Paved with Gold

1356

János enjoyed one more cup of coffee with Elek and Rozalia before they went hunting for a job. He really enjoyed talking with them. They were kind hearted and compassionate, and made János feel at home almost immediately.

"Are you ready to find a job?" Elek asked hopefully.
János smiled in agreement and jumped up to follow him outside.

The air didn't feel near as cold with his new clothes on. They walked gingerly in silence for a few minutes as they made their way to Main Street.
"I'm going to take you to the bakery first. His name is Iszak Barra. I think you will be of good help to him, and at least you speak the same language."
János nodded his head.

They reached the bakery storefront in no time at all. The building was pale yellow with a red door, and the sign read "Barra's Bakery."

Elek made a quick rap on the door before opening it. János followed him inside.
"Szia! Hello!" Elek called out.

There was a rustling noise that came from the back, and a few seconds later Iszak appeared.

He was the smallest man János had ever seen. Not only was he short and frail, but his spine was hunched so far over. János assumed all the years of baking and detailing had caused it.

"Jó reggelt, Iszak." Elek smiled warmly at him and bowed. Iszak greeted him back and smiled at János.
"This here is János Fodor." Elek stated motioning his hands to him.
"He is an immigrant that arrived last night. He needs a job and I wondered if you needed help doing the heavy lifting."

"I really need help with the heavy lifting." Iszak squeaked in a frail voice.
Elek elbowed János in the stomach in an I-told-you-so way.
"I'll pay you $3 a week if you work from 6am to 10am."
"That would be great, he will be here in the morning." Elek chimes in first.
"Thank you so much sir." János said graciously, shaking his hand.
They walked out together both feeling accomplished.

"That was easy!" Elek exclaimed. János smiled brightly.
"And now you can pick up odd jobs in the afternoon if you would like. Widows and young women without husbands stand in the street looking for help with things around their homes. You might even find one you really like." Elek smirked with a wink.
János wasn't looking for any of that right now.
"Extra income does sound nice." He stated, ignoring the other comment.

The two men made their way back home, as lunch would be ready soon. Elek talked the whole walk back, something János learned he really loved to do, and told him bits and pieces of Painesville history. His stories often got distracted by other stories, so János had to pay close attention.
"...and that's how I learned English." Elek trailed off and János realized he wasn't paying attention. He looked alarmed that he missed a key part of the story.
"On the railroad. I worked with Steven who was born in Ohio and he taught me a bit of English every day."
"Oh-" János sighed.
"I will teach you and you will pick up things while you're out. The Americans here won't make it easy on you. It becomes a survival thing, which makes it a lot easier than you think."

Great.

János could smell whatever Rozalia was cooking before they even got to the front step.

"Good afternoon gentlemen." Rozalia's voice lilted into the hallway from the kitchen.

János decided to spend an hour or two alone in his room, catching up on some much needed sleep before heading down for lunch when Rozalia called.

A large roasted chicken steamed on the center of the long wooden table, surrounded by halved red potatoes and a boat of gravy. The smell was divine and unlike anything János had ever smelled. He complimented her cooking.

"Lunch won't be like this every day, but I do want to fatten you up a bit." Rozalia chuckled.

János was always thin, but the journey had definitely made him thinner. He smiled back at her and appreciated the gesture.

As they all ate, Elek and János told Rozalia about his new job, and Rozalia started making Christmas plans with her husband. János had completely forgotten that it was Christmas time.

"Is there anywhere I can write to my family?" János interrupted them accidentally, lost in his own train of thought.

"Yes- I have card stock and envelopes in our bedroom I can fetch for you." Rozalia responded. She finished her sentence and left the room.
She returned shortly with a white card, a white envelope, and a black ball point pen.

"Thank you." He took them from her and smiled gently. He opened the card and gathered his thought for a minute before deciding to write.

Anya, Nagymama, Nagyapa

I am writing to you safely from Ohio. I finally made it! This has been the longest two weeks of my life, but I am forever grateful to be here. I left Sandor in New York City and took the train to Ohio. I walked from the city of Cleveland to my new town of Painesville. I encountered a Hungarian man the next day by the name of Elek. He and his wife own and operate a boarding house for immigrants which he graciously welcomed me into. I am renting my room for 1 American dollar a week. His wife cooks 3 meals a day and is very kind.
I found my first job today, helping an old Hungarian baker. A little ironic for me to be in a bakery, I think.
I hope you are all well, and I cannot wait to hear from you. I think about you every minute of every day. I hope you are getting in the Christmas spirit and are not letting my absence get in the way of that.
I will cut down a small tree to put in my room, but I doubt I will be able to find any fondants to decorate it.

You can send mail to 1356 Plum Street, Painesville, Ohio.

Szeretet mindnyájatoknak,
János

János sealed the envelope and addressed it with his old address in Hungary. Tears stung his eyes as he wrote the words. The familiarity was a heartache. He left the card on the table, and headed back upstairs to be alone.