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With family waves of love,
For moving away from memories
To new ones that we’ll love!
Nash Girls! Oh, Nash Girls!
Let’s shed our grace on thee
And crown ourselves with sisterhood
From D.C. to Raleigh!
After the encore ended, Annie started to drive away. She flung her arm out the window and waved goodbye.
APRIL 1932
Ethel
Visiting Caroline
Dianne and Annie came back home a month later. They wanted to help me organize any furniture we did not want so it could be sold. But more importantly, we were going to visit Caroline.
Finding out about Caroline’s life and treatment at Dorothea Dix State Hospital had brought sadness and happiness. Caroline must live there until she is no longer diagnosed as insane. We knew this was the best option for Caroline, given what happened at home. No matter how beautiful the campus was or how kind and effective the doctors and nurses were, Caroline was in prison.
Here is how the Nash sisters made it through the visit.
As we drove through the gates in Annie’s fancy car, we got lots of stares from people wandering around the property. Annie held her arm out the window of that big, green Nash car, waving and yelling, “Hello!” Hey y’all!” to nearly everyone we passed. They waved back with big smiles like they were seeing famous people riding by in a parade.
We had been told to go to the hospital first and talk with Caroline’s doctor and nurses. They were expecting us. Even though all three of us had been there before, the hospital struck me as bigger than any building I had ever seen. I said, “Geez, I wonder how many people stay in there.” Annie turned around to me and said, “Too many.”
There was a woman at a small desk in the front lobby. She was talking on the phone to someone, so we waited. The ceilings were high. There were tall windows, but each one had iron bars covering it. I saw Dianne move close to Annie and ask her if she was doing okay. Annie looked so sad and said, “No. I hate this place. It smells like nothing and no one. Like there is no life here. I despise that Caroline lives here.”
Dianne hugged Annie and said, “I agree, Annie. It smells clean. Too clean. Like they are covering up something.”
I moved close to my sisters and whispered, “I don’t wish this on Caroline, but she needs help and this seems like the only place where she can get it.”
We all jumped a little when the woman behind the desk asked if she could help us.
We walked over to her, and I said, “Yes. We are sisters of Caroline Nash. We want to visit her but are supposed to see her doctor first. Can we go back? We’ve been here before.”
In a very patient tone the woman replied, “Yes, of course, you can see Caroline. Caroline is in the arts and crafts room on the fourth floor. Someone will have to escort you there. The doctor will be down this hallway.” She was pointing behind her. “Go through those doors. Caroline’s doctor and caregivers are waiting for you in room 135.”
None of us could smile. It seemed all happiness was pulled from our bodies. Annie, the ever polite, managed to say thank you as we walked toward the doors.
We grabbed each other’s hand and walked down the long hallway like Dorothy and her friends in the Wizard of Oz movie that we had all seen. Room 135 seemed a mile away.
I knocked on the door and a man’s voice called out, “Enter!” Standing behind a desk was the same man Momma and I met when we came the first time. He was tall but slumped and used a cane to get around the desk. “Welcome, I am so glad you are here.”
I pointed to myself then to each of my sisters and said, “I am Ethel. This is my sister Dianne and my sister Annie. We have been here together before but could not see Caroline because she was not doing well. I hope there is better news this time.”
He smiled and shook each of our hands and said, “I’m Doctor Tom Redmond. You can call me Doc. These people over here are most important to you. They take good care of Caroline. This is Belle Parker.” He pointed to a large black woman with the warmest smile. Belle came over, put her hand on each of our shoulders, one at a time, and held it there just a moment. With that kind smile, she said, “I am so glad to know you. Every one of you.”
Doc said, “She is a caregiver. She knows Caroline like a friend. And here is Caroline’s nurse, Mrs. Sandra Quinn.”
Mrs. Quinn looked like someone that didn’t want us to call her Sandra. She just nodded her head in an official type of move and said, “Good to meet you.”
We all sat down at a large round table, and Doc began to talk.
