The Sweet Train to Warsaw Summer 1963

At first I thought all the passengers were going to a funeral. All the women dressed in black, peasant farmers, with wicker baskets packed with fine produce apples, plums. tomato and the odd milk churn.They were all short yet big built women, round faces rusty red , blue eyes and the whites as pure as Babcia's white cotton table cloths.

They were talking about us, I could tell. They seemed suspicious. They gave my Mother a lot of attention. I heard ' Americanski' mentioned and June Alison (she was the one in White Christmas) they eyed my Mother from Stiletto heal to boufant hair, I suppose it could have been easy for them to think she was a film star in my mind, she did look good.
My sister and I were wearing beige suade Hush puppy shoes, these caused some facination too. The women bending their heads over huge breasts and stomachs to touch them. I remember the pile of the suade moving from one way to the other.They touched our socks, felt the quality of the fabric our skirts were made from, "They won't hurt" Mother said. So we sat still; observing them observing us.

With them was a girl about our age, squashed between their ample folds, we smiled at her and she smiled back. We wanted to be friends but we couldn't share words so we kept smiling.
More women got on the train, more baskets, more fruit, more milk women jostling like barrels in their black uniforms. My mother gave my sister and I a sweet lollipop, handing one to the little girl. All the women looked they were puzzled.
"Eat them" my Mother said.
"Show them".
We peeled off the wrappers and so did the girl. We put the honey lollipops in our mouths made them wet to get the flavour started and the young girl causiously did the same. By then we could taste the full flavour and then all of a sudden the young girl smiled and spoke to the ladies besides her. They each sucked on to that lollipop and one by one their stern round faces changed to smiles as it was passed around.My Mother went into her handbag and gave the little girl all of the remaining lollipops
We understood her when she said "thank you ,thank you."

The train pulled into Warsaw Central Station, the women pushing their whickers baskets with strong hands and feet as close to the doors as they could.
The train stopped Dad had told us to wait till they all got off first. We followed them. Some remained on the platforms selling their produce others went out into the street and others disappeared out into the city. We caught sight of the little girl, who stood by the women holding the honey flavoured lollipops in the air; roughly translated her sales pitch said, "Sweet honey from America, as eaten by film stars!"