In the lower picture, he was a neighbor kid from a block or so over from Foxley, 13311 Oval Drive. They had a swimming pool which is still there today (and is in the top picture from April of 1960, with me, mom and Georgann). I am wearing the same shirt I wore at Pacific Ocean Park. This could be 1958 or 1959 when mom was not living at home. I remember a day that he came over to where we were playing at the Hofeldt's and said mom was visiting their house and I should come over if I wanted to see her. This photo may be from that day.
I recall another night on Foxley when mom unexpectedly returned home. She was having a heated discussion with the housekeeper, whom she may have sent packing. This was one of the nice ones, so I remember being upset and conflicted about their angry confrontation. But if mom did move back home that night, it did not last. At one point she owned a house of her own that she bought and then sold as an investment. We stayed there with her one weekend. I know it was very sparsely furnished. I also know at some point she was seeing another man and that she later explained to me that dad had hired a detective to spy on her activities. Before they divorced, dad asked us both the awkward question with whom did we prefer to live, him or her? We each said we wanted to live with both of them. He carefully explained that while that choice may be what we wanted, we would still be required to choose one or the other, not both.
We never were called into their divorce proceedings in court and asked by a judge to make that choice. The judge apparently awarded custody to dad, a surprising verdict even then when the wife was usually awarded custody. I cannot imagine that mom did not ask for custody. Perhaps she did not; however, visitation usually involved her coming for us at least once a month. We sometimes stayed for an entire weekend, though after Willene and dad married, Willene felt we were always too difficult for her to handle after significant time spent with mom, so Willene forbid us from staying an entire weekend. One day was all mom would get. Eventually, however, Ann and I would make our own choice in 1963.
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