Servus. . .Fog and ice has settled on Cluj the past few days like a dusky flannel blanket, making the cold seem colder, bleakness becomes more bleak. Color fades before my eyes. Everywhere I look there is the gray of the fog, the icy air cuts through to the bone like a chisel and my breath seems to hang in the air then falls to the ground. People bundle in heavy coats of fur and wool; scarves pulled up from the neck cover everything but the eyes. Warm winter hats of every shape and size perch atop heads. Boots plod through puddles that earlier in the morning were ice. Toddlers wrapped in layer upon layer of sweaters, topped with tiny, colorful coats, look like little Eskimos as they waddle next to their mothers. Only the horses appear oblivious to the bite of the frost as they pull carts through the city, their steps appear higher and lighter as they prance, drawing the load behind them.
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"Gabi!" I exclaimed, "I thought you were in Gherla Prison. When and how did you get out?"
He grinned and said, "Oh, the police finally let me go." He went on to say that when Ole and I had been at Gherla Prison a few weeks ago, he had seen us and called out to Ole. Obviously we didn't hear him.
Gabi then went on a tirade about how cold it was. He pointed to where they now are sleeping out in the open next to the kiosk, by the fire to keep from freezing. I saw anger and panic on his face as he ranted on and on. We had brought them some clothes a couple of days earlier that Radu had collected from friends. Gabi told us, "Those clothes were mainly for women. We need warm clothes. We need blankets." We listened, then left the kids to their food. They were already roasting the sausages we brought, stuck on branches in the fire.
Needless to say, when I got home I couldn't get the sight of that small fire out of my head, and Gabi's words echoed in my ears. I called Radu and told him that we had a mission to accomplish. "I have to get some blankets for those kids. Tonight!" Radu wasn't surprised.
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I said, "No problem. What we'll tell them is this, if they sell the blankets, that's fine. If they get stolen or lost, that's their problem." I simply knew I had to give them this chance to stay somewhat warm. If they blow it, it's their choice. I'll know that I tried to help.
We got back to the kiosk and only one of the boys was there. I called him over and we asked where the others were. "In the passage," was his reply as he pointed over toward the steps that lead to a passageway under the street and takes you safely to the train station. Radu told him to go get the other kids.
A few minutes later, five of the kids came back running to our car. We opened the trunk and presented them all with one blanket each. I was shocked yet pleased to see Oana among their group. Oana is a homeless girl we met a month ago when we stopped some perverted man from picking her up.
"How old are you Oana?" I asked.
"Seventeen," she replied.
"Unde mama si tata?" Where are your mother and father, I asked.
"Mort" dead, was her unaffected answer.
"Sigur?" are you sure, I heard myself asking her. "What a stupid question," I thought. But I was so taken aback the tone in her voice, I thought she might be lying.
"Sigur," she replied.
I asked about brothers and sisters. She told me that all eight of them were in an orphanage in another city of the country.
Oana then changed the subject and pointed to her shoes. "I need new shoes."
Radu reminded me of the tennis shoes we had in the trunk. They had been too small for the boys, they just might fit Oana. We both dove for them in the trunk at the same time and came up with one shoe each. We handed them to her.
As she tried them on she declared, "Bun," good. They fit well.
Then, as she was lacing them up, I noticed that she had no socks. I knew there were none in the trunk. I wanted to tell her to meet us here tomorrow and I would bring some socks for her. But no, that wouldn't do. She had to have socks tonight. I sat down in the car and pulled off one of my boots and a sock and handed it to Oana. Then I pulled the other boot and sock off and gave that one to her too. I think everyone was a little stunned at what I was doing, but I simply could not leave that girl on a freezing, wet, foggy night without socks on her feet. I had other socks back at the apartment. She didn't.
Mission accomplished! All the blankets were distributed but one. We are saving that Csaby. He hasn't been at la gara for several days now. The kids told us that he's gone back to his home county of Satu Mare to obtain a passport. Csaby is Hungarian, and he's going to try to go there for a while. It's odd really, some of the boys and girls disappear for days, even weeks at a time, only to show up back in Cluj. Most have tales of adventures in Bucharest, or in the warmer months at the Black Sea. We'll just keep this blanket in the trunk of my car until Csaby shows up in Cluj again. Even Marius is missing from the streets and no one seems to know where he's vanished. The kids do tell us that Marius robbed from Csaby's stash, a big "no-no" among their ranks. We suppose Marius is hiding out until things cool down for him.
December 1, Romania's Independence Day. What a celebration it was and not just for Romania's independence. It was a day of "firsts" for our little Gabi who is now in the Child Protection Center. True to his word, Dan Tomas, the social worker in charge of Gabi's case, let us take Gabi out of the center for the afternoon and then to the fireworks and celebration that evening. We picked up Gabi around 3:30 and got him to help us set up the food in the individual bags to be distributed to the street kids.
Yes! This was my vision in action. Gabi, barely off the streets a week, was going to help us feed the kids still on the streets. What a miracle! I was quite apprehensive as to how he would be seen by the other kids, but Gabi seemed totally oblivious. Good! I could be nervous, but I didn't want him to be.
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After we fed the kids, we realized that Gabi must be starving! Where did we take him to eat? McDonald's of course! He'd seen McDonald's from the outside, but had never, ever been inside. We bought him a double cheeseburger with fries and a Sprite. After he ate, we all got ice cream sundaes.
I can't begin to tell you the emotion going through my being at that very moment. I couldn't take my eyes off this child, this miracle in the works. I told Radu, "We're watching a miracle!"
"No," Radu replied, "we're living a miracle."
So true. So very true.
It was getting dark, but the celebration and fireworks display were a couple of hours away. So, what's an Independence Day without firecrackers? Those infernal things had been going off all over the city for weeks now, even though they're illegal. But, on December 1, they're perfectly legal. There were some Gypsies in front of McDonald's selling the firecrackers and we purchased a few boxes of them. We did drive to a safe place so that all the "boys," Mark, Radu and Gabi could shoot them off to their hearts content.
Finally we went down to Piata Avram Iancu by the Orthodox Cathedral and joined the throngs gathered there to listen to concerts and then marvel at the fireworks display. It was quite foggy and we were concerned that we wouldn't be able to see the fireworks through the fog. The mood was festive as literally thousands pushed into the square. Kids were throwing firecrackers, scaring young and old alike. Finally the fireworks began and what a spectacle it was! The foggy night sky became red and then green, then blue and gold, then white with light and back to reds and blues, all set to Vangelis' Conquest of Paradise, followed by Chariots of Fire! It was simply fantastic as the crowd oo-o-o-ohhed and aa-a-a-ahhed their delight. Gabi was mesmerized! This was the first time he had ever seen fireworks! What a perfect ending to a day of "firsts" and miracles!
Pray for the street kids of Cluj. Pray for Romania.
Cu mult drag. . .
(With much love. . .).
Zan