Clattering Sparrows (13 page)

16

AFTER TWENTY YEARS IN our Silver Spring home, we tearfully bid our neighbors and the Wednesday night Mah Jongg game goodbye and moved across town to a new home in Potomac, Maryland. Not that we were attached at the hip, although at times it seemed as though we really were, Judy and Ira moved to Potomac as well.

One day as we were on our way home from a luncheon at American University, Judy and I actually found the houses on a whim. The allure of visiting beautifully decorated model homes had long held a fascination for both of us. With time to spare before returning home to prepare dinner, we turned onto the street bearing the River’s Edge Estates sign and followed the arrows to the models.

The custom home development under construction on River Road featured several elevations. There were two models fully furnished, decorated and landscaped. In addition, there were four homes under roof, but construction had been halted pending sale of the homes in order to allow individual buyers to further customize and modify the existing plans.

As we walked through the models we were captivated. They were big and roomy and featured high ceilings and enormous windows. No expense had been spared on the furnishings and window treatments, and we immediately envisioned what it would be like living there. An hour later, loaded down with brochures, and information on available lots and amenities, Judy and I excitedly returned home ready to convince Jon and Ira that these homes were meant for us.

Actually it didn’t take too much convincing. We had thought about moving from time to time but never pursued the issue. After numerous visits to the site and changing our minds over and over again, we purchased two different models and once again became next door neighbors. Fortunately, several houses were already occupied when we moved in, and it wasn’t long before we had a Wednesday night Mahj game going.

By the time the 1980s drew to a close, Sam and Mindy were both married, and Jon and I became grandparents.

Upon graduating from MIT, Sam accepted a position in Boston, married a Brookline girl, and they bought a home in Newton, Massachusetts. Their daughter was born just six months before Mindy’s son, and to say Jon and I were the proudest grandparents of the two most beautiful grandchildren in the world is an understatement.

Jon was now a partner in his law firm, and although he frequently traveled internationally over the years, his travel at the present was predominantly in the States.

My consumer connection segment was still going strong and had years before been upgraded in scope and expanded in air time. It was currently a regular feature Monday through Friday on the 6:00 o’clock evening news and included a wider range of consumer concerns. For the past several months, I had been in negotiations with the station to replace me on the air. Finally we reached an agreement that I would stay on as a consultant for the segment, continue to do research, and help select and train my replacement.

Although I was seeking to cut back my commitment, I had contributed immensely to the success of Sara Miller’s Consumer Connection and I wasn’t totally ready to give it all up. However, I was eager to enjoy my grandchildren, and since kids have a way of growing up before you know it, I didn’t want to miss a single minute.

As it turned out, the following year my mother had a massive stroke, and I was glad that I was no longer tied to the rigorous daily schedule of the show, allowing me to help my father while she was recuperating. It took almost two years, but her determination and will to get better were unbelievable, and even the doctors admitted her full recovery was amazing. We breathed a sigh of relief when once again they began spending half the year in Florida.

***

My father taught my brother and me that our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but by how we react to what happens. He urged us to follow our passions in setting our goals, and to identify what was unique within us in pursuing those goals. He instilled in us that no dream was too big to dream, and no path too difficult to follow, but above all, he consistently cautioned us to avoid complacency.

I truly believe that we were in a state of complacency that summer when Judy, Ira, Jon, and I traveled to Canada for a week-long vacation. We flew to Montreal, rented a car and drove west to Toronto before returning to Montreal for our flight home.

While we were on that trip Judy began feeling poorly. She put up a brave front and didn’t want to ruin our annual jaunt, but by the time we boarded the flight for home, she was in pretty bad shape.

A visit to the doctor the next day revealed two small cancerous growths in her colon. She was scheduled for surgery within days, and as we paced the floor of the waiting room with her family, both our nerves and our faith were sorely tested.

At one point, I left the others and went downstairs to the chapel. As I sat head bowed in prayer, I heard someone behind me. Georgetown is a Catholic hospital, where priests and nuns can be seen visiting the patients throughout the day. When I turned, Sister Mary Frances introduced herself and asked, “May I help you my child? I saw you come into the chapel and thought you might need someone to talk to.”

I began to sob uncontrollably. “My dearest friend is being operated on as we speak. We’ve been friends since we were five-year old children, and I so want her to get well. She’s such a good person, and as a teacher has done so much for so many children. I don’t want to lose her. I need her, and her family needs her too.”

As she continued to comfort me, she urged me to pray. And as we prayed together, I felt an inner peace come over me. At that moment I somehow knew that this wasn’t Judy’s time to leave us. When I raised my head, she was gone, and I was left with the eerie feeling that perhaps Sister Mary Frances had been a figment of my imagination.

