Leigh Spencer flees an abusive relationship, escaping with her life. When World War Two breaks out, she joins the WAACs. Spencer is sent to the U.S. Army's Camp Toccoa to work as a secretary for a new branch of the Army, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
She has no interest in dating. Leigh's work and her regimented lifestyle keep her occupied. Spencer loves to sing and she hopes to become a USO performer. While Leigh looks and behaves like a lady, she can curse a blue streak when she's provoked.
One afternoon in October, Leigh runs into a handsome, brash Italian American from South Philadelphia who turns her regimented life upside down. Could this tough ladies' man with a reputation of being hot headed be her soulmate?
*This story includes a soundtrack of songs from the 1940s.*
*This is the title page for my story. I recently learned that the motto of the 101st Airborne in World War Two was, "A rendezvous with destiny."
*Author's Note: My depiction of Bill Guarnere is solely based on the actor's portrayal in the movie. Again, special thanks to Helena Liz for her insights about pregnancy. One of my cousins played the game I'm using in the story with his then 2 year old son. Gene Guarnere, as a young boy, asked his dad to not bring any termites home in his wooden leg.*
Billy had recently celebrated his second birthday. He was the typical active two year old, into everything and very energetic. Fortunately for his parents, Billy had yet to enter the "terrible twos" phase.
Leigh had been working on a secret project for the past month. She was embroidering "Big Brother" on a T-shirt for Billy. Since the surprise was intended for Bill, she had to find a time when he was at work and she wasn't singing on the radio. Billy was taking a nap, so she took full advantage of the spare time to finish her work on the shirt.
An hour later, Billy was awake and playing with his favorite toys, a red car from his Grandma and Grandpa Spencer and a blue truck from his Nonna and Nonno Guarnere. He was waiting for Bill to come home.
Monday through Friday, Guarnere played a game that Billy adored. When Bill would arrive home from work, Billy would run to him, smiling and very eager for the game to begin when he heard Leigh say,
"Pop's home!"
The game began after Bill entered the kitchen and gave Leigh a kiss. He would pick up Billy, kissing his cheek and then put him back on the floor so he could get ready to play. He would have a gleam in his eyes as he said,
"Billy, there's only one thing to do. Are ya ready?" Billy would nod his head to indicate "Yes." Then, Bill would say,
"Run!" Billy would take off running, giggling every step of the way. Both Bill and Leigh delighted in hearing his laughter. Bill let Billy think that he had no idea where he was headed, despite the fact that Billy would hide behind the door to his room, waiting to be found.
After searching downstairs, Bill would go upstairs and pretend to look from room to room, grinning as he heard the little boy's laughter.
Then, he would enter Billy's room and pick him up, playfully mussing up his hair and giving him a hug. They would walk downstairs hand in hand after ensuring that Billy's hands were washed before supper.
Leigh told Billy ahead of time that she would join in the hiding part of the game. She made sure he understood what he was supposed to do. Billy knew that he had to stand still while his mama put a new shirt on him. He was happy to have her playing, too. They waited in the kitchen. Soon, she saw Bill walking up the back stair steps to the kitchen door. Leigh said,
"Pop's home!" Bill and Billy started their game after Bill kissed Leigh. While they were in the kitchen, Leigh said that she needed to go upstairs and that she'd "Be right back."
Leigh waited behind the door to Billy's bedroom. He soon ran into the room and stood still. She quickly removed Billy's shirt, putting his arms through the T-shirt she embroidered. Leigh winked at him and went downstairs.
Bill searched the dining room, living room and he headed upstairs. He heard the giggling and went into Billy's room. After the hair mussing, the hug and getting Billy's hands washed, they walked downstairs together.
When they got to the living room, Leigh was standing there, smiling. She wondered how long it would take for Bill to see the shirt. A few minutes later, as they were going into the kitchen to eat supper, Bill looked at Billy.
"Billy, did ya get somethin' on your other shirt? You know your ma won't be upset wit' ya if ya got it dirty."
