Hermina Vlasopolos - April 9, 1984
Leaving a Friend
"I looked over to M., he was still sleeping. Maybe if the journey had lasted longer our feelings for each other might have become stronger and new paths would have kept us together lasting, who knows. The time of newfound love under such unusual circumstances might have been worn out by the routine of daily life. As we were approaching Budapest, M. asked me what I decided. I told him I was going home. His eyes were very sad. He took out five hundred penga, the Hungarian currency and gave them to me. The rigidity of my refusal made him smile. "Look, he said, don't be childish. It's a loan. You'll give it back to me as soon as you have money. Don't forget that you need money for the first step in your new life. The first cup of coffee you'll want to drink, you'll have to pay for it. The first bus ride is not free. If--and you'll have to pay for the first newspaper. In Budapest you start your life anew." I took the money, we arrived in Budapest and it was very hard to say goodbye to each other. M. kissed my hand and we both had tears in our eyes. The Committee of the American Jewish Organization was there to receive us. We went to a placement center where we were assigned to different dormitories in the city. Each of us was given five hundred pengas. The next day I put the money in an envelope and sent it to M. in care of his mother. I never heard from him again. He was in my thoughts more than the others, all those people whom I met and cherished during that incredible, painful year and who then disappeared. He was such a sensitive man and he was right. In Budapest my life started again."
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