Clattering Sparrows (21 page)

26

BY FRIDAY EVENING, THE Wednesday night airing of the Unsolved
Mysteries
Special had been viewed by millions coast to coast, north and south, and featured on the evening news across the country. As word spread, many who had known Tony and Judy many years ago, as well as those who knew Judy now, sat in wonderment, as they eagerly awaited the story to unfold.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

The United States Navy sent two representatives to New York to meet with Irina. Satisfied with her disclosures, once again the file on Anthony Marc Russo was officially closed—this time for certain. Although she put to rest years of frustration on behalf of the United States Government to learn of the circumstances of his disappearance, they were able to offer Irina little help in locating his family. His sister’s phone number at their address in Woodmere, New York, was no longer in service and hadn’t been for years. There was also no forwarding information available from the United States Postal Service.

The Navy Captain advised Irina to be patient assuring her that someone would come forward, if not family than friends.

POTOMAC, MARYLAND

Judy, Ira, Sara, and Jon struggled with their thoughts and plans of how to proceed. At last Judy convinced the others that it was not their responsibility to locate Tony’s family, and delaying their call to the phone center was wrong. She felt that although she had been unable to locate Maria directly, it was only a matter of time until Maria herself would surely learn of the program and contact Irina. Sara agreed and further pointed out that although Judy met with a dead end when she phoned the number in Woodmere, her own number had not changed, and there had been no word so far from Maria. There were strong indications that they no longer lived in New York.

Judy felt as the girl in the picture, it was solely her responsibility to do the right thing and respond immediately to Irina’s plea. She certainly knew enough about his family and could relate a good deal about his life, especially growing up in Washington, D.C. on Oates Street, that even his married sister living miles away in New York wasn’t aware of. Since Sara grew up with Tony, and Jon knew him in high school, they felt Irina would also welcome their participation. After a final discussion, they agreed that Judy should be the one to call and set up their meeting. Whether it took place in Maryland, or the need arose for them to travel to New York, they would request that it take place as soon as possible.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Leon Franklin’s youngest granddaughter Leah arranged to meet him for dinner in Boston. Her disclosure, that he had been blessed with nothing short of a miracle, transformed their get-together into an unbelievable evening. At the age of eighty-two, he learned that his brother, Murray, who he had thought dead for over sixty years, had indeed survived the brutal massacre of his entire family in Ukraine, and now Murray’s daughter was in America seeking his whereabouts.

Having escaped certain death by coming to America, and having achieved the pinnacle of success in his new country, Leon was determined that he would do all that he could to erase the tragedies and alleviate the suffering his niece had endured. He thanked God he had lived to see this day.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Although she had not seen the Unsolved
Mysteries
Special that had aired on Wednesday, the search for the family of an American Navy Pilot who had been missing for thirty-five years was all over the evening news. For the past two days, each and every news broadcast urged family members to call the number flashing on the bottom of the screen. Yet, she couldn’t reconcile in her mind what she should do.

She really didn’t remember her Uncle Tony. The last time she saw him, she was four years old, and she didn’t know if she actually recalled him carrying her out to the car and kissing her goodbye before leaving for Pensacola, or if the picture in her mind had been formed by her being told the story over and over again by her parents.

From time to time, for no apparent reason, the fragrance of masculine cologne filled her nostrils, but as quickly as this sensation came over her, it would disappear. She was always alone when this occurred, and it was during these episodes that she vaguely remembered burying her head in his shoulder as he carried her, and that the scent was associated with her Uncle Tony. She still cherished the porcelain doll he had sent her from Germany for her fifth birthday just before his disappearance.

At last, unable to deny the fact that she was the sole surviving family link to his past, she decided that she had no choice other than to make the call and meet with Irina, if not for herself, than certainly for her Mother and Uncle Tony.

***

As a Journalist, I developed an overactive imagination early on, and although my career took a different turn when I became a public advocate through my show Sara Miller’s Consumer Connection, I never lost the curiosity nor the need to dig deeper and deeper until I got to the root of a story.

Somehow, there was an undercurrent in my mind that told me there was much more to the saga of Tony Russo’s disappearance than met the eye. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that there were many surprises yet to be uncovered.

Then there was another thought that rattled my brain. The name Leon Frankel sounded oddly familiar, although I couldn’t recall ever knowing anyone with the surname of Frankel. Although he didn’t mention it after viewing the tape, I made a mental note to ask Dad if the name meant anything to him the next time we spoke.

I could not have anticipated that a call a few short days later would shed light on this very thought, but more incredible by far than the disclosure itself was the source from which it came.

