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The Pebble
This is the tale of an improbable journey.
one
I had a bilateral mastectomy on January 26. After the prerequisite healing time
my oncologist and I decided that I would have 4 AC chemotherapy treatments, 2
weeks apart. My first two sessions of chemo were at Hartford Hospital. I then
had a whim to go to the satellite office in Avon, Ct. Bob, my oncologist, is
there on Thursdays. We went on April 5, 2007, for my third treatment. I
decided to bring a biography of Emily Bronte to read.
I entered the treatment room and sat down. I immediately noticed the woman
sitting across from me. She had the brightest eyes and a presence that one
could not ignore. She struck up a conversation with me and asked me why I was
reading the biography. I told her that we were hoping to get to the Bronte
parsonage in northern England during the summer holidays. Our daughter is named
for Emily Jane Bronte, and we wanted her to see the place where EJB had lived
and done her writing.
This bright eyed "brownie" (folk of the forest) introduced herself as Ann
Shapiro. She asked about our holiday in England. I told her we had been going
to England every summer for the past 25 years. She then asked where we went in
England. As I got ready to answer, I was ready for the glazed no connection
look I usually get when I answer "Oh, it is a little village in the lake
district I am sure you never heard of it." With a twinkle in her eye she
challenged me to try her. I said "Grasmere." She then began to tell me a
story.
Ann's family was Jewish and had relocated from Austria to the UK in the late
thirties. They were first relocated to Coventry and unfortunately were there
for the bombing of Coventry, where their house was destroyed. They were then
relocated again to a small area in the Lake District called Langdale which is
a stones throw from our village of Grasmere. Ann spent the first 10 years of
her life growing up in Langdale.
We asked if she and her husband Mark would like to see our photo album from the
summer of 2006. We made plans to bring it and share it in two weeks when we
would be there again for chemotherapy.
The minute I got home I threw the album in the van so it would be there for our
next visit. My chemo brain sometimes let me down in the memory department, and
I did not want to forget the album and looked forward to seeing Ann and Mark
again.
On April 19 Warren and I were again at the Avon satellite. Ann and Mark were
there as well. Ann had had some platelet blood work done and could not receive
chemotherapy for her lung cancer that day. Warren, Ann and Mark spent about an
hour in the waiting room looking at our photo album.
Ann then came in to the treatment room and sat in the same chair as she had been
in 2 weeks earlier and began to chat. Before she started to talk she asked her
husband Mark if he would go out into the woods by the office and pick out a
pebble for her. She then explained to me that there was a Jewish tradition in
which the pebble could represent Ann. She asked us if we would take the pebble
to the UK with us and leave the pebble in Langdale her return to her childhood
home. We said that we would be very honored to do this for her.
Ann and I chatted about cancer, chemo, state of mind, etc. She then began to
tell me about her son Dan who had had Hodgkins disease as a young man. She
said that he had written a book about his experience called Mom's Marijuana.
Ann had grown marijuana for Dan to counteract the nausea from the chemotherapy.
At that time there were no drugs to help with the side effect of nausea.
As we parted that day we exchanged email addresses. Ann asked us to keep in
touch during the summer and let her know about the progress of the pebble.
Two
The minute I got home that day I went to the computer to check out Mom's
Marijuana. There were many reviews of the book posted at Amazon. They were all
incredibly positive. I ordered the book and emailed Ann. I wanted her to know
that the book was still vibrant as she had thought it might have gone out of
print. She also said that since I was going to find out all about her family by
reading the book she would like to know more about us. Why did we go to
England? What were the details of our going to Bolivia to adopt our daughter
Emily Jane? I answered.
Three May 1
Emily Jane came upstairs. She always checks our email for us. Her voice
quivered slightly as she asked, "Mommy who was Ann Shapiro?" The word was said
it all. Ann had died in her sleep on April 27. Warren and I cried. Mark's
email mentioned the pebble and how important it was to Ann. Of course we would
take it with us. The meaning of the journey was now at a different level. Mark
had said it would complete the cycle of her life.
During subsequent emails with Mark we discovered that Ann's father was buried in
Langdale. We then told Mark we would like to try to find the grave and leave
Ann's pebble on his gravestone. Mark was only able to give us his name Edward
Freiberger.
