June 9, 2013

It felt hot already at the crack of dawn when I got up this morning. The sun appeared like a ball of fire shortly after six and the rest of the day offered no relief from the heat whatsoever. Although I had planned to go to the Osh bazaar and buy the staples I’d need for the book club meal I’m planning on cooking, I never left the apartment.

I can say that I was finally able to complete the answer keys to all the exercises for the e-book. All I need to do now is compile the table of contents and I’ll be done with it. My wrists were screaming from all the typing I’ve been doing for the past few weeks.

I sent the announcement about the book club meeting, and Rebecca immediately confirmed her attendance and the fact that she’ll be bringing a guest. Except for Willoughby, I never know for sure who’s going to show up at the meetings. This will be our last one for the school year and who knows what will happen when I’m gone.

I while away part of the afternoon listening to Julio Iglesias’ songs from the late 60s and 70s. Memories flooded through me so vividly that I could picture myself in the living room of the house on Summer Avenue in Newark, New Jersey a few years after my arrival in the United States.

The wood paneling, the ugly brown and beige furniture, and the splintered hardwood floors all came back to life in a minute along with images of my beautiful sister Lidia lounging in one of the sofas saying sweet nothings to one boyfriend or another on the telephone.

Back to reality and a chance to skype with my sister Esther to get the latest on my mom’s condition. She’s doing much better and getting out of bed by herself against the advice of the nurse. She misses coffee the most, just as I would for sure. The plan is to get Mother to my other sister’s apartment until I get back to Florida.