Chapter 1
a) Introduction to story
b) Brief review of Depression days, French Canadian Catholicism, pope, priests and nuns
c) Hardships, poverty, immigrants, poor English comprehension, etc.
d) These immigrants had little technical savvy in the local job marketplace
Chapter 2
a) Endicott St. in Pawtucketville part of the city
b) Monsieur Poulain, chickens, garden, Madame LaCouture, strong Belgium accent, Ronald LaCouture,
c) describe kitchen area, overview of cross-street
d) war years, concerns, worries, French patisserie at xx and Moody Street
e) Madame ( Florence) Bolduc was occasional visitor – she was Memere Bolduc’s sister
f) radio to outside world
g) piano, big enamel/wrought iron stove in kitchen area
h) pantry: shelves, drawers, sink, etc,
i) beauty parlor room with modern equipment:
j) Dad drove a delivery truck for Darcy Pies
Chapter 3
a) Memere lived with us but she was often quite weak and sickly
b) Cousin Richard and Mom’s freshly baked ginger bread man out of oven
c) Richard and I followed the Greek merchant and his horse-drawn cart up Endiott St where we bought some ???
d) “Aujourd’hui, mes dames, des fraises, des bananes et des pommes”!
e) Maman: “Combien pour les fraises?”
f) le marchand: Pas de fraises, madame! C’est la guerre!”
g) scarry stories about my twin sister, Pauline, whom I kicked in the womb and she had died & about that awful, terrible mother, who had dismembered her baby child and presented the stew with vegetables to her husband when he returned home from work
h) Card game of rouge ou noir – red or black, which I played with my Mom many, many times as we passed away another afternoon on Endicott St.
i) Big escape attempt: I was leaving home and waiting for the Moody Street bus to bring me downtown at Kearney Square.
It seems that my brother Bob’s anticipated arrival on the scene was upsetting me a lot. “Je suis laid, moi?” – Am I ugly? –
I asked my mother on one occasion. She responded with:“Pourquoi tu dis cela?” – “Why do you say that?”
“Il y a des mirroirs dans cette maison.”
Later, the rumors going on in our house was that Memere would be leaving our family group soon. Speak about the new, little wooden wagon that Memere had bought me for no clean reason.
Chapter 3
a) Many Troubles in River City
b) Uncle Maurice died in an asylum in Massachusetts on June 6, 1944 when his oldest brother, Lucien, was part of the Normandy Invasion in France
c) Big family meeting and conference at our house soon after
d) Decision was to move Memere Bolduc to an apartment in a private home located on Fletcher Street near Pawtucket Street where the St Joseph Orphanage for French-Canadian children without living parents.
b) Mom is pregnant with Bob
c) Mom & Memere were not always of the same thought. Memere was socially more refined and believed that our Mom should never appear in public wearing her apron
d) Over the years, Mom learned about Memere’s very difficult years living with grandpa, Bolduc, and her youngest son, Maurice, who threatened her with a kitchen knife, once. As recalled by our Memere, Grandfather Bolduc was usually angry – “Il etait toujours mauvais.” (Note: “mauvais” means evil in France but it meant “angry” as used in Quebec French at that time)
e)
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6