The California Immigrant

by Barbara Anne King

  Chapter 32

  Karlo told Lena she was now the lady of the house. And the three sisters emphasized that she needed to be responsible for their father since she was living with him. Martin was not fond of the new setup. He liked his independence and still found Karlo a bit much to take at times. But it appeared he had no choice in the matter. “One day this house will be yours,” Karlo said to him. “But until then I am still the master of it.” Under the circumstances, Martin had to put up with the situation but he was determined to find another solution.

  Christmas was only a few days away. There were three children in the house expecting Santa Claus to visit but there was no Christmas tree, no stockings hung by the chimney with care, only a wreath with black ribbon hung on the door. Calla lilies, brought by mourners, adorned every room, and the adults in the house wore black garments and a stoic look on their faces, trying to hold back tears of grief. “What are we going to do for the children this holiday?” Martin asked Lena.

  “I don’t think father will want any celebrations. It’s too soon after mother’s passing.”

  “But Christmas comes but once a year. Children do not understand mourning rituals; they live for the moment. Can’t we just have a few presents under a small tree for them?”

  “I’ll have to speak to father about it.” Martin did not like her tone. Nor did he like that her father had to approve everything about their lives. Karlo could skip out on Christmas if he wanted to, but Martin did not want his young children missing out on their high point of the year. Besides Christmas was not only about Santa Claus but about Christ’s birth, which is a holy day on the Church calendar. If Pauline could speak from her grave, Martin felt certain she would tell them to go ahead, “Let the children have their happiness while they can.”

  Martin reflected back onto Christmas 1906 that he and Uncle Anton’s family shared in Oakland. They were still mourning Paul’s death but Pauli had been born bringing joy and renewed hope. That Christmas had been a melancholy one and even the Christmas tree reflected their mood with its branches, spindly and sagging, bearing the weight of homemade ornaments. But the family was together, with the exception of Paul. And when they’d gathered around the table to partake in the traditional Christmas Eve meal, they felt an almost sacramental blessing in each other’s presence. Yes, we have to take every moment of happiness when we can. I’m even looking forward to Santa’s visit.

  The holiday season passed slowly for Martin with his restaurant closed for the week and finding himself at home with Karlo without a means of escape in the evenings. During the day, he spent as much time as possible at the grocery store, observing the operation and going over the books. The women seemed to be happy shoppers and when they picked up a piece of produce to inspect it, the item usually found its way into their baskets. That told him they were pleased with the quality and the price was right.

  When the workweek started up, Martin returned to his restaurant where he would spend long hours most days. Liu and Chao had noticed how he dawdled at closing time and wondered about the reason, but they never wanted to intrude by asking him outright. Even they knew, while there could be multiple women in a household sharing the duties, there could only be one man of the house.

  A couple months later, Martin came home one evening to find Lena at the table, crying. He had never seen Lena like this and became alarmed. Putting his arm around her, he said, “It can’t be all that bad. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Oh, Martin, I’m in the family way again. And I don’t know how we’ll manage this time without mother. She took such good care of me and also the children.”

  Martin dropped the arm around Lena and stood back in surprise. “The family way? How can that be? With your father around keeping me up late talking, we haven’t had much time for romance.”

  “It only takes one time. I think it happened the night of my mother’s funeral when you had had so much sljivovica and I needed comforting. I remember falling into your arms and you being so tender and loving that we got totally swept up in our passion.”

  Martin smiled. “I remember that night, too. When I came home from the war, you had been in no state to give me a hero’s welcome, and I didn’t expect it. So, my welcome had been delayed until that night. I will never forget it.” Then he moved toward Lena and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Extending his hand, he helped her up, drew her into his arms, and kissed her like he had never kissed her before, causing her to swoon. It was then that he heard Karlo call out, “Everything all right in there?”

  Still holding Lena in his arms, Martin grimaced. “There’s nothing for you to worry about.” At that, he scooped Lena up in his arms and carried her off to bed, hoping Karlo would stay in his room and leave them undisturbed.

  Chapter 33

  Lena gave birth to another baby boy in August, christened Tomis Paul—Tomis after Tomislav, the first King of Croatia, and Paul, after Pauline whose death had brought forth his life. The celebration was a typically joyous affair with plenty of food and champagne flowing freely. Unbeknownst to guests and hosts alike, it would be one of the last times for a long time that alcohol would be part of such a celebration.

  On October 28, 1919, Congress passed the Volstead Act, the National Prohibition Law, and by mid-January the country would be dry, although farmers could make wine for personal use. Meantime, grape growers had found a new market, rushing to produce grape concentrates for the demand. With so many farmers in Watsonville as well as easy access to nearby vineyards, the townsfolk could continue imbibing in the privacy of their own homes.

  However, Martin had a problem and he needed to find a solution. His restaurant patrons were accustomed to having wine with dinner and then following with shots of sljivovica and other liquors. Where he came from, wine was part of the meal and even children enjoyed it, albeit a little watered down. Moreover, there was a bigger profit to be made from liquor sales, so without them he might risk his restaurant going under.

