For those who are reading this for the first time, I’ve been posting my Aunt Eleanor’s memoir to my writers’ blog. She’s 86 and has had polio since she was 4 months old. I talked to my aunt today and she is back home and sounds good. A visiting nurse will be coming in a couple days a week and she’ll have someone staying with her at night. Her nephew, Ken, has offered to pay for the night coverage. What a nice guy. Italicized comments are mine. Read previous blog postings for more information and to view video.
Chapter 17
Jenkins/ Riverview
Margaret and Jack Jenkins lived next door to Fred and me while we lived in the apartment. Cheryl, their sweet daughter, was born just a week after we moved in.
About a year later, the office crew at my job had to be reduced, and it was between me and a single mother. There was no doubt as to who needed the job more, so I took the layoff. It was rather lonely, as while I was working I really hadn’t had time to do much neighboring. After I did my household chores, I would go outside, sit on the steps and hope someone would go by and speak to me. Because I was so shy, Margaret thought I was a snob. It wasn’t long before we overcame that problem and became good friends. Cheryl was a toddler at the time and she often came over to visit me. She liked to come when we were having dinner and sit down and have a bite with us. She was a delightful kid, and we just loved her.
Fred and Margaret had an ongoing “fun feud.” They would each grab a hose and have a water fight. One day Fred ran into the house and hollered out to her through the bathroom window. Of course she squirted him and my freshly ironed curtains. I let her know she had to iron them. She did, but it didn’t stop them from their fun.
Margaret and I would sit on the steps and eat tootsie pops and chew bubble gum. We drove the neighbor next door crazy as we would blow a bubble and laugh outrageously and then all would be silent while we got the gum ready for another bubble. The neighbor finally had to look out to see what was so hilarious. We told her it was just us kids having fun. She didn’t think that was exactly how we should be acting, but that didn’t stop us.
Fred had a habit of taking off one shoe and dropping it and then quietly putting the other on the floor. Margaret would hear the first shoe drop through the thin walls between our apartments and kept wondering when he was going to drop the other shoe. When he discovered that it really rattled her, he made sure he let that first shoe drop loud enough for her to hear it. There was a hole in the wall between our hall and her bedroom. It was a little bit bigger that a pin hole and when Fred discovered Margaret did not like room fresheners he put the nozzle up to the hole and squirted! In a matter of seconds we heard Margaret’s door slam. She came barreling over and they had reason for another water fight. What fun we had in those days!
Margaret and I were both being very economical, which we had to do if we were ever going to be able to afford a home of our own. She and I had a chance to baby sit a little boy so we decided she would take him one week and I would have him the next week. When we got paid we would sometimes go to town and splurge. Each of us would buy a dollar blouse and maybe even have a hot dog. That would make us feel as if we had really done something big. Sometimes we would save for a while and buy a blanket or curtains for our apartments. We always saved a few pennies for our Tootsie suckers (2 cents apiece and our bubblegum 1 cent apiece.)
About July of 1950 Margaret’s husband, Jack, got a job in Merced. Margaret had an Aunt who lived in the area, so it was decided the family would live with her temporarily.
Chapter 18
Ma Bernardo
During our courtship Fred’s Mother, Concetta Bernardo (My mom’s and Uncle Fred’s mother), had us over for dinner quite often. As typical of Italians there was also a kitchen in the basement where it was cooler in the summer time. I was always very comfortable in her presence and of course the food was delicious. So it was quite a shock to Fred the day he told her we were getting married, and his Mom said, “Don’t you ever bring your wife to my house.” He was quite upset, but didn’t tell me anything about it because he didn’t want me to worry. He continued to go every Saturday morning to help her with chores, mow the lawns etc. while I stayed in the apartment. When we visited Carmy (Fred’s sister and my mother), who lived next door to her, I would say something to Fred about going with him to visit with his Mom. It took me awhile before I realized something was wrong. He always had an excuse as to why I shouldn’t. His sisters finally told me what Ma had said about not bringing me to her house and how they were trying to convince her that I was taking good care of Fred and she didn’t have to worry about him. No one ever told me exactly why she took this attitude, but my idea was that it had to do with having her last child leave home and that she would not have him to cook and care for. Also maybe the fact that she wasn’t sure of my capabilities which might have caused her to feel this way. I didn’t want to have Fred hurt and in the middle so I just accepted it.
About a year went by. One day when we drove into Carmy & Dewey’s (My dad) driveway, I spotted Ma at the kitchen sink. Angie and George (My mother’s sister and her husband) and the rest of the family were there and when we walked the front door, Ma looked to see who had arrived. She turned and headed for the back door as soon as she saw me. I said, “Hi Ma”. She stopped, turned around and her response was, “Hello Leonora.” There was complete silence in the kitchen and I really cannot remember what else I said, but probably something like, “How are you, Ma?” From that moment on there was nothing but love between the two of us. She immediately came in the living room and sat down beside me. It made Fred and me so happy to have the family ties mended. His sisters (Jennie, Angie, and my mom, Carmy) were as astounded and happy as we were. I heard from Jennie later that Ma had called her and told her, “Leonora, she called me Ma.”
I really didn’t know much about Italian cooking. Fred had taught me a few dishes, but after that he insisted that I get my information from Ma. I tried real hard to understand her, but there were times when I would ask Fred to interpret. Some of the dishes that I learned to make were respellis, brajoles, torte and lots of others.
Later when we were having our house built she told Fred, “You get Leonora a dish washer.” He tried to tell her I didn’t need one and her response was, “Your sisters have dishwashers and so Leonora should have one in your new house.”
Ma died in her bed in 1952 of a heart attack. Carmy had sent Duke to see why Grandma was not answering her phone. He rushed back to tell his Mom that Grandma was sick. We hadn’t known she had been having problems and of course being who she was, she did not complain. By the time the doctor was coming up the stairs she passed away. It was a very sad day for all of us and as for me I have always wished I had been allowed to have more time to really be her daughter-in-law.
