Guesthouse for Ganesha by Judith Teitelman

Author:Judith Teitelman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: She Writes Press
Published: 2019-06-10T16:00:00+00:00

Esther’s chief task during these weeks of healing and waiting, one that took up less than one hour, was to arrange her and Zami’s space in the way most functional for her needs—sleeping and sewing. As the attic was a mere nine square meters, there were not a lot of options. This process involved no more than the need to determine which piece of furniture to cram into what corner.

A narrow winding staircase with a frail wrought iron rail led into the attic, the lone room on the third level above the four bedrooms. The ceiling was low, with a skylight about the size of a porthole. During the day it provided a stream of light in what would otherwise be a dreary, claustrophobic space. Esther stood barely five feet tall, so her ability to move about was not hampered. No door separated the attic from the staircase, and as such, no lock and therefore no privacy. The other residents could wander up the stairs on a whim and on occasion did. Most often it was Ans, in search of Zami.

“Bitte! Rufen Sie—Call my name from the bottom of the stairs first, and do not come up the stairs without my invitation!” Esther would implore, barely able to conceal her annoyance.

“Het spijt me. Het spijt me zo. I’m so sorry. I forgot. Again,” Ans said. “I was only thinking of how excited I was to see Hannis after being at school all day.”

In this house, there was not one area Esther could relax in or call her own.

At night Esther and Zami shared the pallet Nadine had wedged into one corner of the room. While Esther decided where each piece would go, Nadine arranged the furniture. She wanted to make sure Esther didn’t put pressure on her shoulder or overextend her energies. And although the pallet was painfully hard, Nadine had been kind enough to provide them with extra blankets to lay between their bodies and the straw-filled mattress.

From the parlor, Ans brought up an upholstered chair, a small table, and a floor lamp. Esther had Ans place these pieces in the opposite corner to serve as her workspace. As needed, the pallet would be used for laying out patterns or tracing pieces of fabric.

“So small is this room, Etta,” Nadine said. “The parlor would be—Ah, what is the word?—a preference, yes? Do you not think? That room is large, and I could arrange a good-sized space in one corner for you. No one would disturb you.”

“Nein, danke, but I wouldn’t want to bother everyone else, most especially you. I know how you enjoy listening to your music there,” Esther said while thinking, of course I don’t want to be in that space. People walk through there all the time. No doubt, everyone, most especially Ida, would constantly look over my shoulder and comment on my work. This is not acceptable.

Zami used what little bit of floor space remained to play with his train. Or he would settle on the pallet and stare at the rough walls.

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