Chapter 25

Marian

Baseball

In the 50’s, Marian (an old friend) and I went to a lot of ball games in San Francisco. We were staunch Giant fans and of course there was no one like Willy Mays. We generally went up and back the same day. One time I was getting fitted for a new brace and she was taking a class in operating a switchboard; (yes, those were the days before computers and so forth); so we stayed in a hotel. We were looking out of our window one evening when we saw a fellow coming out of an establishment across from us.

A shot rang out! We stepped back. There was a hole in the window just about an inch above my head. We called the desk clerk and he in turn called the police. From there on it was almost like the TV show Dragnet. There was a hole in the window, but they couldn’t find the shell in the room. The detectives kept saying, “Are you hurt? “No, I think I would feel it if I had actually been shot.” “Not necessarily.” As usual we saw the humor in that episode as we did in a lot of things. However, later I did lose a patch of hair from the top of my head. The doctor told me it was due to shock. Later we heard the fellow had just robbed the place and evidently didn’t want us to identify him. He missed me, fortunately, but what was really great was he missed Marian also. Marian is taller than I and if she had been standing where I was he could have easily hit her.

Chapter 26

Piano/Accordion

When we moved into our new home on September 5, 1950, we finally had room for a piano. When friends would come over we would gather around the piano and have a songfest. I also loved to just sit and play when I was alone. Fred, being from an Old Italian family, did not want me to go out of the home to work. One of the things I did with my time that gave me much pleasure and fulfillment was that I started teaching piano and accordion lessons.

The teaching part came about quite by accident. Or maybe it was just meant to be. I’ve always felt I was born to be a teacher, as I have always enjoyed imparting any knowledge that someone else might find useful. My first students, a brother and sister, were the children of some friends of ours. They asked if I would teach them to play the piano. I said I would try and see how it worked out. Then Ken, one of my nephews, asked if I would teach him the accordion and word got around about my teaching both instruments. Thus my teaching career started, and by word of mouth went on for 25 years. The recitals were fun for the kids so they could show off their talent and of course I was very proud of them.