(PROLOGUE)
Chicago, Illinois -
Circa 1933 - Long before the time of free Wi-Fi, HBO, or central air conditioning ...
His hotel room was stifling hot, but the smoky corridors were worse. The man stepped out of his room onto the dark red and green floral carpeting, and as he pulled the door shut, he only hoped that a walk in the fresh air might be helpful. He glanced at the ancient walls that were decorated with vintage still-life paintings. Each picture was framed in gold and helped to hide sections of the faded pink and green wallpaper. The long hallway was gloomy, depressingly dreary, and now echoed with the faint cry of a child.
As the man passed each mind-numbing picture, the sound grew louder. Reaching the end of the hall just before the massive stairway that led down to the grand lobby of the hotel, he paused at the last white door. Yes, the crying was definitely coming from this room.
He wiped his sweaty brow as he listened. The soft whimpers mingled with the murmurings from downstairs on the main floor, and he couldn't tell if someone was attempting to calm the child or not. Fingering his Fedora, he continued to the stairs. While exiting the luxurious foyer, he placed the hat on his head and headed east. He welcomed the gentle breeze on his face and forgot all about the crying kid.
Upstairs in Room 201, the child began to cry louder. Eventually, other people noticed the incessant crying and began to report the nuisance to the front desk clerks. The hotel manager probably knocked on the door, but no one answered. Or, perhaps one of the maids went in to clean the room and found the child all alone. You see, the exact details are lost to history.
But indeed, there really was a child left all alone in a hotel room in downtown Chicago. It was a little girl between the ages of 1½ to two years old. Of course, the police were alerted. And it took several hours to locate the mother. She had decided to leave the child alone because the woman simply had to go shopping.
One can't help wondering if the baby was hungry. Or thirsty. Or scared. Or exactly how long she was left all alone. And as grievous as these uncertainties may be, we will never have answers to those questions. Clearly the woman was insane. No one in their right mind would ever leave a baby all alone in a hotel room.
As horrific as the incident of the neglected baby was, there's one tiny element about her story that is positive. It is believed that some forms of insanity can be hereditary; therefore it's a good thing that there was no blood relation between the disturbed woman and the baby. In fact it's a very good thing - and something for which I am personally thankful. Not only did the child grow up normal and of sound mind; some 18 years later, she became my mother.
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YOU ARE READING
Whispered Reflections
Non-FictionA Biography in the making. This is the true story about the life of my mother, who is currently 91 years old. Born in 1931 and given up for adoption, she may have been one of the last black market babies in Chicago. She was motherless, abused, and...
