Mesko Nikolai with his wife

This photo is very old. It was taken in 1947, when my wife and I were still engaged. It was taken by the photographer Grüstein in Mukachevo. How did I meet my wife? When I was a factory directory, we also had clothing manufacture under us. She [Eva Gajdos] started there at the age of 15, an apprentice. I liked her and began to court her. As a 16 year old she was already my wife. We were married on 31st August 1947 and in October she turned 17. There's an age difference of 8 years between us. We had a civil wedding, as my wife is a Christian. After the wedding I moved here. My wife's parents used to live in this apartment. It's a beautiful apartment. Everything, even the furniture is theirs. Just imagine, I've been director for 52 years. Out of that, I was also responsible for a furniture factory for 9 years, and didn't take a thing. At first we had only a small room, where my daughter now lives, that's what we got. Her parents had two rooms, a hall and kitchen. An old lady lived in another room. After her death the city gave us her room as well. After her parents died the entire apartment became my wife's property. My wife was born on 3rd October 1930. She's named Eva Gajdos. Her father worked as a waiter and her mother was a housewife. She didn't have any siblings. They lived relatively well, as her father was the headwaiter in large restaurants. Among others he also worked in the Hotel Star [Hotel Star is the most luxurious hotel in Mukachevo - Editor's note]. They lived in Beregov, Hust, everywhere where he worked at the time. They weren't a very rich family, middle-class I'd say.