1927: Prauliena

I have good memories from Prauliena. We were all young: the manager was 27, and the cleaner, Ida Darkevics, was 26-27. Pay was also good; 100 lati and 3 santimi for first-quality butter. This came to 140-150 lati a month, which was good pay at the time (a part-experienced government worker would get 60 lati a month.) Also, all milk products were free: butter, milk, cream, cream cheese, as well as a room and heating. We bought very little; if we made a vegetable soup with lamb we all shared it. I bought all new clothes, the latest fashions; I was a real city boy now, not a country boy. Then I bought a push-bike.

Soon after I arrived, a telephone exchange for the local farmers was opened at the factory. At first there were only thirty subscribers, but at that time it was a big event in the country. The exchange was put in the room I used. We all used it, for a small fee. Because we were all young, especially on weekends, we had a lot of visitors - for the young people it had become a meeting place. The farmers were well-off, butter at the time was expensive, even before the war the whole district had taken care to improve their herds – they had good thoroughbred, brown cows. Also, the standard of education was higher than in south Kurzeme, where I came from. The local farmer’s sons and daughters had finished schooling at Madona high school. There were also some who were studying medicine, pharmacy, or engineering. I got on well with them. I dressed well and I liked girls that were smart and good dancers. We each had a partner. As the exchange was in my room, after-hours I was able to ring my Annina. Her name was Anna Medens, she lived at “Ubanos.” She was the only daughter and had a brother, Peter, who was my friend. Her mother was an invalid and bedridden. After work I often went there as Anna was the cook. The telephone was in her room. They had a large plantation of strawberries. In the spring we ate nice strawberries and made love. While the others worked in the fields, we were free. She was my first true love, even though she was older – 25-26 to my 20. She was lovely, had a good figure, played mandolin well, and only had a slight squint.

The first love was beaten – I went into the national service (compulsory) and my heart-flower went to live with an elderly farmer, without marriage, as a housekeeper. This was very unusual in the country at the time. I held her in my highest respect.

When I left for the national service, the committee decided that I should come back when I finished as Marija the manager was planning to marry a local farmer and I hoped to be a manager. I packed all of my possessions into a blanket pack and sold the bike. I took a week holiday and went to see a friend, Kronberg, who had been the accountant’s assistant at Prauliena but had been transferred and promoted to accountant to Druviena. Just before going to service I went to the new-soldier’s farewell ball at Lazdona, about five kilometres from Prauliena. I met a friend from Prauliena; she was working in Madona as a hairdresser and had her own shop. She was beautiful and a very good dancer.