Click on image to enlarge.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Fiction - Till Death Do Us Part
“C’mon Robert, don’t lose me here.” Robert cracked open swollen eyes, saw vague white shapes moving quickly around him. He smelled something acrid, like burned hair or flesh – his own, he realized. From somewhere nearby he sensed overwhelming, excruciating pain and realized it as his own, held in check by drugs. He couldn’t move, didn’t want to move. He slowly shut his eyes and felt a sudden disorientation. He floated, looked down on a beehive of human activity around a crushed and burned figure.
“Shit!” The white-coated bees went frantic. Paddles were placed against a sodden, red chest. “Clear!” The figure curled upward, then flopped back down on the table. “Damn it, Robert,” one of the bees moaned. “Stay with me. Stay with me.” Robert found himself crashing downwards, back into the bleeding and broken figure. ‘No!’ he said and floated free. ‘I don’t want this. Let me go.’
He moved freely among frantic doctors, feeling eerily peaceful and calm as he watched himself die. Mangled, bloody fingers slowly uncurled and released him further. He felt himself moving away.
“Robert?”
He looked up. His friend, Della, stood in the emergency room, smiling up at him.
He started in surprise. “Della? Is that you?”
She smiled. “Yes and no. I’m here to find out if you would like to leave now.” She reached out her hand, took it gently and looked down at it.
“Oh, God.” Robert exhaled, hugged the woman. “Oh, God. When did you die?”
Della smiled again and looked at Robert’s broken body, lying on the table. She had a job to do and not much time in which to do it. “Della isn’t dead,” she explained. “I’m her guide, and yours. You two are joined by the circumstances of your lives. I’m here for you – if you’d like to go.”
“Go where?” He looked up and saw light. He remembered reading about these types of experiences: white lights, tunnels. He wondered if that was next. He pointed to the light. “There?”
“Yes, there.”
“Take me there, Della. I want to see it. Can I change my mind?” He looked back at the remains of himself, lying there in a pile of gore and blood. He wasn’t sure he’d want to change his mind, but he wasn’t ready to make a decision yet.
Della walked towards the light, Robert in tow behind her. They walked slowly, towards the tunnel Robert knew he would see. It was soft, not black but a quiet blue. It made itself welcome. They entered and walked along the pathway at its base. “So,” Robert said. “Is this where I see my life flashing, all my friends and enemies?”
Della laughed. The sound reminded Robert of tinkling bells. “Only if you want to. It’s up to you.”
“No, then,” Robert decided. “Let’s just get to where we’re going.” He followed Della through the tunnel and into a wide, light space. He stood at the bank of a small river, the water flowing like diamonds underneath a small bridge. The bridge was wooden and warm. He saw others on the other side, but didn’t recognize them. He looked back at Della, who still held his hand in hers.
“Say hello, then,” Della said.
Robert looked up and saw his family: not the one he feared and hated, but the one who’d made their peace in ways he had yet to. His mother came forward first, followed by his father. Then he saw Tony, coming at last across the bridge to greet him. Robert felt at peace, calm and happy. He liked the feeling and knew he could get used to it quite easily, particularly with everyone else here.
“Forgive me, Robert,” his mother said. “I should have been there for you. I wasn’t. I’ve been waiting a long time to say this.”
Robert’s father and Tony nodded and their faces expressed contrition of their own. Tony walked up to Robert, took his shoulder and looked into his eyes. “You can stay, if you want,” he said. “It’s up to you.”
“That’s what Della said. And what happens if I decide not to stay?” He turned to Della.
“You have choices, Robert. You always did. I can bring you back. You’ll be paralyzed and badly burned, but the people who love you on the other side won’t care. They’ll want you back no matter what. That’s the nature of their love. Or…” Della looked across her shoulder at Robert’s family. “You can stay here, be a family again. Enjoy the peace, their love and yours. But you should remember there are prices to pay for each decision. If you choose to live, you’ll be in pain and crippled for the rest of your life. You’ll make a big difference in that world and others will benefit. But, you will not.”
Robert nodded. “And if I stay, what’s the price I pay?”
Della shook her head. “It’s not the price you pay. It’s the price others pay. You’ll be gone from their lives and you’ll leave a gaping hole where you once stood. Alice, Maggie and Della will grieve your loss for the rest of their lives. They’ll eventually move on, but they will never be the same. You died before your time.”
“I see.” Robert pondered. “What if I want to do both, stay and leave? I want to make things right for people like Della and me. I want to feel my life was worth something, but I don’t want to live like a cripple. I want another chance. What can I do?”
Tony smiled. “You have another option, if you’re the patient type. I never was, but I know you were. A part of you can stay, not all of you though. And a part of you can go back, but not the same way.” He shrugged. “Best option on the table.”
Robert smiled and nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I understand. Della, will you help me?”
“Of course, Robert. That’s why I’m here. It’s your decision, but I’ll help you get to where you need to go.”
Robert walked to his family. “I’ll be back soon,” he said. He hugged them all, one by one. Then he turned to Della and put his arms around her, feeling safe in her embrace. “Is there some way you can let Alice know how much I love her?” he asked.
“I think she already knows,” Della replied.
“Alright then.”
“Ready?”
“Yes, I’ve decided.”
Robert opened his eyes. Around him doctors and nurses in green scrubs cleaned up blood and began to suture open wounds. He opened his mouth and screamed.
“Oooh!” The doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital held him up, cut the umbilical cord and slapped his tiny bottom. “You little loud mouth, you! What a pair of lungs, huh?” He smiled. This guy is going to make a lot of people very happy, won’t you Robert? Oh, your aunt Alice is going to have a field day.” He held the child and winked.
