I learn a lesson

For several years I attended a writing class in which we were enjoined to write about life experiences we remembered, and so on one occasion I uncovered an experience I had had when I was twenty. I read it again today and decided to share it with my readers.
Prologue: It was l943 and I was down in Milwaukee with my two cousins waiting to obtain security clearance for our soon-to-be defense jobs. I was twenty and the world was my oyster. I feared nothing and no one. and was about to learn a lesson I never forgot.
I had taken the trolley down to the waterfront and was getting my first look at Lake Michigan. And what an eye-opener that was. I was used to the crystal clear, dazzlingly blue lakes of Wisconsin and Minnesota. I stood on the pier, looking at the dirty, gray, polluted water lapping at the pilings, and wondered why no one had warned me. An oily, scummy film covered the surface and here and there floated orange peels and bits of decaying wood and objects too disgusting to describe. I was deeply disappointed.
It was big, all right, and from far away I heard the mournful moan of a foghorn, and above me, all alone, flew a seagull, shrieking into the wind. The fog had settled in, making it hard to see and I felt all alone out there on the swaying, decrepit old pier. A cold wind was blowing in from the lake, and I shivered in my thin summer outfit. I hadn't even brought a sweater.
To add to my discomfort, there was the unmistakeable odor of decay emanating from the regions around the pier. It smelled of garbage and things long dead. Mixed in was the distinct odor of coal oil and industrial fumes. I was down in the industrial area, and the air was thick with pollution.
Looking out over the vast expanse of water, I could see the dim outline of a freighter, lights muted, slipping away from the shore, heading for who knows where. I thought of my boyfriend who was in the navy and was perhaps out on the ocean at that very moment. Like all young ladies I fancied myself in love and yearned for my beloved. The fact that we had grown up together and had fought like cats and dogs most of our lives didn't ease the pangs of separation. It was wartime and I was supposed to be in love.
I realized that it was getting darker, and turned to go back to solid ground, when I saw that the street lights had come on, and that here and there were hurrying figures on their way to work. They paid no attention to me, and one man, approaching the edge of the water, paused to add his contribution to the murky water below. Standing in the warm glow of the street lamp, and ignoring all rules of modesty, he calmly completed his mission and tucked everything back in place. Then he walked away, buttoning his buttons as he went.
I began to be afraid, and shivered as I carefully found my way back down the center of the old, decaying walkway, I stepped over and around bits of garbage, and prayed that there were no loose boards, or worse yet, no rats to scurry over my feet. With a great sigh of relief, I stepped onto solid ground and ctossed the trolley tracks to a boarding platform and a wooden bench. I sat down and rummaged around in my purse for trolley tokens.
At that moment I was paralyzed with fear. I began to shake and almost cried out. I had forgotten the address of the apartment! I had no idea how to get back or even what direction to take. I was cold, tired, hungry, afraid and all alone. I was alone and lost in Milwaukee!
To Be Continued