Personal Essays
The times they are a changin'
In November 1938, my grandfather was working away from home. He became suddenly unwell and died rapidly on 10 November. The cause of death was stated as pneumonia, but looking at his photograph I wonder if he died of coronary artery disease.
Until then, the family had been very wealthy. At a time when cars were rare, they owned a car and employed a chauffeur. There were servants to help with the house. And personal tutors and music lessons for the children.
When my grandfather died, this privileged existence came to a sudden end. His family did not receive a state pension (perhaps there were none in those days). They owned relatively little property and had little or no savings. The wives and children were plunged into poverty.
The family home and much of its contents were auctioned off. My grandmother moved into a tiny home near the medieval city walls in old Nicosia. She declined several offers of marriage and took the only job she could − as a cleaner in the public toilets. She brought up her three young children on her own. It is not clear why she received no help from her adopted parents, the family of her husband or indeed her own birth family in Konya. The family had very little money and at times food was in short supply. Nevertheless, she put her son through veterinary school. Her older daughter trained as a secretary. Her younger daughter (my mother) became a teacher.
When my mother finished her training, she was posted to a small village. My grandmother went with her in order to support her daughter. And eventually, to look after her grandchildren.
Until then, the family had been very wealthy. At a time when cars were rare, they owned a car and employed a chauffeur. There were servants to help with the house. And personal tutors and music lessons for the children.
When my grandfather died, this privileged existence came to a sudden end. His family did not receive a state pension (perhaps there were none in those days). They owned relatively little property and had little or no savings. The wives and children were plunged into poverty.
The family home and much of its contents were auctioned off. My grandmother moved into a tiny home near the medieval city walls in old Nicosia. She declined several offers of marriage and took the only job she could − as a cleaner in the public toilets. She brought up her three young children on her own. It is not clear why she received no help from her adopted parents, the family of her husband or indeed her own birth family in Konya. The family had very little money and at times food was in short supply. Nevertheless, she put her son through veterinary school. Her older daughter trained as a secretary. Her younger daughter (my mother) became a teacher.
When my mother finished her training, she was posted to a small village. My grandmother went with her in order to support her daughter. And eventually, to look after her grandchildren.