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By Sage Date: 2001 Nov 26 Comment on this Work [[2001.11.26.08.36.313]] |
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He came to this country when he was but seven. His family thought that America was a place to start a fortune, a land flowing with milk and honey, the promised land. They had left Reggio Calabria, Italy, where their family and ancestors had lived for many years. They had a comfortable upper class life style, complete with running water, indoor toilets, and other comforts of life, many years before it was common even in the U.S.. The family grew olive trees and grape vines in their many acres of vineyards. They had an oil press which was run by oxen and huge cement rollers. Producing both olive oil and wine, the family prospered and enjoyed a lucrative life style. His grandfather had lost his life while still young. He had been gored open by one of the ox, during a stubborn battle between the two, when the beast refused to move, as the olives were being crushed into oil. Speared and ripped by the horns, as he came carelessly close, he soon bled to death. Carl came to this country with his mother, grandmother, and father. The oldest of four children, who were yet to be born. They settled in Bayonne/Jersey City, amongst other Italian immigrants, who also thought that America would be an answer to their prayers. Their dreams were turned into reality, and disappointments, as they experienced unemployment, and racial predjudice against Italians. His mother experience the frustrations of taking care of her elderly mother, as well as having to deal with a violent husband, who believed in beating his wife, and bullying his authority in the home, as had been taught to him by the domination of earlier Italian family heads. She also endured watching him, take his frustrations on their son, Carl. Her marriage to him, back in Italy , before they immigrated to the U.S., was not a happy one.. Their families had arranged it, while they were still children. They did not marry out of love, or passion, but out of the will of their families who demanded that they marry. He made it clear from the beginning that he did not want her, even after their marriage. The years that followed were unpleasant and abusive for her. At one point in their marriage, after little Carl was born, he left her for another woman. This woman had many children, as she had been previously married. I believe her husband had died, and so she was alone. He moved in with her, thus abandoning his wife and son, Carl. This arrangement lasted for awhile, until his family, and his wife, Teresa's family, got wind of it. He was creating quite an embarassment for both families. Eventually, his health and life were threatened by the family heads, and he knew that they truly meant business, and so he returned to his wife and son. Returning with great anger, even more than before, he now began to abuse his wife and son, on an even far greater scale than before. Carl became a punching bag, for all of his father's frustrations. In horror, his mother looked on, as he took beating after beating, not to mention verbal abuse from his angry father. Being of Catholic beliefs, she prayed to the virgin Mary, every day. Her prayers went from those of joy, for the new found prosperity that they thought they had found in America, to outcries and pleas to either take her husband or take her son. It may sound cruel for a woman to ask for the death of her husband or her son, but the anguish of watching her son, be continually abused by a cruel, vicious, and dominating father, was more than she could bare. In time the Virgin Mary answered her prayers, or at least she thought that she did. One day, her husband took ill with pneumonia, and died. The abuse was over, but the emotional and mental scars remained. Carl was fifteen when his father died. Now he was left with a mother and grandmother to support, as well as a two sisters, and a baby on the way, who was later to be his younger brother. Carl had to drop out of school, in order to pursue full time employment. He endured many job refusals that he was more than qualified for, simply because he was Italian. He endured much ridicule at that time, where he was called "salt and pepper", etc. He eventually got a job, by lying about his last name, to hide his Italian descent. He remained with that employer for the rest of his life. Starting out as a common laborer, he eventually worked himself up into a machinist position, making a steady, and somewhat prosperous living. During this time, he bypassed romance, and all the fun frilly things that young men do, in the prime of their life. His only concern was providing for his siblings, mother, and grandmother. His mother shared in trying to provide for the family. but being hindered by her inability to read or write English, she took whatever jobs she could find. Most of her work was done in her home, as she had young children to tend. Many nights she stayed up all night, sewing linings into jackets by hand, and stringing beads for necklaces... Her youngest daughter, Katrina, would not sleep at night either, as she was worried about her mother, and would string beads with her, and fill sewing needles with thread, all night long. Her mother would try to force her to sleep, but she would insist on helping her. She strung many hundreds of needles with thread, all night long, sticking them into pillows, ready for her mother to use, in sewing the silk linings, into expensive suit jackets. Her mother got paid only ten cents per jacket. It took many hours of sewing, just to provide food for them to eat. As a result of her lack of rest and sleep, Katrina took sick. She must have been ill for a long time, and not feeling well, but never told anyone. She did not want her mother to worry about her, nor her brother Carl, who just adored her. So in silence, she bore the pain and aches of an illness, that they knew so little about in those days. One day, when Katrina was twelve years old she was sitting on the steps talking with some friends, when her brother Carl came home from work. He was amazed to see her sitting there, since she normally would be upstairs at this time, helping her mother to cook. Carl was a little upset with her, and chastised her verbally. After telling her to get upstairs several times, Katrina began to cry. "What's wrong?", Carl asked. "I can't go upstairs, " Katrina replied, I can't walk. Carl thought she was kidding, and prodded her into getting up. She politely but firmly refused. At this point, he began to realize that she was not kidding with him. He bent down, and picked her up, and carried her upstairs to her bed. Gently he placed her under the covers, and pulled off her shoes. Immediately, he went to get the doctor, who arrived in less than an hour. She was diagnosed with rhuematic heart, and the prognosis was not good. Later that night, after the doctor had left, she called for Carl to come into her room. He did. She motioned for him to sit down on her bed. He did. Then she asked him to hold her. He hesistated at first, and then she tugged on his shirt, until he lied down on the bed next to her. Cradled in her big brother's arms, she seemed to relax and drift off to sleep. Her arm muscles began to relax, as Carl could feel her grip on his arms lessen. Slipping into a deep sleep, she slowly but gradually gave up her last breath, in a slow and gentle last heave. And so Katrina died that night, in her brother's arms, so suddenly she left them. A little twelve year old angel, who had done nothing but try to help in any and all ways that she could, while she avoiding being any impact to their lives..... And yet she left a deep void in their lives, that even in the many years that passed afterwards, this void was never filled. And so as many foreigners have made up the population of this nation, we call America, their stories are wide and varied, but like so many today, who still seek to start new lives in foreign lands, there is much suffering, and hidden problems, that go unnoticed, but are a common denominator in their lives, in their passion, and in their quest to reach the promised land. ~ ~ |