A week later, Judy was released from the hospital. She returned home and began her recuperation. The doctors were confident that they had removed all the cancer, and the prognosis was that she would make a full recovery. For one month, six days a week I drove Judy for radiation treatments, and each day I renewed my vow never to become complacent again.

I spent every possible moment with Judy. I ran errands, prepared meals, and I even arranged afternoon Mah Jongg games to pass the time. When she was up to it, we even went on a few shopping excursions that included lunch with our Mah Jongg friends.

A few days after she returned home, I called Su Ling to tell her about Judy. I was saddened to learn that An Lei had passed away the previous day. After her customary cup of tea before retiring, she went to bed. Usually an early riser, she was still in bed when Su Ling came downstairs the next morning. Entering her bedroom, she knew immediately that her beloved An Lei was gone.

Su Ling could not let her go. She sat for hours at her bedside sobbing for her latest loss. She had planned to call us when the arrangements had been made.

Generally, the Chinese take the burial of the dead very seriously. It is believed that improper funeral arrangements can wreak ill fortune and disaster upon the family of the deceased.

Su Ling and An Lei had discussed at great length An Lei’s wishes for burial. Although traditionally uncommon, she wanted to be cremated and her ashes spread over San Francisco Bay. She had been born in the City and spent most of her life there. She adamantly stated she did not want a traditional Chinese funeral which she deemed a circus. They had no family left other than one another and few friends. She felt a simple blessing of her ashes as they were scattered would be sufficient.

The Chinese believe the three great blessings in life are luck, prosperity, and longevity. She had never betrayed the spirits that bestow these blessings and yet she felt they had betrayed her time and again, therefore she wasn’t concerned about improper funeral arrangements. Sadly, her great losses far outweighed the many joys in her life. The one wish she had deep in her heart was that Su Ling would marry and have a family. When her family had so brutally been taken from her, An Lei lost all faith. From that time forward her only hope was that Su Ling would once again find someone and remarry before she died; but that was not to be.

“I have made arrangements for An Lei’s cremation, but I wanted to speak with you and Judy to see if you would like to be present when we scatter her ashes. You were and are our dearest friends, and she would have wanted you to come.”

I could not believe that An Lei was gone. “I am so sorry for your loss, Su Ling. Her passing is a loss to us, as well.

“I called to tell you Judy was operated on last week for colon cancer, but I am happy to say that she is now home and on the mend. The doctors anticipate a full recovery.

“Jon and I will definitely come and I will speak to Judy and Ira. I am quite certain they will come with us. Hopefully we can give you a date in the next couple of weeks so you can finalize your plans. That is, if you can wait until the doctor says she is able to travel.”

“There is no set time. It was my hope that you would come, and waiting until Judy is up to the trip does not pose a problem. The house is so empty without her, it is difficult for me. The wait will allow me to bring her ashes home to the house she so dearly loved for a visit before the final service.”

We hung up with Su Ling’s promise to call Judy.

***

Two months later, the four of us traveled to San Francisco for the scattering of An Lei’s ashes. As the boat pulled away from the shore, I was so overcome with sadness that I felt faint and leaned on Jon for support. Several miles offshore, the boat came to a stop. Su Ling, Judy, and I each in turn bid farewell to An Lei.

That evening we ate dinner in Chinatown and our small party of five fondly recalled those days so long ago, when Judy and I faithfully showed up at their door each and every Wednesday afternoon to play Mahjong. When a fresh pot of tea and almond cookies arrived at our table, I broke down and cried. The saddest part of all was that our dear friend Su Ling was now alone.

We tried to elicit her promise to come east for a visit, but she said that she could only consider it after her year of mourning had ended.

17

DANNY HELLER MANEUVERED HIS Porsche with ease driving perhaps a little faster than usual, but secure in the fact that he knew every curve of the winding scenic road that ran along the Hudson River leading to Hillcrest. He turned onto Main Street, to North Broadway, and then turned left following the road north to Hook Mountain.

Although it was only a thirty-five minute ride by car from Manhattan, the Hudson River village of Nyack managed to retain its small town charm of elegant mansions and Victorian estates that had been built a century before, despite the influx of retail chain and outlet malls that had sprung up in the surrounding areas.

Danny was late leaving the corporate offices of Heller Pharmaceuticals in Manhattan where for the past five years since his father’s death, he had taken over the reins as Chief Executive Officer. As he drove up the final hill and turned into Hillcrest, he pondered his failure to leave his meeting earlier, but a quick glance at the clock showed he was only a few minutes late.