"New shirt, Pop."
"Let me see what ya got, Billy." Bill picked him up, smiling as he read the embroidered message. He put Billy down and the little boy went into the kitchen. He walked back to the living room, asking Leigh,
"Sweetheart, are we havin' another baby?"
"Yes, Pop. We're expecting another baby in about six and a half months. I didn't think I'd get the shirt done in time and I'd start to show before it was finished." Bill embraced and kissed her.
"That's great news, Baby! I love the way ya told me. Leigh, I love you, Billy an' the new baby, too. Sweetheart, we've got it all. A nice house, good jobs, a happy, healthy little boy an' a baby on the way. " She agreed.
Later that night, before going to sleep, Leigh told Bill,
"Honey, I couldn't find a better husband or a better life. This means more to me than touring the country doing concerts." He tenderly kissed her.
"Baby, I love you. You're my heart an' my everything."
"I love you, too. You'll always be my heart and my everything." She drifted off to sleep in his
arms. Two hours later, Leigh awoke to the sound of Billy crying. She grabbed up her bathrobe and slid her feet into her slippers.
She went into Billy's room, turning on the small lamp that sat on a table beside his crib. Then, she picked him up, giving Billy a kiss on his cheek before checking his diaper. He was making progress with potty training and only wore a diaper at bedtime. Billy was clean and he didn't want his bottle.
"What's wrong, Sweetheart? Did you have a bad dream?" Billy nodded his head,
"Bad ghosties." She carried him over to the rocking chair beside his crib and getting a small, soft blanket from the nearby table, wrapping it around Billy.
"This will keep bad ghosties away. Pop and I wouldn't let anything hurt or scare you. Would you like me to rock you to sleep?"
"Yes." Leigh wrapped her arms around him, holding Billy close to her.She rocked the chair gently as she softly sang to him. Leigh finished the song and Billy was still awake.
"Are you afraid to go to sleep, Billy?"
"Yes." Leigh tenderly kissed his cheek.
"I promise, Sweetheart, you're very safe."
"Talk like Pop."
"Do you want me to talk to you awhile like Pop does?"
"Yes."
"You look just like your pop. He's the most handsome man I've ever seen. She told Billy about hurting her ankle and how Bill carried her around Camp Toccoa.
"Your pop is a very kind and sweet man. He's also very brave. When you're older, I'll tell you about how he helped his friend, Joe. I hope you grow up to be just like your pop.
The little boy yawned and snuggled closer to her.
"Mama sing." Leigh softly sang to him as she rocked in the chair. Billy drifted off to sleep after her second song. Leigh carried him to his crib, gently placing him in his bed. She covered him with the soft blanket and placed his teddy bear beside him before kissing his cheek.
Leigh turned off the lamp and walked into the hall. Bill was standing by Billy's room. He pulled her close to him, quietly saying,
"What you said about me was real sweet, Baby. I woke up an' I thought that ya might be in here. You're one hell of a good ma." He kissed Leigh and they walked hand in hand to their bedroom. Bill chuckled, repeating what Billy said,
"Talk like Pop. He's somethin' else." Once they were in the bedroom, Bill sat on the edge of the bed to remove his trousers and his wooden leg. Leigh got into bed and they soon fell asleep.
Leigh made a two piece maternity outfit, a skirt and short sleeved top, out of pink material. It was perfect to wear to work since it looked like the suits worn by women. Styles were slowly evolving for expectant mothers and this suit looked more tailored as opposed to the billowing dresses that were the norm in fashion.
Once again, Bill was with her in the doctor's office to hear the baby's heartbeat. He grinned as he heard the healthy, steady rhythm of his unborn son's or daughter's heart. Both Bill and Leigh enjoyed hearing the heartbeat and they embraced and kissed before leaving Dr. Simms's office as they did before Billy was born.
At the beginning of Leigh's third trimester, she was feeling playful one evening after Bill helped her with the supper dishes. She asked him as she walked into the living room.
