If the Shoe Fits

Opening scene, photo lay. Close-up on image of Nancy Puttel holding Ash as a baby.

Narrator: On May 25, 1947, Nancy Puttel nee Willard died, leaving her husband Greg and daughter Ash behind.

Cut to video of older Ash telling her story.

Ash Puttel: Mother was wonderful. She always loved me and taught me everything she could. I wish I could have had more time with her [pause] Her passing was... hard on me. I miss her every day. I don't think something like that, you can't just get over something like that.

Close-up on image of Greg and Alice's wedding day. Ash is in the corner separated from the rest of the family.

Narrator: Now, a few years down the road, Greg met Alice Hosen. Alice had two daughters of her own from a previous marriage- Heidi and Martha. Greg and Alice got along well and began dating.

Image on screen changes to photos of just Greg and Alice.

Ash: Now early on, I thought Alice was great. She really took an interest in her daughters' lives and seemed to love my father a lot. She made him happy, and really that's all that was important.

Cut back to video of the interview with Ash.

Ash: Heidi and Martha... I think that they enjoyed leaving me out. They certainly made fun of me, small jabs and teasing, that sort of thing.

Cut to video interview with Heidi and Martha.

Heidi: I really regret now how we treated her. We certainly didn't adapt well to the situation.

Martha: Looking back, there a lot of things I would change. How I treated her is definitely one of them.

Cut to images of Ash at a young age.

Ash: They took all of my nice dresses, my nice clothes, and they just ruined them. I was devastated. They treated me like a servant in my own home. I don't think father ever really caught on to what was happening. He was away on business a lot.

Cut to image of a weeping willow in a cemetery.

Ash: He did bring back gifts for us when he had to be away. That's how I got the twig that grew into the tree on my mother's grave. He brought that back from France. I went and visited her every day, and that tree grew to be a source of comfort. I talked to the tree as if it was my mother. Mother was still taking care of me, because whenever I asked for something of the tree, it was there. I don't know how it happened but it did.

Cut to video interview of Sally Kimbel.

Sally: I worked for the Puttel family for many years. I don't think Ash ever realized it, but her father, he loved her so much. I was employed as a maid, and the other girls had Ash help me... I tried to be as kind as possible. Eventually, Mr. Puttel caught on to what was happening. He asked me to look after Ash, but she never asked for anything. One day, I followed her to see where she went every day.

Cut to image of the tree by the grave.

Sally: Her mother... she went to she her mother. It was heartbreaking. She just sobbed and sobbed at her grave. Eventually that tree grew and she started asking it for things. I would fetch them or get them for the next day. Her father knew. He just wanted her to be happy. [Pause.] One day she asked for a dress to go to the city-wide festival. Mr. Puttel had already gotten her one and had it waiting, hoping that she would want to go one of the nights.