Little Pink House_ A True Story of Defiance and Courage - Jeff Benedict [38]
A few doors up, she met eighty-five-year-old Helen Ballestrini and introduced herself: “I’m Susette Kelo. I’m a newcomer in the neighborhood, and I’m trying to save our homes.” Ballestrini welcomed her. By the time they finished talking, Ballestrini had penned a letter and handed it to Susette.
To The Honorable Mayor Beachy and City Council:
I am 85 years of age, have lived here all my life, and at this stage in my life I cannot even think of moving. I do not want to move.
Respectfully,
Helen Ballestrini
16 East Street, N.L.
Susette tucked the letter in her bag and approached a two-family, white Victorian with red trim. It had a meticulously maintained lawn with flowers. Walter Pasqualini, an elderly man, answered the door and invited her into his kitchen. It had a 1950s-era gas stove, a white porcelain sink, and a shiny metal kitchen table.
Susette explained the purpose of her visit. Walter introduced her to his wife, Cesarina, who had lost most of her sight and wore a hearing aid.
“Do you think they’re going to make us leave?” Walter asked.
“I don’t know,” Susette said.
“Can you stop them?”
“I’m going to try.”
He reached across the table and tore a piece of paper from a small notepad. He handed it to Susette and told her what to write.
To The Honorable Mayor Lloyd Beachy and City Council:
I am a 93-year-old homeowner of Ft. Trumbull who has lived here all my life. This is our home. My wife and I do not want to leave here.
Respectfully,
Walter Pasqualini
Ces Pasqualini
He asked Susette to hand him the letter. There was one thing he wanted to add. He penciled in the words “I was born on Smith Street” just above his name. He handed the letter back to Susette.
“Do you think this is going to work?” he asked. “Do you think you’re going to be able to stop them?”
“I hope so.”
Before Susette left, Walter told her to go visit his sister, Nora, who lived in a separate apartment on the first floor. She agreed to write a letter, too.
To The Honorable Mayor L. Beachy and City Council:
I am a senior citizen who has lived here 27 years and I am not about to move.
Respectfully,
Nora Pasqualini
54 Smith Street. NL
Each house Susette visited seemed to be occupied by elderly people. She had had no idea she lived among so many senior citizens. They all agreed to sign letters.
To The Honorable Mayor Lloyd Beachy, City Council:
I am 91 years of age. Live with my daughter in separate quarters who takes care of me. Have lived here for 27 years and cannot bear the thought of moving. We put so much time, effort & work into this house & the thought that the house could be razed is too much for me to take.
Very kindly yours, Mrs. Erica Blescus
Susette wondered if she’d find anyone her age, anyone truly capable of mobilizing serious opposition to the NLDC. At the top of her street, she approached a two-story house next to Von Winkle’s deli. She rang the doorbell.
“Hello,” a man shouted from a second-story deck. “Up here.”
She looked up at the man. “I want to talk to you about what’s going on in the neighborhood,” she said.
Holding a beer, the man squinted. “Susette Chasse?”
She cocked her head back. No one had addressed her by her maiden name in more than twenty-five years.
“Yeah,” she said. “Who are you?”
“Matt Dery,” he said.
“Oh, my God, it’s Matt.”
They burst into laughter. They had attended high school together in New London and had not seen each other since.
“What are you doing here?” he said.
“I bought the house down on the corner, the pink one,” she said.
“Well, c’mon upstairs,” he said.
Dery introduced Susette to his wife, Sue.
“Susette, have a beer,” he said.
A restaurant-size Coca-Cola cooler stood against the wall, stocked with Heineken, Michelob, Budweiser, and an assortment of other alcoholic beverages. Susette had avoided