Immigration Journal

1909

JANUARY 5TH

It's a necessary friendship that Calvin and I have. I bring him the first edible food he's eaten all day, and he gives me a sense of purpose that doesn't exist in anytime else. That's the reason why we've remained friends all these years, but I'm sure that we'd still be friends even if he didn't need the food... at least I think we'd still be friends.

Yesterday when I brought the food I'd made for Calvin, he told me that he'd quit his job in the mines and was going off to work at the "Ford assembly line" to help make cars. He says he's going to paid much better now, paid enough to buy his meals now, I'm not really sure how I feel about that.

He starts work today.

After work I stood around like a dope until a couple of my friends who shared my tenement had to pull me away from my finished work and back to our room. I sat on the seat they put on and let my thoughts drift away.

The twelve girls/women who share my tenement ran back and forth like they were assisting in the delivery of a baby as they got me tea in a tin cup. Then they huddled around for me -either because they wanted warmth, or that they wanted to hear my story - and I started in on why I wasn't bringing food to "good lookin'" right now.

I'd just finished telling them about "good lookin'" getting a new job where I didn't have to bring him food any more, when one of the younger girls looked out the window and squealed with delight. We all crowded around the window - a rare feature in most tenements - and look out at what she was squealing about.

In a matter of seconds everyone was squealing and jumping around me and I just stood there, looking out at the snowy woods that sat right square to the tenement building. Standing in the snow was a very peculiar looking Calvin. Dressed as a woman.

He pretended to swoon over a guard, who was standing with his chest puffed up proudly. "Oh, what a lovely - um - nose you have!" we heard Calvin pull out of his truly horrific hat, his voice cracking as he tried to keep it in womanly range.

"Why yes, I'm surprised you mentioned it. The shape of my nose has a very interesting history and lineage, yes it does. It all started with my great uncle Hubert..." the guard started to go on and on about his fantastic nose, sounding as stuffy as the king of England himself.

After a couple minutes of watching Calvin stand there uncomfortably with a quickly fading plastered on smile I decided to go and save him. I quickly hopped down the stairs and came out the entrance, tying my robe as I went as if I'd just woken up.

"Hildergaard!" I shouted like a reprimanding mother duck as I stomped out into the snow. I grabbed a firm hold of Clavin/Hildergaard's ear and tugged him/her into the tenement building, apologizing to the guard as I went. The guard didn't notice either of us; he just kept on with the history of his nose to no one.

Back inside the tenement, the girls cooed and clucked at my act of bravery and how good-looking "good lookin'" is. Calvin didn't really appreciate his popularity, but he had no time to voice his thoughts before he fainted.

JANUARY 6TH

The next day Calvin woke up to a team of girls dozing around him.

In each of the girl's hands they held bowls of soup, spoons with food caked onto them, towels that had been wetted, and costly ice cubes that had long melted. As they slept he stepped over them and put away the things that they held in their drooping hands.

Just before he left, Calvin took off his horrible spider-web hat and put it on my head as I pretended to sleep. He had a good chuckle to himself and turned to leave, but I reached out and grabbed hold of his wrist.

He turned around in surprise. "Your hands are cold!" he whispered harshly, coming closer as to not wake the others.

"Why did you faint yesterday?" I asked just as harshly, partially rising up from my seat.

"I hadn't eaten all day. No one brought me my food."

"Well you were going on about having enough money to buy your own meals so I thought I was no longer needed."

"You bloody idiot," He kneeled beside my chair, seeming a bit relieved. "I just meant that I could if I wanted to. I didn't mean that you'd run out your use or anything like that!"

"So... you want me to keep making you dinners then?" I asked slowly and he nodded vigorously. "Good." I sat back in my rocking chair; satisfied with the answer I'd been given. "Now go to your assembly line, let me sleep." I shooed him away and slept, secretly overjoyed.