days, if not weeks. They
began to talk to each other
again like they always did .. .
mother and daughter, friends.
As they got ready to leave,
he told his parents to wait for
him in the hall. The two of
them looked at each other, a
brief frozen moment.
"Don't worry about me," she
said. "I'll be just fine!'
"I love you, Grandma, he
replied.
They hugged, forever seal-
ing the bond beween grand-
parent and grandchild.
"I love you, too!" she said.
"Just remember that I wish
all the best for you. I'm so pro-
ud of you!'
He began to cry. She wiped
the tears from his cheeks
with her fingers; her own eyes
filled with tears of their past
times together, and the pride.
"Now don't you worry. By
the time you get back home,
I should be out of here."
"You take care of yourself,
okay?" he said as he wiped
the tears from his eyes. "I'll
call you when I get back to
school:'
"Fly safely and do well on
your exams. Don't worry
about me . . . I'll be just fine.
I'm just so glad that you came
in for the break."
"I'll see you in two weeks!"
he said. As he began to leave
the room, he turned back to
hug her again. Two weeks, he
thought, won't be too long a
time.
"I love you," he called from
the doorway.
"I love you, too."
ack to school. The first
week went by slowly
with studying and ex-
ams. They spoke to each other
on the phone almost daily. On
Thursday night, they spoke
briefly. She sounded the best
that she had in weeks, he
thought. They spoke of school
and family. She said that she
felt much stronger . . . in fact,
his mother was going to eat
lunch with her in the hospital
the next day. _
Friday began with lectures
and the usual mundane
school activities. Classes end-
ed early that day, so he was
back at his apartment cat-
ching up on a never-ending
pile of schoolwork. The
headlong rush to final exams
had begun.
The quiet of the apartment
was shattered by the ringing
of the telephone.
"Steve?" It was his father.
The sound of his voice foretold
the conversation.
"Yes."
"It's Dad. I have some bad
news!"
Silence.
"Grandma passed away this
morning?'
Silence.
B
"What happened?" was all
he could manage to say.
"She was taking a walk
with her nurse and suddenly
became short of breath. The
nurse got her back to bed, but
there wasn't anything they
could do. She passed away
peacefully."
More silence.
"How's Mom?"
"As good as you could ex-
pect, I guess. She's lying down
right now."
"I'll call the airport and ar-
range a flight home tonight,
okay? I'll call you right back?'
Mechanically, he informed
his roommate who offered to
take him to the airport.
Flights were arranged;
friends were notified. Only
then did the loneliness begin.
he next few days dis-
appeared in a blur.
Funeral. Friends.
Relatives. The bustle of ac-
tivity that surrounds a griev-
ing family enveloped them
like a comforter around a
child. Relatives that they had
not seen in years stopped by
to pay their condolences. A
yahrtzeit candle was kindled
to burn for seven days. The
seven-day shiva period began
at his parents' house.
As quickly as the activity
started, it ended. Back to
school. Back to finals. Back to
reality. His parents drove him
to the airport so that he could
catch his flight back to school.
This time, he thought, there
would not be a last-minute
flight change. This time, he
thought sadly, there would be
no more phone calls to her.
His mother looked terrible.
She had seemingly aged ten
years in a week.
"Give us a call as soon as
you touch down," she said.
"Always do."
"Take care. We love you."
"I love you, too!" he replied
as they hugged each other.
The flight from Detroit
seemed to take an eternity.
As time went on, as the city
was left on the horizon, the
magic carpet of childhood
seemed to slip away even
more. As if the plane was pull-
ing on a snag in a rug; the
further it flew, the more it
unraveled the carpet.
A light rain began to fall as
the plane landed.
He watched from the win-
dow while the plane taxied to
the terminal, making its way
slowly across the tarmac..
Running down the window,
the raindrops traced many
patterns . . . some intricate,
others coalescing into mere
rivulets of water. Yet, a few
seemed to strike the window
individually, momentarily
suspended in time before they
trailed downward.
Like tears. D
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Chiropractic Health Hints
WITH DR. STANLEY LEVINE, D.C.
WHAT DOES A PAIN
IN THE BACK MEAN?
That stab of pain or catch in yOur back is usually a warning. It is a
symptom of something more serious taking place in the spine or its related
structures. The same way that a headache can be a symptom of many more
serious ailments.
What does the average person do when his car develops a strange noise
or action? He gets the car checked out to find the cause.
Why then do so many of us.just let our "warnings" go unattended?
Our bodies are far more important than any other material object. That
DR. LEVINE
"warning" may be trying to tell us that a weakening process is at work
in the spinal column or that one or more of the vertebra are out of position causing stress and
strain on the disc between them, or on the related spinal nerves.
Take care of your spine and it will carry you well all through life.
Don't Live With Pain. We Can Help!
LEVINE CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC 855-2666
31390 Northwestern Hwy., Farmington Hills 48018
Dr. Stanley B. Levine • Dr. Stephen M. Tepper • Dr. Robert W. Levine
.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
87