Moving Day Blues
I haven’t moved very often in my life, in fact for the past 40 years we’ve lived in Manhattan in the same “7 rms, river view”. We love our apartment, our building, and our neighborhood, and don’t plan to move any time soon. (See The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Kente Cloth)
But over the years I’ve had the moving day blues when good friends have moved away from me. One of them was Celia.
Celia and I met soon after my husband Danny and I moved into the city with our one-year old. I was at home still unpacking cartons when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to a young woman about my age.
“Welcome to the building!”, she said introducing herself. “I’m baking and believe it or not I’ve run out of sugar, may I borrow a cup?”
I invited her in and over tea we discovered that she and Danny grew up in the same Queens neighborhood, and had gone to Brandeis together where they’d been friends — small world!
Celia and Danny renewed their college friendship and over the years Celia and I became very close. When we were away she fed our cat, when she was out we walked her dog, and in an effort to cut down on smoking, Celia kept her Gauloises cigarettes in our fridge. Both of us were night owls and we shared hundreds of what we came to call our late-night cups of tea. We drank them in her apartment or mine, sometimes with her home-baked madeleines, and often at a VERY late hour.
Then she met Dick.
When the guy became a fixture in Celia’s life we fell for him too, and soon we were a happy foursome. At their wonderful Harvard Club wedding I cried. But I wasn’t just shedding tears of joy for the happy couple. Dick lived in Princeton where he ran a publishing house, and Celia would be giving up her Manhattan apartment to move there.
So some of my tears were selfish ones. I knew Jersey wasn’t so far away, and I’d never lose Celia’s friendship, but I knew I’d surely miss my just-down-the hall, there-whenever-we-needed-each-other friend.
And I knew I’d miss those late-night cups of tea.
– Dana Susan Lehrman
Dana Susan LehrmanThis retired librarian loves big city bustle and cozy country weekends, friends and family, good books and theatre, movies and jazz, travel, tennis, Yankee baseball, and writing about life as she sees it on her blog World Thru Brown Eyes!
www.WorldThruBrownEyes.com
Dana, thanks for this different take on the prompt – being affected by someone else’s move instead of your own. Sounds like Celia was a great neighbor, and how sad to have her move away, and to Jersey no less! Do you still see her?
Thanx Suzy, yes we’re still very close to Celia, and we see each other as often as we can, but sadly her wonderful husband Dick died about 5 years ago.
This Moving Day story was originally on my blog with the title A Cup of Sugar.
To read another story about Dick , search on my blog for the post entitled Lacrosse.
http://www.WorldThruBrownEyes.com
Good story, Dana. What class at Brandeis was Celia (really small world)? I love how close you became, sharing that cup of tea late into the night. And how you showed the other side of the coin of the “moving” prompt. I agree, we are very affected when close friends move away. Even when we stay in touch, it is never the same.
Celia Ussak was in Danny’s class, Brandeis ‘64.
And yes altho Celia and I are still close, it’s not the same as it was when she was just down the hall!
Sadly her wonderful husband Dick died 5 years ago and is greatly missed.
Such a sweet story, Dana. Believe it or not, when Celia lived in Manhattan, you had the kind of adult friendship I’ve often fantasized about. I’ve always wished I had someone just down the block, someone I really liked that I could drop in on, or who would drop in on me, without making an appointment. And those very late night chats, pure gold. And all this in Manhattan, no less. You have sparked a hint of envy in me…but the good kind. I love NY so much…you’re so lucky to call it home!
Ah yes Barbara, I think Celia and I knew at the time how lucky we were, and a fly on the wall would certainly have gotten an earful while we drank our tea!
We’re still in touch and see each other as often as we can, but sadly Dick died 5 years ago and is sorely missed.
And glad to hear you ❤️ NY, let me know when you can visit and we’ll paint the town!
You bet, Dana!
I really get this, Dana. Right now, I am watching my friends of many, many years move out of their homes into smaller condos and even retirement homes. It’s hard to see them go. My next door neighbor and I have watched out for each other’s homes for almost 45 years. I wonder which of us will move first?
We Boomers are at that stage, where oh where did the years go?