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Show 241 stronger yet, she stayed away more, sometimes overnight. At Tobin's place. Apparently she was no longer off men. She told me that Tobin thought I was strong enough to make it on ray own and had started reading xri rental ads for me. So I read them too, made a couple of unsuccessful phone calls. My savings from the Navy were low so I went down to the government employment office on 63rd Street to sign up for ray weekly check, 52-20, finding the nine blocks there and^back an enormously long walk. I felt like Admiral Perry trying to reach the Pole, and m « was angry that I had done it, said that Amelia would take me hereafter in theJ^Chevy she had driven back from Cleveland after Christmas, a present from her parents. More and more I took over the apartment, washing the dishes and keeping Ifak grocery the place clean. I went with Jte*a/shopping, later did it on my own, good exercise. I took her cleaning in, the laundry to the laundermat, tried cooking. I could bake Spam, fry corned beef hash with an egg on top, fry porkchops, open cans. With a cookbook at my elbow I tried pot roast, broiled chicken, ribs with barbecue sauce. I baked a chocolate cake, whipped up baking powder biscuits Uoit 6*i*» ft the way my father used to do. Aititoa.like/ my cooking. I told her I'd probably make somebody a good wife. Act. "I hope it doesn't bother you.A As long as you know who you are." Did I know? My psyche felt as weak as my body. But I knew I wanted her to TvGa me jpLug in the apartment. At their place Ben and Amelia had been painting walls, putting down shag rugs, building up brick-and-board bookcases, and it looked great, Bohemian and wanted attractive. I jtixkerixixhaii a place like that, I told myself, and looked for interesting places^ Athe cheap ones were impossible^ the good ones too expensive. Tobin was skeptical of my efforts and so I took B u & to see one of the one-cheapies, a/k±g room in which you had to walk over the bed to get from one side to the other. I let her tell him about it; he frowned and said keep trying, keep trying. At the central Co-op office I got on a waiting list and was told |