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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, Л ЮТИЙ 2019 WWW. UNWLA .ORG 15 Tato g ets job as a janitor in a posh school for wealthy children. Mama gets job in a factory. Anna graduates from law school and takes her bar exam. A few weeks later, she gets a call from her bar re- view teacher. “You passed . . . you had the highest score! You were the first on the list.” An even more telling commentary comes from the Chairman of the Board of the Bar: “What business have you, a young woman coming from t he wheatfields of Eu- rope, knowing so much about English common law whereas our boys have such difficulty learning it.” Ironically, when Anna looks for a job, but the standard response to her application is “We are terribly sorry, but we do not hire women l awyers in this firm.” When she is finally offered a job, the of- fer comes with the explanation that as a woman she will be earning only half the amount paid to male lawyers. Stephanie’s teacher advises her to take college track courses rather than business track courses. When she tells him there’s no money for college, he replies “I have no doubt yo u will get a scholarship at one of the many colleges in the Boston area.” Rounding out this upward swing is news that Mama can have a job as an assistant cook (an d perhaps even as head cook) at the school where Mr. Chopek works as janitor. The family goes to the movies for a double feature to celebrate. Mrs. Sydoriak closes the book with an epi- logue that wraps up the loose ends and lets the reader know what happened to all the main char- acters. To discover how everything turned out for everyone, you must re ad the book yourself. For queries about ordering t he book, please contact unwlaourlife@gmail.com. Quarters from Heaven by Lada Bidiak For the past 24 years, I have been finding quarters. In random moments of joy, fear, sadness, or pain, I glance o n the ground or reach into a pocket and find a quarter. And it is not luck that causes me to find these 25 - cent - pieces. I am convinced that my grandfather is sending them. When we were kids, we lived next door to my grandparents. Later on we moved and the y soon followed us, moving into a house the equivalent of a block away. If I needed a ride to school, my grandfather would be the first to offe r to drive me, but he would always say, “It’ll cost you a quarter.” If I needed help with biology or chemistry, he was the one I reached out to, knowing exactly how much it would cost me — a quarter. He similarly billed my siblings and cousins for all sorts of favors, both great and small, yet he never collected from any of us. When our grandfather died, my siblings, cousins and I gathered at the funeral home. Many people had a lot to say about him, because he was well - known and revered for his love of art a nd poetry, his commitment to his family, and his scientific and charitable work. During one of the speeches, my c ousin knelt at the coffin and slipped something into the pocket of our grandfather’s jacket. Later on, when we asked her what she had put in th ere , and she answered , matter - of - factly, “A quarter.” This was in October of 1994. Since that day, all eight of our grandfather’s grandchildren have gotten married. Many of us have children. And not a single family gathering or celebration goes by without one of us finding a quarter. When our daughters were born, we found quarters in the hospital parking lot and in one of the maternity ward corridors. When one of my cousins got married, we found a quarter, glinting in the grass on the way to the chapel. Wh en our older daughter graduated from the 8 th grade, there it was — a quarter on the floor of the church during the Graduation Mass. During my niece’s Christening, one of my cousins found a quarter on one of the church pews. The list goes on and on. But it’s the quarters that show up when I really need them that I appreciate the most. After a par- ticularly challenging pa renting or work day, during a painful recovery from an injury, in moments of stress, uncertainty, or fear — quarters appear almost magically. I h ave come to expect these coins — on the street, in my shoe, on the passenger seat of my car — and I truly believe tha t my grandfather is somehow respon- sible. They’re like a whisper or an embrace from the Great Beyond, an offer of support from the person who , i f he were still here , would be the first to offer his assistance. The author is a member of UNWLA Branch 134 in Whippany, N.J.
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