Post by Merced LifeWriting Class on Apr 3, 2009 22:36:45 GMT -8
On November 8th, 1942 early in the morning we woke up to the sound of canons, the U.S. Forces debarked in Casablanca..There were paper flyers all over our garden with the American flag on them and General Eisenhower’s smiley face telling us” that they were coming” to liberate us form the Vichy government”. My parents and I were so happy that literally we started dancing in the living room. The U.S. Air Force only bombed the harbor and some strategic points of the city and only during daylight so we were able to sleep at night. By November 11 they occupied the city and slowly the whole country without any resistance from the French or Moroccan Governments.
My father had a textile factory in the outskirts of Casablanca and a few days later he decided to go and see if any damage occured to the buildings. We had no gasoline in those days and he had to take our horse carriage led by a young Arab boy called Mohamed who was barely 12 years old .I can still remember his happy face and smile. Our car was in the garage and became my dog Ceasar’s favorite sleeping place.
Later when my Dad came home he informed us that he found everything in order and told my mother and I that an American soldier knocked at the door and asked him for a glass of water. I don’t know how they communicated but I think there is an international sign language when somebody is thirsty, Father gave him our address and invited him to come and visit us .A few weeks went by and one Sunday this extremely handsome tall American sergeant appeared at our door. My knees started shaking as I let him in our living room and with my parents we welcomed him like he were an old friend.
His name was Eddie Flynn from the east side of New York City what later I found out they called “Hells Kitchen” He worked on the docks since he was a young boy and in the military his speciality was loading and unloading ships. He was 28 years old tall and good looking engaged to a girl whose name was Annie a fashion model. I was able to practice my high school English with him and he treated me like a little sister making fun of my freckles. He loved my mother’s Hungarian cooking and came to visit us almost every Sunday after church.
I told my girl friends that he was Errol Flynn’s cousin and while Eddie was having a nap in an armchair after an early dinner I let them peak at him. They all thought he was the handsomest man they have ever seen and so did I. I became very popular with my girl friends and they all wanted to come to my house and see Eddie nap.
At fourteen I was very in mature, still like a little girl and in Eddies eyes I was the young sister he never had , he had 6 brothers. Those were the days when I was crazy about movie stars and he started making a scrap book for me. He had access to American movie magazines and my scrap book filled up very fast so he started a second one. I will never forget the evening when he took all of us to the special movie house for service men, as guests. The movie was “when Irish eyes are smiling” with thingy Hayes .What an unforgettable evening?
Eddie was just wonderful to my family bringing us chocolates and all kind of goodies from the P.X. I guess he was happy to have found a place away from home and the Sunday dinners must have reminded him of his family
I had a terrible crush on him but I realized our age difference was too big 14 years . He was the first man I really admired not only was he good looks but he was a wonderful human being .To me he was like a being from another planet so different and so unusual.
Our Sunday dinners went on for about six months when he got transferred. We had no idea where he went it was a military secret. We would write to each other in English he would correct my letters with a red pencil and send them back to me. Then a long silence, months and months without news. I had no idea what happened to him and started to worry but we had no way to find out.
Finally a letter arrived from the U.S. it was from Eddie. After Casablanca his ship went to Naples where he got badly hurt , his left knee got shattered during a bombing of his ship. He spent many months in a Veteran’s hospital. One day he sent us an article from a newspaper where they described his return to the states as a welcome for a hero, he got a purple heart medal and they made him a captain. My parents and I were very proud of him.
When he got back to the United States he found out that his girl friend left him an married someone else. Poor Eddie was heart broken. Soon we started getting packages from him clothes for my mother and I and bathing suits very hard to find in Casablanca. I always remember a dark red two piece bathing suit that I was almost ashamed to wear, very risque for a young girl.
The years went by I met Papa in 1944 but somehow we always kept in touch with Eddie. I got married in 1947 went to Argentina, had my son Michael and came to the United States in 1952 the year that I saw Eddie again and met his mother. She lived in an old red brick building on the east side of mid Manhattan a very poor neighborhood. I was very surprised when as we entered the apartment I saw a huge bathtub in the middle of the kitchen covered with a slab of wood so it kind of looked like a table. Mrs Flynn and her son greeted us with a big hug and I could see tears of gratitude in their eyes. Mrs Flynn was a typical Irish lady who spoke with a brogue and looking at her hands I could see that she must have worked very hard all her life. Soon after our visit Eddie became the boss of a pier in the New- York harbor and became quiet wealthy.
One Sunday before Christmas he showed up in Astoria driving a brand new Cadillac and showered us with wonderful presents. We didn’t see him often but he always kept in touch. I found out later that he begged his mother to move in a nice apartment but she refused and stayed until the end of her days in that old building with the bathtub in the kitchen. In 1966 we moved to California but every year we would get a Christmas card from him signed Captain Eddie Flynn. Later he had problems with his wounded knee ,he had a few operations and seemed to be constantly in pain. He would complain about the veterans hospital and the doctors. Close to the end of his life he moved to New- Jersey to be near his brothers, nephews and nieces. He never married.
