We Move In with Elke
We were forced to move out of our room. Mother owed too much back rent and further excuses were unacceptable.
We moved in with a new friend whom mother had met from among the refugees whose husband was also in America. Her name was Elke and she had two children, a boy of about seven and a girl of four.
Elke, who had chutspe, with her two children.
They had run away from the Galicia region where the fighting was intense.
Elke was tall with ruddy, curly hair. She spoke with a strange Galizianer accent. She had one eye off-focus and when we'd get mad at her, we'd call her, Elke, the cockeyed one. She and her son had adenoids and spoke with a nasal twang. The boy was a stalwart fellow and could give you a punch which really hurt. Now there were four children under one roof, fighting, shouting, and inevitably creating friction between the mothers. But while this union lasted it was fascinating to me.
Editor's Notes: Refugees: During the war, refugees from various parts of Easter Europe arrived in Wysokie.
