The summer following my freshman year at college had an impact on me that I shall never forget. My roommate was eldest of eight girls. Her father lived apart in the Bronx and her mother and sisters moved to her uncle's place in upstate New York. How wonderful, I thought, to live in a place in the mountains, fresh air and countryside!
Just after finals, we borrowed a car from my parents and drove her up there. Her mother welcomed us both warmly and served up lunch on a wobbly folding table surrounded by an assortment of indoor and outdoor chairs. Lunch consisted of watery lemonade and tuna fish sandwiches. I don't like tuna fish - the smell, the taste, any of it.
Discretely I asked my roommate to see if her mom would make me something else. Shamed, she quietly told me there WAS nothing else.... Her mother had given me her own share of the meal.
What I didn't know until then, she was only at college on a full scholarship. The student-work she did on the campus was to pay for her room and board. Her family had no real income at all.
The run-down house-sized structure I sat before wasn't their house - it was 5 apartments! Her family shared a one-bedroom apartment on the second floor. Their uncle managed the place from his basement apartment. The reason we were eating outdoors wasn't because of the nice weather. It was because their kitchen consisted of a sink, stove and small fridge to one side of the small main room - too small for all of us to eat together.
I spent the night there. Sharing the sleeper-sofa with my roommate and one of her sisters. One of the girls had given up her spot on the bed and slept in a sleeping bag on the floor for me.
Over the years, I would visit that place many times. One thing that drew me back was, despite not having "the latest and greatest," this family was close and full of love. They shared everything they had, which wasn't much. Their mother worked as housekeeper at a local resort to keep food on the table. But there was so much love there; the sisters watched out for each other and helped each other. I never felt as welcome anywhere else at that time in my life.
It was the first of many times I've learned there is much more to humanity than what income and position offers.
And it was the last time I've turned down a tuna fish sandwich.
- ESA
Discretely I asked my roommate to see if her mom would make me something else. Shamed, she quietly told me there WAS nothing else.... Her mother had given me her own share of the meal.
What I didn't know until then, she was only at college on a full scholarship. The student-work she did on the campus was to pay for her room and board. Her family had no real income at all.
The run-down house-sized structure I sat before wasn't their house - it was 5 apartments! Her family shared a one-bedroom apartment on the second floor. Their uncle managed the place from his basement apartment. The reason we were eating outdoors wasn't because of the nice weather. It was because their kitchen consisted of a sink, stove and small fridge to one side of the small main room - too small for all of us to eat together.
I spent the night there. Sharing the sleeper-sofa with my roommate and one of her sisters. One of the girls had given up her spot on the bed and slept in a sleeping bag on the floor for me.
Over the years, I would visit that place many times. One thing that drew me back was, despite not having "the latest and greatest," this family was close and full of love. They shared everything they had, which wasn't much. Their mother worked as housekeeper at a local resort to keep food on the table. But there was so much love there; the sisters watched out for each other and helped each other. I never felt as welcome anywhere else at that time in my life.
It was the first of many times I've learned there is much more to humanity than what income and position offers.
And it was the last time I've turned down a tuna fish sandwich.
- ESA
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment