‘Why,’ I ask my mother, ‘do you always look on the bright
side? Why this need to compare
your lot to that of others.’
side? Why this need to compare
your lot to that of others.’
To my
mother there is always someone worse off, even in the worst of
circumstances.
mother there is always someone worse off, even in the worst of
circumstances.
She gives me a wan
smile.
smile.
‘We lived through two world wars,’ she says. ‘We were hungry all the time.’
My mother draws a deep breath. ‘Once I woke in the night and someone was chopping down our
tree. It was not really our tree
but we called it our tree because it was on the other side of our house and we
had planned for a long time that it was ours.’
tree. It was not really our tree
but we called it our tree because it was on the other side of our house and we
had planned for a long time that it was ours.’
My mother dabs a tissue to her nose. She goes through tissues as though she
has an unlimited supply. The
wastepaper basket beside her chair is filled to overflowing with these tissues. I think of them as my mother’s tears, the
ones she can no longer shed.
has an unlimited supply. The
wastepaper basket beside her chair is filled to overflowing with these tissues. I think of them as my mother’s tears, the
ones she can no longer shed.
‘Everyone everywhere was chopping down trees for firewood,’
my mother goes on.
my mother goes on.
‘I woke my husband and he went outside and chased them
away. By then the tree was half
hanging and so he chopped it right down and managed to get it over the back of
our fence. We were staying with my parents at the Marnixplein. We had just managed to get the tree
over our fence when the German soldiers came and shot their guns in the
air.’
away. By then the tree was half
hanging and so he chopped it right down and managed to get it over the back of
our fence. We were staying with my parents at the Marnixplein. We had just managed to get the tree
over our fence when the German soldiers came and shot their guns in the
air.’
My mother hesitates, whether
for effect or out of her memory of this time. I can see the garden, the fence, the tree in my mind’s eye as if a scene from a movie.
for effect or out of her memory of this time. I can see the garden, the fence, the tree in my mind’s eye as if a scene from a movie.
‘Just in time,’ my mother says in her lopsided English,
‘because now the tree was inside our back garden. It was ours. Still, we were hungry all the time.’
‘because now the tree was inside our back garden. It was ours. Still, we were hungry all the time.’
My mother takes a fresh tissue and folds it in four, ready
for the next dab of her nose.
for the next dab of her nose.
‘Once we went on our bikes to the north of Holland and we
brought with us things. I brought
a beautiful table cloth, what I had embroidered for my mother. It took me a whole winter to sew.
brought with us things. I brought
a beautiful table cloth, what I had embroidered for my mother. It took me a whole winter to sew.
The farmers didn’t want money, they wanted stuff. Someone took the table cloth and we got
something to eat for it.’
something to eat for it.’
My mother is on a roll. Tissue, nose dab, wastepaper basket
and words.
and words.
‘Once there
came beggars to the door. My
mother offered them what we were eating.
They looked at it, smelled it and then went away. Even they did not want it. Some people who were really rich, they could buy on the
black market and they did.’
came beggars to the door. My
mother offered them what we were eating.
They looked at it, smelled it and then went away. Even they did not want it. Some people who were really rich, they could buy on the
black market and they did.’
My mother stops again, as if to take stock of her
memories.
memories.
‘What you got when it was time to eat, very little. My mother would dish up for
everybody a little and everybody made sure that the one next to them didn’t get
a crumb more. People started to
hate each other because there was never enough to satisfy your hunger.’
everybody a little and everybody made sure that the one next to them didn’t get
a crumb more. People started to
hate each other because there was never enough to satisfy your hunger.’
I feel a slight thrill inside at the mention of the word
‘hate’. My mother rarely owns up
to such a powerful emotion.
She never owns her hateful feelings – at least not out loud, at least
not to me – but here she is telling me that she too knows what it’s like to
hate.
‘hate’. My mother rarely owns up
to such a powerful emotion.
She never owns her hateful feelings – at least not out loud, at least
not to me – but here she is telling me that she too knows what it’s like to
hate.
‘It took quite a long time till the war was over and then
we heard that from Sweden there would come planes and they would drop packages of margarine, of bread and
butter. Everybody got their share
and you saw people, they were so starving, sitting on the street. They got the food and they started to
eat it.’ My mother’s eyes gleam
with the memory.
we heard that from Sweden there would come planes and they would drop packages of margarine, of bread and
butter. Everybody got their share
and you saw people, they were so starving, sitting on the street. They got the food and they started to
eat it.’ My mother’s eyes gleam
with the memory.
