Yiayia's Journey Part 11

The month of September, 1945 brought great relief to Yiayia's New Kensington, PA home. WWII had finally come to an end. And soon, a letter from Greece arrived with welcome but sobering news. The beloved mother and siblings Yiayia had left behind in Greece were indeed still alive. But a picture of her older sister revealed great suffering. Her stomach distended and her eyes hollowed, Calliope had nearly starved to death under Axis rule. And as Greece mourned a huge death toll, the people faced yet another tribulation. 

With the Greek economy devastated under Axis occupation, the task to rebuild would be a daunting one - and civil unrest was brewing. So as American soldiers returned home and working women left factories, Yiayia sprung into action. She'd gather clothing, shoes, and cash, then wrap them in cloth tightly sown with heavy thread. Little Tasso once remarked that "they look like giant American baseballs, Mama." Such measures were taken to ensure safe delivery. Yet Yiayia suspected theft was rampant and to her utter frustration, many of her care packages never actually reached her family. Nevertheless, she would send even more off again and again with hope and prayers. 

Meanwhile at Papou's "The Busy Bee" diner, business slowed as military customers returned home. And the local New Kensington crime family only exacerbated the problem. Running local prostitution, loansharking, and gambling, they also "taxed" most produce, meat, and goods needed for inventory. So one day in 1946, "The Busy Bee" served its last hungry customer and shut its doors. And with the end of that era, Papou looked forward to retiring. 

But such was not meant to be. As if the Great Depression wasn't hard enough, Papou and Giagia learned terrible news. Whatever savings they'd left secured in the Greek bank in their homeland had turned to ash. And now the long awaited reunion between Giagia and her beloved mother and siblings would face yet another agonizing delay.

Yiayia's mother and siblings