1838 Wymore Ave., East
Cleveland
After lining up a teaching job in
downtown Cleveland in October 1948, Dad found a house to buy for $10,000 in a
working-class neighborhood. It was built ca. 1896 had 3 and ½ stories with a full-size
attic, basement, and a small garage, the biggest home on our block. The
previous owner had begun to illegally convert the second floor into two apartments. When the town officials discovered what he
was doing, they cited him and insisted he remove it all. This meant he could no
longer afford to live there so he bailed out and sold cheaply. When we moved in
I was nine, Joan seven, David almost 4, Sandy, 2 and ½ and Sally 6 months.
Down in the
basement a monstrous, old gas furnace and its conduits took up half the space. To
one side were two washtubs, a crawlspace for wood storage and several
clotheslines Mom used in the winter. On the other side was a “workroom” for
paints and brushes, and a toilet that overflowed. The basement was where years later, Dad would
take “the boys”- David and Sandy- to scold and spank. So, not my favorite
place; I hated and feared him for making them cry. Mom hid to smoke her
occasional cigarette down there. Joan and I learned to iron sitting in front of
a machine called a mangle, burning our knees on the hot rollers. It was great
for pillowcases, napkins and handkerchiefs.
We stuffed blouses and shirts into a plastic bag, added one cup of
water, zipped it shut and waited for 24 hours. Then, everything was evenly moistened
and perfect. I think I did most of the
ironing because Joan was left-handed and it drove Mom crazy to watch her. Years
later the TV was moved down there and Dad watched the moon landing with
amazement.
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