‘But my mother said, “Don’t do that.” It’s not good to start eating when your
body was so hungry. You have to
eat a bit at a time.’
body was so hungry. You have to
eat a bit at a time.’
She looks
down at her hands in her lap and as if unable to bear the sight of them empty, my mother takes up another tissue.
down at her hands in her lap and as if unable to bear the sight of them empty, my mother takes up another tissue.
‘I had somewhere a photo of myself and I was that
skinny. Never in my life have I
been as skinny as then. There were
photos of my dad and mum and they looked ten years older.
skinny. Never in my life have I
been as skinny as then. There were
photos of my dad and mum and they looked ten years older.
My mother around this time in a blouse she embroidered herself (the birth date above belongs to me, strange that someone has accidentally given it to my mother who was born 5 October 1919, strange but understandable given my mother and I share the same name).
My mother continues, ‘The priests in the country churches said, “If you have
family bring them here. Let them
come.” Because there’s nothing in
the city. In the country, not
so. In Heilo where we had cousins,
next to them was a farmer. They had milk. The family said bring your baby and little child and we can
feed them here.
family bring them here. Let them
come.” Because there’s nothing in
the city. In the country, not
so. In Heilo where we had cousins,
next to them was a farmer. They had milk. The family said bring your baby and little child and we can
feed them here.
‘We went on our bikes without tyres and my husband had a
little cart behind his bike.’
little cart behind his bike.’
The story shifts here. My mother has told me that my
father had a bike with a cart in which my older brother, then something like
two years old, traveled. My mother
pushed her pram with the baby, who later died and is buried in Heilo.
father had a bike with a cart in which my older brother, then something like
two years old, traveled. My mother
pushed her pram with the baby, who later died and is buried in Heilo.
My older sister who died at five months of age during the
Hunger winter of 1945. I have
wondered what she would be like had she survived.
Hunger winter of 1945. I have
wondered what she would be like had she survived.
And what it might be like if I were the third daughter and
not the second.
not the second.
I am currently not working and have not had any money go into my account now for almost a month. We have very little food in the house and though we are eating less than usual I am content. Why? Because the last few days the Universe is sending me messages like this and I realize how much I have. Thanks for being a part of the message.
The bottom picture of your sister is absolutely precious. I am sure it brought your mother comfort over the years.
I think it used to annoy my parents when I said I was starving because I have never starved a day in my life and rarely have I even gone hungry for any length of time unless I was ill and the hunger then was a good sign, an indication that I was on the mend. My parents both came from big families with easily a dozen kids in each family—needless to say I can’t remember the precise ratio—and they were dirt poor. They never made a meal of the past when talking about it but it affected them and my dad in particular swore that his kids would never do without like he had and so you can imagine how it irritated him whenever I said I was starving but it was just hyperbole. There was always food on the table. It wasn’t always to my taste—I was something of a fussy eater—but there was always food. My parents were both from Lancashire in the north of England so what we were served was not what my peers typically got—I never tasted haggis until I was a grown man—but it was every bit as unhealthy. Her speciality—and no one has ever been able to best her—was mince and dumplings, suet dumplings. Over the years Carrie has made a number of valiant attempts but she can’t compete with my idealised memories. What she presents me with is always tasty enough but since she’s always aiming to watch my diet it’s never quite right.
My mother was a cheery soul but I’m not sure she was an optimist. She might’ve been once upon a time but life had kicked that out of her. Too many disappointments, including me. Unlike you I was the firstborn and she’d waited over twenty years for me. My dad blamed the war for that. Lack of good food. Once the war was over and they started eating better then Mum fell pregnant. I’ve no idea if there’s any truth in what he says. My dad’s logic was often flawed. He reasoned that the existence of the Ten Commandments was proof in itself of God’s existence: it was a perfect law and could not therefore be the product of imperfect minds. I never argued with him. Not about stuff like that.
I have been working out the histories of some characters who would be of my parents and then grandparents age for a story. I was born in 51. They did go through so many more devastating times than our generation (so far).
Two World Wars, a global depression. These were escaped by so few. Not like today where there are a lot of bad things that happen, but the majority (okay: maybe more affluent majority) only really read or hear of the bad stuff in the news.
Lump in throat. Can't speak.