27

AT THE TIME OF her meeting with the Navy Department officials on Friday following the broadcast, Irina had not heard from anyone other than the Navy. On Saturday, however, the Unsolved Mysteries Phone Center became a hub of activity and by noon, Irina’s uncle, the girl in the picture, and Tony’s niece had all come forward, identified themselves and requested to meet with her. Overwhelmed with three calls from three very different locations, Sharon Randolph juggled the requests in an effort to accommodate everyone. Since Leon’s call came in first, and he was anxious to see her as soon as possible, Sharon spoke to Irina and set up their meeting for the following Monday. She advised Judy and Tony’s niece that she would get back to them in the next couple of days to set up their meetings the following week as well.

Monday morning, Leon and Leah boarded Amtrak’s 6:00 a.m. express train from South Station in Boston to New York, with an anticipated arrival of 9:43 a.m. It was a cool, sunny spring day and the ride was both comfortable and relaxing. Although they read the paper, had coffee, and talked a bit, for most of the trip each was lost in their own thoughts.

When they arrived at Penn Station, they caught a taxi to The Plaza. After checking in and depositing the luggage in their suite they took the elevator down to the coffee shop for a late breakfast. Having only had coffee on the train, Leah as usual said she was starving. Leon, who thought he was too energized to eat anything, reconsidered once they were seated, and ordered a short stack of pancakes and decaf coffee.

Their meeting was scheduled to take place in Irina’s suite at 1:00 p.m. It was not quite 11:00 o’clock when they left the restaurant and decided to walk across the street into Central Park. As they walked, they talked.

“I’m somewhat anxious about meeting Irina. I’ve gone over and over in my mind how I should begin my conversation with her, and I keep going back to how Malka and Saul greeted me on the dock as I disembarked the Aquitania. At first, no words were spoken. For a few long moments, we just stood on the dock staring at one another, too emotional to speak, but when Malka finally hugged me and kissed me and Saul encircled his arms around both of us, I felt their warmth flow through me. It was at that very moment that I knew I was genuinely welcomed here to this golden land of freedom and opportunity they call America.”

Tears filled Leah’s eyes. “Gramps, you don’t have to rehearse anything. Your instincts will guide you to release your true feelings, and as I see it, you can’t go wrong. You certainly know how your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren feel about you, and we have always felt exceedingly loved in return. Just let your heart guide you and Irina will feel your affection just as you did Malka and Saul’s.”

“Thank you Leah. You know me quite well don’t you? You’ve very wise beyond your years, and I am quite pleased that you came with me. Let’s stop on the way back to the hotel. I want to bring my niece a large bouquet of flowers, and when we return to our suite, I’m going to arrange with Room Service to send up an assortment of sandwiches and beverages as well.”

They walked back to The Plaza hand in hand. After showering and changing clothes, they were ready to meet Irina. Leah carried the briefcase filled with their many pictures and papers. Leon, carrying the bouquet of flowers, pressed the elevator button.

***

Much to their surprise, the door to the suite was opened by Irina herself. Immediately, Leah’s mind pictured her seated in the wheelchair when she was introduced at the beginning of her segment of the show, but then she realized that due to her condition, the hour-long program televised live warranted that she be made as comfortable as possible.

She was beautiful. Her short sandy blond hair and piercing blue eyes revealed little of the tragedies she had endured. As Leon approached her with flowers in hand, she smiled. As he wrapped her in his arms and held her to his heart, tears ran freely down his cheeks. Both his Mother’s and Irina’s smiles were one in the same.

Several minutes passed with the two of them wrapped in each other’s arms in silence. At last, Leon released her and offering her the bouquet of flowers, he said, “Irina, welcome to America and to our family.”

The show’s cameraman was present to cover only the initial minutes of their first encounter. The brief footage would be used to update viewers on a future show.

***

The afternoon was evocative for Leon, but it was all quite new for Irina and Leah. They laughed and cried and thoroughly enjoyed a familiarity of one another, abandoning the fact that they had only met a few hours earlier. As they snacked on sandwiches, fruit, and beverages delivered by Room Service, the hours flew by.

Irina had also brought pictures. She produced a diamond ring and earrings that had belonged to Leon’s mother and which her father had given her after her own mother died. It was at that time, that he revealed to her that he was Jewish and what had happened to his family. His mother had worn them only on the Sabbath and for special occasions. Hence, they were safely tucked away inside the small box that Murray had dug up near the barn that also contained the rubles. When she produced the box as well, Leon was overwhelmed.

Between the pictures that Leon had taken to America from Ukraine, and the ones that Irina had brought with her, they spent the afternoon piecing them together and creating a timeline. Spreading them out on the table, they began with the earliest pictures Leon had of his family, adding Irina’s which included her parents, her two brothers, Josef, and their sons Nikolai and Alexi.