  While farmers could make their own wine, the sale and transportation of it was prohibited. Perhaps, he could make the wine at the restaurant and not overtly charge for it. Patrons would be made to understand their entrees would end up costing a bit more if wine was served.

  The first few Saturday dinner hours after the country went dry, most tables remained empty until closing time. Martin didn’t know what to make of it at first until Michael stopped in for lunch one day and he asked him about it. “Don’t you know people are going up to San Francisco to the speakeasies.” Now it all made sense.

  Martin had heard that many fine-dining restaurants were struggling to survive, giving rise to fast-food-type establishments such as lunch counters in department stores. If Ford’s decides to do that, it would be all he’d needed to shutter his restaurant. But Martin’s instinct was to fight—he dug his heels in, refusing to give in and accept defeat.

  At first, everything went to plan. He was able to obtain wine bricks from vintners, which contained the instructions to dissolve the brick in a gallon of water to make fruit juice. But each brick also carried a warning not to put it in a cool cupboard for twenty-one days since it would turn to wine under those conditions. Of course, Martin took the warning as further instructions, as they were secretly meant to be, and within a few weeks had wine to serve his customers, and many returned for the Saturday dinner hour rather than travel the distance to a speakeasy.

  It wasn’t long before the authorities caught on, and Martin received a visit from a policeman at closing time. “Are you serving liquor?”

  While Liu and Chao made themselves busy cleaning up the kitchen, Martin met the officer in the dining room to answer his question. “You know that is illegal now,” he said, trying to evade a direct answer.

  “I’m glad you’re not going to plead ignorance. But you didn’t exactly answer my question, so I’m going to have to take a look around.” The policeman moved toward the kitchen.

  Liu and Chao continued to work until Martin said, “Step o
ut here so the officer can see we have nothing to hide.”

  Liu and Chao followed instructions, since they had had plenty of time to clean up and put everything away for safe storage. The policeman looked around and took a couple of deep inhales to determine if he noted any familiar odors. Even though all the dishes had already been washed, he took a glass in his hands to give it a sniff. Then he opened all the cupboards and searched for contraband but came up empty-handed.

  The policeman came out of the kitchen and went up to Martin. “I didn’t find anything this time, but don’t think you’re off the hook. I’ll be back.”

  “We live in difficult times, officer. You’re welcome back anytime, but I doubt you will find anything more than you did today.”

  When the officer left, Martin returned to the kitchen where Liu and Chao had been listening. “Thanks for cleaning up. But we may have to be even more careful in the future.”

  That night when Martin returned home, he told Lena the story of his near miss with the law. Lena opened her eyes wide, and Martin thought he saw a ripple of fear cross her face. “Martin, please don’t do anything to get yourself in trouble, to risk our future.”

  “By now you should know, Lena, that everything I do is for our future. Of course, I won’t do anything to harm our family.”

  Lena began to sob. “It’s just that everything is so difficult now, especially with mother gone. I just couldn’t bear it if you went off to jail. How would we even survive?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ve survived worse…much, much worse. Don’t forget I survived a long, rough sea voyage, the earthquake, and the war. This is nothing in comparison.” Martin put his arms around Lena and just held her tightly. She continued to cry for a time and then they headed off to bed.

  A few weeks later, Officer Soldati came by again, but this time he did not wait until closing time. When he showed his face, customers were still at the tables, enjoying the last drops of their liquors. He made a beeline for Martin in the kitchen. “So, I see you are violating the law. I should not only arrest you, but all of your customers, too.”

  Martin motioned for the officer to enter the kitchen where they could speak privately. In addition, this would give time for Chao to hurry the customers out before they were caught up in the net.

  When Officer Soldati came into the kitchen, he said, “Turn around,” clamping handcuffs on Martin. “Now you’re coming down to the station with me.”

  Martin looked in the direction of Liu and Chao who were trying not to listen and had turned their backs on the situation. “I want to make a phone call before I go.”

  “You can do that after you’re booked. But right now you’re coming with me.” Then he forced Martin out of the restaurant, pushed him into the back seat of his car, and took off. Martin was aghast at the indignity of it all. They took a mug shot and fingerprinted him before letting him make a call. Afterward, they put him behind bars like a common criminal. Martin had called his brother-in-law Filip who met him at the police station.

  “Martin, I think you should get an attorney. You don’t want to complicate matters for yourself by not having good legal advice.”

  “Of course, you’re right. If you know someone, can you call him for me?”

  “Yes, I can do that. But now you have to realize you have two choices.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You can stop serving liquor or you can pay protection money.”

  “Protection money?” Then he remembered Vito at the Fullerton Fish Market and didn’t want to have anything to do with the underworld. “That’s not for me.”

  “Well, then that means you have chosen to stop making and selling liquor. Now you’ve doomed your restaurant.” Martin took a deep breath. He knew he couldn’t let the restaurant fail. “If you want to be a businessman in America, you have to learn how things work and how to get things done.”

