Paved with Gold

Steam

János followed Elek back downstairs and into the kitchen, where a very pretty woman, a few years younger than Elek, stood by the stove.

"This is my wife, Rozalia." Elek stated, motioning his hand to her.
She smiled at János and he nodded to her. She had light brown hair that was tucked into a low bun, and was wearing a faded mauve dress with long sleeves. Her apron was dirty, making János think she probably spent most of her time here.

János and Elek sat down across from each other at a long table while Rozalia made their plates. In front of him she placed a plate of long sausages, pan fried potatoes, two pan-fried eggs, and two slices of toast with butter and plum jam.

János hadn't eaten since the sandwich on Ellis island, and his stomach roared with hunger. He thanked them both graciously and ate quietly with Elek.

Once they both finished, Elek asked János to share his story. He told them where he was from, all about his grandparents and his mother, and how they bought the ticket secretly for him. Janos explained leaving behind Évike and meeting Costin on the ride.
Janos told the stories of Babette in Germany and how helpful Sandor was on the boat.
It turns out Elek was from Budapest.

"Both my parents died in the 1880's, so I bought a ticket with the money they left me and never looked back." Elek mumbled with a rather somber tone. 
"Do you ever miss it?" János asked curiously.

"Not really," he said, stirring his coffee. "There isn't much to miss."

János understood. His family would be what he missed the most, but Elek lost his family.

"I met Rozalia a few years after I arrived here and we both had the same vision of having a boarding house. We haven't been able to have children, so we put all of our time into the house."
Rozalia looked away.

János wasn't sure how to respond so he kept quiet.
"Painesville is mostly immigrants, particularly from Eastern Europe." Elek exclaimed, picking up the conversation again.

"The lady this morning, that you startled, is Gloria Zimmermann, a second generation German immigrant. She owns the shoe store that her father opened.

János nodded at the information.
"I'm sure I'll blend in nicely." He smiled and sipped his coffee.

"What line of work are you used to? Is there anything in particular you would like to do here?" Elek pressed.

"I was a farm hand back home. My grandfather and I traveled to farm paprika. It's what I know best, but I am not opposed to doing something else."
Elek nodded but scrunched his nose.

"Farmers won't be looking for farm hands until the start of spring. You could find something in town until then."

They sat together in silence for a few minutes, enjoying their coffee. Rozalia, who had left the room, returned with a small pile of neatly folded clothes.
"These are for you, János."
János was startled.
"I don't have any money for clothes." He admitted.
"They are free." She smiled, and pushed the pile in his hands. "You need something warmer than what you've got. Now wait here and I'll get the washroom ready for you."

János was astonished at the generosity of Elek and Rozalia. He looked down at the pile of clothes and rubbed the thick brown flannel shirt in between his fingers. It was much nicer that the thin undershirt he had been wearing for two whole weeks. The pants were light colored khaki pants, and underneath was a pair of underwear and a new pair of socks.

Rozalia went back and forth from the well pump outside with a big bucket to the stove to heat it, before she carried it into the washroom that was behind the kitchen. János offered to help many times, but she refused, stating the first bath is always "her responsibility."

Elek and János continued discussing future plans as Rozalia prepared his bath.

"Cleveland is the industrial hub of the state of Ohio. There you'll find all of the textile factories, steel production, rail road assistance, things like that." Elek informed him.
"If you truly wanted to work in those areas, you would have to move to the city."

The city didn't entice János at all. He already liked the small-town feel of Painesville. He shook his head at Elek.

"Painesville is primarily a farming town, and you'll have no problem finding work in farming once the weather clears up. There are dozens of family farms to choose from and that will need help."
János was silent and just listened to Elek talk. He was distracted by how many times Rozalia had been back and forth from the pump to the washroom.
"But you can find something in town, perhaps in one of the shops on Main Street for the mean time. You need to start making money."
János snapped back into it.

"I would be more than happy to work in a shop. I can do anything." János replied.
Elek thought with his chin in his hand.

"There's a bakery at the very end of Main Street owned by an old Hungarian man. He just turned 80 this year and struggles to lift the heavy bags of flour and sugar and such. He is still very gifted at baking, but would probably like help with the lifting."
"He might even only need you in the morning," Elek continued hurriedly before János could say anything.
"And then you could pick up odd jobs in the afternoon if you wanted to."

"The bath is ready!" Rozalia called out from the washroom

János grabbed his pile of clothes and met her in the washroom.
The walls were a faded olive green and had the same wooden floors as the rest of the house. The big tin wash basin was in the center of the room and was steaming with warm water. A small bar of soap sat perched on the edge.
Rozalia smiled and handed him a towel as she left.

Taking a deep breath, János removed his filthy clothes, kicked them to the side, and eased himself into the bath. It was just hot enough to take your breath away, but it felt incredible.
He thought back to the freezing moments on the journey here. The cold ocean wind slapping him on the face on top of the ship, or standing in line in Ellis Island, trying to ignore the New York harbor wind gusts that came barreling through the halls.
And now he sat submerged in a hot bath, in the home of loving people who are determined to help him rebuild his life. A lump formed in his throat but he pushed it back down.

After soaking for a bit, he grabbed the bar of soap and began cleaning his dirty skin, and washed his hair. He finally pulled himself out of the bath when it started to turn cold, and had to remind himself that he can always take more.

János quickly dried off and put on all of his new clothes given to him by the Vari's. He ran his fingers through the top of his hair to brush it out, and stepped back out into the kitchen. Both Rozalia and Elek smiled widely at him.

"You look like a brand new man." Elek grinned.

"I feel like one too."