Sugar House (9780991192519) Page 15

  "This, Joe, is the home of the prodigious Georgia Peach, Ty Cobb!" the doctor exclaimed. "A friend of mine told me his house was in this neighborhood, and I thought you would like see where your great hero lives."

  "Wow! Ty Cobb's house!" Joe searched for a sign of the baseball phenomenon in the front windows of the modest house. The drapes were drawn and the home appeared to be empty. "I wish he'd walk out the door so I could see him."

  "I don't think he is there, Joe. Mr. Cobb goes back home to Georgia in the winter."

  "Oh right… that would make sense. But thanks for showing me just the same, Dr. Levy." Joe looked over again at the simple brick home and smiled. "Wow!" he repeated softly. "Ty Cobb's house."

  "Well, we should be getting you home. Your parents will be waiting, and you have to meet your little brother, right?"

  Chapter Sixteen

  The birth of Joe's new brother, Stephan, had coincided with President Wilson's announcement that the United States was declaring war. That had been over ten months ago, and Joe was anxious to see the new addition to the Jopolowski family. On the drive to his Polish neighborhood, Joe noted many brand new buildings, businesses, and homes. He was surprised how much the landscape had changed in his absence. New skyscrapers peppered the skyline as they drove back into the bustling metropolis. The city felt like it was bursting with structures and humans. People of every color, in every sort of dress, walked, rode, peddled, meandered, and sashayed down the streets and sidewalks. Sometimes it felt as if Dr. Levy's car was idling more than it was moving forward due to the traffic, but eventually they arrived in Polonia and turned onto Joe's street.

  Joe immediately noticed how meager his surroundings were compared to the Boston-Edison District. Dogs and chickens wandered down the street in search of scraps. Children, some without coats, ran across the roadway without bothering to look for approaching cars or carriages. Laundry hung from the front porches of homes, and the smell of cabbage wafted into the car. But Joe didn't care. He was home. He had recovered and he was home. And on one of the porches a red and white Polish flag flew next to the red, white, and blue of his adopted country and made him feel he was where he belonged.

  "Joe, my Joe!" his mother yelled, running down the front steps of their home as the car pulled up to the curb. Matka opened the door herself and pulled Joe out of the car and into her arms, squeezing him so hard he thought she was going to damage his healthy lung.

  "Matka, put me down… the neighbors," Joe said, looking at the children from the block who had gathered to watch the homecoming scene. Matka set Joe back on his feet and grabbed his small suitcase from the hands of Dr. Levy.

  "Dr. Levy, please, won't you come inside?" she asked.

  "I can't today, Mrs. Jopolowski. I must return to my office; I have patients waiting. But thank you."

  "Then please wait a minute, doctor." She ran up the stairs into the house. Joe watched his mother bound up the stairs like a young girl and then suddenly realized something.

  "My mother was speaking English to you—good English! She learned English while I was gone?" Joe asked the physician.

  "Your father had to take those English classes Mr. Ford is requiring of his workers, and your mother decided she would have him teach her while he was learning. She sure is a quick learner. Don't tell your father, but I think she is sounding better than he is." Dr. Levy laughed.

  Joe's mother returned to the side of the Model T carrying a dish covered with a clean cloth. "I made cheese pierogi for Joe's homecoming, Dr. Levy. No meat for Uncle Sam and no pork for my son's Jewish savior doctor. Tell your wife to warm them up in butter in the skillet for five minutes and eat them with sour cream."

  "Please Mrs. Jopolowki, there is no need to give me anything more. You have fattened me up enough for the last year. My wife has had to let out my pants two times."

  "You were too skinny before. Now take this food and let me thank you again for saving my Joe."

  Knowing better than to argue with a Polish woman pushing food, the physician took the plate and placed it on the front seat of the car. "Well, goodbye Joe. Come and see me in a month so I can check on your progress."

  Blanca put her arm around Joe's shoulders, and they headed into the house as the Model T drove down the street. The smell of onions and sounds of laughter greeted Joe as she opened the front door.

  "Welcome home, Joe!" cried Aunt Hattie as she rushed over and pulled his small frame into her soft plump one. As she released him, Ojciec grabbed him up and gave him a bear hug. Uncle Alexy and Uncle Feliks patted him on the back, saying how happy they were that he'd recovered and was finally home. Emilia, who looked like she had grown a foot, shyly handed him a stick figure drawing she'd made of a boy playing baseball on a grassy field.

