1970: Pearl, Amanda, Gert, Danny I've been trying to write about Aunt Gert and I can't seem to get the words to come out the way I want them. So I'm falling back on the words of one who knew her and loved her: my father, who was raised by Aunt Gert and Uncle Fred after his mother died and his father flaked.
My Aunt Gert told your mother (never told me this, but) when she married Fred, he was the head of the New York State Communist Party. After my performance in "The Crucible," she told me she had been a member of the Communist Party. --Oh, an aside: One of your mother's daughters said she didn't have a very good memory. --Well, when Fred was called in to testify he quit the Post Office. And tried to start building a work record. Oh, he had a used car business for a time now, I don't remember how that goes. And then he worked for his cousin--what was his cousin's name? I don't remember--And what was the name of the business? It was a discount business, selling things at a discount, things like watches and radios. The name of the place was Tesla, T-E-S-L-A. So I think he never, he did not testify. Gert was called to testify. She had family strains, family stress, stress in family matters led her to quit the CP. Her energies, her priorities were to put family matters first, and there was a lot required to deal with family.
Did you know that--this is a well-known fact, you probably know this--Fred referred to me as Gert's son? Well, he did. He would tell her, if he has something to say to me, he would tell her. "Tell your son…" when I was in the room.
If I sat in his chair, he wouldn't speak to me, he wouldn't ask me to leave, he'd go like this [waves hand]. I asked my brother Jerry who lived with him for the summer if Fred ever shooed him out of the chair. He said, "Only once."
Oh, here's an idea. Let's have a drink of high-powered Ensure.
My Aunt Gert told your mother (never told me this, but) when she married Fred, he was the head of the New York State Communist Party. After my performance in "The Crucible," she told me she had been a member of the Communist Party. --Oh, an aside: One of your mother's daughters said she didn't have a very good memory. --Well, when Fred was called in to testify he quit the Post Office. And tried to start building a work record. Oh, he had a used car business for a time now, I don't remember how that goes. And then he worked for his cousin--what was his cousin's name? I don't remember--And what was the name of the business? It was a discount business, selling things at a discount, things like watches and radios. The name of the place was Tesla, T-E-S-L-A. So I think he never, he did not testify. Gert was called to testify. She had family strains, family stress, stress in family matters led her to quit the CP. Her energies, her priorities were to put family matters first, and there was a lot required to deal with family.
Did you know that--this is a well-known fact, you probably know this--Fred referred to me as Gert's son? Well, he did. He would tell her, if he has something to say to me, he would tell her. "Tell your son…" when I was in the room.
If I sat in his chair, he wouldn't speak to me, he wouldn't ask me to leave, he'd go like this [waves hand]. I asked my brother Jerry who lived with him for the summer if Fred ever shooed him out of the chair. He said, "Only once."
Oh, here's an idea. Let's have a drink of high-powered Ensure.
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