It was a perfect Seder in my in-law Ginny’s duplex apartment. It was almost time to go home. My son-in-law Josh was closing the folding tables and folding chairs. He assigned my grandson Theo a task with instructions to go on the terrace and shake out the matzo crumbs from the tablecloths. Ginny’s apartment is on the 5th floor and the terrace overlooks her backyard, the yards of her neighbors, as well as the 10-foot-tall cement walls surrounding Columbia Grammar School’s backyard.

Unbeknownst to Theo, While Emily’s blue-and-white floral-patterned cloth he shook over the terrace had a myriad of crumbs, it also housed a second cloth. This cloth became detached and floated horizontally like a magic carpet. Then it flew vertically, twisting and turning. The cloth flew, flopped, and fell, choreographed by the wind until, like a beautiful decoration, it draped itself on the tall wall surrounding the schoolyard. How can we ever get that cloth? It was too high to reach without a tall ladder or a very long pole.  Also, it was the weekend, no one works at the school until Monday.  

Birds fly, bees fly and butterflies fly; Theo and I watched Emily’s tablecloth fly. I heard Theo castigate himself, “Darn it!!! That’s a bummer!!” Then, looking at the elegantly draped wall brought a smile to Theo’s face like a bittersweet scene. 

Monday morning, Ginny approached the maintenance workers who had come to clean the school. She told them about her flying tablecloth and with a long pole, they carefully slid it down the wall. Ginny cradled it like a baby in her arms and took it to her bathroom sink to hand wash the treasure. Washed, ironed, and folded, both blue-and-white floral-patterned cloths would soon be going back to Boston waiting for the next holiday family event where they would once again bedeck the tables in Ginny’s house. Hopefully their flying days will be over.