Neighbors and Friends

In the fifties (1850) father started to build a small cottage in the yard. We were supposed to live there, so that we could rent the old house. But the cottage was not finished, since there never was enough money. Now one of our neighbors, named Mundel, would have liked to buy part of our land cheaply to even his out, which was a bit skewed. But the parents did not agree, it would have harmed the look of our land in front if they had agreed. But neighbor Mundel had his plans. He said very friendly to father: “ I can lend you the money to finish your cottage, that’s not a problem. Father agreed naively, it was about 500 rubel, and he could finish the construction.

But soon after that, times worsened and the Crimean War started. The Russians mobilized and their military was everywhere. We often had soldiers billeted in our house, 6 to 10 men (every house received that many). That happened quite easily; first we got a notice from the police, and then the gate opened and the soldiers appeared. One had to give them the best and biggest room (in the summer they would be happy in the woodshed). When mother cooked their Kascha (hot cereal), they were quite thankful; they were always very good-natured Russians. And in 8 to 14 days they left again. But the English mobilized just as much, especially on the sea. Their squadron even came into our Baltic Sea, and in Dunamunde you could hear the canon shots (probably just for training in the open sea). And our houses shook and the window panes quivered. And everyone in the city started to panic. People were thinking that the war had come to them. How mother cried and moaned: “What are we going to do? What is going to happen to us?”

At this time the cunning neighbor Mundel came and said “Give me my money or I am going to sue.” O my, what to do now. Where should we get the money? Father had a few friends, Schwerin and Richter, who also came from Mecklenburg. But Schwerin had no money, father knew that. And people said that Richter and his wife were miserly. Father thought about it, but then he decided to talk to Richter and ask him for a loan. And, surprise, the nice Richter showed himself to be a real friend. He gave father the money, and father could stuff the throat of neighbor Mundel, whose obvious trick now became his shame.

We lived now in the cottage towards the garden were we had more room. More peaceful times came, since the war was being fought far away and one couldn’t be afraid all the time. Daily chores drove the worries away. Father could pay back the loan to his good friend Richter already after a year. Everything became happier and even we kids no longer hid in the corner as we did during the time of the trouble. Now and then there even were some small celebrations.

Once mother and father were invited to an evening party at Richters. That was a real event, even though we kids stayed at home. Mother started early to look for her best clothes and we saw things we had not seen before. She put on her brown silk dress (her former wedding dress), because with the dress you honor your host. A good neighbor, the wife of the tailor Hentschel came from upstairs and helped with mother’s hair, a fine lace bonnet was put on top, and a pretty pink ribbon was tied around the long neck. Mother looked like a queen, which I told her several times. But father had not come back from work, and we waited a good hour or more. Mother got more and more nervous while waiting and her mood got worse and worse. When father finally came, she tore the bonnet and the ribbon off and yelled: ”I am not going anymore; it is much too late; we don’t want to disgrace us.” She sat down in a corner and started crying. Father did not answer her, he just started to wash and get himself ready. At this point Frau Hentschel came from upstairs to check on us children and found the parents still there. When she found out the reason why mother did not want to go anymore, she said while interceding: “No, Mrs. Lietz, you can’t do that, you are in the wrong. The man will know why he was detained in his business. Now lets get you quickly back into your good clothes. The pretty bonnet was put back on and the pink ribbon tied again around the neck and the little man and the tall woman left reconciled and in a good mood. They probably came in time for the pickled beef, which Mrs. Richter fixed for most parties, according to some cousins. This shows how important it is in life to have a peacekeeper or intermediary as the simple Mrs. Hentschel. The wise Goethe agreed with this, because in stories like Wilhelm Meister’s Lehr-und- Wanderjahre, he also always used these intermediaries, who only did good and made peace; you can read it there.

We also had several small celebrations at our place, for instance the anniversary celebration on the evening of St. Martin’s day. Of course, the Richters were invited in return and also the Schwerins and other good friends. Of course, at Lietzen’s you didn’t get pickled beef, but everything was fresh from house, yard, and garden. Everyone was looking forward to the dinner, especially the old Mr. Richter, who was rubbing his hands in anticipation of the evening meal, when he got up from the card game. First came the well-loved favorite meal for people from Mecklenburg: brown cabbage with homemade sausages (since we just butchered a pig), then came a crisp goose and at the end was an apple torte with whipped cream. Wonderful, everyone said; and that rewarded the smiling hostess enormously.

I am also thinking of another family with whom we had a lot of friendly dealings that was the family Martinsohn. Our mother received sympathetic interest from them from the beginning of her time in the city. They were a couple who were also blessed with a lot of children (several of them died young). They lived not far from us in the Gertrudstrasse. There they had their own property, a house surrounded by a lot of land and a garden. Tante Louise (as we kids called her) was a thoroughly good soul, who thought only of others and how to make them happy, and did not think in the least of herself. In the summer on a Sunday or holiday, if she made a trip to her relatives or friends, the Lietz’ children had to join, although her own were enough. But all should have fun together. Even if we went by boat across Duna to the Kuckucksberg, were you could roll downhill in the white sand. Was that a lot of fun! Our poor mother was always so worn out at home, that she gladly let us go; that gave her a day for relaxation, and father felt similarly. Mrs. Louise Martinsohn also took care of her old father Friedfeld and his second wife. Thus she had a stepmother in her own home, but she was innocuous and friendly. There were also several unmarried sisters in the house, who were looking for suitors.

They were a merry group of people, and there one could learn cheerfulness and laughter, and laughter is healthy and contagious. We, Martinsohn’s and Lietzen’s children, laughed a lot with each other. One had only to look at the other one, and laughter was there.

When carnival time came, it was the custom to put on masks and rush into one house after the other and make some jokes. Mother was afraid of real strangers, since they sometimes took things like silver spoons. Therefore, mother always locked the doors, so that masks wouldn’t overwhelm us. But one time the door was being opened, probably with advanced notice, and in jumped father Friedfeld, who was playing funny tunes on his fiddle. After him came the stepmother dressed up as a cobbler’s boy, and all the other daughters and cousins dressed in different roles, like washerwoman, chimney sweep, flower girl, Harlequin, Queen of the Night, and others. All jumped and turned like mad in a circle. We children never had seen anything like this, but now we had at least an understanding of what was meant by carnival. After they had some refreshments, the merry group left to go to some other friendly home. Father Friedfeld had a brother, and one of his descendant was the “Baltic Nightingale” Mara Friedfeld, who is now married in Hamburg and still sings. Someone just heard her recently on the radio.