Passing of beloved Grandma
By David Zephaniah
It was summer of 1973, and it was a sad day for me.
My beloved grandmother passed away that day. I was 13 years old and was standing in a crowded bus from Nazareth Illit, Israel, headed for the town of Afula. I found out shortly thereafter that Bruce Lee also died that day. He was my favorite actor and martial artist. His movies inspired me to become a martial artist and street fighter later on in my life.
My older brother was serving in Israeli Army. I was to deliver a letter from my parents to the area army representative, requesting a leave for my brother, so he could attend her funeral. I had to rush because we Jews bury the dead within 24 hours of their death and time was of the essence.
It was a hot summer day in Israel. The bus was so crowded; I had to stand on my feet most of the 35 minutes ride. I found a seat, when I boarded, but I gave it to an elderly person that boarded later on and had no place to seat. In Israel, it is a common practice that we respect the elderly.
The bus was not air conditioned, and it wasn't comfortable. Town of Afula is a regional center in the northern region of Israel, and it is located on the foothills of Galilee Mountains, in Izrael Valley (near Har-Megiddo, where Armageddon supposed to happen). I still remember the scents and the noises. I could hear people talking in different languages around me. There was a woman with a pretty teenager daughter talking Russian quietly. Two Arab men in front of me were engaged in a heated political debate with what looked like a Moroccan Jew. You see, political arguments are a daily accordance in the Israeli street, wherever you go. People are very passionate and always talk to each other. Everybody wants to communicate with everybody. It is a very vibrant society.
Usually when I would travel around, I would listen to different people and sometimes I would interject my opinion, but not today. Today I was numb. I kept imagining the grief that my mom must have felt after losing her mother. They were very close. They would see each other practically every day. She lived about half a mile away from us. I remembered how I used to like to visit her. She always treated me like a king. She called me "my King David" and couldn't stop fussing around me, making sure I was comfortable. She would never let me leave without feeding me first. No matter how many times I would tell her that I wasn't hungry, she would insist on serving me. I remembered how great of a cook she was! Although I never told my mother, I liked my grandmas cooking better (I didn't want to hurt my mom's feelings). A few times she insisted on giving me a haircut before I could leave. I didn't mind because she gave good haircuts and I was due for a haircut anyway.
All of a sudden, looking at the people in the bus, I felt guilty. A sharp feeling of guilt flooded over me and made me shiver. I felt guilty because I wondered if I ever were a good grandchild to my grandmother and if I gave her enough attention for the endless love that she always gave me. I felt guilty about a day 2 weeks earlier, when my grandma was already in the hospital, very ill. That evening my mother had asked me to take her home cooked meal and bring it to her to the hospital. She didn't want her to eat the hospital food. I disappointed them both that day! While waiting for a bus, I started talking to a cute girl passing by, and somehow missed the bus. Apparently that was the last bus that day. I had to come back home with the food. I felt very guilty about that. I thought of all the things that I would want to tell my grandma before she passed, but I couldn't. I felt bad for my mother.
As I got off the bus in Afula Central station, I saw headlines of the magazines on the display. All of them read "Bruce Lee Is Dead". I bought one of magazines and read the article right away. I felt sad in a deeper sense that this world lost two of my favorite people in one day. On the other hand, I was consoled by the fact that even a strong person like Bruce Lee would die one day. I always thought that he was invincible. Suddenly I understood that death doesn't discriminate. No matter how strong, rich or famous you are death can come suddenly and take you from this world.
I found the army office fairly quickly and delivered the letter, just to find out that my efforts were futile. The army office couldn't locate my brother in a timely manner, and, as a result, he couldn't attend the funeral.
It has been many years since then, but I can never forget that sad day in my life! I lost two of my favorite people that day.
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