And You Will Find Love

Chicago, March 1944

"The Eatons are the petitioners, you're the respondent," Barbara's lawyer explained the day before the custody trial. He then talked in legalese that was as thick to her as flying in a fog over London.

"Each side will present their case. Because you and the Eatons disagree on the facts, namely that your friend Gail was of sound mind when drawing up her will, the case may well be decided on that, but your character witnesses can help."

Entering the courtroom, Barbara thought Mrs. Eaton had spent four hours in a beauty parlor, and if her adversary had an ermine coat, she probably would have worn it, but stuck with the mink.

After lengthy debate over Gail's state of mind when making up her will, and the legality of her request that Barbara adopt her son, the judge listened to each side's character witnesses.

It came as no surprise to Barbara that Mrs. Eaton, to support her claim she could be a good mother to Timothy Riordan, had called in some of the cream of Chicago and North Shore society. Dowagers with blue hair who also dripped mink, and their husbands, were among the financial leaders of the Midwest. Also extolling the Eatons' virtues were a state representative and their alderman, both of their political party. For good measure, their minister, to whom they had recently given a check to have his church roof repaired.

Barbara's defenders were fewer and of less public statute, although they included her best friends; Leila and George, and Edna Genda and Moose Mondrowski, both of whose air fare Barbara paid to fly in for the trial. She had left messages with Jackie Cochran and Floyd Odlum but had not heard back from either, and did not expect them to be in court that afternoon, they were so busy.

What surprised her was the letter her attorney then read aloud to the court. It had just arrived, and she wondered how Stephen had known about the impending trial because she had not told him about it in her last letter. Later, Leila said she had sent a letter to him at his last APO forwarding address.

"I am a captain in the Army now, serving in Europe," the attorney began, reading from the letter, "but formerly was Tim Riordan's counselor at Glenview Military Academy. He was, and I am sure still is, a fine, very bright, and remarkably well-adjusted boy. I knew his mother and she was one of the most concerned and loyal mothers of any I knew at Glenview. She gave him support and love despite a very busy career as an airline stewardess that often took her out of the country.