NELLIJA VALIDA OLEKS STORY - I (THE SILVER BRACELET)

(This is the first of some stories about a woman who was talented but could not get herself to write up her own stories.  She is now deceased, and I have decided to write up some of her stories in her memory.)

Nellija Valida Oleks (b 1926) grew up in Latvia* and was there during WW-II.  She was a promising ballerina student.  Latvia had been occupied by the Soviet Union for a year, but the Nazi's came in and pushed out the Soviets.  Later, the Soviets came back and were pushing out the Nazis.  A decision had to be made - go with the Nazis or stay with the Soviets.  Which do you prefer - the frying pan or the fire?  Nellija and her mother and sister went with the Nazis where she spent two years in a camp.

The family was brought to America by a religious group that was very demanding and the family succeeded to separate themselves from the group with difficulty.

Nelllija had a townhouse with four bedrooms three of which she rented.  At one time there was a woman renter who left without paying her rent and took with her a Latvian silver bracelet.    This bracelet was heavy and weighed four ounces, but, of course, the sentimental values was more important than the loss of so much silver.

A few years later, another woman was renting a room from Nellija who, coincidentally, turned out to be the sister of the woman who stole the bracelet.  Nellija told the woman about it, and the woman said she would get the bracelet back.  I was sure the woman had sold the bracelet, but, as it turned out, she hadn't and the sister did get it back for Nellija.

* http://www.baltic21.org/history/latvia.html