Healing a Wounded Heart in a Distant Land
Shopping for the Right Words: 1985
By Robin Rosenbluth
We decided to spend the afternoon together, as we often did. My aunt picked me up in her white Lincoln Continental on Saturday morning. When I opened the door, I noticed her initials B G A on each side of the front door handles—B for Bess, G for Gold (her married name), and A for Albeck (her maiden name). She loved to tell me the story—maybe for the fifth time—about her car dealer who painted this surprise gift, never telling her why she had to wait to pick up her new car. Albeck is the maiden name she shared with my mother, her fraternal twin sister, at least for the first 38 years of their lives until my mother died.
It was a chilly, autumn day with few leaves on the trees. I already felt the icy grip of winter waiting to burst out of its shell as I hunched my shoulders and wiped away unexpected tears. The wind was blowing through our hair, though my aunt’s white hair—the striking gray that older women desire—was less affected due to her hair spray from a beauty parlor appointment. We drove off comfortably, never feeling the countless potholes in New York. One switch warmed my leather-upholstered seat.
“Would you like to go shopping?” Aunt Bess asked. “Then we can find a nice place for lunch.” Aunt Bess often buys me clothes. She bought my favorite outfits when I was a girl. Her family had more money than mine, and for a short time after my father’s second marriage failed, I lived with her family. I remember the orange pantsuit with white polka dots she bought when I was 12, which makes me smile.
“I’d love to go shopping,” I replied
About the Author
Robin Rosenbluth’s memoir, LIVING WITH STRANGERS: Healing a Wounded Heart in a Distant Land, was praised by Kirkus Reviews for being “An eye-opening and thorough remembrance, related with clarity and care.” She is a former foster teen who now advocates for finding permanent homes for older foster youth. She has worked in the nonprofit sector in New York, raising funds for museums, women’s organizations, healthcare, LGBTQ, and environmental causes, and teaches fundraising at New York University. She has studied memoir and the craft of writing with many renowned authors and writes a Substack, My Jagged Journey as a Debut Writer. Robin and her wife have raised two children. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
See the full excerpt in the November issue of Q Magazine – released worldwide this weekend at QMAGAZINE MAGZTER AND PRESSREADER.
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