MY COUSIN BESSIE AND OTHERS

By Beckie Shopnick

My cousin Bessie was not considered particularly good looking. She had a round face, full lips and small teeth. But her blue eyes lit up and sparkled when she spoke and she was always ready with a schmaltzy joke. Bessie was blessed with an excellent sense of humor, which we all enjoyed. Although she was high-chested and full-breasted, she had beautiful legs. And walked gracefully in spite of her slightly rounded shoulders. .

Bessie was the first of many samplers of my father's cooking, and always begged my sister for favors. "Mirelle, just show me how to cut a blouse", she'd say. The end result was that Mirelle wound up making the complete garment.

Sunday was supposedly everybody's holiday but not in our house. In the morning

there were the house chores, cooking, sewing, ironing and cleaning. In the afternoon and through the evening, the "drop-ins" started to come one by one. Then our apartment would become as busy as a beehive.

In the years between 1907 to 1914, the revolution and war were already brewing in Europe. Young men and women were flocking to the shores of America with hopes for a better future. Most of those immigrants resorted to room and board with strangers, and our home became the focal point where friends and relatives met. Jobs in those years were easily obtained and most of the males were ready for romance. Each one of them had an eye on a young woman (or vice versa).

There was a young man to whom I gave his first lesson in English, and he fell in love with the teacher. Mottel Hamlin was an intelligent young man. He looked Japanese with his slanted eyes and he had a pleasant disposition. For a little privacy to be with me, he accompanied me on my shopping trips and helped me carry the load. My heart, however, was not for him, He was a men’s tailor and later became an organizer in the Amalgamated Union, I never regretted my firm decision to reject him.

There was another young man, a "landsman" of ours, who never failed to appear on Sundays, rain or shine, with an umbrella and a raincoat over his arm, I said to him one Sunday: " Mr. Goldstein, on such a glorious day, why do you carry an umbrella?" "Well, he answered, "I thought it might rain." This young man had an eye on all of us girls, but most of us gave him the cold shoulder except my cousin Bessie, who finally became the victim of his charms. And so they were married. Max Goldstein became a self-employed plumber, and Bessie became his secretary, bookkeeper, housekeeper and mother of their two children. His professional uniform consisted of overalls with suspenders, and when he spoke, he swayed from side to side holding on for dear life to his suspenders. Max Goldstein was of middle height, had a round body and a round face to match. He had brown eyes and dark brown curly hair. He was musically inclined and opera was his love. Max knew the plot of every opera and was distantly familiar with current prima donnas who played a part.

We had another gentleman visitor who had blue glassy eyes and a meaningless smile which he bestowed on all of us. He finally hitched up with our cousin Dorala, poor girl, who had it very hard for the rest of her life. Fortunately, she was good natured and took her struggles in stride.

There was also a very young man, a schoolmate of my brother's in his last year of high school, who fell in love with me but kept it a dark secret. In later years, when he was already married and had two children, he revealed the secret of his love to me. He had become a very prominent dentist and always remained a friend of the family. I was very glad he had kept his love a secret from me since I couldn't return it.

To mention the numerous young men and women who were our steady visitors and a part of our lives would require many more pages and perhaps a sizeable book. In due course, many stories concerning them may, hopefully, come to light through my painstaking literary efforts.

-Beckie Shopnick