Mandy’s bachelor uncle Franki gives her a stoic hug and hands her a wicker picnic basket. “Here are food and beverages for your journey to Baltimore City, Maryland, I tucked an envelope inside to open once you are settled at the Finnish boarding house.”
I will miss Uncle Franki and his kindness to not only sponsor my passage from Finland to Ontario in 1916, but to light the wood burning stove in the red sauna three evenings a week for me. But it is time for me to venture into the United States of America to a new Finnish community forming in a place called Baltimore city, Maryland.
There is a Finnish boarding house in a new rowhome on Oldham Street to house the Finns who came to the Great Lakes area to work at the steel mill in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, work dried up and the men had to move alone to Baltimore to seek work at the Sparrows Point steel mill. At least they had a safe place to sleep and eat and an hour’s trolley into work.
Mandy was excited and at age 18, it was time to move on. She arrived at New York’s massive train station and boarded the train to Baltimore, a three-hour ride. She enjoyed looking out the window at the passing scenery and dreaming of her new beginning. Suddenly, her chest felt light and warm—she remembered Hugo from the train in Tampere and blushed a hot red, What if?...
Once in Baltimore she went to the ticket counter to inquire where to stand for the streetcar to Highlandtown and made her way across the street. She took the dime from her coat pocket and paid for the ride and took a seat, once again looking out the window. The rowhomes fascinated her. There were none in Finland or Ontario. When the driver called out Oldham Street she exited and walked the block to her new job.
Ringing the doorbell and glanced back at the beautiful small yard with rose bushes, daffodils, tulips and pansies. She felt at home. The door was opened by a rotund short rosy cheeked woman around 45 years old. “Welcome my child, I am Aini. Please come in a and let me hang your coat on the hook in the hallway.”
“Thank you, Miss Aini, I am pleased to meet you and looking forward to this new job. I appreciate that I can live here until I get settled.” “Ah my dear one, once you meet someone and get married you can move out. I do believe you will find love right here. Our men are in their thirties and forties, but a new man is joining us in five days. He is 18, just like you and on his way to New York now.” Mandy blushed and was grateful for the change in topic as she toured the sleeping areas for the men in the second floor, one small room for playing cards, one bathroom, and two sleeping areas, each with three bunkbeds to house up to twelve Finnish men.
Mandy shared a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor with Aini. The basement had a decent sized kitchen and a large table with inserts to expand it. The back of the basement had a washing machine, clothesline and the backyard had a long clothes line.
Aini gave Mandy two days off to explore the area. She also took her to the bank to introduce her, set up a checking account and be given permission to deposit checks from the men into the boarding house account. Next was the post office to register for an identification card and be sponsored by Aini for a year until she could set up permanent residency. Last was the market to meet the butcher and clerks and get the food for the upcoming week.
The two days off went by quickly and Mandy was happy to meet some if her Finnish neighbors. Coffee was served at each house, and she took fresh flowers from Miss Aini’s back yard to each woman. This is a welcome custom from Finland. She would be writing home later that day. Monday came quickly and she was eager to work and secretly wondering who this new tenant would be.
The doorbell rang and she went to answer it and nearly fainted—Hugo was standing there with a suitcase on either side of him! Imagine his surprise as well. It seemed like ages before they could speak. “It’s you, I was hoping it would be you.” Hugo lit up and grinned ear to ear as Mandy spoke those words. Aini came over and quietly took the suitcases and waved Hugo inside. She was smiling as she watched the two young ones looking at each other.
Hugo was first to let Aini know that he and Mandy had met on the train from Tampere to Turko two years ago. “Ah, no wonder the recognition and I believe my wish to Mandy is going to come true. But that is my secret with her. Perhaps she will share it with you one day.”
❤️