The Times, They Are A-Changin’. Thank God.

I already submitted a few stories about my grandmother, such as “War Will Leave You Cold” and “Unless You’re Dying, It’s Not Worth My Time“, but there are plenty of positive things to say about her.

She went to work as a servant girl at the age of fourteen, and even though her mistress was all right, she also swore that no child of hers would ever grow up to be “staff”. That was a tough proposition for a girl from a family of peasants, who had dropped out of school due to the Great War breaking out (the family house being a few miles away from the frontline).

However, fast forward thirty years, my grandmother is married to a shipyard worker and their firstborn daughter has just completed her primary studies. They discuss with the teachers about enrolling her into intermediate school (a type of school giving access to higher studies), at a time when all but the town’s elite send their children to the technical school.

A few days later, my grandmother receives a visit from the town’s parson. After a few social niceties, the chat focuses on the girl’s studies, and this happens, word for word.

Parson: “Your girl is not really attending intermediate school, is she?”

Grandmother: “Why wouldn’t she?”

Parson: *Huffing* “Because, if the children of the peasants start going to school, who will work as staff anymore?”

We don’t know what my grandmother replied, but the parson left much faster than he’d arrived. The girl — my aunt — went to intermediate school and ended up managing a post office.

Related:
War Will Leave You Cold
Unless You’re Dying, It’s Not Worth My Time