There
came a time when Droozy had to say goodbye to her home in Weirton. It was
wartime and Papa had to join in the war effort and work in a defense factory
where he could earn more money to support his family. Father went first to
locate a job. This again left Mrs. Abner and her three children. Droozy
was very sad thinking about the big move. She was not quite fifteen years old.
The day came when she had to say goodbye to her beloved hills. She walked up the
steep mountain which was near her home and bent down to kiss the ground. She
plucked a few wild flowers, sat down and braided them into a chain which she
placed on her head. Droozy walked backwards down the hill, looking up all the
time to remember all that was there, all the beauty of nature that she cherished
so much. Next the teenager walked to her friends’ houses, one after the other,
to let them know she would no longer be there to enjoy their company and to
share secrets with them. She had no telephone and everything had to be done in
person. She saw her friend Joanne Kuslak who had the same birthday as Droozy.
She visited the Jack’s Queen Helen and played a final game of jacks with her
and she walked past her beloved school where she had done so well and been
looked up to for her accomplishments. Droozy
packed a small satchel with her belongings and a bag of food for the road. As
Droozy sat in her comfortable chair in the bus surrounded by fellow travelers
she thought of other times that she had to bid farewell to people and places she
had known. She thought of her friend Gerda Berkenwald who she played with in
Breslau, Germany and who was transported eventually to a concentration camp
where she died; of leaving Bad Mergentheim, the place of her birth with its
hustle and bustle. She thought of Farewells
were very much a part of Droozy’s life, but she knew that they were also
beginnings of happier times and of adventures. |
|