TRANSCRIPT

WW - Wes[ley] Washington, interviewee / LR - Lyn Royce, interviewer

LR: No kidding!

WW: Mhmm.

LR: Tell, tell me a little bit about, like your neighbourhood. What was your house like and what was your, you know, living with all those brothers and sisters in the house...

WW: Oh, 11, 11, oh, we were all one. There was an Italian family, Petanzas and Wrekjes and, and um, Hardies and, and all them; we were all good neighbours. Mrs uh, uh, Brandy? Brandino, she'd turn around and she'd come, one, one week she'd come to the house and my mother would turn around and, and, we were poor and they were poor, and they'd all come to the house and my mother would peel potatoes, 'n and, and, and have fish and spaghetti was cheap and we'd munch down on that and there's no such thing as sayin' where we can, we don't wanna eat that. You ate what was there and was tickled to death to get it. And we'd bless our food and thank the Lord. Uh, the other people would turn around and they were eatin' the best; eatin' the best and we could, we could barely make ends meet.

LR: Wow...

WW: I remember when I went to school. I went to school with Andy Fisher; he's a doctor, retired. Um, Junior Simons; he owns Simons Grocery, Simons Restaurant down there? And I, I used to, my mother used to turn around and make me lard sandwiches. I never, people never heard [of], lard sandwiches. Take the bread, put lard on it, put a little bit of salt and pepper, and I'd eat that. Okay. Well, we go down St Pat's, we used to go, I can, take my daughter down there, my daughter went to St Pat's, and I told the, we'd go for a walk and I'd tell my daughter, in that corner, uh, Junior Simons, uh, uh, Andy Fisher, and we'd turn around, go in that corner and we'd sit; Andy Fisher, 1812 Buchanan Avenue, that's where he lived and, and, and his, and his dad's practice, a doctor, was across the street. And, and, and they would turn around and have beef sandwich, the best of sandwiches. Andy Fisher would turn around, take my sandwich, and he'd take it and I'd turn around and take his sandwich. Me got a beef sandwich. Now, Junior Simon, they owned a restaurant, Junior Simon would switch 'em with me. They, they di, they didn't even remember that today. [thumps chest] But I remember that, and they turned around and give me the sandwiches, and I had, maybe's lucky sometimes, I had peanut butter and jam. And they, they'd take my sandwich and they'd eat it because they know they'd go back home and they could eat the best.

LR: Ah... isn't that interesting...

WW: Yes. Yeah...