As I have stated previously, my grandparents lived apart from us, and that bothered my grandfather. He thought families belonged together. Grandpa had saved a little money and suggested buying a home for us.  He bought a two-family dwelling in Brooklyn, on 20th Street and Third Avenue for two thousand dollars, in cash. It was a parlor floor and basement type and our rooms were on the top floor.

The house had belonged to a very fine family by the name of Etherington.  Mrs. Etherington had lost her husband, and when her three children married she did not care to live in the house anymore, so she went to live with one of her daughters in California. When she moved out, she left a square piano in the parlor.  She told us she had no use for it as her daughter had married very well and bought herself an upright.  My father Jimmy and I were so happy when we saw the piano and we taught ourselves to play by ear and, if I may say so, we became very adept at it.  

On Sunday nights, Jimmy would bring his friends and I would bring mine. We would sing and dance to the tune of the old piano.  On cold winter nights, Mama would serve hot lemonade and cookies and as I look back how, I realize how happy we were then with the simple things.

We didn’t stay long on Twentieth Street.  We moved to Bay Ridge on Thirty-Fourth Street and Fourth Avenue.  We left my grandparents at the Twentieth Street home.  My grandfather renovated the parlor floor and worked there until he died.  Grandma then went to live with Aunt Katie.  The house was willed to my father, who sold it for four thousand dollars.

I have so many great memories of my grandfather.  He loved his adopted country, although he always boasted that the fruits and vegetables were much better in Italy.  When I graduated from public school, my grandfather was so proud to think that I had a diploma, when most of my friend did not graduate.  There were so anxious to get their working papers that they didn’t care to finish the eighth grade.  All they wanted was to earn money and what did they earn at their first jobs? About three-fifty a week.

Shortly after we moved to 34th Street, work started on the 4th Ave subway, and it was such a mess.  However, that is when I met Jim Chimenti.

My brother Jimmy and Jim Chimenti organized dances at a local social club.  My girlfriend and I used to go to these dances, but Jim and I seldom danced together.  He had his friends and I had mine.  Jim was a good dancer, however, and I enjoyed dancing with him.  The popular dances at that time were waltzes, polka, and the “Turkey Trot.” We loved to dance and sing the lyrics, “Everybody’s doing it, doing it, doing it.  Everybody’s doing WHAT?  The Turkey Trot!”

Blanche Calimano neither danced nor sang but she used to enjoy going out with us.  The biggest surprise was when my brother and Blanche decided to get married.  Then Jim Chimenti realized that this would be the end of the social club dances, and that he would have no excuse to see me.  I came home from work one day and Jim was waiting for me outside.  He asked me on a date, and of course I invited him in.  We dated for three years before we got married in 1915.  We were both twenty years old.