  "Thank you, Emilia. It looks just like me," Joe said. Emilia smiled proudly. Turning to his mother, Joe asked, "Where are my brothers?"

  "Marya and Pauline are watching them next door. We had them get out from under foot so we could cook you a welcome home feast. Emilia, go get your sisters and cousins," she said, reverting to her native Polish. "Joe wants to meet his baby brother."

  A beautiful Christmas crèche carved by Blanca's father sat on the mantle. It was one of the few things Matka had been able to bring with her from Jastarnia. Joe walked over to the nativity scene and stared at the charming figures. The manger was empty to signify that the Christ child had not arrived yet, and the other small wooden statues stood in their places, waiting patiently. Mary was sitting on a bed of straw, and Joseph stood at attention near her. A donkey, ox, and camel were positioned next to the three magi kneeling in front of the empty manger. Two young shepherds toting staffs guarded several sheep.

  Joe picked up the intricately carved Mary figure and looked into her face. He thanked her silently for her role in Jesus' birth and any help she might have had in his recovery. Boisterous voices interrupted his prayer as his cousins and brothers swept into the room in a chaotic flurry. He placed the saint back on the mantel before Frank tackled him with a hug. Frank had grown. and in his loving fervor he knocked Joe to the floor.

  "Frank! Be careful. Joe, are you all right?" Matka looked worried.

  "Yes, I'm fine. I see that I have a lot of eating to do to get as strong as Frank." Matka ran her hands over his arms and back; satisfied Joe was unharmed, she took the baby out of Marya's arms and presented him to Joe.

  "Here is your baby brother, Stephan," she said. Stephan was much bigger than Joe had anticipated, but he had to remind himself that his brother was close to ten months old. Stephan wiggled in Joe's arms and tried to get down. "Oh, put him down Joe. All he wants to do is crawl all over the house and grab onto the furniture to stand up. He's trying to walk so he can keep up with Frank."

  Joe put his brother down on the wood floor and said hello to Marya and Pauline. "I'm glad you're better, Joe," his eldest cousin ventured.

  "Thanks, Marya. And thanks for lighting the candles at church for me" he replied.

  "Well, I had to help your mother and mine after Stephan was born, so I needed you to get better. I was tired of having to do your chores and mine. Glad you're home now."

  "I knew there had to be something in it for you, Marya." He winked at her and smiled.

  "I'm glad you're home too, Joe," said Pauline. "Nothing was the same without you around." Pauline had grown taller than Joe in his time away, but Marya had experienced the most drastic change. Her face was thinner, and she wore her blonde hair up, like his mother did. Her figure had developed into one of a young woman, and she carried herself differently. Joe felt awkward at noticing his cousin's new shape. He turned away to ask his mother if he could help with dinner.

  "No Joe. Sit down and rest, and we'll finish getting dinner ready. I can't wait to feed you some of my cooking. I am going to fatten you up and get you strong as an ox. If they'd let me send you real food at that hospital instead of just sugary sweets, you'd have been home six months ago." Her eyes teared up and she wiped them with
her apron.

  "Come on, Blanca… he's home now," his Aunt Hattie said, grabbing her elbow and steering her toward the kitchen. "Let's get this feast finished so we can eat." Marya and Pauline dutifully followed the women into the kitchen, and the men sat down in the living room and watched Stephan as he tried to balance on his chubby legs. Joe looked around the small living room and smiled. A log crackled and popped in the fireplace as the men lounged on the meager furniture discussing the factory and the war. He could hardly believe he was finally home.

  Aunt Hattie and Matka had prepared stuffed roast mutton, pierogi, mushroom cutlets, ćwikła (a beet root salad made with horseradish), and a chocolate cake with marzipan spread between the layers. And of course, his mother had made dozens of sugary cookies, which were piled high on a round platter. The women had been cooking for several days, and the spread was extensive. Joe felt humbled they had prepared so much food in honor of his homecoming. After a prayer of thanks by Ojciec, the family heartily dug in. The mood was fun and playful and the evening passed quickly. Joe fell asleep in the chair next to the fireplace, and his father carried him up to his bed. He didn't notice till the next morning that an additional bed had been placed in the room for Frank. Getting ill had one advantage; a good night's sleep without Franks' knees in his back.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Later in the week, on the eve of Saint Nicholas feast, the boys put their shoes outside of their rooms for Saint Nicholas to fill. Frank woke early and ran out of their room into the hall.

