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My father was a timber-merchant. He was that kind of timber-merchant, who bought the timber in the wood, but someone else managed it [further], because he liked playing cards.
He signed the contracts over the timber – since he didn’t buy the wood, just its product, the timber –, and he went to play cards. That’s what my father did. He had an employee, a gardener, he was called Hajdar, and he managed everything.
They sawed up the wood, as it was required – they counted in cords then –, they transported it to the railway station and loaded it into freighters. Well, this Hajdar administered everything, he was measuring with others, everything. And my father ran away, he had a game of cards.
I don’t know whether they played in money, I don’t know either what kind of game they were playing, but I think they played with Hungarian cards. I wouldn’t have dared to ask my father: ‘Do you play in money?’ It was impossible.
He signed the contracts over the timber – since he didn’t buy the wood, just its product, the timber –, and he went to play cards. That’s what my father did. He had an employee, a gardener, he was called Hajdar, and he managed everything.
They sawed up the wood, as it was required – they counted in cords then –, they transported it to the railway station and loaded it into freighters. Well, this Hajdar administered everything, he was measuring with others, everything. And my father ran away, he had a game of cards.
I don’t know whether they played in money, I don’t know either what kind of game they were playing, but I think they played with Hungarian cards. I wouldn’t have dared to ask my father: ‘Do you play in money?’ It was impossible.
Period
Location
Romania
Interview
Alice Kosa