For new readers, who may not have read my author notes, this is written in a conversational way as I talk to my deceased husband. When I refer to someone just as "you" this means I am addressing my husband, Evan.

In June of 1989, we were shocked to see on television what was playing out in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. We had been aware that China was going through some changes, and that students had been protesting there since the spring. However having other things occupying our lives, we paid little attention. Some time around the fifth of June, we found ourselves riveted to the TV while watching the horror playing out on the screen. The Chinese Communist government was attempting to crush the protests. We watched as one man stood in front of the moving tanks, defying them to run over him.
 
It was estimated that a million people were demonstrating against the government and many of them were students from nearby colleges. By the end of June, the Chinese government claimed that 200 civilians and several dozen security personnel had died. No one really knew how many. Estimates ranged from hundreds to  in the thousands. We later heard that approximately 10,000 had died. There was a time when we only heard about these things after the fact, but this was the beginning of a time when many terrible things were brought to us live, by way of television.
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When Connie went to New Orleans with Kimberly and her mother, Jane, they came back through Newton and spent the night with my parents. Connie may have been embarrassed to have other people visiting her grandparents, because she was rude and ugly to Mom and Dad. Mother was crying when she told me by phone that Connie hated her. She said Connie tried to make her look stupid in front of her visitors. Connie had never been as close to Mother as the oder children had been. She came home saying Mom hated her and was mean to her. I knew how Mom always goes out of her way to impress company. Some of the worse spankings I ever got from her, were when I corrected her in front of other people.
 
Just before Connie and Kimberly left to go to New Orleans, Connie had been crazy about a guy named Scott J. Then she met another guy named Lenny P., and he was calling her all the time. She met him through a girl she worked with at the ice cream parlor. They went to a party at Lenny’s house and before it ended, Scott was sitting in his car, sulking and shedding a few tears. Apparently, it was over with Scott. Lenny was cute and drove a nice car. He lived with his mother and sister in Mountain Shadows, which was a ritzy subdivision with some very expensive homes.
 
Lenny was a senior at Ooltewah High School. He was clean-cut and dressed nicely. He was different from Connie’s usual taste in guys. Most of the boys she’d liked in the past had driven junky cars, had worn Mohawks or ponytails and had holes in their jeans. They smoked or drank and probably did drugs, so Lenny was a welcome addition to her collection of friends. When we were introduced, he was very polite.
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You and I celebrated our thirty-third anniversary in June. We went to a movie and had dinner at a nice restaurant. We also went to the Riverbend Festival. Jerry Lee Lewis was supposed to be the headliner, but he was a no-show. Ronnie McDowell and Susie Bogus came instead, and they put on a good show. We had free tickets, so we went back again on the final night and watched the fireworks. Connie went with Lenny, and Don and Kimberly went together. Christi went with some guy named Allen who had been introduced to her by friends. Allen was part Native American.
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Your sister, Nan, called and asked if you would send her another $1,000. She and Richard were both drawing unemployment, and she was getting paid for being the music director for a church. This time, I got upset with her for having enough nerve to ask for more. At least, you didn’t keep it from me. You told her that you would need to talk to me about it. You weren’t happy about her asking for more either. You told me I could write to her and explain why we couldn't afford to send more right now. You read my letter, and said it was okay to mail. We both felt bad, but at least we weren’t fighting about it. She wrote back and said they didn’t need it any more. I’m sure she blamed me.
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In other news, Kimberly decided to move to Georgia near Don’s college and to get her own apartment. She planned to get a job as a nurse at a hospital in Marietta, Georgia. Christi was still working as a receptionist, but she decided she wanted to take a class and learn to be a massage therapist so that she could eventually start her own business.
 
Connie got fired from her job at the ice cream parlor. She had been letting Lenny come over and help her clean up the place before she left at night. Management found out and fired her, because she wasn’t supposed to allow anyone who didn’t work there behind the counter. She was very depressed, and Lenny kept bringing her roses to cheer her up. She said he was the sweetest boy she had ever known. He was caring, polite and always tipped people for doing little things for him, like bringing groceries to his car.
 
We found out a bit more about Lenny. His parents were divorced and his mother was a department head at the university. His sister was a little older and was deaf, but she was able to read lips and talk. His father was remarried and was a high school principal. He and his wife had a beautiful place on a lake. Both of the children were adopted.
 
Connie had a talk with us about church. She felt that, at her age, we shouldn’t insist that she go with us every week. She said that she was old enough to make her own decisions about religion. We agreed that it was something we shouldn't try to force on people. She had been brought up in church and had been baptized, but she was old enough to make her own choices. We could pray for her, but the decision was hers.
 
Things going on with our children and with your family had caused you to be a bit depressed. It seemed everything was getting to you. Not having worked here, you didn’t really have any friends.  The church we attended was so large that we weren’t getting to know anyone there. Our neighbors kept to themselves. Not having money coming in regularly to you, and knowing I was the only wage earner wasn’t helping. Even though you had money saved for our retirement, you didn’t feel you were supporting the family. I knew you were also worried about what was happening at our place in the country. We couldn’t go back very often to check on things, and we weren’t coming up with answers as to what we should do with the place. I didn’t seem to know how to help you. I didn't want you to feel that I thought I had to work. I tried to assure you that I enjoyed working and only did it because I wanted to.

This is Us:
Evan is 60 and a retired drafting supervisor from Chevron Oil.
Beth is 52 and has had a variety of jobs. She is presently working a new job with a local printing company.
Carol is 29, a nurse at Florida Hospital in Orlando. She is married and living in Florida.
Glen Egolf is Carol’s husband. He is 26 and soon will get his nursing degree from Southern College in Orlando.
Don is a twin. He is 27and attends Life Chiropractic College. 
Christi is Don’s twin/  She works as a receptionist for a chemical company.
Kimberly Dye is Don’s girlfriend. She is a nurse and plans to move to an apartment near Don's school.
Connie is our youngest daughter. She is sixteen. She has finished her second year of high school.
Others mentioned: Evan's sister, Nan;  Richard, is Nan's husband.
Scott J. and Lenny P.  are Connie's friends. 
Allen is Christi's friend..