Read Online The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister by Nonna Bannister, Denise George, Carolyn Tomlin - Free Book Online Page A
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When everyone was reacquainted, all the excitement began to turn to yawns—after all, it was near midnight, and it had been a long day.
After putting the baby (Ludmila) in her cradle, Grandmother returned with yet another announcement to make. Her command stirred everyone up once again: “Listen, all of you!” Grandmother went on, “I would like to make a dedication to my youngest son, Zhenya, and my oldest grandson, Anatoly.” Everyone looked at Grandmother with great curiosity as she went on: “The reason that this dedication is to both of them is because last year I caught both of them sneaking out of the house at the indecent hour of 4:00 a.m., carrying their precious porcelain pots to the sewage tank.” At this time, laughter broke out, and Anatoly’s face turned red with embarrassment. I wanted to come to his rescue, but there was no chance, so I had to watch him endure the humiliation—until even he started to laugh along with the rest of them.
----
ZHENYA AND ANATOLY • Though they were uncle and nephew, the two boys seem to have played together. Nonna says that Zhenya was “fifteen or sixteen” at the time, though she might have been mistaken. Anatoly, born in 1925, would have been seven.
----
Grandmother continued: “To think that I always wondered why their potties were so empty and clean in the mornings.”
Then Grandmother commanded everyone to follow her down the corridor, and there at the end of the hallway was this small closet with a drape drawn at its entrance. With a look of great pride, Grandmother opened the drape, and there it was!—the only one of its kind in the village—a round toilet bowl with a fine, handcrafted wooden top. It was attached to the floor, with modern plumbing connected to pipes underground and all the way to the sewage tank, which was located about three hundred feet from the house.
It was not as modern as the one that we had in Rostov. Ours had a water tank above with a copper chain and a fine porcelain knob attached to the end of the chain. One pulled the chain to flush the toilet. However, this one was extraordinary. It had a big water container in the corner behind the toilet bowl with a bucket attached to it. This container had to be filled when it got empty. This was another chore for us to do—to carry water from the well near the kitchen door. We had to take turns doing that chore, as with all of us there, it did not take long for the container to get empty.
Well, after the “dedication ceremony” and the embarrassment that poor Anatoly had to go through, everyone was really happy to have such a wonderful thing in the house. Besides, we all benefited from it by not having to carry our potties out in the cold mornings. As for me, since it was my first visit to the village, it really did not make much difference, but I was glad for Anatoly and Uncle Zhenya.
The grandfather clock, which was located in the main hallway, struck twelve times. It was long past our bedtime. Halina and I were bedded in one of the upstairs bedrooms, and it was a cozy feeling for me to sink into that feather bed and be buried under the down-filled comforter, about six inches thick. There was a feeling of warmth, security, and love all around us. And of course there was also an icon in the corner of the bedroom, and Jesus’ eyes were looking straight at us; we knew that He was there watching over us, too. Before I knew it, I was sound asleep. And if I had any dreams that night, they would have had to be dreams of being in Paradise.
The next morning, while Halina was still fast asleep, I heard the patter of small, bare feet across the room. It was Aljoscha making a grand tour of the house. Having an instinct (as we all did) to protect the younger members of the clan, I followed him. I was amazed by the beauty of the house, which looked even better to me in the daylight than it had the night before. Looking around, I followed Aljoscha all the way downstairs and into the kitchen and
After putting the baby (Ludmila) in her cradle, Grandmother returned with yet another announcement to make. Her command stirred everyone up once again: “Listen, all of you!” Grandmother went on, “I would like to make a dedication to my youngest son, Zhenya, and my oldest grandson, Anatoly.” Everyone looked at Grandmother with great curiosity as she went on: “The reason that this dedication is to both of them is because last year I caught both of them sneaking out of the house at the indecent hour of 4:00 a.m., carrying their precious porcelain pots to the sewage tank.” At this time, laughter broke out, and Anatoly’s face turned red with embarrassment. I wanted to come to his rescue, but there was no chance, so I had to watch him endure the humiliation—until even he started to laugh along with the rest of them.
----
ZHENYA AND ANATOLY • Though they were uncle and nephew, the two boys seem to have played together. Nonna says that Zhenya was “fifteen or sixteen” at the time, though she might have been mistaken. Anatoly, born in 1925, would have been seven.
----
Grandmother continued: “To think that I always wondered why their potties were so empty and clean in the mornings.”
Then Grandmother commanded everyone to follow her down the corridor, and there at the end of the hallway was this small closet with a drape drawn at its entrance. With a look of great pride, Grandmother opened the drape, and there it was!—the only one of its kind in the village—a round toilet bowl with a fine, handcrafted wooden top. It was attached to the floor, with modern plumbing connected to pipes underground and all the way to the sewage tank, which was located about three hundred feet from the house.
It was not as modern as the one that we had in Rostov. Ours had a water tank above with a copper chain and a fine porcelain knob attached to the end of the chain. One pulled the chain to flush the toilet. However, this one was extraordinary. It had a big water container in the corner behind the toilet bowl with a bucket attached to it. This container had to be filled when it got empty. This was another chore for us to do—to carry water from the well near the kitchen door. We had to take turns doing that chore, as with all of us there, it did not take long for the container to get empty.
Well, after the “dedication ceremony” and the embarrassment that poor Anatoly had to go through, everyone was really happy to have such a wonderful thing in the house. Besides, we all benefited from it by not having to carry our potties out in the cold mornings. As for me, since it was my first visit to the village, it really did not make much difference, but I was glad for Anatoly and Uncle Zhenya.
The grandfather clock, which was located in the main hallway, struck twelve times. It was long past our bedtime. Halina and I were bedded in one of the upstairs bedrooms, and it was a cozy feeling for me to sink into that feather bed and be buried under the down-filled comforter, about six inches thick. There was a feeling of warmth, security, and love all around us. And of course there was also an icon in the corner of the bedroom, and Jesus’ eyes were looking straight at us; we knew that He was there watching over us, too. Before I knew it, I was sound asleep. And if I had any dreams that night, they would have had to be dreams of being in Paradise.
The next morning, while Halina was still fast asleep, I heard the patter of small, bare feet across the room. It was Aljoscha making a grand tour of the house. Having an instinct (as we all did) to protect the younger members of the clan, I followed him. I was amazed by the beauty of the house, which looked even better to me in the daylight than it had the night before. Looking around, I followed Aljoscha all the way downstairs and into the kitchen and
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