Prologue
They were kids themselves - what were they thinking? Starting a family so they could force her parents into letting them get married? Well, it worked. Bernice was pregnant with her first child, destined to be named Eric. Bernice was from a proper German family. They understood that the first child could come at any time but the second child always took nine months. Bills family lived in the area of Chicago in a suburb known as Joliet. At that time, it was still known as a gangster town. Bills father and mother came to America from Yugoslavia. This was the land of opportunity and they tried hard to fit in. In the years to come, Bills parents had six children. His father had a job working at the steel refinery. Bill went to school through the sixth grade then went to work. Grandmother, Bills mother, met a man called Joe. He was a watchmaker and a home wrecker. Soon, Grandmother and Joe had a place of their own.
Chapter One It was summer 1941 and I was three years old. Dad gave me a toy for my birthday. It was springs that you put on your shoes and then jump and bounce, and pretend you could leap over tall buildings or even the moon. Just like Superman. Then one day a couple of weeks later, Dad came home from work and sat relaxing on the floor. I was so anxious to show him what was for dessert that I tripped and dumped a whole coconut cream pie on him. Surprisingly, I didnt get spanked or scolded. A couple of weeks later, I came home crying. A kid down the street had hit me. Dad told me that the next time it happened he would give a whipping for losing a fight. He never had to worry about it, because soon after, he was gone. Mom told me that Dad had gone to war but I didnt understand. All I knew was that I missed my dad. Mom and I drifted from one apartment to another and I was in one school after another. It seemed like we were tumbleweeds. With my dad gone, there was a big hole inside me that was screaming, but no one could hear. Now, I was in a Catholic school where Sisters would rap your knuckles with a ruler or make you kneel on raw rice. Then my prayers were answered. One day after school, I got into a fight with two guys who had been giving me a bad time. One of the priests of the school was giving me holy hell for being a troublemaker when a big guy in a sailor suit stepped in and set him straight. It was my father. God, I was proud he had seen me fight and stood up for me. Dad joked about how disheveled I looked and after I got squared away, he teased me about the shiner I would have. Oh well, it was a trophy, one of the few I would ever have. He took me down Ashland Street to an ice cream parlor and bought me the biggest sundae they had. He tried to tell me where he had been and what the war was all about. Since I had just been in a fight, it started to make sense. He was in a fight too, but on a bigger scale. From that day on, I looked at each fight as if it were my last, and did as much damage to the other person that I could. That way, the fight would be over for good.
We took a train out to Springfield, about forty-five minutes out of town where I met more aunts and uncles and cousins. It was country - there were big trees and open fields. My dad made it a point to let me play, but he was always close by. After a few days, we took the train back to Chicago. He took me home to Mom and went back to the war. I was alone again and in my loneliness, I cried my heart out.
Chapter Two One evening, my mother called me over. She had a serious look on her face. Did she know about the change that I had planted to grow a money tree? No, this was really serious. Now, I had a little brother, but I hadnt done anything to him. She tried to tell me about a home for boys that would take care of me. I didnt do anything wrong, she just couldnt afford to take care of Roger and me. Since I was oldest, I had to go.
The next day she took me to the boys home. It was years before I saw her again. My father had gone to a war and my mother didnt want me. It would be many years before I understood. In the Home, I learned a lot. Im sure it was not all planned. Looking around the main hall, I saw off to one side what appeared to be a chapel. To the other side of the hall was a great big dining area. Upstairs, there were beds along both walls. I was later to learn this was called a dormitory and I would be sleeping here. Looking out the windows, I saw a large playground for us. My mother and father were gone. I accepted the fact that I belonged somewhere else only I didnt know where or why. I was a child left alone to fare the best he could. I didnt know what I had done or why I was here but vowed to myself to make the best of it and not cause trouble. In a few days, I was shown where I would go to school. It was all right. The teachers didnt hit your knuckles or make you kneel on raw rice. Just learn and try to get along with everyone. I liked it.
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