Eisenberg Assisted Living: Our Stories, Our Lives, Vol. One

Page 172

switch (but Bronia never told on him). During all of her school years (both grade and high school) Billie would be waiting for his friend, Bridget, at the Streetcar or Bus stop at the bottom of the hill. He would then escort her home through the mining patch. Bridget's family lived in their four rooms on one side and W.T. and the Green's on the other with their lives separated by a paper-thin wall. There were outhouses and an adjoining coal bin in the back yard. When Bridget's Mother fixed golabki (stuffed cabbage) Mr. Green would be sure to tell her, “Mrs. Dumpsi, ”(he never did get the name right), “I can sure smell something good.” He expected to be rewarded and he always was and with an ample sample. In return when Mrs. Green baked there was always a sweet potato pie at their kitchen door. When asked, W.T. always said that he used his initials because it made him sound more important. He grew up to be a funeral director and the initials actually did provide him with a tone of earlier maturity. Billie received an academic scholarship to college and after graduation he became a successful professional decorator in New York City. As Bridget used to say, “Today everyone claims to be open-minded but we three never even realized there was even such a thing as ‘prejudice’.”

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