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Helen Rodak-Izso The Last Chance to Remember
Chapter 7. ZSUZSI
In
1938 the south part of Slovakia fell to Hungary, including our home
town and this meant that we had now a border between our grandparents
and us. According to the new regulations Jews were not allowed to own
a passport or of course cross the border. We wrote often and got some
answers but we couldn't meet or see them. When we didn't hear from them
for a longer time, our Zsuzsi was the one who volunteered to find out
the truth. When
she arrived, she couldn't find them any more. The house was locked,
the windows covered with plywood; not a soul was anywhere; just silence. Poor
Zsuzsi couldn't take it. She didn't know how to break the terrible news
to us. When finally she returned, she became depressed and was ill for
a long time. We were all busy with her and when no doctor or medication
could work any wonders and didn't help her, we sent her to Abauj-Kér,
to our dear aunt Ella, my mother's older sister. She had a summer home
there with a beautiful flower garden and there was she resting, until
very slowly she became herself again. This place was our second home. She
was always trying to help us in those complicated, critical days; we
all wholeheartedly, deeply appreciated this. We never dreamed that the
time will come, when we needed her honesty more than anything. In those
days it was an invaluable feeling to have such a trustful, honest friend.
Always, but especially now this was the most important help. She was
deeply disturbed and shocked at what she could see first hand. After her arrival with the painful news about our dear grandparents, my mother's beautiful black, shiny, thick hair became white overnight. |
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