Tales from the Towers: My first day at the Towers

I sit with my friend Sarah in the cafeteria of the Elisha Towers. She seriously considers to move into the Towers, having lost her husband one year ago and both her sons living and working abroad.

"It's such a difficult decision", she says, "how did you do it? Tell me about your first day here, how did you arrange everything, how long did it last, who helped you?"

I smiled remembering my first day in the Towers.

I had arrived to my new home very early in the morning and I found myself standing helplessly among cartons and boxes not knowing where to begin. Two Elisha workmen were busy connecting my two TV sets and my computer. I looked at the closet in my small bedroom and wondered how my clothes would fit in it. At home, I had 4 closets and they were all full to capacity. I worried.. My feet hurt and I needed my slippers. I started to dig around in boxes and I came up with only one of them, only God knowing where the second would be. After a morning's work I would have liked to take a shower but I could not find my shampoo, nor my tooth brush.

Someone rang my bell. I opened the door and there stood Meir, an Elisha employee holding a huge bouquet of flowers. Beaming widely he announced:

"The Elisha management welcomes you! May you spend many happy years in your new home!"

I thanked him and I thought that the management would have done well to send  a flower vase along because I had no idea in which box I would find mine. I gave the flowers a temporary home in a large soup pot which I found easily.

The telephone was ringing and a cheerful voice cried out to me:

"We are coming to see you this afternoon in your new place! We are bringing flowers, and bread and salt of course! Symbolic for good luck in a new home! See you around four!" After this happy announcement  the call was ended without further elaboration.

Now who was that? I hadn't recognized the voice! After more than half a century in this city, I know countless people and I can't always identify voices on the phone.

Who could she be? And she said "we are coming"! Who is the "we"? How many are coming?  Quite dispiritedly I opened my new and smaller fridge and took a look inside. Maybe some angel had placed there a cake or ice cream or whatever I needed to receive guests. Nothing like that ! Just bread, milk, cheese, some vegetables for salad. Food for wise and healthy eating. Not even one chocolate bar for comfort and a small binge!

"It was not easy at all", I continued my story for Sarah, "most of my old furniture did not fit my new home and my daughter took me shopping for suitable pieces. She fell in love with a mustard-colored armchair.

"This is so wonderfully comfortable", she said, "you'll be able to sit in it with your feet up as you usually do, read or watch TV, it's perfect", she decided.

It was not at all perfect by the time it arrived to my home. We had forgotten how small my new apartment was! The comfortable arm chair looked monstrously large and occupied much more space than it should.. What's more, suddenly it did not seem mustard-colored anymore, but blatantly yellow. I was never crazy about yellow. "I'll have to give it away", I thought to myself, "I'll have to give it to someone who likes big and yellow!"

Strange thing is how much I love this chair now and I can't imagine my life without it. Truth is that it takes time and your whole life is a habit especially at our age when every change is scary..

"If you decide to move here" I continue talking to Sarah, "you too will have a few difficult days. Maybe at night in the dark you will open the door of  your closet thinking that you are stepping into your bathroom and you won't know where you are. But soon you'll find your way around.

Do you know what else helped me? A friend drew a map for me indicating locations.

She marked the floor on which my apartment is located, she marked the dining room, the gym, the music room, the way to the swimming pool, the sauna. She indicated how to get to the doctor's clinic, and where to find the nurse.

With the map in hand I still got lost here and there and tried to fit my key into the lock of a strange apartment on the wrong floor. But the map gave me a bit of confidence for a week or so, until I finally could do it on my own.

I am happy now, well "happy" may be an overstatement because who is really happy? But I am content and I love my new home, the new friends I've made, the fabulous view from my balcony. It won't be easy, Sarah. But if you intend to do it, do it soon!"

I accompanied Sarah to her bus and on our way I said hello to at least 20 people.

"Are they all your friends?" asked Sarah.

"Some are, some are less, but in general people are pleasant here! Have a nice ride home!"

I thought to myself: how fast those last 4 years have passed! One gets older and since one can no longer participate in a marathon, life itself becomes a marathon!

It will be Hannukah soon and I wish you all a Happy Holiday. My special holiday gift will be the visit of my daughter, my son and my youngest grandson, little sunshine.

Now that he is 10 years old he may refuse to be called that, but maybe he won't.

Lucca