Page 65 - WhyAsInY

WHo are tHese PeoPle? (Part 2)
there, but, to my mind, the real emphasis was on another, clearly related, idea: Life can contain, and indeed does contain, its dark days. The corol- lary of that idea is, of course, that the days that did sparkle should be recognized as special and should be celebrated as such. But, in our household, one always came back to the idea that there were unexpected things out there, things that one must be wary of. To quote my mother, “You never know.”
An alternative explanation, that my grandfather had drunk the con- tents by himself and couldn’t bring himself to admit it, was not within the realm of possibility. In my family, liquor was kept around for occa- sions when my parents entertained. They never drank before, during, or after dinner. I think, but cannot be sure, that that is the atmosphere in which my father grew up. In any event, it was unthinkable to him (and to me) that anyone would drink alone. Although, as I’ve said, I’ve told the story using my grandparents as the actors, it is equally probable that the story (or was it a fable containing an important truth?) was one that was passed down for generations, always in an effort to convey the idea that life should be lived, and that it should be lived now. Tragedy could always be lurking around the corner.
And the third story somewhat underscores that idea. There might have been a lesson inherent in the next, oft-repeated story, which is less a story than a recounting of an important occurrence in my father’s life, but if there was a lesson, it escaped me. Because it was important enough for my father to tell, however, I will do so as well: It seems that when my father was about ten years of age, he must have been preoccupied with something at home when he realized that he was due to be at Hebrew School and was very likely going to be late. In what must have been a panic, he then searched all over for his books, which he ultimately found after many fruitless minutes spent rummaging through the house. He then ran as fast as could to avoid the consequences, as he perceived them, of tardiness at Hebrew School. (An angry father? Public humilia- tion? Maybe even a mandatory fast?) Whether my father had to run while simultaneously keeping a yarmulke on his head—a difficult task, to say the least—was not reported.
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