Dearest brothers and sisters!
I must be quick in giving you my news. I’m writing these lines bloodied and in tears because I’ve been on my last legs these past few days. Berta obviously has to have someone to fight with constantly. She has started complaining that she has never got enough to eat since coming to live with me. But I’m already a mere husk of a human being. She’s been complaining non-stop about Bercu – that she can’t look after him the whole time and that he always wants to have the best of the food. I didn’t take sides – and now they seem to be thick as thieves anyway. As long as my food supply lasted, she was on my side. Bubi sent some corn flour,
string beans and flour for bread. Bercu collected this all himself, as well as everything else that arrived from you, saying that it belonged to him and that he could do what he pleased with it. He has always been a bad person and has revealed his true colours here. We have enough misfortunes as it is, especially me because I can’t expect anything from anyone. He is going to write you a letter and badmouth me to you. He eats away at me whilst I’m still alive, he says things to me, things you would never in the whole world say to a common prostitute. If you want to believe him, do, but I don’t feel I am to blame here. Love from your very embittered sister, Sali