Visits and Achievements
I think this was the very last picture of us while our
family still lived in the same house, and were doing things together.
Judy, George and Louis with me on the steps of the Paul
Getty Museum at Malibu in the mid-1970's.
After Lajos' death, his Family back in Budapest expressed
their desire to have one of my children to go and visit them. The idea to visit
and to meet her Father's relations was very exciting, and Judy volunteered to
take the trip. She told me, she could easily take off from school for few
months, and already had more credits in her studies than was requested. The
children were the beneficiaries of the small life insurance after their Dad;
and that was the money I used to buy her tickets and cover the expenses of the
trip. Throughout the following years I have saved enough to put the money back
to use it again first for Louis, and later for George.
The visit was wonderful for Judy who was learning to
speak Hungarian again. Mama was cooking her best dishes for her, the Aunts were
lots of fun, and the cousins took her sightseeing, and to fieldtrips.
Judy by the gate of our old Home at Klotildliget in the
Fall of 1975.
Judy at the front of our old Home at Klotildliget in the
Fall of 1975. Apparently, the new owner had changed the gate and the fencing
from what we had three decades ago.
My family in Sopron was also overjoyed at meeting my
daughter, when my sister-in-law, Ella and her family took Judy to visit them.
It was very tragic that shortly after this visit Misi, Ella's husband, suddenly
died of a heart attack.
Judy visited Mami in Sopron, Fall of 1975. Lujza neni,
Kati, Rezso, Mami, Misi, Ella, Edit in the back row, and Editke, Judy and kis
Rezso sitting on the floor.
Ilike, Judy, Ella, kis Kati, Mama at the front row, and
Misike, Kati and Gyuszi in the back in Budapest, Winter 1975. Picture was taken
after Ella's husband, Misi's death.
POST NOTE: Just got the news today that yesterday, May
24, 2012 my dear friend and contact to Lajos' family, Ella (third from the left
above), has passed away in a retirement home at Godollo, Hungary. She had a
very tragic life; after she lost her husband unexpectedly in 1975, her only
son, Misike had a fatal car accident in 1980. My daughter, Judy visited her
again in the summer following this tragic occasion, and we kept in touch with
letters and phone calls for 31 more years. In 1986 Louis went to Europe which
visit resulted in Ella's trip to the US in 1988, where she stayed with me and
Len in Paso Robles,CA, with Louis in Hermosa Beach CA, and with Judy and family
in Dallas, TX, for a few weeks. She also visited George and Tessie in Santa
Barbara, CA. In the Fall of 1987 Len and I traveled to Hungary - the first time
after my escape in 1956 - and had the pleasure of staying with her for few
days.
Ella was a very warm-hearted and loving person who tried
to overcome her sorrows and the constant illnesses of the last two decades. She
was devoted to Orsika, her only granddaughter from Misike's marriage, who
presented her with two great-grandkids, Csenge and Csanad.
Rest in Peace, my dear Friend!
Ella with granddaughter Orsika and great-granddaughter
Csenge.
Of course, we all missed Judy dearly, and could hardly
wait for her return. When she came home after four months of being away, we
were very much surprised to see that she had became a Hungarian teenager. Of
course, she changed back fast to her American self as soon as she went back to
school.
My accounting job with the Department of the Navy proved
to be the kind of profession I was very good at. When opportunity came I got
enrolled in the Oxnard College to study Public Administration on the junior
level. Some of my classes were held on the Base at different locations, but
some of them were presented in the same complex I was working at. After the two
years I decided to change my major to Accounting and was transferring my
credits to La Verne University. My main goal was to receive a Bachelor of
Science degree that would bring me the desired promotions in the Accounting
Department. The classes were in the evening hours at a different Navy Base,
where the University had extended. In the same time Louis already graduated
from High School and was at UCL in Los Angeles, taking advantages of his
scholarships. Judy was in High School and George in Junior High at Camarillo
still.
Before long Judy graduated from high school and decided
to take some time off from her studies. She applied for and got a job at the
other Navy Base, and pretty soon moved out from our home to an apartment to
reside with one of the girls she was working with. My own studies at the
University kept me pretty busy along with my full-time job, but I still rushed
home after work to cook dinner for George. Luckily, Judy's apartment was on my
way from work, and on days I didn't have any evening classes I stopped off to
use the pool at the apartment complex for a good swim. Those days swimming was
part of my daily routine; every morning before work I went to the near-by public
pool to swim my half a mile. But our once busy and lively home became somewhat
quiet and empty.
George and Fluffy kept in good company, Camarillo, 1977.