"Honey, I've been looking all over the house for something. Would you help me find what I'm looking for?" Bill was already seated on the couch, waiting for Leigh to join him to listen to some music on the radio.
"I'd be glad to help ya, Baby. What are ya lookin' for?" She grinned before answering,
"I'm looking for my feet, I can't see them. They're about this big," she held her hands up to illustrate the size of her feet." He
laughed and gently pulled Leigh onto his lap.
"That's a good one. Your little feet are just fine." He wrapped his arms around her, saying,
"The rest o' you is fine, too. I love the way you have that glow on your skin. You look pretty damn sexy, Baby."
Time passed and the day for Leigh's planned C-section arrived. Bill, his parents and the Spencers once again were in the Maternity Ward's waiting area.
Guarnere tried not to be nervous, but he couldn't help feeling a little anxious. After a few hours, a nurse appeared, telling him,
"Mr. Guarnere, your wife and daughter came through the procedure just fine. Would you like to visit them?" Both sets of parents hugged each other in celebration as Bill followed the nurse to Leigh's room.
Guarnere entered Leigh's room, smiling as he saw her holding their newborn. Leigh handed the baby to a very eager 'Pop'. He held his little girl and tenderly kissed her cheek.
"You're beautiful, just like your ma. Baby, since ya chose Billy's name, is it OK if I name our little girl?" Leigh told him that it was fine with her.
"I've been thinkin' about Angelina, like the Louis Prima song. How 'bout Angelina Leigh Guarnere?
"Are you sure about her middle name?"
"I'm a hundred percent sure, Baby. You're my angel, ya gave me this beautiful little angel an' I want her to be named after the woman I love."
"I love you, too,Bill. If you want another son, we can try for another baby. I enjoy doing what it takes to make another little Guarnere." She winked at him and he grinned.
"Sweetheart, ya know I'm always willin' to do that wit' you. Another boy would be nice, but I'm glad to have this sweet little angel." Guarnere looked concerned and serious.
"What do ya think about sendin' Angelina to a convent when she's older? I don't want any boys messin' wit' my little girl. If she became a nun, she'd be safe." Leigh gave him an incredulous look.
"If Angelina decides on her own to become a nun, I will support her decision. Bill, you're not locking our daughter away as a means of protecting her. I know you mean well, Honey, but that's not fair to her.
Don't you want her to know what it's like to fall in love and marry the love of her life? Even if she dates a few boys and has a broken heart from a breakup before she finds the right boy, it's still better than not knowing the joy of being truly and deeply in love.
"It will probably happen, even if it's just puppy love. It's part of growing up, Bill. That doesn't mean that you track down the young man and use him for target practice."
Guarnere tried to defend his statement.
"I don't want some fast talkin' punk takin' advantage o' her." He held Angelina close to him, covering the ear that wasn't close to his chest.
"What if she's kinda wild like both o' us? I ain't complainin' an' I loved every minute of it, but we got up to a lot o' stuff before we got married."
"Honey, first of all, please stop covering our daughter's ear. She has no idea what you're talking about given the fact that she's a newborn. Secondly, we will bring her up the way we were brought up. If you recall, I wasn't throwing myself at all sorts of men. I gave myself to the man I love.
Maybe your mom and my mom can help us learn how to raise a daughter. We need to teach her well, so she has good values and the intelligence to make the right choices and decisions. Since Angelina is a combination of both of us, she stands a chance of being strong willed and stubborn. I don't think I turned out too bad. No arrests and I gave one guy a good swift kick who deserved it."
"You turned out great, Baby. I know ya didn't go wild wit' other guys. Maybe Angelina can learn how to kick a boy's ass if he gets too fresh wit' her. I did say that I wanted her to be like her ma. I wanna protect our little angel. I don't want some guy breakin' our little girl's heart someday."
"Pop, you don't need to train her to be a fighter. I'll work with her as she gets older. For now, let's enjoy her while she's a tiny baby. It's several years before we have to be concerned about boys."