One night Warren and Emily Jane and I were watching a show on the television
together called Waking the Dead. At the end of the story there was a Jewish
funeral, and we noticed that attendees were leaving pebbles on the gravestone.
Emily Jane suggested we should bring pebbles back from Langdale for Ann's
service. Mark thought that was a great idea.
We left for England with only her father's name and the precious pebble wrapped
in bubble wrap in a little red purse.
Four
We arrived in Grasmere on June 28. We were booked to see a series of plays at
the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, with our local friend Sheila. Sheila could
not make the first play on the fourth of July and passed her ticket on to a
friend of hers named Rosemary. We always sit in a box at the theatre. During
our pre play chat I started to tell Rosemary about the pebble. She said " I live
in Langdale. I know about the Jewish families that were helped during the war.
I may know someone who worked with Ann's parents and knew Ann. I will get back
to you. We will find the cemetary together." Needless to say we were stunned.
Coincidence seemed to follow coincidence. If I had not carried a biography of
Emily Bronte we would not be having this conversation. That pebble certainly
had a determination to find it's resting place. Where did that come from?
Five
Rosemary called us on Sunday and said that she had talked to her friend Nellie.
Nellie knew exactly where Edward Freiberger's grave was and she would be happy
to meet us and show us. Nellie knew Edward's name even though we had not
mentioned it to Rosemary. What was going on here?
The following Tuesday we arranged to meet Rosemary at a hamlet in Langdale
called Chapel Stile. We would meet her at a small primary school. When we got
there Nellie had not yet arrived. The small school was having sport's day.
Rosemary is a governor of the school and knows most of the community. She
pointed out a woman who was sitting watching the games. She said "that is Nora,
and she would like to talk to you. She took piano lessons from Ann's mother."
Nora and I talked for about 15 minutes. She remembered Ann and her brother
Freddy very well especially Ann. Her eyes glistened as she said she could
remember Ann as though it were yesterday. She described her physically as
having curly brown hair and brown eyes and a certain something you could not put
your finger on. I told Nora about the marijuana and she slapped her knee and
said " yes, I can just see that girl doing that!"
Nellie arrived. Warren, Emily Jane, Rosemary and I were led across the street
and down a narrow path through a cow field. At the bottom of the hill were
gates, and then lo and behold a cemetery. Nellie, who is probably close to
ninety, confided in a whisper to me that the Germans were not very nice to the
Jewish people during WWII. That was why some Jewish families came to the lake
district at that time. Nellie led us into the cemetery and over to the far
left. With amazing strength and agility she pulled a huge box bush back to
reveal the grave of Edward Freiberger. The cemetery is set on a gentle hill
overlooked by the Langdale pikes. We placed Ann's pebble on the gravestone. We
took photos. We listened to Nellie's stories. Nellie had worked on the
Langdale Estate ( a sort of hotel) with Ilse and Edward Freiberger during the
war. She especially remembered the fabulous cooking skills of Ilse and how
people came from far and wide even during war time just to sample Ilse's
cooking.
Six
Warren, Emily Jane and I each picked out a pebble to take back to Ct. and placed
them in the red purse.
Seven
Rosemary had one more surprise for us. The Langdale Estate had now become a
time share. She had contacted the management and arranged for us to view photo
albums of the Langdale Estate from 1939 to 1949. When we arrived, we
encountered a blending of the old and new. We went into the "clubhouse" where
the albums where waiting. We were allowed to go through them many were
postcards with wonderful sketches. Rosemary was there to point out this is
the building they would have lived in or this is the dining room where meals
were served. We were able to remove pertinent cards and photograph them for
Mark and his family.
Eight
Sheila could have given that ticket to any of 20 friends. Her question "Why
did I give it to Rosemary?"
Nine
We are now home. I have started teaching school again. Emily Jane is back at
school. Warren is now back to being Mr. Indispensable cooking, cleaning,
loving, driving a launch for Emily's crew team, driving Emily to Middletown so
she can be an actress, etc.
Ten
The journey is not over. We will meet Mark at the end of September and share
photos, books and memories.
Our family has been enriched beyond measure. Our only regret is that we did not
get to know the dynamo that directed her pebble to it's home.
Linda Jessen September 2, 2007
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