Today was his and his mother’s mutual birthday. Each year since his father died, they shared their “special day” dining at Hudson House in the Village. However, Katherine had called him earlier in the day to say they would be dining at Hillcrest this year. Sensing urgency in her voice, he asked if everything was all right, and she quickly assured him it was. He thanked her and told her he would be there. He was normally prompt and made it his practice not to keep anyone waiting, let alone his mother on their mutual birthday.

Katherine Schiff was nineteen years old when she met Jack Heller and fell hopelessly in love with him. She was working as a secretary for the law offices of Canter, Abrams & Klein when he came to their offices to meet with Barry Canter. Jack was fifteen years older than Katherine, but that never made a difference to either of them. They were married six short months later and were blissfully happy.

After several miscarriages, a problematical pregnancy, and a difficult delivery, Danny was born. Katherine had delivered a nine pound, healthy and robust son who quickly captured his parents’ hearts. When Danny was three, Katherine miscarried for the last time, and the doctor told them there would be no more children.

Mark Heller, Jack’s father, worked for a small struggling pharmaceutical company in Upstate New York whose main product was vitamins. When the elderly owner couldn’t find a buyer for his company, he worked a deal with Mark to keep the business running for a percentage of the profits.

For the next ten years under Mark’s leadership, the company diversified beyond vitamins and developed into a viable growth pharmaceutical business. Thanks to Mark, the owner realized more than he had originally asked for the company, and having no close relatives to pass it on to, left the business to him when he died.

When his son Jack graduated from college, he welcomed him into the company of which he was now the sole owner. He changed the name from General Vitamin Corporation to Heller Pharmaceuticals, making General Vitamin a subsidiary whose sole purpose was to continue to produce their original line of vitamins.

The attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s entrance into the war weighed heavily on Jack’s mind. He told his parents that he wanted to enlist in the Marines, as he felt it was only a matter of time before he would be drafted anyway. He reported to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for basic training, and after a brief two weeks leave with his family, he was on a ship bound for the Pacific.

Over the next three years Jack would see action in battle after battle to secure the strategically important area of the southwest Pacific. As the United States secured Hawaii from further attacks and took the fight to the Japanese, he became a hero. The Battle of Okinawa lasted 32 days. On the last day of the fighting while trying to save the life of a fellow Marine, and as they huddled just below the ridgeline sheltering them from machine gun and mortar fire above, an enemy soldier suddenly appeared and fired. Jack returned the fire killing him, but not before he had been shot in the shoulder. Dazed and wounded, they were found shortly thereafter and ferried to a hospital ship that took them to Guam. When he was released from the hospital, he was flown to Hawaii to California and finally to New York where Major Jack Heller was discharged a decorated war hero.

When he returned, the town welcomed their war hero home, and Mark Heller welcomed his son back to Heller Pharmaceuticals.

Danny retrieved his mother’s gift from the trunk of the car and walked up the steps to the door where Katherine awaited him. They hugged, and as he bent to kiss her, he said, “Happy Birthday Mom! Something sure smells delicious, and I’m not just saying that because I’m starved.”

Katherine laughed. “You’ve been starved since the day you were born. When we brought you home from the hospital the doctor put you on cereal almost immediately because milk just wasn’t satisfying you.”

They went into the library where Danny fixed them both drinks. “Why did you decide to have dinner at home tonight? Are you sure everything is all right?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I just want to go over a few things with you after dinner and instead of eating at Hudson House and coming back here afterwards, I thought it would be more convenient to eat in. I don’t get to fuss over you as much as I used to, and I miss that. Actually I had fun planning and making dinner. Since Dad died I don’t entertain nearly as much as I used to, but you know I always enjoyed having company here at the house although I don’t consider you company. We had some pretty big bashes in our day, wouldn’t you say?”

“You sure did Mom. I remember when we first moved into this house and you and Dad hosted that big charity affair. There were people all over the place. But what I remember best is that I was welcome at every party you and Dad ever threw. I got to stay as long or as little as I wanted before going up to bed.”

Dinner consisted of consommé, rack of lamb, baby carrots, and mashed potatoes, all Danny’s favorites. Pushing his chair back from the table, he said, “That was great. Best meal I’ve had in a long time and right up there with the finest restaurants in Manhattan where, as you know, I’m a steady diner.”

Katherine smiled. “Thank you sweetheart; shall we have coffee and dessert now or shall we wait?’

“Why don’t we wait?” I’ll help you clean up, and then you can open your present and we can visit awhile. Did you say there was something you wanted to speak with me about?”

Clearing the table and filling the dishwasher took only a few minutes. They retired to the den and Danny gave Katherine her gift. She carefully removed the outer wrapping and lifted the lid on the gold foil box. Inside rested a beautiful beveled and etched glass music box. As she removed it, set it on the table, and opened the lid, it played a Viennese waltz.

