I have no memory of my father being arrested.
Category Archives: Childhood in Prague
The Backyard of Our Apartment House
When I came back to Prague after my father had been arrested, the apartment itself was still there, but the life around it had changed. The family businesses and the car were gone. My mother sold what could still be sold. My uncle Antonín Valach liquidated his art gallery and gave my mother the money to help her get through that period.
Away from Home
My mother’s first cousin, teta Maruška — Maria Chalupníková, born Knihová — lived in Tvrdošín. Her son was Milan. I was there more than once. My mother sometimes needed somebody else to take care of me for a while. She sometimes had very bad eczema on her arms and had to spend a few weeks in the hospital for treatment, and I do not know whether that was the reason for any particular stay in Tvrdošín.
Father Comes Home
I do not remember my father coming home.
Výčapky
My mother’s sister, teta Gabi, was an elementary school teacher in Výčapky, and her husband, strýc Štefan, was the principal of the school. Their children were Peter and Danka. The family lived in the same building as the school.
Radošina
My mother’s sister, teta Manci, was married to strýc Lóňa, who was a doctor. Their children were Vierka and Janko. After the war they lived in Mariánské Lázně, where Lóňa had his office. After what happened with Kudibal, which I have written about in his story, they moved to Radošina, and there Lóňa was the regional doctor.