Arlington Advocate Article
LIFESTYLES
Bringing the farm to Arlington: Farmers' Market combines food, fun
By Margy Rydzynski / Special To The Advocate
Thursday, August 15, 2002
|
By Margy Rydzynski / Special To The Advocate
Thursday, August 15, 2002
The Farmers' Market comes to Arlington each Wednesday, from 2 to 6:30 p.m., in the Russell Common parking lot in Arlington Center.
For city dwellers so close to Boston, the market presents a rare opportunity to buy farm-fresh food, herbs, flowers and other products without having to drive to the countryside, an hour or more away. This time of year the rough, wooden stalls are overflowing with the bounty of summer as freshly harvested fruits and vegetables vie for the bags of supermarket-weary shoppers. Also for sale are eggs and locally-made cheeses, fresh-baked breads and pies, and some meats. Customers can also buy fresh cut flowers and vegetable and herb plants for their gardens.
Judging by its overwhelming popularity, the Farmers Market is an institution here to stay. On Wednesdays the market corner of the Russell Common parking lot is transformed into a pedestrian zone, a swirling sea of activity with customers peering over tables laden with food, squeezing tomatoes, examining melons or dipping their hands into crates of green beans and peas.
Conversation flows as freely as the produce, as farmers weigh handfuls of cucumbers and zucchini while answering gardening questions, offering cooking tips and engaging in endless varieties of small talk.
Arlington market-goers are a friendly group and appreciate the market's many offerings.
"Everyone's really nice," said Jen Smith, of Smith Country Cheese in Winchendon. "They're laid back and happy to get locally-produced items."
Smith Country Cheese is enjoying its third summer in Arlington. It sells its own gouda and cheddar cheeses as well as lean, hormone-free ground beef from their dairy herds. They also sell fresh eggs, courtesy of Johnson's Poultry Farm in Winchester.
Kara Boettinger, who works for Grateful Farms in Franklin, said she enjoys the interaction with families, working people and senior citizens. Grateful Farms is the Market's organic vendor, which provides shoppers with conventional produce as well as such exotic items as tatsoi, mei qing choi (both salad and braising-type greens) and purslane. Grateful Farms has been in Arlington about four years and also sells in Harvard Square and Cambridgeport.
"Tim (Garboski, the owner) likes to grow regular stuff and some different things, too," she said, "so people can try cooking some of the foods they've been introduced to in restaurants." These are the types of vegetables that might otherwise be found only in specialty markets and gourmet shops. Grateful Farms also sells a large variety of herb plants for home gardeners.
Steve Parker of Parker Farms is one of several new vendors. He's also an Arlington native and is looking forward to selling his wares back "home." Steve finds the market "very relaxing, almost like a little vacation" compared to the toils of his one-man operation, which includes a second farm stand in Waltham and fields both there and in Lunenberg. Most of his produce is sold to about 10 local restaurants: he's just getting into the farmers market business.
Like most of the farmers here, Steve puts in a very long day that for him includes planting, harvesting and then distributing the food he grows. His days often began at 5 a.m. and can end as late as 9 or 10 p.m. He feels it's worth it, though and - like the other farmers - he doesn't really mind doing it.
Kimball Fruit Farms of Pepperell is one of the larger vendors and has been in Arlington since the market began six years ago. They're also one of the busiest, working eight markets a week in Cambridge, Newton, Somerville and Brookline. Among their many specialties are heirloom tomatoes, along with several tables of fresh fruits and vegetables, including some exotics like garlic scapes, the flowering part of the garlic plant that must be cut in order for the bulb underneath to develop. It has a mild, garlic-like flavor that is good braised or in salads. They also sell fresh-baked pies and breads.
"Arlington people really appreciate the produce," said Wendy Hills-Longland, who is sister to owner Carl and his wife Marie Hills. "They're very nice. There's no pushing, no shoving, they're very polite and patient."
She also added the other farmers are quite cooperative and friendly. Once, she said, when she forgot to bring a scale three other farmers offered her one of theirs.
Other vendors - Dick's Market Garden, Nicewicz Orchard, Melissa's Flowers and Busa Farm - offer a wide assortment of vegetables, fruits, plants, flowers and prepared foods. Some local organizations also rent space at the market. For example, the Arlington Garden Club had a small, volunteer-run, stand here a few weeks ago. Market-goers lucky enough to be visiting that day could add baked goods, home-made chili and baked beans to their dinners that evening. Other local entities - churches, parent-teacher associations and senior groups - also sell at the market from time to time.
As much of a boon as it is to Arlington residents, the Farmers' Markets offer a reciprocal benefit to the growers. These are small farmers, who depend heavily on the revenues generated by the markets. Without them, many could not afford to stay in business. Reciprocity is the name of the game: Arlington customers support a vital aspect of the local economy at the same time they're enjoying the fruits of the harvest.
The Arlington Food Pantry may be spreading the bounty further via a produce-donation program to struggling families in the community. Business is also on board. Just recently Arlington's Prose Restaurant, at 352A Massachusetts Ave., added a "Farmers' Market Special" to its menu, featuring locally grown produce and Smith Farm's gouda. It uses local produce for its other menu items as well.
The Arlington Farmers' Market will be open until Oct. 23 after which time it will be closing down for the winter. It will re-open in late June 2003.
Margy Rydzynski is a freelance food writer and cooking enthusiast. A resident of Arlington, she can be reached at tupmargy@mindspring.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)