“Mama, tell us again about 48th St.”
“There was a war on. Gramma was making bomb casings for 27 cents an hour, and our rent was $9 a month. We had to walk up three flights of stairs, and we had no hot water. We boiled water for baths and washing clothes and hung them in the kitchen to dry.”
“We had paper curtains in the kitchen. One day me and Judy were playing with matches. Judy caught the dishrag on fire, and when we tried to throw it out the window- the curtains went up. Well, Gramma like to have killed us. She was so mad! She grabbed me and Judy by the back of our undershirts and hung us both out the third floor window.
“Was she gonna drop you?”
“I don’t think so. But thank god for old Missus Leet. She saw us hanging there and yelled up, “Dorothy, don’t hurt the little tamatas!”
This was written for What Pegman Saw. Today we are on Manhattan Island N.Y.
Thru Violet's Lentz 
A smile and a chuckle, I like the story. Or should that be anecdote? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s actually a real life event. Just the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the prompt.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow. I shudder at the thought.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My Gramma was quite quick tempered in her youth, and as a single mother was not above an indescretion or two….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yea, and things were different in those days. MY grandmother used to send my mother out to cut the hazel switch she’d then use to thrash her. Can you imagine?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep. Those were the days as they say…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yea. One wonders … 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
i was in Manhattan recently and can just feel your story come alive in that era, some places still remain like this especially in Queens. Your dialog was brilliant added to the feel of the story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Gina. It is a story I never get tired of hearing, or telling as the case may be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Intriguing.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for taking a moment to peer into this little window to my world.
LikeLike
Excellent historical trip! As a person who enjoys some history, I probably enjoyed the little bit about the bomb casings more than I should have!
LikeLike
Yikes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
True story…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And even better when you know it’s true. Thanks for sharing it with me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a story, Violet. And a fantastic voice too, so real and vibrant. Can’t imagine being held out of a third floor window, no matter how bad I’d been! Great story
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Lynn rest easy, everybody lived to tell.. hahahah
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure Violet
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love all those details! I can really picture that slice-of-life in another time and place, and love the narrator’s voice, too. Well done!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Joy, it a take I never tire of!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Vividly told, Violet. Just the right amount of description. This would be right at home in a Doctorow novel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you J. Glad you enjoyed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a tale! The voice is great. I agree with J. Hardy–sounds like a chapter out of a Doctorow novel. I shudder to think of it in real life, though. I assume the tamatas turned out okay?
LikeLiked by 2 people
That would depend on your definition of okay.. hahahah thanks k!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was great story-telling, Violet. Based on a true story gives it that much more cred – and in those days, things were done differently.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Dale. It is a story I was happy to share, as I never get tired of hearing it myself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can well imagine!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You told your story with great pace and humour, and plenty of suspense. If anything had gone wrong, I’m sure gramma would have been devastated. Tough undershirts they must have been though…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess they made the undershirts a lot better in the olden days…. thanks penny for dropping in to read with me.
LikeLike
Childrearing was different back then, eh? Helps me understand the strange looks I got from those in my parent’s generation. But I imagine she got her point across!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well at least it was in my family!! Thanks for dropping in to read with me.
LikeLiked by 1 person