Ida by Olympia Simonetti Normandy -10-Jack and Ruth had two children, Lisa and Allen. Ruth took to me so much. She used to say, "I love you like you were my mother. See my mother? If I have to go any place, she tells me to get a baby sitter." I met her mother when she used to come over to give the girl piano lessons. She couldn't get over how much I did for their family. I used to cook and make them all kinds of Italian meals they loved.
Then when they decided to go to Europe, Jack said, "Ida, I'm going to Europe and I won't trust anybody in this house but you. I trust you with my kids and everything." He left me money galore. He told me to take the kids to a certain restaurant to eat, the one they were used to eating at. We didn't go too many times because the kids liked my food better. He had all his friends come by to check and make sure I was all right and we didn't need anything. Ruth's mother came once while they were gone.
In the store I could have anything I wanted. If a thing was $50.00, he'd
charge me $10.00, even cheaper than what he used to get it for. Anything I wanted. Whatever I used to pick out, he would put it in a bag and tell me to just give him ten dollars. I used to buy a lot of stuff for my daughter, Priscilla, and her four children in Florida. Even when I went to see my son and his wife when they lived in Virginia, I loaded up the car with stuff from Dean's. What stuff I got for their kids, gloves and scarves and what not. My grandson, Peter, loaded his car up. I got around a bit. I'm satisfied. I've seen plenty.When he got back from Europe, Jack said he never saw anybody so systematic like me. I had a big pad and every day no matter what I did or spent, I'd write it down. He said, "Did you think I didn't trust you? You didn’t have to write everything down." I let him know that it was just a habit. I wanted to let him know where all his money went. He left me about $600 in a drawer and told me to buy whatever I wanted, take the kids wherever they wanted to go, and so forth.
He even had a maid come in twice a week to do the washing and cleaning. My job was the kids. He didn't want me to touch the house. He told me to let the girl do it. In fact, then I got friendly with the maid. I used to make her big lunches. You can't imagine how much food and stuff there was in that house. They stocked it with everything so we wouldn't run out. He paid me about $250 and added a $200 tip! They didn't know how else to show their appreciation.
Jack's partner, Bernie, got jealous! He wanted to go to Florida, but he
needed someone to watch his daughter, Shelley. I had babysat quite a few times for him. Shelley wouldn't stay with anybody but me. She was around ten and we got along great. Bernie finally asked me. He said, "We would like to go to Florida and Jack told us there's no one but you he would trust in his house. We wondered if you would do the same for us." I said, "Sure, I'll do it. I did it for Jack, why wouldn't I do it for you? You're my sweetheart."He was a big guy. What an angel. Bernie Wang. He was so good even to his customers. He felt so sorry for them sometimes, he would just give them the clothes they wanted for the price they could pay. Once in a while, I still like to call them after all these years. I had picked out a very good maroon suit at the store once and he said to take it as a gift from him. He paid me well so after I retired I continued to babysit for them.
I worked even in candy, making chocolates. We ate more than we packed! It was Barracini's. I was a dipper. If we made one little mistake dipping cherries, we ate them. But how many can a person eat?
Then there was the business in Patchogue, New York. Betty was Al-the-cop's woman for years and years. She said to me one day, "How about we go in business? You do all the cooking and I'll do all the buying."
We had the Normandy Lodge. We did seven-course dinners for $2.50. Spaghetti to nuts, even black coffee. Everything came along grand for awhile. I took Priscilla with me by train. Jack was against it, but I didn't care. I wanted to give it a try.
Believe it or not, people came from all over. Who wouldn't come for a seven-course dinner for $2.50? They would sit there all night. They didn't even want to go home. Betty wanted to buy the best of everything. I used to do all the dirty work. Oh, if these hands could talk.
We had a box we used to put all the money in. Not like today, when you have cash registers and everything like that. When Priscilla came, Betty said, "You know you have to pay for your daughter's meals." I said, "I'm doing all the big work and you expect me to pay you for my daughter?" We didn't get along. We slept in the attic, practically on the floor. Money started disappearing, so I got out of it right away. My husband warned me and he was right.