"I guess I kinda got carried away. I know how guys think."
"We'll both learn about how to bring up this little angel, OK, Honey? " Guarnere walked over to kiss her.
"OK, Mama." Angelina was snuggled close to him and sleeping. He whispered,
"Will ya look at that? My little angel feels safe in her Pop's arms."
"You have a way of making a girl feel safe and loved."
"Thanks, Sweetheart. When she's old enough, I'm tellin' her about the guy from Dog Company." Leigh laughed.
"You're somethin' else, Pop. I love you."
"I love you, too. We'd better let our folks meet this little angel." Bill went to the waiting room, telling his and Leigh's parents,
"Come on back an' meet our beautiful little girl." The Guarneres and Spencers immediately fell in love with their granddaughter. Both sets of grandparents declared that she was perfect. Leigh asked Bill,
"Honey, will you please introduce our baby girl to her grandparents? Bill chose her name, by the way."
"I want ya to meet Angelina Leigh Guarnere. She's the most beautiful little girl in Philadelphia." Augusta asked him,
"Billy, did ya get her name from that Louis Prima song? That's one of my favorite songs that he sings."
"Yes, Ma, her name came from that song. I also wanted to name her after the love o' my life." Angelina yawned and woke up in her Nonno Guarnere's arms, after Augusta handed her to her husband.
Joseph smiled and said something in Italian to his granddaughter. Augusta translated for him, telling everyone,
"He said, 'Such a beautiful little princess. She's a tiny angel.'" Bill replied,
"That's part o' the reason I chose that name. It kinds sounds like little angel to me." Cal and Louise kissed the little girl and Louise said,
"She looks so much like Leigh did at that age." Cal had a beaming smile as he held the newborn.
"I agree with Louise, she looks like Leigh did when she arrived. Bill, you're going to have a full time job keeping the boys away. She's beautiful."
"Dad, don't encourage him. Bill is already plotting on how to keep potential boyfriends away. Pop is already overprotective." Both sets of parents had a good laugh. Leigh told her husband,
"Honey, I'm not making fun of you. I know you love our little girl. Would you please get something out of the middle drawer of the table beside me? " Bill opened the drawer and removed a tiny red dress covered in red lace that matched the material. He said,
"Baby, that looks like the dress ya wore when ya sang wit' the Andrews Sisters in Paris. Did you make this?"
"Yes. I made that and it's going to be the dress she wears home from the hospital." Both sets of grandparents thought that the dress was adorable.
"I forgot to mention the other item in the drawer, would you please get it out, Bill?" Guarnere opened the drawer and took out tiny crocheted booties. They were black, with an open toe, just like Leigh's favorite shoes.
"The radio station manager's wife made these. She gave them to me when I went in to sing couple of days before I was supposed to come here for the C-section. She made a pair of blue booties, too, but they can wait for another time." Both Augusta and Louise thought that the tiny booties were absolutely precious.
When the grandparents left, Bill went into the waiting room to tell his sisters,
"Come on back an' meet our pretty little angel." Julia, Maria and Teresa declared that their new niece was perfect and beautiful. Leigh told Bill,
"Honey, would you please introduce our little girl to her aunts? Bill picked out her name since I chose Billy's name."
"I want ya to meet Angelina Leigh Guarnere." The aunts thought that the baby's first name was fitting since she looked like a little angel. They
thought that Bill was sweet to give the baby Leigh's name, too.
Each sister held and fussed over Angelina. Julia asked Leigh,
"Yes. Bill is already worried about future boyfriends." She paused, telling Bill,
"Honey, I'm not making fun of you. I know you were seriously trying to protect Angelina, but I want to tell your sisters about the idea you had. Ladies, your baby brother thought that Angelina should enter a convent when she was much older.
He knew she would be safe from boys if she became a nun." Teresa stifled her urge to laugh. Maria grinned and Julia laughed.
