Page 27 - From Breton Cove and Boston: Conversations with Josie Matheson Bredbury

ISSUE : Issue 56

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1991/1/1

for them. And I'd go back to bed. And when they were through with the baby there, they'd take him and put him in the crib. And I'd get up again at half-past 5, 6 o'clock. And then around 7 o'clock I'd get (the ba? by) up, give (the child) a bath. And Dad? dy, so often he'd come in and pick the ba? by up, and nothing on, you know, talking to him. And his tie'd get wet! So, oh, we used to have a lot of fun. I enjoyed every home I've been in. I really did.... (How did people find out that you were available?) Oh, from mouth to mouth. Never put an ad in the paper or anything, you know. (That's a brave thing to do, to go into homes like that....) Well, no, be? cause they were so nice. The next morning, you'd think I was there all the time. They were so--everyone--except for this one couple. And you know I--wherever I went, I'd always make myself a cup of tea. Maybe that 2 o'clock feeding, you know, I'd go down and make myself a cup of tea. And the next thing I'd know, one of them'd be sneaking in to get a cup of tea with me. And we'd sit there for an hour, talking. And it was really wonderful. (The one couple you had trouble with--how did they treat you?) Oh, she would take the baby--(I) had nothing to do with the baby, really. Oh, she made me so mad. And she'd take the baby. She'd go in the room where the baby was and pick the baby up and go to her room and close the door. Well, I felt, she doesn't want me in there, so why go in there? And she wasn't nursing the baby. And the baby was losing weight. And I told her so. And she didn't think anything of that: "Babies lose weight anjrway." They don't lose that much weight. She wasn't nursing-- she was nursing the baby, and she didn't have enough for him. So anyway, I told (the father) that one day. And, well, he'd talk to the doctor or something. So, she'd do this all the time to me. I wasn't doing.... If I went--the baby would cry and I'd go to him. And I'd be changing him. And she'd come and she'd push me away. It made me so nervous and upset, that--what in the hell was I doing there? That's how I looked at it. Sitting in my room. So, this day she came. And I'd just come out of my room. And she had to go from the baby's room like that, and this was a hall, and her room was like that, mine was there. And I'd just come out of the room like this, and here she was sneaking the baby into her room. And I said, "I didn't hear him cry." And she said, "Didn't you? No wonder," she said to me. And I said, "No, I didn't." And I looked at the baby, and the baby just was half asleep then. She just picked him up, you know. So I said, "Okay." So the next thing I knew, about a half an hour later, he came waltzing in down? stairs, the door slammed. He came up the stairs, and his coat--he never came up the stairs with his overcoat on. And went straight into the room. Well, when you come up the stairs like this, you can see me in there knitting. That's all I was do? ing. And anyway, he went in the room. Well, you could hear them talking in there, but couldn't understand them. Then he came out. And he said, "Mrs."--I've forgotten what their names were--"would like you to come downstairs. She's coming down." And I said, "Oh my God, here's a powwow." So, I was so nervous, my hands were soaking wet. I never had this experi? ence with anybody before.... Oh, there were 9 or 10 Jewish families that I was with. And they all--wonderful. I really was--I don't care who the people were. This is the only.... Went downstairs. She said--she told me that I made her awfully nervous and upset, and that's why she was losing her milk. And I let her talk. I let her talk. I wasn't saying yes, no, or anything. I looked at her square in the eye. And I said to myself under my own breath, "You stupid thing." And then he horned in. And I said, "All right." And then there was a lull. And I said, "Is that all you have to say to me?" And, "Well, yes." "All right. Is it all right if I say something?" I never raised my voice. I don't know how I did it. But anyway, I told them that I'd never been to such a stupid home. "You got me here to help you with your child. Which I do wherever I go. And I was with your sister, and I got along beautiful with her." And she started to say something-- "Now, you had your say. I'm going to say St. Peters Drug Store Ltd, Don Stone, Ph. C, Proprietor Open 6 Days a Week Monday to Friday open until 8 p.m. Saturday open until 5 p.m. 535-2203 St. Peters, Richmond County, N. S. The Violin Shop ' Johannes Sturm Violinmaker/repairer Quality Repairs to String Instruments Custom Work Bow Rehairing New and Used Instruments Strings Accessories For information or appointment, call (902) 345-2883 R. R. 1, Grand Anse, Richmond County, N. S. BOE 1V0 Discover Richmond County • Route 4

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