She had been in another room when we first walked into the house.
Nick called out to let her know he was home and that he had brought company with him.
She was slightly bent over as she gingerly walked into the room. Holding onto to the walls for support, she proudly proclaimed that she didn't need her cane.
Her stature was tiny and her skin papery thin. White wisps escaped the coil of long hair she wore on top of her head. Her clothes hung loosely. She fussed with her sweater, pulling it back up, as it kept sliding off her bony shoulders. She wore white socks and only one slipper.
She had been a fixture for many years, working behind the counter at Koblin's pharmacy in the town where Ross grew up.
Even though she has known Ross since he was a little boy, she didn't recognize him right away.
"Ma, it's Ross. You remember him, don't you?"
Her face lit up, "Ross, oh my. I am so happy to see you."
Ross and Nick had been skyping with each other several months ago. She pointed to the MacBook Air laptop that was sitting on the counter.
"I saw you in there last time," she said.
Nick told her my name. Her hand felt soft, but strong in mine as we greeted each other. She told me that Ross "was always such a nice boy."
As she eased herself into her chair with the blue foam rubber cushion, we could tell that she was preparing for a long visit.
Ross told her that we could stay for just a few minutes because we had a long drive home.
She seemed disappointed. She walked us to the door, without her cane, and made us promise that next time we would stay longer.
As we drove away, Ross told me that he remembered how beautiful Nick's mother was when she was a young woman.
I didn't know Nick's mother as a young woman. I will always know her as a beautiful old woman with white wispy hair who told me that Ross was such a nice boy.
Main Street Nyack, Ny Ross and Nick's Home Town |
The House Where That Nice Boy Ross Grew Up |
I have created a page for Anna's Diary. It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.
I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.
Here is today's entry from Anna's Diary:
Good Friday March 29 1929
Spent quiet afternoon visiting Helen Carr. Slim using car. Cold for me and made a short visit to church with Jean. Picked up Junior at 360. Home early and bed early.
That house is fantastic. And I have to say this story gave me the chills a little. I love that you got to meet someone who was a fixture in Ross's young life. And there is always something magical to me about being in the presence of someone so old. This makes me want to tell the story of the 97-year-old man who wanted to be my white knight when I got stuck the flower shop van stuck on an icy road near his house. Thanks for the idea! ;)
ReplyDeleteLove the small towns with the feel of yesterday. Beautiful house Ross grew up in. So nice to be able to go back and touch base with people from the past!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to be able to maintain that connection - I have a post in my head about the beauty that comes with age - this is feeding the fire that is that post. Stay tuned.
ReplyDeleteand the photos are cool! The first one looks amazingly like our weather here yesterday - that could be the downtown of my little town here - except we have two one way streets that mark the downtown - two lanes in each direction, one block apart - but the shops and the leafless trees and the cloudy sky - bingo!