"Billy Baby, you're kinda gettin' carried away. Angelina doesn't need to go to no convent. She can learn to kick ass like her ma." Everyone laughed at Julia's statement. She gave a smirk identical to her brother's and told Leigh,
"Since ya had that surgery, remember, your downstairs will still be like new. " Both women laughed, remembering how embarrassed Bill was to hear Julia saying that after Billy was born.
Angelina's aunts held her and remarked about how beautiful she was.
The baby smiled at Maria as she was in her aunt's arms. Maria commented,
"She's smilin' just like her brother did." Each woman gladly volunteered to help Leigh and Bill with the baby until their sister in law had recovered from surgery.
After everyone left, Leigh asked Bill,
"How about another family portrait after we get home?"
"We made some beautiful babies, Sweetheart. We can show 'em off a little bit wit' a new family picture." He gave Leigh a tender kiss. After Angelina was taken back to the nursery and before visiting hours were over, Guarnere sat on the edge of Leigh's bed, telling her,
"Baby, you gave me everythin' I always wanted, a beautiful an' lovin' wife an' two perfect kids." He gave Leigh a passionate kiss.
"Thanks, Honey. You gave me everything I wanted, too. I love you."
"I love you, too." Bill returned the next day , much to Leigh's delight, with a bouquet of a dozen red roses in a vase with a gold colored small banner on the vase saying 'Mother.'
When Angelina came home from the hospital, Billy was introduced to his little sister. He kissed her cheek and told her,
"Hello, 'lina." Bill soon learned that his daughter had a mind of her own. If she wasn't sleepy, Angelina stubbornly refused to sleep. If she awoke late at night, crying because she was hungry or that her diaper needed changing, it was sometimes difficult to stop her crying.
Since Leigh wasn't able to get up several times a night because the incision for the C-section needed to heal, Bill tried his best to soothe Angelina.
Most of the time Billy would go back to sleep, but sometimes, his sister's noisy crying made him cry too, because he couldn't sleep. Guarnere would talk to his son, soothing him enough to sleep.
He tried talking to Angelina, but she would cry louder. Guarnere cuddled her while rocking her to sleep. Sometimes it worked. One night, Bill carried the little girl around the house, singing to her. As soon as he began to sing one of his favorite songs, "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," Angelina snuggled close to him. She soon fell asleep.
The next time she was irritable, Bill sang to her and she settled down quickly. He kissed her cheek, telling his daughter,
"You're just like your ma. She likes to hear me singin' that song, too."
When he returned to the bedroom, Leigh told him,
"You're doing an excellent job, Pop. I really appreciate your help."
"Thanks, Baby. I enjoy helpin' wit' the kids. It's the least I can do since ya gave me two perfect babies. I love 'em as much as I love their ma. Angelina went to sleep wit' her head on my chest, just like you do."
Both Billy and Angelina were christened on their first birthdays. Leigh wanted to use Bill's christening gown, but it became damaged beyond repair in Augusta's washer. She made a new gown for Billy and Angelina wore Leigh's christening gown.
Leigh began reading bedtime stories to Angelina and Billy shortly after Angelina was christened. She thought it was important to instill a love of reading in the children at an early age.
One night, Bill insisted on reading to the kids. Leigh stood outside their bedroom and stifled her laughter as she heard Bill telling the story of the three little pigs.
He used a gruff, deeper sounding voice for the Big Bad Wolf. Guarnere got into the spirit of the story, improvising the dialogue, saying at the beginning of the tale,
"Do ya know the story 'bout the three little pigs?" He looked at Billy and Angelina and waited for an answer. He told them,
"Let me educate ya." When he did the higher pitched voices for the pigs, both children would giggle. Leigh was almost doubled over trying to stifle her laughter. Then Bill told them,
"The wolf said, 'Little pig, little pig, let me come in,' an' the pig said, 'Ain't no way you're gettin' in, Jack!'" Leigh laughed a little louder as she stood in the hall. He continued the story,
"The Big Bad Wolf huffed an' puffed, an' bingada, bangada, boomada, he blew the house down." Once Billy and Angelina settled down to sleep, he quietly left their room after turning off the light.
