In the days and weeks before we boarded the Queen Elizabeth I knew that we were going to America. I don't remember much of the preparatory details except for two separate details.
The first detail was the time when we were at what I think may have been the American Embassy getting physicals and shot to make sure that we were not going to be bringing any horrid diseases to the New World.
My mother and I were in a small changing room where she had to remove the clothing from above her waist and put on this shapeless paper poncho over her head.
I don't remember anything beyond that changing room.
The other detail was of my mother and me running into a woman on the street. Even though this woman was not a neighbor or a fellow Lithuanian, my mother knew her.
Apparently this was the woman who represented the charity that accepted the household articles, clothing, and ~ oh my broken child's heart! ~ toys that my parents would not be taking with them on their sea voyage to America.
I knew that the woman took my toys. However, I though that this woman was just holding my toys and will be sending them to me once we got to America. I did not know that I would never see my toys again.
Before you know it, the day of leaving England forever was upon us.
I remember riding in a van with my family and an older childless couple, the Kriaučūnai. Because no one we knew had a car, riding in the van was a big deal.
On the way to the big ship, Pone (Mrs.) Kriaučūnene was showing the others the cross pendants that she bought to bring with her to America. They were pretty pendants, with the crosses being striped in the yellow, green, and red of the Lithuanian flag.
Being the unabashed brat that I always was, I asked Pone if I could have one. Of course my mother let her deep mortification be known in a most emphatic manner. But Pone, being the sweet and gentle soul that she was, gave me one of the crosses to keep as my own.
On the Queen Elizabeth, our family of 4 shared this one tiny room with 4 bunk beds. (Not until I had seen "Titanic" had I realized that we were in steerage.)
Lying in my bottom bunk, I was anxious for the boat to get moving. I thought that if I turned this crank that I saw protruding from the bottom of the top bunk (or somewhere near it) that I would get the boat to move. But while I was awake, the boat stayed put.
Sometime later, long after the boat started to move, the family was up on deck. I heard someone say that we were going by the coast of France. I didn't see anything remarkable other than this big mustard-colored smudge on the horizon.
The sea voyage did not agree with Roma.
But for me it was a different story. There were huge decks to run on, shuffle board games to disrupt, elevators to ride, men's bathrooms to explore, and fellow passengers to annoy.
There were new experiences to savor and enjoy.
In particular, there was a male passenger ~ a bearded fellow wearing a tweed jacket ~ on deck who had an interesting drink with a little stick poking out of the glass. Not being able to resist the temptation, I took the stick out of the glass and put it in my mouth to sample the delicious drops of nectar. Once my curiosity and taste buds were satisfied, I deposited the little stick back into its original glass.
The days at sea went by with a blur.
"Billy Bud" played at the ship's theater; but I don't think that I saw it.
My family had prime rib in the ship's dining room; but they thought they would starve because they could not eat the small portion of meat that was cooked to an unaccustomed rareness.
At the life boat drill we had, the Captain told my parents that my life vest was too small. Yet, the vest that they put on me was the one labeled for children.
One day there were party hats and noise-makers on our cabin bunks. But I was never allowed to wear a party hat ~ especially outside the cabin. Somehow I understood that these party hats and noise-makers were for adults only. But I wonder if my parents ever did anything with them.
Eventually, the Queen Elizabeth arrived safety to New York. I never did get to see the Statue of Liberty because I was asleep while the ship was pulling into harbor; and nobody thought to wake me for that sight.
When we disembarked, I saw American flags everywhere. Even little kids were waving American flags. I wanted one, too. But I never got one.
The priest from the St. Casimir's ~ the Lithuanian parish in Providence ~ was there to meet us. I don't know how all 6 of us ~ my family and the Kriaučūnai ~ all fit in his car. But then again, those were the days of big cars and no seat belts.
The last thing I remember when leaving New York City was riding through the streets and having to look up high in order to see the sky.
.jpg)
1 comment:
Your post brought tears to my eyes.
Our crossing in 1950 was similar, but we were boarded by Immigration which flea bombed us all.
Post a Comment