4/13/2020. Mike

 

     Mike was my buddy, I used to work for him on occasion. He was an elderly Jewish man. One day he was out watering the newly planted grass on a Saturday. A fellow Jew was walking to temple, he stopped and asked Mike, why you watering the grass on the Sabbath? Mike said, oh I just planted this grass a week ago. Now God likes things to live and if I don't water it, it will surely die. The Jew walked away shaking his head. Mike would always be out there watering, cutting the grass and trimming the bushes the best he could. And he world do it wearing a full suit and dress shoes. I never asked him why. Mike and me would play chess once in awhiIe. He bared his arm and showed me his name, I think there were four or five numbers in a horizontal row, in blue ink. He said he got that when he stepped through the gate of Belsen Garten, I think that was the camp. They the guards kept him off to the side, because he was a strong one. The weak would perish. He would haul the dead to be buried. Always looking for scraps of food. Mike just one more day. I never asked him about being liberated, I should have though.

    Mike came to the US soon after the war, with 3 bucks to his name. Landed in NYC, he was walking on a street looking for any type of work. He is by himself now, everyone is dead. Up ahead he sees a store front... help wanted. He goes in and walks out loaded with fuller brush paraphenalia. He is now a door to door salesman. At the end of the day, He only made 3 bucks. He sat on a stoop dejected. A black woman eventually walked by, she said why so sad? He said I only made 3 dollars today. She looked at his stuff and said come to my church after Sunday service. He did and sold alot of product. Fuller brush was very happy and so was Mike. Soon Mike took a job in the garment sector. He was an eager learner. knowledge is king.

    He took another job away from the city. Still in the garment industry, he saved his money and soon got married. He went to a mason and told him what he wanted in a house. It got done. Soon, it was time to venture out for himself. He made plans to open his own buisness. He found a store off the main street of stores near the cemetary. He told his wife, she said who you going to sell to, the dead people. Mike walked to the beat of his own drummer. He signed the papers, from 3 dollars to sole business man. Getting people to the garment store was a problem. A radio show came to his help. Mike was smart, he made sure that his I min ad came on 5 min before 6 am. The school closings would begin 6 am. For  30 yrs, it was the same ad. Kids would come into his shop and say the catch phrase, it saves to walk the extra block. Mike was successful. When other people were contrary Mike said it will be done. And he did.

    I life well lived. One day I drove by and I noticed his car was gone for a long time. I stopped by, I said Mike wheres the car? Oh, he said one day I was driving in town and hit a car. I say so what thats what insurance is for. No he said the car was a cop car. Mike was 88 and his family used that incident to pull his license. Sorry Mike. A year later, I didn't. see Mike out in his yard. I stop, Mike what happened? He tripped in the street visiting a neighbor, broke his hip. About 6 months later his wife couldn't take care of him anymore. I visited him in the nursing home, he was not happy. He wanted me to take him home. I said I couldn't. He balled up a fist and caught me in the arm. Boy, for 89 he hit good. Poor Mike, he died 6 mos later.

    I had a dream one night there was Mike in the dark save for an old fashioned lamp post that was lit up, he was holding on to the post. I know the light will guide him onward. Good to know you Mike.