MARRIAGE
When they asked if I could spell it, I didn’t know what they were talking about. The fami- ly I was staying with had a name of Goldstein, so I asked them if they could spell Goldstein, so that’s how I called myself. I also knew I would get married, so I thought, ‘How long will I be Goldstein?’ Mrs. Lit lived on 515 Wharton Street. She told him, ‘Miss Goldstein has a few hundred dollars that she would share it with you. Why should you have to go around mourning? Rose won’t come back to life again. Maybe you will meet someone that won’t be worthwhile.’ She told me, ‘I don’t know for sure if he is that much in love with you, but I think he can go for you.’ She made a date with him, for us, for Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, I got dressed up nicely. There were no telephones. I waited and wait- ed. The whole day he didn’t come. Mrs. Lit was so upset because she thought I was suffering. Finally, in the evening he came. His sister went to schul and he had to take care of the four children. I gave Frank $200 to take out Rose’s ring from the pawnshop. Frank had paid $400 for it. The people in the factory knew that if I didn’t come into the factory that I must be in the hospital. Just because I don’t feel well, I would still go to work at the factory. The day Frank was supposed to give me the ring, I didn’t come in on time, I came into the facto- ry late. He brought me the ring at about noon. When I did come in, the forelady told me that she thought that I was in the hospital because I didn’t show up on time. All my girlfriends were around the table when I came in, and I showed them my engagement ring. All my lady friends wanted Frank. Becky and Celia and all of them. Celia fainted away. Herman Speaking- “Mother fell in love with Frank. She never dreamed that he would also recognize her in the same way. In retro- spect, they had much in common. Both were struggling first-generation immigrants. Both were from the same part of Russia. Both spoke Yiddish and were similar in age. Each was alone in America. And so they were married in 1915.”
Dora Shooster - When I had $600 saved up, Goldie’s father came to me and said ‘Dora, when you keep the money in the bank, you don’t get much. Maybe you get 2%. I’ll give you a man that when you lend him $600, he is going to pay you 6% or 7%. By the end of the year, you will have made yourself a few dollars.’ So, he took me down to 3rd and Fitzwa- ter Streets. The man had a big store full of giftware, china, and housewares. A nice big fellow, redheaded. I told him that this was blood money I was lending him and that I worked very hard for this money. I also told him that Mr. Horowitz advises me to lend it to you and that you are going to pay me interest. I told him it took me three years to earn this money. I figured every dollar earned is a dollar, but I told him I didn’t want him to give me a hard time when I’ll need it. He told me he had nothing like that in mind. He said, ‘I will buy merchandise with it, and I will give you a note, and whenever you come, just give me a day’s notice and I will give you the money.’ So, I gave him the $600. When I needed the money to give to Frank $200 for the ring that was at the pawnbroker’s, I couldn’t find the note. I had lost it! I was afraid to get my money without the note. I thought he may not give me the money without a note. So, I go to my lantzman, Noochem, to help me. Mr. Horowitz, ‘Don’t worry, Dora’ he said, ‘He won’t take your blood money. I’ll explain it to him, and if he won’t pay you, I’ll pay you, because I took you in there.’ He was a hard-working man. I went to the man’s store and told him, ‘I met a very nice boy, and we were going to become engaged, and I need my money, and I can’t find my note, and now it’s up to you,’ and I cried like anything. I was 19 years old. He said, ‘You shouldn’t cry. I will pay you the money,’ and he asked, ‘When will you be getting married? I want to buy you a beauti- ful set of dishes for a wedding present besides.’ He also said that he had respect for me and he
40
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease