“The reports of my death have been
greatly exaggerated.” Hmm, ponders Isabella,
who said that? as she stares fixedly at the local news rag. The obits were plentiful today and longer
than usual, especially the one about her.
It must be a slow news week.
Thoughtfully, Izzie pops another
piece of the warm, buttery croissant into her waiting mouth and slowly chews,
savoring the rich taste. Puddles, the
dog, sits quietly beside her, waiting for her bit. Izzie absentmindedly tears off a piece and
pauses, reading on. Puddles gently nuzzles the morsel from Izzie’s hand. As it
starts to fall, she manages to catch it in her mouth with a quick mid-air snap. Her eyes roll up in quiet, doggy ecstasy.
‘Isabella (Izzie) Korman (nee
Piccolo), in her 72nd year, After a courageous battle with cancer, passed away
peacefully surrounded by her husband and children on Saturday, March 13, 2010
at Southlake Health and Wellness Centre
. Izzie, cherished wife of Harvey Korman
Sr. Devoted mother of 5. Sons Harvey
Korman Jr., (Harriett), Herman Korman (Hermione) and Harry Korman. Daughters, Rachel
Kraftsman (Ralph) and Rebecca Karly (Richard).’
By the time I reach this
point in the obit, I know that there has to be another Izzie Korman in my town and
‘though I have lived here pretty much all my life, how come I’ve never bumped
into her or even heard of her? I know my
town is small (about 40,000) but it’s not that
small. Obsessed now, I wonder, “How could
that be? She was even the same age as
me. We should have crossed paths at the
senior’s centre. Everybody over 60 went there. Maybe she wasn’t a joiner?”
Not understanding what is driving
her, a strange compulsion makes Izzie finish reading the obit, which had so caught
her eye –
‘Adoring and proud
grandmother of Roberto, Rachel, Reuben, Rick, Kimberley, Kacie, Katilynn, Kailee and
Kassandra.’
“Whew”, thinks Izzie,
counting out loud, ‘9 grandchildren.”
They must have kept her happy…And broke.” On she reads, unable to stop.
‘Fondly remembered by her
brothers and sister and their families: Peter
Piccolo, Pearl Pantalone, Paul Piccolo, Percy Piccolo, Parker Piccolo and Phillip
Piccolo. Predeceased by her parents, Raphaela
and Kobe. Isabella’s loving memory will live on forever
in the hearts of the Piccolo and Korman families and her many, many close
friends. Isabella will be remembered
for her major contributions to the life and work of The Meeting Place Prayer
Circle and to the community of Aurora. The family wishes to thank all those who have
reached out to us over the last few months and offered love and support. Friends may call at the Thomas Funeral Home, 530 Go Home Lane North
(northeast corner of Go Home Lane
and Yonge Street)
Aurora,
905-772-2154 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 18, 2010. Funeral Service in The Meeting Place Prayer
Circle (32 Church Street)
on Friday afternoon March 19, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.
Internment Queen
City Cemetery. In memory of Izzie, donations to The Meeting
Place Prayer Circle, in lieu of flowers, would be appreciated by the family.
Sighing heavily, Izzie leans
back and as she slumps down, plopped her head on the cushy sofa back. Three cats, sleeping cozily entwined into one
big fur ball in the bay window, grumble at the intrusion of Izzie’s head coming
‘that close’ to them. They stretch out, languidly, hooking gnarly claws gently
into Izzie’s silvery nimbus. “Be still”,
say they. “We’re trying to nap.” Izzie sits quietly, contemplating her navel. The
catchy 70s (or was it the 60s?) phrase pops into her head as she stares down at
her stomach, and she laughs softly at the silly expression which was so popular
with the hippies, ‘back in the day’.
Closing her eyes, Izzie
thinks back to the heyday of the second half of the last millennium and a small
smile curls up the wrinkled edges of her generous mouth. Snippets of the more
memorable moments run across her memory like a movie…
There's a light over at the Frankenstein place (the Rocky Horror Picture Show)
They're creepy and they're kooky. Mysterious and spooky. They're all
together ooky. The Addams Family.
Elvis the Pelvis
45s and 8 track tapes
Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh
what a relief it is
Sock it to me baby, say Goodnight Dick
Oh, so many funny and now
melancholy memories. The ‘movie’ hip
hops like the energizer bunny, sometimes going into slo-mo mode…
Women's lib
Never trust anybody over 30
Drive-in restaurants and
waitresses whizzing from car to car in their lace-up roller skates, trays
balanced perfectly on stiffly tented fingers
A lil’ dab’ll do ya
Love means never having to
say you’re sorry
I love you more today than
yesterday and less than tomorrow
Bright pink Double Bubble
bubblegum, 2 for a penny and the teeny tiny comic
Black balls
Chocolate cigarettes which
you could actually make ‘smoke’ with
Peacenik, beatnik
Flower power
Car 54 where are you?
As the show plays on, Izzie
settles deeper into the pillowy softness of the sofa, the newspaper clutched in
her left hand. Gentle wuffles come from
her partly open mouth and Puddles lays her head on Izzie’s well-padded thighs, sighing
with contentment.
Backward the movie spins
into the 50s…
I Love Lucy
Here’s looking at you, kid
Gunsmoke
Phyllis Diller and Fang
Girdles
Studebaker's (the car not the
bar)
Queen Elizabeth
Baby Boomers
As the 50s slowly fade into
grey and the 40s start playing, Izzie settles even more deeply into the sofa
and maybe something a little more than just sleep. Her breathing slows until it’s barely
discernible. Her right hand gives just a
little twitch and her right foot moves in sync. Puddles lifts her head and
stares quizzically at her mistress and best friend, sensing something amiss. She nuzzles Izzie’s hand, the one that
twitched. It doesn’t twitch again. It doesn’t do anything. Puddles lifts her head to the heavens and
howls and howls. With a sudden start,
Izzie’s eyes pops open and she exclaims, “Oh, Puddles, thank goodness you were
here to wake me up. “I think I was
almost Dead” and then her eyes light on her doppelganger’s obit… Again!”
© 2015 Phyllis Mahon aka Undercover Sandycove-r - “ALL IMAGES AS COPYRIGHTED BY PHYLLIS MAHON ARE PROTECTED AND REGISTERED … IT’S UNLAWFUL TO REPOST, COPY OR PUBLISH IMAGES FROM THIS WEBSITE.”
