Right from beginning, Andy was special. When his brothers go to school, he stay home with me. I like to draw picture...and so did he. We even draw picture of each other. I like to draw cat a lot and so did he. When he is little boy, I leave room for one minute and he not there when I come back. "Where is my Andek?" I ask. "Where he go?" and everyone is laughing.
I know early on Andy not like other boys. He go into town with me and pick out hat for me. One time he pick out black felt hat and then he go home and paint edge of hat so it has gold edge. It look beautiful. I also like to cut tin flowers out of fruit tin cans and soup cans too. And Andy always help me. Just a little boy but he take after his Mom. He was artist even then.
Long time go by and Andy become grown man. I visit him in New York and tell him he need me. Then I go back to Pittsburgh but I miss him. I pack up and come back to New York and move in with him.
The first apartment we live in not very nice, filled with cats and mice and roaches. Cats everywhere. Once I count twenty cats and still mice all over!
I go to gallery one night for opening of Andy's first show. When I get there I have odd feeling. People there they look at me like I'm different, strange. I feel this but no one say nothing to me. I think they say things behind my back maybe. You know what I mean? "Andy's Old Mom with babushka is from Old Country." I just stay in background all the time. I no talk to nobody but Andy. I tell him how proud I am and to do right thing and find his ideas in dreams. Those are my words. But I no go to no other show of his work. Ever!
He is still good son to me always but he worry too much about money. When I move here he take me to Woolworth's for Thanksgiving Day dinner. We sit at counter and have turkey platter with everything. It is not bad food but Andy look so sad because he have no money then. I tell him not to worry. "You will be somebody someday. You are hard worker," I say. "Just wait. Be patient."
Even though I complain sometime, I like my life here. I watch I Love Lucy show on television. And people in New York very friendly and everyone in apartment building polite and helpful. I go to big church - very nice - on 15th Street and 2nd Avenue where I see all my friends and every day I go to A&P; to buy food. And I like Andy's friends. They kid with me and tease me and I laugh. They know I love my son and am good for him always.
Andy does get angry with me sometime. He say I nag too much. I tell him he no dress right. I tell him right out that I only stay with him till he find nice girl and get married. That is my dream. Once he get married, I tell him I go home to Pittsburgh. He never say nothing when I bring this up. He is good boy but moody, very moody sometime, not a talker like his Mom, ya?