Erma Bombeck Writing Competition - Winners
2007
Erma Bombeck Writing Competition
Honorable Mention
Human Interest - Dayton
Kimberly Adams
Dayton, Ohio
"What Isabella Taught Me"
| "Good morning, Isabella," I greeted, extending my hand to her. She appeared younger than her seventy years. For reasons I cannot fully explain I was suddenly completely at ease with her when only moments before I sat in my car in a fit of tears and uncertainty. "Here is my number," Isabella's son John explained to me, "in case you need me for any reason." Turning to Isabella he said, "It's a beautiful day. Maybe the two of you can walk through the outdoor gardens this afternoon?" He smiled and turned to leave for work. I learned quickly that no matter how simple Isabella's days can be, they are anything but ordinary. "Can we go? Can we go now?" Isabella asks with little emotion. We quickly buckle ourselves in my minivan and we are off. Our first stop is the local senior center where Isabella participates in exercise classes. More accurately, she participates ten percent of the time, the other ninety she observes the instructor. To encourage her participation I work out beside her. It is a killer! To my relief, Isabella is positively radiant when I tell her it is time for choir practice. An ensemble of some thirty senior citizens are warming their pipes in the choir room and soon I am hit with the level of talent assembled here. Isabella is among the best sopranos. Grateful for my own years of musical training I realize I might otherwise be hopelessly lost in a sea of voices, unable to assist Isabella with her sheet music. Buckled up and on the road again Isabella asks, "Did we sing? I assure her we sang our hearts out and we sounded great. "But did we sing?" Isabella repeats, and I happily reassure her we did indeed. After a brief stop for lunch Isabella and I are buckled into the minivan and again on the road toward the outdoor gardens. "What tree is that?" Isabella points one direction, then the other. "What flowers are those?" At every turn, she visually savors every leaf, blade of grass, flower petal. I patiently walk beside her so she will not wander off the path, and I find myself studying the trees and plant life with new found curiosity. We briefly discuss what we see and wonder how long it has been there. I could not believe the day was coming to an end. What I feared to be an eight hour odyssey turned out to be nothing less than amazing, thanks to everything Isabella taught me. |