Growing Up

Paula and Kathy had been good friends since elementary school. Paula and her brother David lived in a sprawling house close to town. Kathy was the oldest of five kids. They lived in a boxy house on the very edge of town. Paula's father owned an insurance office. Kathy's dad managed a metal foundry.

Paula's family always included Kathy in their fun. They invited her to backyard barbeques, sleepovers, birthday parties, and festivals at temple. One unforgettable Saturday, Paula's mom took both girls to New York City by bus. They took the subway to the Museum of Natural History. Paula's mom bought them lunch and souvenirs.

Sometimes Kathy felt a little jealous. Paula had her own room and beautiful clothes. Her dad drove a shiny new car. Both families belonged to the local swim club. Paula's family had a poolside cabana. Kathy's family rented a small dressing room. In winter, Paula vacationed in Florida. Kathy spent the holidays with her grandparents. She spent her vacations at the shore with her cousins. Paula never mentioned her grandparents or talked about her cousins. Curiously, there were no family photographs in Paula's house.

One day, in middle school, Paula's mom was a substitute for Kathy's history teacher. She smiled at Kathy, who was sitting in the first row. As Paula's mom read aloud from the textbook, Kathy learned about the events in Europe leading up to World War II. Only when Paula's mom laid her book down did Kathy first notice the line of blue numbers tattooed on her forearm. As Kathy had just learned, those numbers were tattooed on people in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.









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