During those early Depression years, Eric Hopf knew that he was fortunate to have a job, especially one that included room and board in a lovely home, and proximity to an attractive woman who was attracted to HIM! His job was easy - just have the Cadillac ready to go wherever Campbell or the family needed it, tend the furnace, and keep the yard tidy and the grass cut. Once he took Campbell to wherever destination he needed to go, he was free to chauffeur Jeanette to her principal activities, which were shopping, visiting relatives, and visiting Mrs. Hopf, his mother.
Jeanette had maintained her friendship with Gerta Hopf. Eric was 26 when he moved in and mother was 32. Jeanette bought Eric a much larger tropical fish tank than the one he moved in with to keep his tropical fish on display in the rear sunroom where he also ate all his meals alone. Eric was not included in any family meals or activities except as driver.
Campbell continued to set up his typewriter every morning on the dining room table to write his correspondence for the day. Florence would serve him his breakfast there, and Ed Gregor would often join him. Eric would go in and get his orders for the day, but his conversations with Campbell were short and to the point. The two men had little in common. The four of us - Martha, Nannie, Irv, and Helen would be noisily eating breakfast and getting ready for school in the kitchen under the watchful eye of Florence, and sometimes Mother. Eric was totally indifferent to the four of us. Oh, he would drive us to school on rainy or very cold days, but he cared nothing for us, and he was especially irritated by 8 year old Irv! Irv had to share part of the garage with Eric as Campbell had his carpenters build a little workbench for Irv in a corner and a ladder leading up to his pigeon coops. Every once in awhile Irv would make a mess with sawdust or wood shavings and did not always sweep it all up. Mother was expecting Grandma and Grandpa Beck one weekend to show off her new house and Irv had left a terrific mess in the garage. Eric was pointing it out to her when Irv came in and mother angrily said, "You should get a good spanking for leaving this mess!" I was standing in the far corner feeding my rabbits, when to my horror, Eric unbuckled and took off his leather belt and thrust it in her hands saying, "Here - go ahead!" As children, we were never hit or beaten - ever! She took one look at Eric, swung the belt around, and whacked him across the chest with it, saying "I dont need a belt to discipline my kids!" If she had struck Irv with the belt, I would never have forgiven her...But, she used it right back on Eric, and I loved her for it!
Weeks later we all went to the Lincoln Park Zoo to see the fearsome Bushman, the world famous gorilla. We were all standing in front of his cage with a small crowd. Uncle Eugene had hoisted Irv up on his shoulder for a better look when suddenly Irv looked over at Eric, who was standing beside mother, and shouted, "Hey Eric - do you still think you're so tough!"
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