PLEASED to meet YOU! I am the Hungarian Yankee from Chicago who wrote this book. I learned the English language from the British Broadcasting Corporation while listening to short waive radio on the Russian Front in World War II. I loved it. I mean the language not the war. This book started with Grandmother at my birth and will end 90 some years later when Saint Peter, our gatekeeper calls me. This book documents that for almost ninety years I was not just alive, but also loving the people who made it worth living. This book is neither a fiction,-it is real life, -nor is it a documentary not being chronological. It is rather an interactive Chit-chat between the author and the reader. The main characters are often funny and occasionally dramatic, always proving that the fruit of learning and working during the day, loving and hugging during the night will be HONEY.

I REMEMBER!-DO YOU?

LEARNING+WORKING+LOVING CARING equals LIVINGBy JULIAN GYULA ANDORKA

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Julian Gyula Andorka
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-5564-6

Contents

PROLOGUE...............................................................................ixPart I HUNGARY.........................................................................1Part II AUSTRIA........................................................................30Part III MADRID AND PARIS..............................................................46Part IV TORONTO AND CHICAGO............................................................46APPENDIX—ELEVEN PICTURES.........................................................181

Chapter One

JULIAN

PART I HUNGARY

"Liking" and because of it, preferring certain things, or the company of certain people, is the result of experiences. When someone has everything served to him or her on silver platters the chances of accumulating experience will elude him

Julian, the child was never served anything on silver platter, though an aunt, on the day of his baptism, gave him a silver spoon. His mother saved it as a memento reminding her of the day when her baby became the center of festivities.

Forty two years later, when she came to the United States to visit Julian, she reminded him that once upon the time he was baptized and gave him the spoon.

At the end of her stay with them, when she was ready to board the Lufthansa Flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, Karin kissing her and whishing her Bon Voyage, she said: "I am going home with peace in my heart knowing that my son is well taken care of. Thank you Karin."

She still cared for Julian and his sister. She did not need money to show affection. She needed someone, or something to take care of, to feel useful at her age. To her the "someone" were her children and the "something" was her rose garden.

Julian was not aware of her contributions to the congregation she belonged. He knew only that she was supportive, that the parcels he sent to his sister were converted to currency to support the needy.

His sister asked him to send phonograph records of classical music played by the best U.S. Symphony orchestras; she sold to music loving doctors using a fair exchange rate, circumventing government usury.

Julian felt good every time he mailed a parcel to the family knowing that indirectly he also supported their church. Though he was not a very religious person, he had a very strong belief in the superior being, who was Our Father and his Guardian leading him through our shadowy world.

Hungary, before the Russian trained Bolsheviks took over, supported four religions according to the number of heads attending services, Roman Catholics, Jews, Lutherans and Presbyterians. The State paid them to teach Religion in elementary and middle schools. They were very few Muslims since the Ottoman Turks army retreated 600 years ago.

Julian's preacher, Reverend "Luther", used parables to acquaint the class with the good book. Parables were like short stories with a punch line. But when the teacher injected too much theatrics in the delivery, the punch line got lost.

Julian loved short stories. He loved the parables, but disliked the amateurish theatrics. He had an impulsive character letting his words fly, while his preacher was acting a character from one of his parables. "Sir", he turned to Reverend Luther, "You are such a big clown," The whole class was laughing His father warned him to watch his words.

During the second incident Julian was in church sitting next to his mother on the ladies side. In those days men and women were segregated in Lutheran churches but he was only 8 years old.

Reverend Luther must have felt relief when he permitted that, hoping that mother would have better control over her son. Well, this time Julian embarrassed his mother.

He noticed how the worshippers stood up to sing a hymn to start the Sunday service. Everybody, but he was singing. Everybody, but he had a book. He wanted to be part of the congregation. So, when everybody sat down, he got up and started to sing a song he learned from the kids in school: "Mr. Stuck! You bad boy! What are you doing, when the night is still so long?" Mother grabbed Julian's arm and rushed out of church with her budding tenor.

Many years later, when Julian was already a grown man, retired, singing his theme song: "When you're smiling, when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you ..." Cutie, Julian's partner for life used to say how happy she was that he had an education, because with singing he would not had made a living. During his formative years Julian's teacher and mother implanted traits in him that stayed in him when the boy became a man. Of course when you listen to, and trust your instinct, whether you are a man or a woman, eventually you will find a partner whose looks kindle you amorous glands and who is genuinely concerned about the physical, mental and spiritual well beings of both of you. The little beach ball did not teach him and his mother did not explain how Julian would know that he was facing the one and only for him. He had to find that out for himself much later in life. He took the lady's hand and went for a walk hand in hand. At the end he kissed her hand and gave her a big, but gentle embrace. Both of them enjoyed the contact, the next day they did it again, stopping at the altar eventually.

Julian's years at home with his family were very happy years producing lasting impressions. Love and respect of women was the first one. He remembers entering an elevator with his father, with a cap on his head and his father whispering in his ears, "Take your cap off, there are ladies here."

The second impression starting in school shaped his attitude towards Religion guiding and protecting his spiritual wellbeing through tragedies and ordeals, through bliss and joy. It did not start by the clowning of the reverend teacher, nor by the singing of the interactive congregations. It started with reading the New Testament.

Much later, the snatching of Julian's wife and driving her into her grave by her son, Julian's stepson, to grab inheritance prematurely, incited Julian with hatred. He began to search for the key to his gun cabinet where he kept his handgun. When he found it, it was time for the evening prayer. "Our Father who are in heaven" ... and when he came to the words, ..." forgive us our trespassing as we forgive those who trespass against us," he stopped and put the key to the gun cabinet back in the drawer. He believed that God, Allah and Jehovah sent their emissaries to us for teaching all men and women to love each other.

When asked to define "religion" Julian used words that should be known to everybody in our country, or to every other nation when translated to their language.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God indivisible, dedicated to liberty and justice for all." That has been Julian's credo.

In 1848 the Hungarian revolted against the rule of Hapsburgs coming from Vienna. They wanted to speak Hungarian, not Latin, in their own Parliament. The leader of the revolution was Louis Kossuth for whom Julian's town was the first to build a statue. The last statue builder was the mayor of New York, Jimmy Walker. Julian's father was part of the delegation sent to attend the unveiling, carrying thanks to Jimmy Walker and the USA.

When...