  “Maybe I’ve just been naïve. How do I go about arranging protection?”

  Officer Soldati continued to make visits, but now he only wanted to collect his envelope containing the money required to protect Martin and his business from the law. Business went smoothly and even continued to prosper, so Martin felt it was money well spent. But it still didn’t sit well that he had given in to Vito’s evil twin.

  Chapter 34

  Now the battle on the home front continued to escalate. One night, when he arrived home after cooking all day, Lena confronted him. “Father spends all day yelling. If it isn’t at the boys, then it’s at me. I don’t think I can stand to live like this much longer.” Martin knew he was able to avoid the worst of the home life while at work. He had not intended to live under Karlo’s roof as long as they had, but it had enabled him to save money to reinvest in his businesses and build a nest egg for the future. Maybe the future is now.

  “I know something has to give. We all can’t continue to live together. Old men and boys just don’t mix. Not to mention, an old buck and young buck are apt to lock horns and fight to the death, so to speak.”

  Lena nodded, although Martin thought she didn’t quite understand his meaning. “What is the solution then?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? We have to have our own home.”

  “Oh, Martin, this is our home.” Now Lena began to cry and Martin realized the situation would not have an easy answer.

  “The other solution is for your father to move out, but this is his home so I don’t think we can expect him to do that.”

  At that moment, Karlo came into the kitchen. “I thought I heard my name mentioned. What seems to be the problem?”

  Martin did not want to address him directly, and he certainly did not want to cause a problem between Lena and her father. “We were just discussing how active the boys have become and the fact that they are wreaking havoc in the house.”

  “You can say that again. Now that we’re on the subject, you need to get those boys under control, after all you’re they’re father. You can’t expect Lena to do the job for you.”

  Now Martin was mad but he knew better than to blow his top, even though he could feel his blood pressure rising and pulse quickening. He looked away and took a couple of deep breaths. Thankfully, Lena stepped into the breach.

  “Father, you know Martin is working hard for the family. But his schedule just doesn’t give him much time for the children. He’s doing his best to be a good father.”

  “Well, best is not good enough. Before you know it, those boys will be juvenile delinquents. Thank God Clara has you as a role model.”

  “Karlo, it seems we all can no longer tolerate each other. Do you have a solution besides my finding a new career and giving up my business to spend more time at home?”

  “All I know is I’m too old for all this racket I have to put up with. And don’t think Clara is so innocent. She screams while the boys fight and carry on. Maybe I should help you down at the restaurant so I can get away, too.”

  That’s all I need. “Look, it’s getting late and tomorrow is a school day so the kids will be up early. Let’s think things over and talk about this again another time.”

  The first person in the door for lunch was Karlo. He took the table nearest the kitchen so he could talk with Martin during breaks between customers. Liu noticed him first and pointed. “Martin, look who’s here.”

  Martin stopped what he was doing to take a glance in the direction of Liu’s pointer finger. “What in the world is he doing here?” Martin looked down to continue his cooking tasks and pretended that he had not seen Karlo. But since no other customers had yet arrived, Karlo had no hesitation in going into the kitchen to speak directly to Martin.

  “I didn’t want to wait until some unspecified future time to discuss the home front. We need to come to some sort of resolution.”

  “Well, your timing is off. Can’t you see I’m getting ready for the lunch hour and am in no frame of mind to brainstorm solutions with you?”

  “Okay. I’ll wait until lunch is over. Then yo
u should have time to focus on the issue. Meanwhile, I might as well eat. What is the fish of the day?”

  “Sit down. I will send Chao over with the menu, and he can answer any questions you might have.” Karlo shuffled back to the table. This was the first time Martin noticed his gait. He didn’t pick up his feet and his stride was off. He’s starting to get old—that’s what’s wrong with him. Young and old just don’t mix.

  Once lunch was over, Martin pulled up a chair to sit down at Karlo’s table. “You had the catch of the day. How did you like it?”

  “Sand dabs are one of my favorite fish. It was always a good payday when I pulled them up in my net. And you cooked them to perfection.”

  “You have so many good memories of fishing, maybe you should go back to it.” Even as he humored Karlo, he knew he was getting too old for the type of physical work commercial fishing required, especially in the Pacific Ocean where seas could be rough, unlike the Adriatic which was always smooth sailing.

  Karlo shook his head. “You know as well as I do that my fishing days are over. But now let’s talk about what’s going on at home when I’m there and you’re not.”

  “Go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind.” Martin did not want to volunteer to move his family out of the house because he did not have the money yet to replace the home they were living in.

  “I know nothing can happen right away. So, I propose you give me a job so I have something to do away from the house. Maybe I could work at the grocery store.”

  Martin thought a minute before answering. This may turn out better than he thought, at least it would bide him time until he could find a solution to their living arrangements. “Karlo, give me a minute to take off this apron and put on my jacket and let’s go over to the grocery where we can talk about what you might like to do.”