Bill grinned when he saw Leigh standing in the hall. She hugged him, saying,
" You're somethin' else. I never knew the wolf had a South Philly accent." He kissed the tip of her nose, grinning and asking her,
"Are you making' fun o' me, Baby?" She kept her voice low so the children weren't awakened and did an accurate impersonation of him as the little pigs. Bill laughed, saying,
"That's pretty damn good, Honey. I heard ya gigglin' when I was tellin' the story to the kids."
"I'm not trying to be mean. It was so funny to hear you speaking in that squeaky high voice. You jazzed up the story, Pop."
Angelina learned to talk very quickly. Not long after her second birthday, Leigh had the radio on while she was cooking supper. Billy was taking a nap. The song, "Hold Tight" performed by the Andrews Sisters was playing on the radio. Leigh was singing along with the song. When she got to the verse,
"I'm as happy as can be when the seafood comes to me. Yadda da, yadda da, yadda da." To her surprise, Angelina spoke the lyrics,
"Yadda da, yadda da, yadda da." After the song ended, Leigh decided to sing the lyrics again to see if her daughter would repeat them. She had a big smile on her face when Angelina repeated the lyrics. When Bill got home from work, before he had a chance to play the game Billy adored, she told him,
"I hope Angelina will do this. She learned something new today. Guarnere had a radiant smile as he heard his daughter repeating the lyrics to the song. He said,
"Won't be long until this little angel is singin' like her ma." He hugged Angelina and kissed her cheek. Then, he played Billy's favorite game with him.
Angelina wouldn't always perform on demand and she showed a very determined and stubborn nature on occasion. Both Cal and Louise told Bill and Leigh,
"We've seen this behavior before. This little girl acts just like her mother when she was her age. The stubborn streak may remain." Guarnere told his in-laws,
"I can live wit' that. I love her ma an' that stubborn streak don't bother me. If Angelina wants to sing, that's OK an' if she doesn't, that's OK, too. I love my life an' I wouldn't change a thing."
Leigh took a snapshot of Billy sitting on the back of the couch, his legs over Bill's shoulders. Guarnere held Angelina, clad in a light pink 'onesie', on his lap. Bill had a brilliant smile as he proudly posed with Angelina and Billy.
As the children grew, Bill and Leigh would take them to play in the local parks. When they visited the beach or their house on the beach in New Jersey, Billy and Angelina loved to ride on Guarnere's back as he swam in the ocean. Leigh would join them, swimming beside Bill.
When Billy entered parochial school, he came home from kindergarten and excitedly told Leigh,
"Ma, Sister Mary Margaret wants me to be one of the three Wise Guys in the Christmas program!" Leigh hugged her son, telling him,
"That's wonderful, Billy!" She controlled her urge to laugh, not wanting to hurt Billy's feelings. When he went upstairs to play, she called her mother-in-law, telling her Billy's comment. Both women had a good laugh. When Bill got home, Billy gave him the good news. Guarnere chuckled, telling his son,
"Congratulations on gettin' that part in your school play. I ain't laughin' at ya, Billy. You said somethin' cute." Bill and Leigh thought that their son went upstairs to play and was out of ear shot. Guarnere said,
"Baby, just imagine him sayin' his lines like James Cagney or Edward G. Robinson, the best wise guys in the movies." He launched into an impersonation of the actors, making Leigh giggle.
The night of the Christmas program arrived. Most of the Guarnere family and the Spencers were in the audience. Billy had two lines,
"We're the Three Wise Men. We have gifts for baby Jesus." The time came for Billy to deliver his dialogue and he proudly said, in a voice like Edward G. Robinson, bringing down the house,
"We're the Three Wise Guys. We have gifts for baby Jesus." The audience laughed and applauded. All Leigh and Bill could do was laugh. After the show, they apologized to the teaching nun and they convinced Billy to apologize, too. She accepted their apologies. Both sets of grandparents were still proud of him. Aunt Julia told Billy,
"That's one of the best Christmas shows I've ever seen."
