Miss Zib

Book excerpt: Miss Zib-the title of Miss Zib came from a story Ellen told me years ago. She said, "Rich, when I was in grade school, a teacher could not pronounce my name, Zbyszynski, so he called me Miss Zib!" When writing the book, looking for an unusual title, I thought back to the time she told me that story. I envision in my mind that sweet little Polish girl in grammar school in the 1940s. I wanted to create the image of her from our wonderful "Salem village" Polish community of the 1940s. Miss Zib personifies all that is good in womanhood. To me it combines that wonderful little Polish girl making her first Holy Communion and learning from that time on what "true love" was all about and continuing to practice it to everyone through her entire life! She would say to me, "I didn't like the fact that I was called on last because my name started with the letter Z!" Later, when kidding around, she said, "You know, I married you for your name!"