January 8, 1958 - Saskatoon

Ruffled Feathers

We’ve moved to a basement suite at #318 Avenue F. I was getting fed up with the old place. There was no running water or toilet, so we always had to use the toilet in the restaurant. It was next to a chicken coop, where the chickens for the restaurant were slaughtered, so it was always dirty and smelly. And native prostitutes would always come knocking on our door looking for Wayne’s father.
He is my father-in-law, but sometimes I question his character. He was always something of a ladies man—well-mannered and dapper, with his hair slicked back under a felt hat. He always wore a silk scarf and overcoat over a suit, not like his twin brother. Maybe he is lonely after his wife died, but that gives him no excuse for promiscuity.
Two new restaurants, the Paradise and the Golden Dragon, have opened up in town. A man named Bing Durr runs the latter, and he’s a born promoter. They’re attracting all the business, and the other restaurants are suffering. Wayne had to leave for Winnipeg, and I heard he found a job in the kitchen of a place called Chan’s.