An American Christmas Story in Germany, Part I
By: Kelly Vanessa Porter
Tags: Race, Christmas, History, Creative Non Fiction, Book Excerpts

December 1954. Betty was deathly afraid to get on a plane and fly anywhere, let alone across the Atlantic. So, what could have been an eight-hour flight was now going to be a 4 to 5-day trip on the SS America, a grand, transatlantic ocean liner that had carried travelers out of New York Harbor to Europe for the past 15 years (barring a short stint as a troop transport ship during the Second World War).

With its red, white, and blue all-over, steel exterior and stylish interiors, the ship was considered a fashionable way to travel overseas — although it was starting to lose some of its appeal due to competition from newer commercial flights that jetted passengers overseas in the name of advanced travel.

However, Betty had no interest in being a part of the jet-set. No way was she getting on a plane. Besides, after having a conversation with her nextdoor neighbor, she was convinced that her decision was the right one. The neighbor’s cousin, Gene, worked as a steward on the SS America and he was friendly with the Captain. Gene promised to look out for Betty during the trip and that was her confirmation that everything was as it should be.

After five months apart, she was finally going to be reunited with her husband. She wasn’t just leaving Otis Place or D.C., she was leaving the country — going to Europe. Just a short time ago, she could have never imagined that for herself. After all, she hadn’t had a pathway to go away to college yet, here she was. Getting ready to travel overseas.

Her excitement buried any anxiety she felt about going abroad. But there was one problem. Betty was broke.

After the wedding, she’d left her secretary job and Alonzo starting sending her a check every month — a couple of hundred dollars — so she could buy essentials for the trip and start putting away savings for the both of them. He didn’t see the need to give his new wife implicit instructions on how much she should spend or save. He only asked that Betty purchase a new washing machine for their apartment on the base in Germany and have it shipped over, which she did.

After that, Betty had a good time.

She bought clothes and hats, went to the movies, and bought tickets to live shows — because, certainly Germany’s entertainment scene could never measure up to D.C.’s Black Broadway. And what else was she supposed to do with all of her free time?

By the time summer and fall had disappeared into the coming winter and Betty’s newfound joy of frivolous spending was over, she had just enough money left for her travel fare. Nothing more. No spending money, none for incidentals, not a cent left in the bank. What would her new husband think of her?

She panicked.

Too embarrassed to ask her parents for money, Betty asked family friends for a loan. She was certain the couple would oblige since they owned a barbershop in the neighborhood — barbers always had extra cash on hand.

“We don’t have it,” they said. But she knew they were lying. At some point, Alonzo was going to ask her about the money, and she would have to tell him that she’d spent it all.