Liza's Story Part 8
How did the girl who barely escaped homelessness escape from yet another abusive situation and end up on the named Dragon Street, which street name speaks for itself? In this new place in her life, what unlikely monsters (dragons) did she encounter? And finally, what did the doctors at St John's Hospital find amusing and how did Liza finally leave the infected ward?
The "generous" lady had to call her "noble lady", besides the fact that the little "lady-in-waiting" was constantly starving.
In the early hours of January 1928, packing up her few belongings, she left her undignified surroundings and plunged, without any purpose, into the morning bustle of the not very reputable eighth district.
An old woman standing at the gate of a house in Dragon Street noticed her, invited her in and fed her. She made a deal with Elisabeth that she could stay with her for three meals a day - also without pay - if she cleaned and did the gardening.
She worked for two months in the gradually revealed "dragon" environment, which turned out to be a private brothel. She was forced to flee after being violently molested by a man. She was trying to support herself with odd jobs in the area of Üllői út - Ferenc körút - Mária utca with nowhere to lay her head! He used to go to the churches in the area for warmth and rest, especially in cold weather.
On one occasion, when he was sleeping on a bench in the open, he was suddenly shaken up by the police and was seized by a fit of coughing from fright. The skinny girl was taken to New St. John's Hospital for a medical examination. Unfortunately, the spot on her lung, or lime stain, was diagnosed as TB at first sight, as evidenced by her deteriorating physical condition and cough.
Her vain attempts to excuse her treatment in Switzerland were met with scepticism - "Switzerland?" - they said with some mockery. The point is that the overnight patient's condition was diagnosed as terminal (!) and he was put in the most serious category until the next day's consultation.
He must have been very clever to escape through the fence at a moment's notice - not in a greatcoat this time!