How could he?? How could Poppa have thrown it away?? I can’t believe Poppa threw away Momma’s treasured wind-up victrola and her entire record collection. Was it indifference? Was it thoughtlessness? Was it a shortage of space in the moving van? Was it malice? No-one to ask!! My older sister and brother have died. We never talked about the incident when they were alive. Maybe they would have an explanation. I gave it little thought growing up. When I started writing, I began to examine Momma’s and Poppa’s relationship.
Let me give you the facts. Our family spent the two summer months in a rooming house in the Catskills. Poppa toiled as a house painter in the city and joined us on the weekends. When we left the city, we had been living in 1932 Crotona Parkway. Unbeknownst to us, Poppa packed up our apartment and moved us to 1215 Simpson Street. At the end of the summer, we were surprised to arrive at this new address. Everything was in place but the wind-up victrola and record collection were gone. Her collection of operas, popular songs, Jewish dance music, all gone. Momma cried for many days and probably never forgot or forgave him. I can’t believe Poppa could have done such a thing!!!
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