Angelina got a round of applause at her Nonno and Nonna Guarnere's house when she repeated the "Yadda da. yadda da, yadda da" lyrics during the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
Leigh and her sisters-in-law were helping Augusta bring in various platters of food. Billy looked at his mama. He innocently thought that he was giving her a compliment when he told Leigh,
"Pop likes that dress. He says it makes your ass look nice." Everyone burst out laughing. Leigh told her son that she knew he meant well, but his comment was inappropriate. She hugged and kissed him, saying,
"You're not in trouble, Billy. I was hoping that you would be like your pop. You're a smaller version of him."
Two years later, Angelina created a funny and memorable moment for her family. Leigh was doing the laundry in the basement of their house on Winton Street on a Sunday afternoon. Billy and Angelina were napping in their bedrooms while Bill was listening to Phillies baseball game on the radio.
Guarnere dozed off during the game. Leigh was using the wringer on the washer. Washing clothes took much longer to do in those days. The washing machines of that era looked like iron tubs on four legs. There was a separate tub filled with clean water for rinsing. Then, the items of clothing, towels and sheets had to be carefully put through the wringer.
The wringer had two rollers that wrung the excess water from the items that were washed. Since the rollers were automated, it was very easy for women to get fingers, hair or their clothing caught in the wringer. This would be an exceptionally painful and dangerous experience. The items to be wrung out were completely flattened by the wringer before they dropped into another basin or tub that was attached to the washing machine.
When Leigh returned upstairs with a basket of wet items to put on the clothesline behind the house, she was surprised to find Angelina waiting for her. The little girl was smiling, saying,
"Pop is booty-ful."
"Sweetheart, Pop is handsome." Angelina shook her head,
"No, Mama. Pop is booty-ful. I made him look nice. Come with me." Leigh placed the basket of washing on the kitchen counter top and followed her daughter into the living room. She looked at Bill and immediately began to laugh,trying to keep the sound of her laughing down so she didn't wake him.
Angelina had taken a tube of red lipstick from her mother's dressing table. She tried to apply the lipstick on her pop's lips, but she got excess lipstick under his bottom lip and over his top lip. Before she returned the lipstick to the dressing table, with the cap off and a little lipstick smeared on the sides, Angelina drew a red dot on each cheek of Bill's face to look like blush or rouge.
The determined little girl hadn't finished with her makeover. She got the chair from the dressing table and moved it to Leigh's side of the closet. Then, she carefully removed a red hat with a red silk rose on it.
Next, Angelina carried the hat to the living room and carefully placed it on Bill's head. She couldn't put the hat onto his head properly since he had his head on a small pillow, so the brim of the hat hung down a bit on his forehead.
Leigh took Angelina aside, telling her,
"I'm not angry, but you are to never, ever get the chair and climb on something again. You could have fallen off the chair and you could've been hurt. If you do this again, you will sit facing the corner in the living room." Angelina had been punished this way once before and she hated it because she had to sit still.
"Now that's out of the way, would you like to have your picture taken with your pop? I want to remember how beautiful you made him look." The little girl eagerly agreed and Leigh retrieved their Brownie camera from the shelf in the bedroom closet.
Angelina proudly posed beside her sleeping father and Leigh took two pictures. Then, she took the telephone into the dining room, whispering to Angelina that she was going to call Grandma Spencer and Nona Guarnere.
Louise Spencer laughed as Leigh told her about Angelina's work on her father. She asked Leigh to send a copy of the picture. Louise briefly chatted with Angelina, thoroughly enjoying her conversation with her granddaughter.
When Leigh called Augusta Guarnere and told her about Bill becoming "booty-ful" loud laughter came from the receiver of the telephone.
