By early May of 1944, Stash is already hearing rumors of his unit being shipped out overseas. No one knows at this point, but some guesses are either Africa or France. Stash is not one to sit still and wait for something to happen. He makes it happen. So, he sends Helen a telegraph. A very special telegraph. He asks her to marry him. Not the ideal scenario he wants but, to him, time is one thing he doesn’t have. He had always envisioned holding her hand and asking her in person. Of course, he would have asked her father beforehand. As informal as it is, Helen is excited and gladly said yes even if it is via telegram. There’s one small catch. He’s in Colorado, and she’s in Chicago. They need to have the wedding before May 11th. That’s only…show more content… She isn’t sure what the urgency is about, but from the tone of Stash’s letters, something big is about to happen. She excitedly accepts his proposal but asks if they can wait. She tries to convince Stash they could marry when the war is over, whenever that will be, but he insists that they marry soon. She knows she will marry him, but she struggles with the fact if he is killed in the war, she will be a widow at a young age and only have had known Stash as a husband for a few months. Despite her concern, she agrees to the…show more content… Her little niece, Christine, will be the flower girl. Her sister will be her bridesmaid. Her father will naturally walk her down the aisle and give her away. She almost forgot one critical piece of attire. The wedding dress. With virtually no time left, she resigns herself to wear her best Sunday church dress, but her brother-in-law will hear nothing of it. He believes she will need a proper wedding dress. He takes the task upon himself and goes to the local department store in search of the perfect dress. Amazingly, he finds it. She doesn’t know how he found her petite dress size or even if it’s an actual wedding dress, but he found it. He bought it and is proud, at the very least, that she will have a real wedding dress. Helen isn’t even sure how he paid for it, but it’s hers. The war is taking a toll on everyone, so money isn’t as readily available as it had been before the war. The dress is perfect but the outfit isn’t complete. He forgot the shoes. Since times are tight and with no time left, the only option is white fabric shoes with thick paper soles. Leather is a rare commodity only reserved for the war. So paper bottom shoes are the only alternative remaining. They won’t last long but long enough for Helen to dress like a bride. Helen will wear them with pride along with her new dress. Now she is officially a
