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"Bashert" by Conrad Singer Chapter 3 Moving On |
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It was November 1933 and winter was at the door. Passing the railway
station, with my discharge papers in my pocket, I decided to look for work
in the capital city. In Bucharest I arranged to stay with my brother. The next day I set off in search of work
and was offered a position as trainee manager of a shop selling expensive
carpets and lace. My good appearance and smattering of French, German and
Italian helped me to get the job. The salary was barely sufficient to keep
starvation at bay and I was lucky to afford one meal a day. In July 1934 I accepted the offer of a more interesting position with a firm that imported agricultural products from England. |
Unfortunately, the firm went bankrupt and I was once again left without work I roamed the streets, in the middle of a hot July, looking for a job. I tightened my belt against hunger and trailed my feet in the melting asphalt of the pavement.
During this time a girlfriend I was visiting, after treating me to a
Turkish coffee, read the dregs at the bottom of the cup. She foretold that
I would shortly return home, and then would take a long journey by water.
I did not believe this little story but it sewed a seed that would
later make me believe in fate. The very next day, I was given a return ticket for Braila and went back to my mother’s home. One of my brothers told me that he knew the captain of a ship who would be willing to take me on as a member of his crew. I became a galley boy on the S.S. Verbormilia. The conditions were harsh but I did not care. This was to be the beginning of a full and adventurous life. |
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