| Fannie talks about herself
Bessie (Fannie's sister) comes home
[Q = Len]
A. Okay. When my mother died, you know, you have to nurse the baby, so they gave her [Bessie] to this woman...her husband was a shoemaker, and she took care of the baby all the time. [Pauses]
Q. Go ahead
A. So, she took care of Bessie. I remember when Bessie came home afterwards, she was about two years old already. I never was so mistreated in all my life, like Bessie mistreated me. I swear it. Even my father came up and said “Give it to her. She's younger than you are.” I'm 15 months older than Bessie [laughs]. I had to give her everything. I was so unhappy.
And then every time I'd go...I had my friends, you know. I used to go out. She'd run after and cry and cry. I remember in the store. We ran into the store. My grandmother said, "A sister, you have to take along. Isn't that true? Your sister you have to take along. Yes. A sister you have to take along." So, I took her hand, and I took her, and that was it. She got everything she wanted. I remember even my father came up to me and said, "Give it to her. You’re a big girl. What do you want it for"? I think there was a spool from thread. I don't know what it was but she wanted it. She wanted everything.
One time I finally...you know, when he used to go out of town, he used to bring me a present. He bought me a beautiful plaid dress. The front part over here was silk only it matched that plaid exactly. So she wanted one too. I don't remember if I ever wore that dress one more time. She lay down on the floor, and she kicked, and she screamed. She wants a termineh zeid. This (points) was zeid.
Q. Zeid is silk
A. Yeah. Termineh was probably plaid. Whatever it was. Anyway, I never saw that dress again. Maybe they sold it. Maybe they gave it away. But I couldn't wear it because she cried so much. I don't know what term means. Term probably means plaid, and the zeid...they used to make dresses for children and in the front used to fit in a piece, a different [pattern] of silk. It made it look pretty. [interruption]
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