  "Joe! Joe!" he called. "Get up! St. Nicholas was here!" Joe pushed himself up on his hands and looked out into the dark hall.

  "Go get Stephan from Matka's room," he called from the darkness. "It's only fair that we look in our shoes at the same time." He was hoping to grab two more minutes of sleep. But Frank returned in what seemed like a few seconds and pleaded with Joe to get up. Joe threw on his robe to fight the cold of the morning and walked into the hall. Lincoln Logs lined all six of the boys' small shoes, and a cardboard box containing the rest lay underneath. Joe picked up Stephan and Frank carried the box down the stairs to the living room. Joe showed his brothers how to connect the wooden logs to make different structures. They tried to build one of the new skyscrapers on Woodward Avenue. It didn't have the same characteristics, as the logs were wood and the large buildings were built of steel and concrete. But they immensely enjoyed knocking it down.

  The weeks before Christmas passed quickly as Joe continued to rest and recover. Dr. Levy would not allow him to return to school, but the nuns had sent some work home for him so he could try to catch up. A year away from school was a long time, and Joe was worried the nuns would keep him in the third grade. He concentrated on the reading primers Sister Mary Monica had sent, because he'd always enjoyed reading and the work taxed him less than arithmetic. After only a week, Sister Mary Monica sent home a fourth grade primer and he worried a little less. He supplemented his reading with the Detroit News, showing Frank the Christmas ads from Hudson's that proclaimed that within its empire a three story child's wonderland of toys had been erected for the children of Detroit.

  The scent of pine needles permeated the air as Joe walked into his Aunt Hattie's living room on Christmas Eve. A roaring fire was burning in the fireplace, and a Christmas tree waiting to be decorated with fruit, cookies, candy, and candles sat near the front window. Cheerily wrapped presents lay on the floor near the tree. Marya and the women gathered in the kitchen to finish preparing the Christmas Eve feast. They'd been cooking and baking for days, but their work was not finished.

  "Time to decorate the tree, children," Uncle Feliks called. Joe and Pauline ran over to the tree and looked eagerly at the feast of treats that lay on the front windowsill. "Grab that long string, Pauline," Uncle Feliks instructed. Pauline began to thread cookies and small fruits onto the string, and Joe's uncle showed him how to thread popcorn. Frank tried to help string the treats but he mostly snuck pieces of candy into his mouth when he thought no one was looking. When the long garlands were hung on the fir tree, Uncle Feliks attached small white candles to the ends of the branches.

  Dusk arrived and the family gathered in the living room as the first evening star appeared in the sky. Uncle Alexy divided the opłatek among the family members with the exception of Stephan. The wafer was multi-colored and decorated with embossed patterns of the nativity scene. Walking toward his mother, Joe held out his wafer to her. "Merry Christmas," he said. He broke a small section of her wafer and placed it on his tongue. Matka repeated his actions, taking a small piece from Joe's wafer and placing it on her own tongue, and smiled down lovingly at her small son. "Merry Christmas, my Joe." She leaned down and kissed his cheeks and hugged him. Next he approached his father and they performed the same ritual. This continued until he had exchanged bread with every member of the family. His Uncle Feliks broke half of Joe's wafer and shoved it in his mouth when it was their turn, and Joe laughed; teasing was also part of the custom.

  The lights gleaming from Aunt Hattie's small tree and glittering candles washed the room in a warm yellow glow. Sheaves of wheat hung in the four corners of the room and lay on the table, an old practice that signified the wish for animals of the farm to ensure good health and strong offspring. Part of the tradition included the belief that animals could speak with a human voice at midnight on Christmas Eve. To hear them speak meant bad luck, but Joe always left his window open a small crack every year in case the chickens in the backyard decided to have an interesting conversation.

