Ana and the Fish

by Tom Peters

Today was my dear friend Helen’s 100th birthday party held at a nearby park. She belongs to a knitting group which made up most of the attendees. I attend the same church as Helen so there were a few mutual friends attending as well. I brought my favorite recipe of stuffed sweet peppers. The small colorful ones de-stemmed, cut in half and filled with cream cheese, breakfast sausage, cheddar cheese and garlic powder. They went over big, so I was pleased. I sat next to Ana from the knitting class. We started chatting first about her knitting projects but as the party progressed, I was interrupted several times to help folks get their photos taken with Helen using their cell phone. But the food and Ana acted like a magnet for me, and I kept returning.

Ana tells me she’s a refugee from Hungary and arrived in the US in 1957. Refugees…. I find it heartwarming that I may have forgotten many of my history lessons but when my friend Ebrahiem immigrates from Syria in 1963 during their revolution; friend Mitra arrives in the US in 1978 during the Iranian revolution; my friend Quang in 1975 after the Vietnam war.

And now Ana, 1957 from Hungary.

The pieces start to fit together from these connections.
Ana heard I was recently retired and asked me what I did
A steelworker in Detroit for 30 yrs and professor for 14 yrs.
I asked about her work. Ana said she had been a hairdresser for 30 years and a classic car dealer for 15 years.

We talked about art, she overheard I had an art show at our church. I told her I enjoyed photography and painting as well as writing. I showed her my website and she asked me I might help her set up a site for her work. She handed me her IPhone…
I was blown away. It was a psychedelic Peter Maxish fabric piece…of a fish…WOW I explain, let me run home and smoke a joint and come back to look at this again! She laughs and says
“I have some edible with me.” The whole table cracks up including the guest of honor, Helen sitting nearby.

Ana has these transparent, deep blue designer glasses on, a round face that only knows how to smile. She is wearing and outfit slightly toned down from the fish artwork. I look through her other fabric masterpieces and give her my card and tell her I’ll help her get a site up and running by the new year. I made a new friend then I ran off to get to my autobiography class.