Palenville was a lot of jokes. We went with the Simonetti family. Everywhere they went they went in bunches. When they asked me if I wanted to come along, I decided to go and take Priscilla. There was Aunt Bobbie and Pye [Mildred] , Uncle Frank and my Aunt, Little Jennie, Tom and Helen, Antoinette and her two children, and another girl from the restaurant. The first day we arrived they had no room and put us in a little lodge. They fed us leftover stew.
While they were pouring the milk for the children, a fly got into Priscilla's glass. I called the waitress and said, "I'm very sorry, but there is a fly in my daughter's milk." The waitress said, "So what, what's a fly? You're going to get more than a fly here." I said, "What? I'm very sorry but I'm not paying you for anything. We're going right out." We packed up and we left and hit the road. Helen Simonetti was with us on that trip and we ended up having so much fun.
There were two outhouses where we stayed and a big chamberpot with a cover. I broke a bunch of twigs and filled the chamberpot with them. Then when someone had to go to the toilet, she had to jump up fast! How everybody laughed and laughed. I was known as a practical joker. We had a lot of fun together.
One night they had a talent contest and I entered. I sang my favorite song, "The Darktown Strutter's Ball." I had a sore throat and didn't sing too good.
We even put a big twig in my aunt's bed. She got so scared that she cursed in Italian. She said, "But you are crazy. How do you go and think of these things?" I said, "Come on, have a little fun." The Simonettis were such gigglers. Everything made them laugh, but Auntie wasn’t laughing.
The fun was over when Uncle Frank got a bad attack. Nobody had money. I was the poorest one but I always had money on me. $200. We didn't know how we would get back without money. Uncle Frank had to be shipped home to go to the hospital with prostate problems. He didn't die that time but it ended our vacation. We pooled our money and managed to get back and get him taken care of. I never see those cousins any more. They just died out of the picture. I was so thick with them.
There was the case of Mr. Waldemar. Helen Simonetti worked for this wealthy man who wanted us to invest money with him. She trusted him and said he looked just like my father and was so nice. She wanted Sam and Rose Gottlieb to invest $5000, but Sam said he didn't believe in doing things like that. Helen asked my sister, Margaret and she said, "My husband will kill me if I even mention wanting a couple of thousand dollars." Then she asked me, jackass. All I had was one thousand dollars but I was a gambler and decided to take a chance and invest $500.
Right after that, everything went crooked. Mr. Waldemar robbed $250,000. So many people we knew had put out money and lost it. People starting insinuating that my aunt and uncle and cousin were involved in the scheme. This Mr. Waldemar was supposed to be some kind of insurance investor. He had a dog that he used to serve tea to.
We went out looking for Mr. Waldemar several times. I had to pay for all the gas because my cousin lost all her money. We went to his house but I was afraid to go in the house. The police told us to keep away because he was a big swindler. I was even fingerprinted because I was there. Someone in the crowd, a man, came and tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Lady, if you know what's good for you, go home." I took his word and went home.
My cousins said I was afraid but I told them I didn't want my husband to think I was in with the Mafia or something like that. I'll never forget it. We went to file a complaint at the Police Department. My daughter, Jean, had said, "Mom, you're so easy with your money. You give everybody your money right away." I told her I guess I had to learn by my experience.
My poor cousins lost about $50,000. Waldemar had such a plush office and Helen was the bookkeeper and saw how much he was making so she trusted the man. I used to love to go to First Avenue in Manhattan and stop in the office. There were big pastry shops and vegetable and meat markets. After that man tapped me on the shoulder I stayed away.
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Now Playing: "Darktown Strutter's Ball"
Darktown Strutter's BallI'll be down to get you in a taxi, Honey
You better be ready ‘bout half-past eight
Now dearie, don't be late
I want to be there when
The band starts playing
Remember when we get there, Honey
The two-step - I'm gonna have ‘em all
I'm gonna dance on both my shoes
While they play those jellyroll blues
Tomorrow night
At the Darktown Strutter's BallWords and Music by Shelton Brooks, 1917
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Copyright 1997-2013 Priscilla Normandy Greenwood