Visit in Philadelphia
During the summer when the relatives in Philly went up to the cottage at Lake Winola to escape the unbearable heat, guess where my father took us on vacation. Philadelphia.
I was sitting in the living room at the Norkus's on 219 Wharton St. with Joanie Norkus watching TV. I remember this because there was breaking news. Marilyn Monroe was dead. Then my father walks in and tells us we have to go because there was going to be a visitor. Joanie disappears out the kitchen door but I come back in.
I gasped in astonishment when Joseph stepped through the front screen door. I said: "You look just like Mr. Clean!". He turns toward me, looks at me, and says with a gruff broken-English voice: "Mr. Clean? What's Mr. Clean? Tell me. What's this Mr. Clean?"
My mother turned red. I said something he couldn't understand about clean and dirt. It was dead quiet for a minute. Then the adults began speaking in Lithuanian. The visit lasted about 15 - 20 minutes and he left.
Joseph was starting a job working in maintenance in a factory on the 3 to 11 shift.
I will never forget it because he really did look like the man on the Mr. Clean bottle - bald, white short sleeve t-shirt, beige pants, strong ripped muscles - everything except the earring.
This was Julia's brother.
I was sitting in the living room at the Norkus's on 219 Wharton St. with Joanie Norkus watching TV. I remember this because there was breaking news. Marilyn Monroe was dead. Then my father walks in and tells us we have to go because there was going to be a visitor. Joanie disappears out the kitchen door but I come back in.
I gasped in astonishment when Joseph stepped through the front screen door. I said: "You look just like Mr. Clean!". He turns toward me, looks at me, and says with a gruff broken-English voice: "Mr. Clean? What's Mr. Clean? Tell me. What's this Mr. Clean?"
My mother turned red. I said something he couldn't understand about clean and dirt. It was dead quiet for a minute. Then the adults began speaking in Lithuanian. The visit lasted about 15 - 20 minutes and he left.
Joseph was starting a job working in maintenance in a factory on the 3 to 11 shift.
I will never forget it because he really did look like the man on the Mr. Clean bottle - bald, white short sleeve t-shirt, beige pants, strong ripped muscles - everything except the earring.
This was Julia's brother.
