The Journey Begins

The Journey Begins
11/08/1964

Alfred was born on a Tuesday, in the small village of Qormi; well it used to be a small village as nowadays it’s one of the largest in Malta. In those days mothers were still giving birth in their homes especially those that didn’t afford to go to a private hospital. New-borns were helped into this world and still are by il-majistra or midwife. In the case of Alfred’s birth his midwife was Manann il-Majistra. Some years later when he was older and was walking with his mother, they met this woman, she was fair and with two pretty pink cheeks. His mother told him that she was Manann il-majistra that assisted her while he was being born.

After he was born and the midwife was sure all was well, she left and minutes later Giorgia visited Alfred’s new home and collected the dirty linen and took them for washing, she also went to Gina who had just gave birth to Gabriel and from there she also collected the dirty linen and hurried home and started the washing, obviously by hand. The routine was always the same, first she will put the linen in a big zinc container and boiling water and after washing them she will hang them outside her home on ropes attached to neighbours’ houses because she had not enough space on her roof.

Alfred’s father Karmnu, holding his four-year-old daughter Anna’s hand hurried to tell his mother Kelina and his father Anthony It-Toti the good news. Karmenu’s family was also known as tat-Taljan because Anthony’s father Felix Reale was from Syracuse, Sicily who had immigrated to Malta and married Josephine Bartolo from Floriana.
They crossed St Francis Square and hurried through a narrow street and then into the alley. The door was not locked and they entered. His uncle Benjamin was sitting on a chair in the dark sitting room, “Ma, Zi, we have a baby boy!!” he shouted and kept going into the yard were his mother was preparing lunch. She stopped whatever she was doing and wiping her hands on the apron, hurried out of the kitchen into the small yard, “Is that true Kam? Well done my son, now our surname is not going to be lost.” She said with a broad smile on her face. She said this, because they were the only family in Malta with the surname Reale and from her sons, only Karmnu had a boy as the others had girls.
Anna was lost looking at the many plants nanna Kelina had surrounding the small yard and smelling the sweet fragrance of jasmine.

Lonza, Kitty’s Sister-in-law, came out of her house, crossed the narrow street and entered the house opposite. Opened the antiporta, the glass door behind the main door, crossed the sitting room, went up the stairs and found herself in the bedroom were Kitty was breastfeeding the new-born. She tidied the room and was going to ask Kitty if she needed anything, but saw her sleeping, her face lightly touching the head of her child who was also asleep, with his tiny little fingers still clutching her breast.

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