The groom, Andy or Andrew, was born in 1901, his father was a farmer and his heritage was Ukrainian from an area in Poland. How he came to be in Canada, living in the small town of Kindersley, Saskatchewan and feeling like a rich man (which he wasn’t”) because he had found his special someone, and he only dared to hope that was possible.
Andy was a just a skinny kid of 14, and he fled into the fields, at his father’s instruction when he last saw his father. He never saw his father again.
Andrew’s father had seen the Russian army approaching and firmly commanded Andy to hide in the fields “don’t come out, stay there!”
Andy ran and when he reached the dirt fields, he ducked down, and crawled into a hiding place in the middle of the field.
That night he slept curled up on the dirt, thirsty and hungry but obedient to his father he stayed in the field and made no sound.
When thirst and hunger drove him out of the field and back to the farm he learned his father was gone and never seen again. The Imperial Russian army had taken him like they had taken others. The Ukrainian farmers were forced to volunteer and fight for the army or be shot on the spot. Nearly half of the farmers had been conscripted in this fashion in order that the army could mobilize millions for the Eastern Front.
There was no reason to stay on the farm, and it was dangerous if they did. Before long Andy and his Uncle Demetrio swam across a river and fled Poland to come to Canada.
They arrived in Canada, like thousands of others, destitute but honest and willing to work, and build a new life.
Decades passed quickly and Andy is known as Andrew. Andrew leads a quiet life working in a railway station and singing in his orthodox church on Sundays.
It was there that he met the girl he would court, propose to and marry.
Andrew in his new shirt, fresh haircut, shiny black dress shoes and pressed suit was a happy proud man on his wedding day. Despite his small stature Andy felt tall as Nara, his soon to be bride walked by his side. He felt richly blessed by God to have found Nara, who made him very pleased, content, and elated inside.
Nara’s eyes shone as she stood and looked into Andrew’s eyes. She wanted to jump with joy, and the only cloud on her day was that her sisters and parents were not there.
Nara had met Andrew at church and he sang so well there. She had been delighted when he asked if he could walk her home after church.
Nara loved how he treated her with kindness, he dressed neatly always and he would sing and play his accordion for her with obvious pride. He was 12 years her senior but more important to her was how he made her feel, and appreciated her.
Nara had left home early to help her family who farmed in Manitoba. Only 16 when she left her parents and siblings she came to Kindersley with a small suitcase and skills in cooking, cleaning and needlework. She was fortunate to find work keeping home for a doctor and his wife, taking care of their home and laundry and happy to have the work. The doctor and his wife treated her like family and the doctor’s wife was her best friend. That friendship lasted 50 years.
Andrew didn’t own a car, but the kind doctor and his wife offered to drive them to Saskatoon where Andrew and Nara could get married, and they even offered to be witnesses for the wedding.
It was a beautiful, and simple wedding and it could not have been a happier day for Nara and Andrew. They had all they wanted and needed; a perfect day and Nara in a beautiful dress.
The doctor and his wife returned to Kindersley after a nice dinner, and the newlyweds stayed overnight in the hotel. A rare treat and expense!
Since Andrew worked for the Canadian National Railway he had railway passes. He had received approval for a few days off so the next morning the happy couple set off by train to Manitoba to visit Nara’s parents family and farm for the first time.
An exciting reunion as you can imagine when Nara arrived on the farm – a married lady!
They had a short visit, but after one night Andrew announced he had to go back to Kindsersley to work, and asked Nara to wait on the farm for his return.
Despite her confusion, she accepted his request and watched him leave.
Nara’s father said nothing, but smiled knowingly but as the days became weeks, Nara’s sisters teased her, and said he wasn’t coming back. Of course Nara didn’t believe them, but she might have been worried.
I’m not sure how many weeks Andrew was gone, but he did return to the farm in Manitoba just as soon as he could and then by train they headed back to Kindersley together.
What Nara didn’t know was that Andrew had returned to Kindersley alone so he could move his tenants from his small home that had been rented out. As a surprise to her, he had never told her he owned a house.
He brought Nara back to Kindersley to surprise her with her own home to move into.
That was the reason for the separation, the time that Nara had waited at the farm with her family.
Andrew had gone ahead to prepare her home, clean it and make it special for her. I am sure that was a big surprise for her as he brought his young bride to her very own home.
Times were very hard in the 1930s, people worked hard to survive. Nara knew that Andrew had worked and saved long to give his bride the best he could.
I shared this wedding story at Andrew’s funeral.
Andrew was my Guido, which is like Grandpa. He had died at 88 and I stood shakily in front of his friends and Nara, my Baba, in tiny church basement in New Westminster BC for refreshments after the burial.
At this point, my voice a bit shaky, I shared to Baba – Guido has done it again. Guido has gone on ahead to prepare the best home ever for you to share.
He is waiting for you, and then you will be together again.
Now all this I told to Baba in her church basement, with all the other mourners. The church members nodded, their eyes filled also with tears, they also loved Baba and Guido.
Baba sat silently, eyes moist with tears, all of this story of course she knew full well. But probably the church didn’t and many others didn’t, maybe even some family members.
Sometimes it’s important to be able to speak, and that speech at Guido’s funeral was deeply appreciated by many, and it was my gift to Baba. I am so glad that I did because it Baba happy that sad day. I loved her and Guido lots.
Life and Random Thinking 