Loading ...I tried smoking ,it made me sick..I didn’t do it again….I was an Alter boy in church and one day my Aunt asked me what does the Priest do back in the Rectory..I replied he drinks some wine ..She was satisified with that.Then she asked does he ever touch you ? I said no ! She said what would you do if he did ? I said I would punch him in his fat belly She smiled and asked no more ! That was 1946 .I remember it like it was yesterday I k new what she meant ! I served at MASS on Sundays and at weddings after the 1Pm Mass sometimes as many as 4 weddings a day until the Priest asked if the Best Man gave me money for the Church,I said yes and handed him the envelope .Then he told me to empty out my pockets and tried to take my bus fare home stating that any tips belonged to the Church ..I protested and said my mother gave me the bus fare and expected me home by 5pm . He was treating me like a thief and told him this was my last service to the Church “find yourself another boy ” I said ! .. I earned my own spending money by collecting soda bottles for the deposit and newspapers to bring to the Junk yard on Saturdays…I worked every day after school cleaning & sweeping up in my fathers sewing factory .
I bought my own clothes and was earning $30.00 per week…..My mother told me I had to pay board 14$ per week ,so I negotiated if I had to do that I wasent going to wash dishes any more or put out the trash ..My sister and brother could do that …They wern’t paying board…She didn’t object…
I traveled by bus to the movies and even went to the NEXT city,NEWARK NJ to the movies and to the Wequaick Park on Sundays to watch the Trotters practice running..
and sometimes to the Twin Citys or Dreamland Rollar skating Rink in Newark NJ. by myself to meet my friends there.
I had my own money and managed it ….I went to Elizabeth Port to the only swimming pool (DOWDS POOL) in the city a trip of about 5 miles .It was not unusual for me to go 10 -15 miles from my house by myself before I was 9….I earned my own money and didn’t take any crap from anybody…I never missed a days work or complained .I was 8…