It is strange how some people enter our lives and make such a big difference. He was a very religious, kind hearted person he was my hero and I will never forget him.
My father had a textile factory in the outskirts of Casablanca and a few days later he decided to go and see if any damage occured to the buildings. We had no gasoline in those days and he had to take our horse carriage led by a young Arab boy called Mohamed who was barely 12 years old .I can still remember his happy face and smile. Our car was in the garage and became my dog Ceasar’s favorite sleeping place.
Later when my Dad came home he informed us that he found everything in order and told my mother and I that an American soldier knocked at the door and asked him for a glass of water. I don’t know how they communicated but I think there is an international sign language when somebody is thirsty, Father gave him our address and invited him to come and visit us .A few weeks went by and one Sunday this extremely handsome tall American sergeant appeared at our door. My knees started shaking as I let him in our living room and with my parents we welcomed him like he were an old friend.
His name was Eddie Flynn from the east side of New York City what later I found out they called “Hells Kitchen” He worked on the docks since he was a young boy and in the military his speciality was loading and unloading ships. He was 28 years old tall and good looking engaged to a girl whose name was Annie a fashion model. I was able to practice my high school English with him and he treated me like a little sister making fun of my freckles. He loved my mother’s Hungarian cooking and came to visit us almost every Sunday after church.
I told my girl friends that he was Errol Flynn’s cousin and while Eddie was having a nap in an armchair after an early dinner I let them peak at him. They all thought he was the handsomest man they have ever seen and so did I. I became very popular with my girl friends and they all wanted to come to my house and see Eddie nap.
At fourteen I was very in mature, still like a little girl and in Eddies eyes I was the young sister he never had , he had 6 brothers. Those were the days when I was crazy about movie stars and he started making a scrap book for me. He had access to American movie magazines and my scrap book filled up very fast so he started a second one. I will never forget the evening when he took all of us to the special movie house for service men, as guests. The movie was “when Irish eyes are smiling” with thingy Hayes .What an unforgettable evening?
Eddie was just wonderful to my family bringing us chocolates and all kind of goodies from the P.X. I guess he was happy to have found a place away from home and the Sunday dinners must have reminded him of his family
I had a terrible crush on him but I realized our age difference was too big 14 years . He was the first man I really admired not only was he good looks but he was a wonderful human being .To me he was like a being from another planet so different and so unusual.
Our Sunday dinners went on for about six months when he got transferred. We had no idea where he went it was a military secret. We would write to each other in English he would correct my letters with a red pencil and send them back to me. Then a long silence, months and months without news. I had no idea what happened to him and started to worry but we had no way to find out.
Finally a letter arrived from the U.S. it was from Eddie. After Casablanca his ship went to Naples where he got badly hurt , his left knee got shattered during a bombing of his ship. He spent many months in a Veteran’s hospital. One day he sent us an article from a newspaper where they described his return to the states as a welcome for a hero, he got a purple heart medal and they made him a captain. My parents and I were very proud of him.
When he got back to the United States he found out that his girl friend left him an married someone else. Poor Eddie was heart broken. Soon we started getting packages from him clothes for my mother and I and bathing suits very hard to find in Casablanca. I always remember a dark red two piece bathing suit that I was almost ashamed to wear, very risque for a young girl.
The years went by I met Papa in 1944 but somehow we always kept in touch with Eddie. I got married in 1947 went to Argentina, had my son Michael and came to the United States in 1952 the year that I saw Eddie again and met his mother. She lived in an old red brick building on the east side of mid Manhattan a very poor neighborhood. I was very surprised when as we entered the apartment I saw a huge bathtub in the middle of the kitchen covered with a slab of wood so it kind of looked like a table. Mrs Flynn and her son greeted us with a big hug and I could see tears of gratitude in their eyes. Mrs Flynn was a typical Irish lady who spoke with a brogue and looking at her hands I could see that she must have worked very hard all her life. Soon after our visit Eddie became the boss of a pier in the New- York harbor and became quiet wealthy.
One Sunday before Christmas he showed up in Astoria driving a brand new Cadillac and showered us with wonderful presents. We didn’t see him often but he always kept in touch. I found out later that he begged his mother to move in a nice apartment but she refused and stayed until the end of her days in that old building with the bathtub in the kitchen. In 1966 we moved to California but every year we would get a Christmas card from him signed Captain Eddie Flynn. Later he had problems with his wounded knee ,he had a few operations and seemed to be constantly in pain. He would complain about the veterans hospital and the doctors. Close to the end of his life he moved to New- Jersey to be near his brothers, nephews and nieces. He never married.
It is strange how some people enter our lives and make such a big difference. He was a very religious, kind hearted person he was my hero and I will never forget him.