“Oh how lovely Danny. You always choose the nicest gifts for me. Thank you so much. I love you.”

“I’m glad you like it. It was made in England, and I immediately thought of you when I saw it. I remember how you and Dad loved to waltz, and I loved watching you.”

Katherine rose and walked over to the desk in the corner. She picked up a small bag from Tiffany’s and handed it to Danny.

“Wow, Tiffany’s, I’m impressed Mom!” He joked. He removed the small box and opened it to find a pair of gold cufflinks in the shape of the new Heller Pharmaceuticals logo—a mortar and pestle with the Heller “H.”

“You really outdid yourself this time Mom. Thank you. I love them, and I love you.”

He walked over and kissed her holding her close for a moment. She seemed so vulnerable to him since his dad had passed away. Although she maintained an active life in the community, traveled, and had many friends in the town, Danny sensed a sadness about her that had not faded with time as he had hoped it would.

Katherine opened the conversation, “Well tell me what’s new at Heller Pharmaceuticals.”

“In the pharmaceutical world, there’s always something new and quite exciting these days. There are so many innovative and promising drugs that the Food and Drug Administration has and continues to approve, and there have been significant advances resulting in new treatments for many people plagued with lengthy illnesses.

“But the most exciting news is right at Heller. We’re awaiting approval from the FDA on a new AIDS medication that we feel will provide a major breakthrough in the short term treatment of the disease.

“In addition, I’m quite pleased with our generic drug program that we started a few years ago, and we have recently picked up several substantial accounts. I’ve also met with Bob Morgan about building an addition to the plant in Rochester.”

“That’s wonderful Danny. I’m so proud of you and I know that Dad would be as proud of you as I am. In a short time, you’ve managed to accomplish such a great deal.

“Speaking of Rochester brings up what I want to discuss with you. I’m sure I told you that my friend Natalie Parker passed away last month when I was in England. Well a few days ago, I received a call from her attorney asking if I could come up to Rochester to meet with him. I asked him several questions, but he was quite reluctant to answer them over the phone, stating that he would respond to any and all questions I have when we meet.”

“When are you planning on getting together with him? Have you set a date?”

“No I haven’t. There’s more. He also asked for you to be present, and again, he offered no explanation.”

“That’s odd. I didn’t know Dr. Parker and I can’t remember seeing her after we left Rochester and moved here to Hillcrest.”

“Your memory serves you well Danny.” Katherine responded. “Natalie and I became friends almost from the beginning when she first set up her practice in Rochester. After several miscarriages, when I became pregnant with you, she took very good care of me. I had many problems during the pregnancy, and she was there every inch of the way. In fact we were out to dinner celebrating my birthday when I went into labor at the restaurant. Instead of going home, we went directly to the hospital, and you were born several hours later.

“We remained friends through the years, and I always sent her pictures of you when you were growing up. Whenever we spoke, she would ask about you and how you were doing.

“Over the years, the distance between us cooled our friendship somewhat, but we always managed to keep in touch. On occasion I would accompany your father to Rochester when he visited the plant, and I would spend the day with Natalie. I’m quite certain we never took you with us.”

“When are you planning on meeting with him?”

“I’m open to any time that’s convenient for you. You’re far busier than I am. The trip is over 300 miles each way, and the drive will take at least five to six hours. If you spend the night before we leave here at the house, we can get an early start in the morning and be there by noon. After our meeting with the attorney, rather than enduring the long drive back in the same day, I thought I’d make reservations, and we can spend the night in Rochester.

“That way you can stop in at the plant if there is any business you need to conduct, we can enjoy a nice quiet dinner in the City, and leave for home in the morning.”

“That sounds good to me. Actually I was planning a trip up that way later in the month so this should work out fine. Monday is the only day that’s not good for me and I’ll keep the rest of the week open until I hear from you. Just let me know as soon as you’ve made the arrangements.”

“Great! Now let’s have dessert and coffee. I made a lite version of my decadent chocolate trifle, but I promise you won’t know the difference.”

***

Danny left Hillcrest just before 11:00 p.m. As he drove home to Manhattan, his thoughts wandered.

Although he found it odd that Dr. Parker’s attorney wanted to meet with his mother, he was thoroughly puzzled by the attorney’s request for his presence at the meeting, as well. On the short ride home, his mind conjured up numerous scenarios, but none offered a feasible explanation.

There was very little traffic on his drive back to Manhattan, and in less than forty minutes he entered the garage, parked his car, and was in the elevator riding up to his penthouse apartment.