To Leon, Irina’s pictures of Murray looked more like the pictures of his father. After finding his family slaughtered, he seemed to have aged overnight. As he compared the photo of his brother at the train station in Ukraine to the face in the picture when he married Irina’s mother, his heart broke. The face that stared back showed an old man with graying hair. At the time Murray was merely thirty years old.

Throughout the afternoon, from time to time, they asked Irina if she wanted to stop and rest, but her response was always the same, “No. I’m fine.” However, at six o’clock, agreeing that they had made great progress in their quest to become acquainted in just a few short hours, they reluctantly decided to put the many pictures and papers aside. Leaving Irina so that she could get in some rest before dinner, Leah and Leon returned to their suite where they too looked forward to a brief respite.

That evening, they dined in the hotel, and their conversation during the meal was thoroughly enjoyable. Irina was a delight. She was smart, spoke English fluently, and considering the many hardships she had endured, she was quite captivating. She seemed genuinely interested in anything and everything about her new found family, and absorbed everything she learned like a sponge.

They had barely touched the surface of all there was to reveal, and so far they had mainly covered their families in Ukraine. As they ate, Leon began unfolding his story of how he traveled to America and became a dairy farmer.

Whereas their revelations earlier in the day were somewhat sad, he began to depict his early years in Boston with Malka and Saul, their generosity, and ultimately the beginning of Franklin Farms Creamery on a lighter note, by interjecting some of his more amusing adventures. When he told her about his mother’s
frozen snow cream
, Irina laughed. Her father had told her the same story, but her few attempts to produce the delicious dessert had been wholly unsuccessful.

As they enjoyed dessert and coffee, they decided that they had made great progress in one short afternoon, but looked forward to continuing their mission the next day. Surprisingly, Irina was not tired. Meeting Leon and Leah had buoyed her spirits beyond imagination. She felt she had fulfilled her father’s wishes to find his brother in America, and the reward of their meeting had proven far more beneficial than any medicine the doctors could prescribe.

Leon inquired about her health. “When are you scheduled to see the doctor?”

Irina explained. “When I left Ukraine, I was accompanied by an American nurse, sent by the show to see that I arrived safely, and to administer prescribed doses of my medications throughout the trip. In constant pain, there was no way I could have possibly made the trip without medication, and certainly not alone.

“At the insistence of the producers of the show that they would only agree to broadcast my story from the United States, Yuri once again came to my aid. His job for the Ukrainian Government allowed him to speak on my behalf, and he convinced the authorities to issue me a Visa to travel to New York where the show would be aired. In addition, prior to returning to Ukraine, whether the show generated any response or not, the United States Government agreed to have my condition evaluated in an effort to determine if they can help me.

“Aside from having a nurse staying with me twenty-four hours a day, I am visited by a doctor from Memorial Sloane-Kettering every other day. When meetings have been arranged with everyone who comes forward, and we feel that the purpose of the broadcast has been satisfied, the Navy Department has made arrangements for me to be examined at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. I so anxiously want to hear from the Russo family. Just as I have found you for my father, I must find them for Josef.”

They accompanied Irina to her suite and Leon hugged her warmly unwilling to let her go. At last, they bid one another “good night” and returned to their own suite. After a mutually wonderful day, they agreed to meet in the morning for breakfast.

***

When the doctor visited Irina the following day, Leon and Leah were both present. Following his examination, Leon requested to speak with him privately. Irina’s doctor in Kiev had supplied her with a copy of her medical records and the medications that he had prescribed. The doctor shared with Leon that her records indicated that she had a small tumor at the base of her spine. Refusing treatment so that she could travel to New York for the show, she had only been prescribed medication for the pain, and since no biopsy had been taken there was the distinct possibility that the tumor was benign.

His discussion with Irina to go forward immediately with tests, diagnosis, and treatment was met with resistance. She had come to America for a purpose, and she remained steadfast in her search for the Russo family. It was one day shy of a full week since the broadcast had aired, and she was determined to wait at least several more days.

The call from Sharon Randolph at the phone center came that very afternoon. When Irina learned that the girl in the picture had come forward, she was elated, but when she learned that Anthony Russo’s niece had also called, it was almost too good to be true.

Irina agreed that a meeting would be arranged to accommodate both parties to meet at the same time. When Ms. Randolph returned their calls, she did not offer this information to Judy or to Tony’s niece.

The gathering was set for noon at The Plaza the following Thursday. At Irina’s request, Leon and Leah would also be in attendance.