Monday, February 06, 2006

Excuse the cliff hanger appearence but with my one finger typing I sometimes linger on the shift key locking the keyboard. Very frustrating.

Anyway!

Grandfather approached the crossing hoping to find word of his family's fate. Accross the river at this narrow point he could see Russian women washing clothes at the river bank.

He shouted over to the various groups in Russian, "Have you seen a woman with three children walking toward the border.

Behind him the unmistakable sound of a round being chambered and he turned to face the bayoneted rifle of a Roumanian sentry.

Very soon B. Barer found himself in a dungeon. He finally was able to attract the attention of a guard. What happens now he asked.

You are a spy. You will be shot.

Grandfather reached under his shirt and displayed the money belt. Holding the belt out he offered it to the jailer. "Take it!" he gasped. "Call the U. S. Consulate. I am an American citizen."

The man looked at the treasure offered him. He selected two small bills indicating that this was the normal bribe he would share with his supervisor. He handed the belt back saying "Hide that quickly there are crooks here."

Shortly, a man from the U. S. Consulate arrived. As he and Grandfather walked out the gate of the prison the man opined that with all the taxpayer money Mr. Herbert Hoover was doling out in Europe these guys better jump. Oh, By the way! Your family is at the hotel waiting for you.

The lights of Bucharest were dazzling the first night the family walked together through the main Boulevards of the city. My father, Israel, focussed his attention on a golden leather pair of shoes displayed in a department store window. Much of the time in Russia he had been barefoot wearing gunny sacks at work in the rendering plant where he was employed.

The next morning his father bought the shoes for him.

Official records left behind in Russia, Barel and Rissa were remaried at the consulate with three giggling children looking on. At that point all became citizens by virtue of grandfather being a citizen.

Off to Liverpool and the S. S. Cedric for the voyage accross the Atlantic.

2 Comments:

Blogger Lee Goldberg said...

More. More.

I love this stuff... and so does my daughter.

11:48 PM  
Blogger Mike Barer said...

Wow, we have got to make that into a movie.

10:46 AM  

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