New York with Grandma - Excerpt 4

When Johanna was 11, her grandmother took her to Denver to meet her sister, Johanna’s Great Aunt Harriet.  The three of them flew to Connecticut to see their other sister, Johanna’s Great Aunt Phoebe, and her husband, Manny for two weeks in Old Saybrook.  Manny was 1st generation Italian, and they had 6 daughters, all around Johanna’s age. 

Johanna was in heaven, and in hell.  She couldn’t distinguish what anyone was saying, everyone talked at the same time.  But there was always someone to talk to or play with.  They had dolls and cats and girl things everywhere.  

One of the days, Manny took Johanna, her grandma, and Aunt Harriet to New York City for the day.  They went to the Statue of Liberty, where Uncle Manny told Johanna to close her coat so she’d “grow hair on her breasts.”  As an adult, Johanna thought that perhaps she’d misheard this man with his heavy Sicilian-Connecticut brawl, but he definitely discussed her breasts, in some manner.  That was clear by the direction of his leer and his hand motions.  

They went up the Empire State Building, all the way to the top, “Just like in the movie An Affair To Remember,” her grandma proclaimed happily.  They went to the World Trade Center and Johanna got lost and separated from everyone for almost an hour just trying to find a bathroom.  She didn’t feel scared because she knew she’d find them eventually, and everyone she met was so nice, but it gave her grandma quite a fright and they had to go straight back to Aunt Phoebe’s after that. 

On their way back to Seattle, they were laid over in Denver due to a storm.  Underneath the airport was an entire maze of a hotel and restaurant for just such a purpose.  It was amazing.