  The family sat down to eat in the living room. The men had set up a couple of long tables, and the women had spread beautifully embroidered tablecloths—one new and two they had brought from Poland that had been sewn by their grandmothers. Marya sat next to an empty chair and place setting that had been set for "the absent." A small piece of each course would be placed in the plate in remembrance of the dead. Uncle Alexy led a prayer of thanks. He included Joe's health in his litany. Joe silently said his own prayer of thanks

  "All right!" Matka said as soon as the prayer was delivered. "Time to eat!" Aunt Hattie and she rose from the table and brought dish after dish out to the waiting family. Aunt Hattie ladled out red borscht with kluski into everyone's bowls. In a matter of minutes the tables were laden with soft, warm bread, boiled perch, fried carp, horseradish, and cabbage with mushrooms and nut croquettes. Joe dug into the aromatic cabbage and smiled.

  "A fabulous feast you have prepared, Hattie and Blanca" Uncle Feliks praised the women, holding up an enormous stein of beer and toasting the meal. The women, in turn, raised their small glasses of wine and the children their thick glasses of milk.

  "A fine meal," Mikołaj agreed, as he put his beer down and speared another piece of the perch. "Did you perhaps save a scale from the carp for my wallet?" he asked.

  "Of course we did! I'll give it to you after we have dessert." When the children heard the magical word dessert, they offered to clear the table and wash the dishes. They worked quickly through the mounds of plates, bowls, platters, pots, and silverware together. Joe dried the dishes that Marya washed, and Pauline returned them to their proper places. Marya carried a stack of small plates to the living room, and Pauline brought the freshly washed silverware. Their eyes opened wide in eager anticipation when they looked upon the array of sweets lining the middle of the tables.

  A large bowl filled with poppy seed paste and a platter of waffles commanded the center of the table. Gingerbread, pastries, and cakes flanked the bowl, and a pot of steaming hot coffee gave off an aromatic scent throughout the room. The men poured vodka into shot glasses. Raising their drinks, they clinked their glasses together. Joe took a waffle and spread the thick poppy seed paste on top with a knife. The taste of honey, vanilla, and raisins filled his mouth.

  Everyone satiated beyond comfort, the children returned to the kitchen to rinse the dessert dishes and cover the leftovers. Aunt Hattie retrieved the royal carp scales for the men's wallets. Just then they heard
singing on the front porch. "Come, children," she said. "Leave the rest. I believe we have carolers!" The children ran to the front window and looked out on the porch. A group of twenty singers had gathered on the small lawn. A tall, robust man was carrying a large colorful lighted star on a stick. The carolers began to sing "Lulajże Jezuniu" (Sleep, Infant Jesus"), a sweet melody by Frederic Chopin. "Oh, I love this song!" Matka clapped her hands together in delight. Uncle Alexy opened the front door and picked up Emilia in his arms. Joe walked over to his baby brother, who was playing with two spoons on the floor. Joe picked Stephan up and carried him to the window so he could see. The baby looked surprised to be in his arms, but his apprehension was allayed by the harmonious voices of the carolers.

  Ojciec joined in with the carolers as they launched into another beloved Christmas hymn, "Gdy sie Chrystus rodzi" (When Christ is Born), a traditional Polish favorite. As the carolers began their final song, "Dzisiaj W Betlejem" (Today in Bethlehem), the women rushed into the kitchen to wrap up sweets to give to the singers. The entire family joined in the jovial song and applauded them when it was over. Matka and Aunt Hattie passed out the treats on the front porch, and the family gathered in the living room to open gifts.

  The children received small puzzles and candy from their aunts and uncles. Uncle Feliks, in his usual fashion, had bought more elaborate gifts. From behind the couch he pulled out four shiny silver sleds and presented them to Marya, Pauline, Emilia, and Frank. Frank jumped onto the couch and onto his Uncle's back to thank him.

  "Whoa, Frank! You're going to break my neck!" Uncle Feliks laughed. "Or should I say… don't break yours on that sled?"

  "Thank you, Uncle Feliks," each of the cousins said, as they kissed their blushing uncle on his cheek. The children gathered together with their sleds at the back of the room and debated where the best sledding hill was located. Feliks reached under the couch and brought out a funny wooden duck on a string that bobbed up and down when it was pulled across the floor. He gave it to Stephan.