READING AND WRITING

In this conversation I asked Betty when she had learned that Steve was from Czechoslovakia.  Based on his language skills, she had not thought about him having been an immigrant.  She speaks of his ability to write in English.  

Bob: So, did he tell you his story when you met?  Did he tell you where he came from when you first met?

Betty: I didn’t know where he came from until after a few dates. I didn’t know… He knew how to read and write good for what he did because I got the letter from him – my mother was stopping me from seeing him.

She didn’t think I should do it.  Oh, God I had a fit.  I told him I can’t go with him anymore.  I had a regular fit when she was stopping me.  Well, so, she broke down and told me it’s alright if he comes around again so I wrote him a letter he can come again because those days it was all everything by letter, everything by mail.

We had a phone but we did all (communication by mail), I don’t think we had it at that time because it cost money, we didn’t have the money for it, but then he wrote back.  He’s gonna be out, and it was perfectly spelled and everything.

The above photo of Betty was taken at the time Steve was courting her.