My Mother

.

Here is one of many stories about my mother. She truly saved our lives during those wretched post WWII years.

LEAF TOBACCO

The beds all had an addition to the regular mattress. It was called a Keilkissen, “Keil” meaning wedge and “Kissen” a pillow or headrest. This wedge-like mattress was put under the pillow end of the bed. It elevated the upper body somewhat. At one time, in my early memory (1945), my sister slept on a mattress and Keilkissen entirely made of tobacco. Mom had, in some way, obtained a bale of dried leaf tobacco. She took the straw out of the crib mattresses and replaced it with tobacco. She then carefully sewed up the tobacco in oilcloth, such as an old table cloth, to keep the smell down. Finally, she re-covered it with the old material. I knew that something was not right because we conducted the tobacco business in secret. Although the Nazis were no longer in power, the fear of them was still in the hearts of people. Stories of brother turning in brother and son betraying father were everywhere. No one really knew what anybody’s political affiliation was. Of course, I did not know such things; all I knew was that I had to keep my mouth shut about the tobacco. It was a product not legally available to the populace as yet; therefore, it travelled only in underground channels as probably many other products of habit did. As it turned out, the tobacco was a life saver. Mom would weigh out small amounts, about five to ten grams, and trade it for a variety of foods. One particular smoker, a chimney sweep by trade, had a great chance to get all kinds of food from customers through bartering for his services. I remember him, black from head to foot, bringing eggs and smoked pork in exchange for a small bag of the desired tobacco. Mom hung the smoked pork, totally black from the smoking process, on a broom handle across the corner of the bedroom, hidden from sight by the corner dresser with its fold-out mirrors on each side. The amount of pork increased as the tobacco decreased. In the summer time the aroma of the meat made us feel very secure and happy. I’m sure Mom sold a lot in larger blocks for money to buy knitting yarn and cloth for sewing.

Feel free to click to get a sampling of the rest of the 130 stories. A Time And Place

.