Irena Freundová

“. . . because we were buying shoes in Zlín. I remember, back then, I wanted patent leather shoes as a child, I really liked them. Well, my parents took me to Zlín, and I still remember Baťa himself served me. He brought me those– and tried on the shoes with me. However, the shoes ended up in such a way– I was very excited–we lived right by the river–so I went into the water with the shoes on, and the beauty was over.”

"Back then, they collected all kinds of people like that. She held onto the soldier. He was an Austrian, but the Austrians also had to serve in the military. And she had a son with him. So they shaved her hair and led her. They had to clear debris and everything possible from the bridge. Then there was one in the square, he had a big hotel. And they condemned him too. Well, they walked in a line, there were loads of them. But you understand, some people may not have been with the Germans, but when he had a hotel, he simply had to put up with the Germans. He couldn't tell them they can't be here, you see. But because people were jealous of his money and so on, they took out their anger on him. And ultimately, they came too, well, there was always a queue, you know, the women had shaved heads. Well, it was– No, it wasn't pleasant. It was kind of not fine.”

“Well, it hit us very hard. Because my father had a nice pension during the republic, of course. He retired with a pension of over two thousand crowns. Well, it was a great pension back then, of course. However, there was a monetary reform, and we were left with six hundred crowns for the whole family. So you can imagine how little it was. There were four of us. I had already started working, but you couldn’t say I had a good salary. And my sister, she was in Prague, studying, and that also cost some money . . .”

“. . . but these communists were lecturing us, and they didn't have a clue about it. I was the youngest one there, and there were also old guys who had been working for years and had to go there too. Well, it was terrible. And it was completely useless to me. But then we had to pass the exams. And I said: ‘Jesus Mary, I don't know anything about it, what am I–the poor thing–going to do?’ So I wailed there, and one of my classmates heard me and said: ‘Do you want? I have a notebook there from a boy from school. You can borrow it.’ I say: ‘You know what, Jožinka, lend it to me.’ And I got the notebook, and I say, I won't summarize any of it. I copied it as it was.” - “So you cribbed the exam.” - “I cribbed everything, from a to zet!”

“I am– I tell her: ‘Who is here?’ - ‘Well, Russians! And everyone is calling here, and I just can’t do it.’ I say: ‘Alright.’ So I got dressed in a hurry, and I was pretty– It was quite far from us, about twenty– half an hour. But already on the way, there was no one there, and I saw the Russians, who were already driving–not on motorcycles–but on such trucks, and they had cannons built on them, I don’t know what they were. I came to Water Street, alone, no one was around, and they started aiming at me. So I stayed absolutely– So if they shoot me dead, what can I do about it? Nothing. And then I guess he changed his mind. He simply turned the gun barrel away and they drove on. I came to the post office, and the soldiers were already there–Russians–and they didn’t want to let me go.”