Helen remembers Tom when they were young

Helen writes in The Story of a Lifetime: The Personal Memoirs of Helen Sullivan McIntyre about when Tom and she were young:

Tell about your brothers and sisters and your relationships with each of them when you were little.

I just had a brother called Tom.  He was 5 1/2 years older than me.  We didn't do too much together.  He always seemed so grown up.  Although I did remember when I was about 6 we would play down in the basement.  We'd fill the double wash tub with water and sail home made boats.  My tub was the Atlantic Ocean and Tom's was the Pacific Ocean.

I also remember when I was in second grade and Tom was in eighth grade at St. Thomas Aquinas School, I became sick to my stomach and the nun said I should go home.  She said do you have any friends or relatives in the higher grades that could walk you home.  I thought and thought, finally I said I know Joe Differman in 8th grade.  So she had him brought down to my room and he took me home.  He was a good friend of Tom's.   When Tom got home he was mad and asked me why I said Joe and not him.  I said, "Oh, I forgot you were in 8th grade!"  He sure thought I was dumb!

We also had some white rabbits in cages in the back yard.  We never cleaned their cages and sometimes forgot to feed them and a couple died.  My Father got disgusted and opened the cages and let the rest run away.  We were upset - but had no more rabbits.

What other memories would you like to share?

Tom was in 8th grade at St. Thomas Aquinas and I was in 2nd grade.  He was an altar boy at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.  One day the altar boys were told to bring their cassocks home to be washed and ironed.  When I saw my Mother ironing this pretty, white lacy thing I thought she had made me a new dress.  I wanted to wear it.  She told me it wasn't mine, it was Tom's  I started to cry.  I said "Why is Tom getting a new dress and not me?"  My Mother tried to explain why, but I still was jealous.

My Mother always had Christmas Eve with all her relatives.  We always had the biggest real tree ever but there was never any presents put under the tree until Santa Claus came.  When it was time for him to arrive, Tom and I were told to go and wait in the kitchen, a bit later we would hear the doorbell ring and a few minutes after that we were called back into the living room and there was loads of presents under the tree.  One Christmas Eve we were waiting in the kitchen and the bell rang.  I said "Oh that's Santa Claus!"  Tom said " There is no Santa Claus, That's Mother ringing the bell.  Then she hurries upstairs and puts all the presents under the tree."  That was when I didn't believe in Santa Claus anymore!