promised to try harder. After a few days Jennings came for her and took her back home.
Shortly afterward, Dr. Worden received a call from a pharmacist that Velma was getting refills on some of Jennings’ medicines more frequently than he should be needing them. Certain that Velma was taking the medicines herself, Worden called Jennings to tell him, but Jennings didn’t want to believe it.
In November, after Velma had been taken to the hospital with another overdose, Jennings called Ronnie and asked him to come over. Nancy was upset and wanted to talk to him. She and Ronnie had become friends—he had taken her to play miniature golf—and they got away from their parents to talk. Velma was drugged up all the time, Nancy told Ronnie. She staggered around and fell and sometimes couldn’t talk. They couldn’t keep pills away from her. They found them stashed all over the house. Ronnie knew that Nancy was undergoing what he and Pam had been suffering so long, and his heart went out to her. Her father was the sick one, Nancy went on. Velma should be looking after him instead of the other way around. He was too feeble to pick her up off the floor when she fell, too weak to drag her to the bed. Nancy was afraid that the strain of her father’s struggle to care for Velma was going to kill him.
Ronnie apologized and promised to do what he could. Once again he talked with his mother.
“He still wants you to be his wife,” he told her, “but he can’t keep putting up with this. If you want this marriage to succeed, you’re going to have to get yourself clean.”
“I know I need to do better,” she said, crying. “I do want it to work.”
Even if his mother was floundering, early in December, Ronnie made a decision about his own life. With the draft closing in, he enlisted in the Army for four years, a year longer than the normal enlistment, so that he could be trained as an Army security specialist. But he had the enlistment deferred until the basketball season ended.
In February, Jennings took Velma to the hospital after yet another overdose. This time she was kept for nearly a week. When Ronnie went to see her, she told him that the marriage had been a mistake. Although Jennings had to use a respirator for his emphysema, he still smoked and sometimes passed out before she could get oxygen to him, she complained. He wouldn’t watch his diet despite his diabetes, and that caused additional problems. Taking care of an invalid husband was more than she had bargained for. He wouldn’t listen to a thing she said, and they frequently argued. She was clearly miserable.
Ronnie reminded her that she had known about Jennings’ conditions before she got married. She had to expect some adversity. She needed to try harder.
Jennings took Velma back home from the hospital, but by this time he, too, had realized that the marriage was a mistake. He had led an upright life. He was a devout churchgoer, a Mason. He cared what people thought of him. He knew that people were talking about Velma’s behavior and it bothered him.
After this overdose, Dr. Worden had another talk with Jennings about the seriousness of Velma’s drug problem. This time Jennings did not doubt him. He told Worden that he was thinking about divorce.
In the meantime, Pam’s team won the county championship for the third straight year, and Pam, at center, was named most valuable player. Ronnie couldn’t have been prouder. Soon he would be leaving for the Army, and he knew that he would miss his sister deeply.
Velma grew more despondent as Ronnie’s enlistment date neared, and she was even more unhappy in her marriage. Jennings was no less miserable. On Friday, March 19, he drove to a son’s house and called a lawyer to talk about divorce. He made an appointment for Monday morning.
On Sunday night, Velma called Ronnie at her parents’ house. She was at Cape Fear Valley Hospital again, but this time she was not the patient. Jennings had gotten very
Shortly afterward, Dr. Worden received a call from a pharmacist that Velma was getting refills on some of Jennings’ medicines more frequently than he should be needing them. Certain that Velma was taking the medicines herself, Worden called Jennings to tell him, but Jennings didn’t want to believe it.
In November, after Velma had been taken to the hospital with another overdose, Jennings called Ronnie and asked him to come over. Nancy was upset and wanted to talk to him. She and Ronnie had become friends—he had taken her to play miniature golf—and they got away from their parents to talk. Velma was drugged up all the time, Nancy told Ronnie. She staggered around and fell and sometimes couldn’t talk. They couldn’t keep pills away from her. They found them stashed all over the house. Ronnie knew that Nancy was undergoing what he and Pam had been suffering so long, and his heart went out to her. Her father was the sick one, Nancy went on. Velma should be looking after him instead of the other way around. He was too feeble to pick her up off the floor when she fell, too weak to drag her to the bed. Nancy was afraid that the strain of her father’s struggle to care for Velma was going to kill him.
Ronnie apologized and promised to do what he could. Once again he talked with his mother.
“He still wants you to be his wife,” he told her, “but he can’t keep putting up with this. If you want this marriage to succeed, you’re going to have to get yourself clean.”
“I know I need to do better,” she said, crying. “I do want it to work.”
Even if his mother was floundering, early in December, Ronnie made a decision about his own life. With the draft closing in, he enlisted in the Army for four years, a year longer than the normal enlistment, so that he could be trained as an Army security specialist. But he had the enlistment deferred until the basketball season ended.
In February, Jennings took Velma to the hospital after yet another overdose. This time she was kept for nearly a week. When Ronnie went to see her, she told him that the marriage had been a mistake. Although Jennings had to use a respirator for his emphysema, he still smoked and sometimes passed out before she could get oxygen to him, she complained. He wouldn’t watch his diet despite his diabetes, and that caused additional problems. Taking care of an invalid husband was more than she had bargained for. He wouldn’t listen to a thing she said, and they frequently argued. She was clearly miserable.
Ronnie reminded her that she had known about Jennings’ conditions before she got married. She had to expect some adversity. She needed to try harder.
Jennings took Velma back home from the hospital, but by this time he, too, had realized that the marriage was a mistake. He had led an upright life. He was a devout churchgoer, a Mason. He cared what people thought of him. He knew that people were talking about Velma’s behavior and it bothered him.
After this overdose, Dr. Worden had another talk with Jennings about the seriousness of Velma’s drug problem. This time Jennings did not doubt him. He told Worden that he was thinking about divorce.
In the meantime, Pam’s team won the county championship for the third straight year, and Pam, at center, was named most valuable player. Ronnie couldn’t have been prouder. Soon he would be leaving for the Army, and he knew that he would miss his sister deeply.
Velma grew more despondent as Ronnie’s enlistment date neared, and she was even more unhappy in her marriage. Jennings was no less miserable. On Friday, March 19, he drove to a son’s house and called a lawyer to talk about divorce. He made an appointment for Monday morning.
On Sunday night, Velma called Ronnie at her parents’ house. She was at Cape Fear Valley Hospital again, but this time she was not the patient. Jennings had gotten very
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