On the top of everything, for the first time since I had
left home, I was becoming very homesick. I knew I could not go home, not even
for a short visit. During the years I had invited my Mother to come out to see
us, and she always declined. She was very fragile and had to use two canes for
walking, and, of course her advanced age was a factor. But I think the fact
that she never flew in her life also had a big part in her refusal. I wrote to
her again explaining my situation and loneliness, and after a few more letters
had been exchanged, my Mother finally agreed to take the trip. I'm still having
problems describing my feelings when I first saw her emerging from Customs at
the Los Angeles airport. She was sitting in a wheelchair and an attendant was
pushing her. Her tired face was sparkling with happiness and tears. We all ran
to her and held her in our arms; we took her out of the wheelchair and took her
home.
Mami with Louis and George in our home in Camarillo in
the Fall of 1978.
Mami and me after 22 years of not seeing each other in
Camarillo, Fall of 1978
Mami with Judy and me at our home in Camarillo in 1978. I
was able to put my arm around her after 22 years apart.
It took a few days to get the tiredness from the long
flight out of Mami's bones, but she never complained and was very adaptable to
the American lifestyle. I was using all my available leave from work, and
dropped a quarter from my studies. Judy and Louis came to be with her as often
as they could; George was in High School now, and was home early every
afternoon. I think that Mami was enjoying her almost grown-up grandchildren a
great deal, even though they could only communicate with her in their broken
Hungarian.
I introduced my few local Hungarian and American friends
to her, and sometimes we vent to visit, or to the shopping mall. Unfortunately,
her visiting permit was only good for 5 weeks, and the departing just came too
fast. At the airport we made Mami give us a promise to return for a much longer
visit. Five minutes after her plane left we already missed her dearly.
1980 was a very good year for us. In the month of May I
received my diploma of Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. With this
paper in my hand I was able to transfer to an Upward Mobility Accountant
position to the other Command at the Base. I was to work in the Accounting
Department rotating every year to a different field of the profession. With the
rotations and the successful knowledge of each field I was to be promoted
gradually to the top of my pay scale. Louis also finished his studies of
Computer Science at UCLA, and was hired locally by a very large and reputable
company. George graduated from High School and was accepted by the University
of Santa Barbara starting that Fall. I wrote to my Mother and with her consent
I arranged her second visit, this time for 6 months duration. She came out in
September, two weeks after George left to go to the University.
Mami came back to us, Fall of 1980.
Mami and me are going to the Shopping Mall, Winter of
1980.
Again I took out all my saved-up leaves from work and the
kids came home quite often. Of course, most of the time when I had to go to
work Mami was all by herself with Fluffy. To break her day and to make sure she
was doing fine, I called her up every day at the same time before lunch. She
was reading a lot and was writing mysteriously in her little notebook between
the short walks that she took with Fluffy on our driveway several times a day.
She said that Fluffy and she were exactly the same age; they had grown very
found of each other.
Mami and Judy are taking a walk with Fluffy on our street
in Camarillo, Winter of 1980.
Louis came often to be with us and Mami and Fluffy had
become very good friends, Camarillo, Winter of 1980.
Time went fast and Christmas came rushing with the hot
Santa Ana wind. The temperature rose up to 90 F., and it was very hard to keep
up our Holiday spirit. Nevertheless, our celebration was very joyful with Mami
among us. The kids bought some presents for her, a wristwatch and a thin gold
necklace with a black pendant, because they knew my Mother had to sell the
jewelry that she had been left with after the War for our survival. This
Christmas will be forever in my heart.
When the day arrived for her return flight, Mami asked us
to take the Coast Highway to the Airport, she wanted to see the Ocean one more time.
This route was much longer than on the Interstate and we got to the Airport a
bit late; the attendants were already waiting for her with the wheelchair. It
struck me then that if I ever want to see her again I would have to make the
trip.
After my Mother went back to Hungary, a deep depression
came over me. The children were gone and there were no more classes to attend
to, but mainly, I missed my Mother's presence in my home. The house was so
quiet that I was playing my classical records and tapes constantly on the
stereo in all of my waking hours. I had to rearrange my finances, but I bought
a second-hand console piano for the living room. For as long as I can remember,
I always played when I had a chance, just like a gypsy by the ear. It was time for
me to improve and I found a local teacher who was giving me piano lessons at
her home. I practically had no social life during the past long years, but now
I enrolled in a Ballroom Dancing class, and started to enjoy myself, even went
out for few dates.
Alone with my Music dreaming the Impossible Dream.
Camarillo, Spring 1981.
- Home Page
- My Parents and our Family
- The Lean Years after World
War II
- The Turning Point and Escape
- My new Family in a new
Country
- Our New Life
- Visits and
Achievements
- My Second Marriage
- Travels and Changes
- The Golden Years
- Reflections
Copyright © Jutka
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