Suprises - A Reader!

September 7, 2007 by enchantingsunshine.

My favorite thing about life is the surprises it brings, those things that you can’t predict or force, and just happen all on their own.

Several years ago, I was in a rut. I was single and life was a bit drab. The dating scene was a bit depressing and dry, but I had plenty of other good things in my life. I was in the habit of attending lectures around town, and had plenty of hobbies, so I wasn’t deprived of intellectual stimulation. Life was just very routine and I was wishing for something different to happen. Then one day, out of nowhere, I received a handwritten letter from one of my mom’s former coworkers, Aaron.

My mom worked at the same printing company for 17 years and in the summers, when I was young, I would sometimes go to work with her. I loved it because for one, I just loved being with my mom. But there was also so much interesting stuff to experience there. My mom’s office was in downtown Baltimore, two blocks from Lexington Market on Eutaw Street. (It was considerably safer in those days than now. We went in May this year and I was appalled at the condition of the neighborhood.)

The best days were the ones when my mom and I got our breakfast or lunch from the Market. In the mornings, we would get a scrambled egg and scrapple sandwich. Though the thought of it turns my stomach now, I loved it then, especially the crunchy bits of scapple. Lunch at the Market varied, but always included a big delicious pickle and Utz potato chips, fresh from the Utz stand, a vision of chip loveliness, the booth overflowing with gorgeous golden chips.

Back in the office, at least one of the many printing presses was always going and the operator of the smallest one, a few feet from my mom’s desk, Aaron, would talk to me at length, explaining how it all worked and letting me watch for hours as he set up the template and adjusted the colors until they just matched the spec. Aaron’s wife, Ester, also worked at my mom’s company. They were childless and treated me like their own daughter.

There was also Joe, the typesetter, another kind and gentle man. He would painstakingly choose the right font, and arrange the individual lead letters to create a page of text. I don’t remember what happened next in the printing process, just Joe pulling out and arranging all those letters.

My favorite thing was being able to use one of the typewriters, especially when one of the electric ones was available. My mom wouldn’t allow me to type unless I used the right fingers, a skill that at the time she had no idea would later be so useful to me. I would type for hours making up stories and newsletters for my own entertainment. Sometimes I even played reporter and interviewed my mom’s coworkers and then typed up the stories I invented around them. I can’t imagine a modern corporation tolerating such unproductive behavior.

My mom’s company was privately owned and probably had about 75 employees. People didn’t generally change jobs so frequently in those days, so the same people worked together for years and got to know each other like an extended family.

The day I received the letter from Aaron, I was elated. Aaron and Ester were now in their late eighties and after a conversation with my mom, Aaron decided to write to me to personally ask how I was doing. Even though I always remembered them fondly, I seldom thought about them, so it was a real delight for me to receive Aaron’s letter. Personal letters are so uncommon these days, and whenever I receive one, I feel like a little kid again on those rare occassions when a piece of mail would come addressed to me. Finally something out of the ordinary happened and it was something so nice. Even though it was just a simple letter, it was the unexpectedness of it from someone I had forgotten about. Aaron and I exchanged letters for a couple of years, until I suppose he got too ill to write. With a little detective work, my mom who had also made repeated attempts to contact them, discovered that they moved to a nursing home. I wish I lived closer so I could pay them an unexpected visit.

Today something wonderful happened again. An unexpected and beautiful thing. I got an email from someone who reads my blog. Someonereads my blog. Mindpinball writes his own interesting blog and sends me fun links. Is there anything better than making a connection with others, especially so unexpectedly?

Just when you least expect it, and really need it, life hands you a little gift.

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