What is the Price of Friendship?

Holding a carton of eggs, looking at the price ($8.73) and shuddering, I slowly put the carton in my shopping cart. Then, I put another, and another, and another. I caught the glance of a woman passing by and looking at me as if I was out of my mind.

I knew what I was doing. I was thinking of Elko and his family. Since my son, Galen, was in third grade, I have been writing Pysanky. Galen had a teacher who happened to be from the Ukraine, and she taught her class to write Pysanky. Galen patiently taught me what to do and from then on, most years I have made about 100 eggs and given them away, telling the story of Ukraine. What is even more interesting to me is that Elko and Galen were born the same year. He (Elko) is the person I hear when I place my order.

The thing is, though I am a native Minnesotan, I’ve never been to the Ukranian Gift Shop! Our family has moved far and wide from Minnesota, so my orders are and have been through mail and on the phone, but I’ve come to know Elko’s voice as if he was my own son.

I was still holding the fourth carton of eggs when a woman stopped by my cart.

“My land girl, can you afford all those eggs?”

I smiled and thought to myself, “This is only the first batch … I have a few more dozen to buy.”

Putting the eggs in my cart, I moved on to checkout. Hearing the woman’s words echo in my head I thought about Elko, his family, all the Ukrainians and what is happening to them. HOW could I not buy more eggs?

Pat Pickett, OblSB

Photo: Pysanky eggs by Pat Pickett.