediately thought of my grandfather, Richard Rebman. He had always been one to tell a good story, and after being in World War II, I knew that he would provide me with a colorful paper. But as I sat listening to the wealth of life flow from his wise lips, cracked with the suffering and smiles of ninety years, I knew that he, and not the war, would be the topic of my essay. During his life, my grandpa fought through many unspoken hardships. He lost his first daughter at the age of fourteen to leukemia. Years later the same dieses took his wife. He has also watched his parents, brothers and sisters fall to death. Now, he has been diagnosed with heart failure and there is nothing that any doctors can do. But despite the pain, he still carries with him a twinkle in his eye and a smile in his heart. As I sat listening I learned what lead up to the war. And now, after ninety years of life, good and bad, a little of what makes him tick. "So, can I interview you?" I said. I knew what the answer would be, but I felt I should ask anyway, just to be polite. After I warned him of the poor quality of my questions, he assured me that they were wonderful and we began.
Soon after, World War II broke out. Factories were being built to provide the military with weapons. To join the work force for the war, Rebman moved to Prior, Oklahoma to work as a guard for Dupont, a plant that made gunpowder and TNT. "After that, I got a job on the highway working on bridges. Then I got a job on the highway as a truck foreman. I had three men under me. At that time I made four dollars an hour. I felt that was the best job anyone could get." To go from ten cents to four dollars was surly a step up! Since we had now fully submerged into the subject of war, I got out my questions again, slightly ashamed myself that I didn't have better prompts. Of course, it wasn't a big deal, no matter the question, my grandpa always had an answer, right or wrong, he always did! "When I gradated from high school, I was class poet. It was a wonderful poem that I read.. but my mother is the one that wrote it. I can still tell you.. It starts out like this.. "Well all the boys wanted to change jobs with me. I was amazed at some of the things that the people did. Like there was this one lady.. one real cold morning, I was filling gas tank and I hear high heels clicking on the sidewalk and here was a young lady. She had on these shoes and just a little fur jacket.. just coming down the sidewalk, click, click, click. It was cold too!" He also painted pictures of other strangers. When he was filling up tank for one woman she came out and said that she didn't mind if he filled up her tanks, but that he had to look her in the eyes the whole time. Well, my grandpa stared her straight in the eye and said "Mam, I can look you in the eye and still tell that you are wearing red toenail polish!" I almost fell out of my chair. I laughed so hard! Next, I boldly asked him if he had killed anyone. I immediately regretted it. After he made up his mind to join the army, he had to deal with another problem, though nothing as big as his little tight-legged graduation suit!
Some common words found in the essay are:
Oklahoma Growing, Ford Rebman, War II, Prior Oklahoma, Powder Plant, Rebman Besides, Richard Rebman, , Rebman' Ford, don't middle, World War, world war ii, bought suit, war ii, loaf bread, sat listening, suit clothes, filled tanks, world war, didn't mind, despite pain, bought suit clothes,
Approximate Word count = 1690
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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