History Lesson..
“What are those numbers?”....the dinner table went death silent. I was invited to dinner at Pam Cramer’s house, big deal, for real. First real girlfriend. First dinner at her house. “Are they tattooed number?” , i should have just shut up, the tension in the room was telling me to do so. But I’m a nervous talker, chatter chatter chatter. Hell, I do not even recall his response, he just slowly placed his fork on the edge of his plate and slowly turned to me and raised his eyes to mine. In that instant I know, I saw, I understood everything that happened, every one who was killed and how much he had lost. And he hadn’t even spoken yet. In Broken English and Hebrew he told me, he told me all. In dead silence we all sat. The candles flickered. I don’t and can’t recall what he said. I looked down into the folded palms of my hands and disconnected, remaining at the table and my seat , I wondered off through walls into the garden and sat on the stone bench...and my head filled with all the noise and sights of my past...all at once... |