"Sweetie, can you wait just a minute? I gotta tell Maria. She's here visitin'." Leigh told her she would wait. Augusta picked up the phone,
"Is it OK wit' you if Maria and I come over? We both wanna see Billy done up like that. Leigh told her there was no need to ask, all members of the Guarnere family were always welcome to visit any time. Angelina was delighted to hear that Auntie Maria and Nonna were on their way to visit.
After they arrived and were greeted with hugs, both Augusta and Maria saw Bill. Mrs. Guarnere was almost doubled over laughing at the sight of her son. Maria laughed until she had tears in her eyes.
"Did I do a good job, Nonna and Auntie Maria?" Augusta told her, between gales of laughter,
"You done a wonderful job, Sweetheart!" Maria added,
"You made your pop real beautiful, Kiddo." Angelina was very pleased with the compliments on her makeover. Bill heard his mother's voice. He opened his eyes and sat up. When he sat up, the red hat fell to the floor.
As the women laughed, Guarnere was momentarily confused, asking,
"How did that (he pronounced the word as 'dat') hat wind up on me? Hi, Ma an' Maria."
He noticed Angelina grinning and asked,
"Little Angel, are ya playin' a trick on your old man?" She proudly confessed and Bill laughed. He noticed that the women were still laughing.
"Baby, why are you, Ma an' Maria laughin' at me?" Leigh giggled,
"Honey, you're beautiful."
"Thanks, but what's goin' on?" By this time, Billy was awake and headed downstairs to find out what was happening in the living room. After hugging his Nonna and his aunt, he burst into loud laughter as he looked at his father.
"Would somebody tell me what's up wit' all the laughin'?"
"Son, go take a look in the mirror. You're lookin' real snazzy."
As Guarnere walked to the bathroom, everyone in the living room eagerly anticipated his reaction to seeing himself in the mirror. Bill did a double take at the sight of the red lipstick generously applied beyond his lips and the red circles on his cheeks.
Laughter was heard after he said,
"Holy God! How the hell did this stuff get on my face?" He got a bar of soap from the soap dish and worked up some lather in his hands Then, Bill washed his face. To his surprise, the red lipstick remained.
"Baby, can ya help me get this stuff off? I tried to wash my face, but the soap didn't do anythin'. I can't go outta the house lookin' like this."
Leigh went into the bathroom and got her jar of cold cream, which was used as a makeup remover. Before she helped get the lipstick from Bill's face, he told her,
"This sounds like I'm nuts, but I swear that I smell somethin" sweet."
"You're not crazy, Honey. The lipstick is flavored and scented with vanilla."
"I thought that your lips tasted sweet sometimes. 'course they always taste sweet to me."
She got a small amount of the cream on a washcloth and cleaned Bill's face. He washed his face again to remove "that thick stuff".
"Thanks, Sweetheart. Did ya put that stuff on me while I was sleepin'?"
"No, I was doing the laundry."
"The Little Angel done it?"
"Yes."
While Bill was getting cleaned up, Augusta explained to Angelina that while she "done a good job" on her pop, he had to get cleaned up because grown up men couldn't go around "done up like that". The little girl accepted her Nonna's explanation.
Bill and Leigh walked hand in hand into the living room. He went over to where Angelina was standing and picked her up, giving her a hug and a kiss on her cheek. Guarnere laughed.
"You got your old man pretty good, Little Angel. There's never a dull moment in this family an' I love it!"
Billy created another memorable moment when he was eight years old. Bill was working as an exterminator between construction jobs. Billy knew about his pop's wooden leg from an early age.
One morning, before he left for school, he was very earnest as he asked Bill,
"Pop, please be careful at work. Don't bring back any termites in your wooden leg." Bill chuckled and assured him that he would be careful. He told Leigh,
"I wouldn't trade my family for a million bucks. We've got it in spades."
A 17-year-old student in Turin, Italy, was suspended for 10 days after he sold snacks at school for less than the cafeteria. Reports say he later got a scholarship from the Einaudi Foundation, which said his initiative should be “encouraged, not persecuted.”
