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I went for a walk and then decided to visit an elderly relative staying at a hotel just off the beach. I stood by her door, knocking many times, but no one answered. I checked the pool where she enjoyed wading, but she seemed to have disappeared as if she never existed in the first place. I realized I had left my cell phone somewhere in the hotel, so I walked back inside.
The elevator brought me to the 13th floor. I stood in front of a door. This time, when I knocked, an aged gentleman answered. It was Dr. Joseph Kirsner, a famous physician I had worked with at the University of Chicago when I was young. I had the habit of spending afternoons with Dr. Kirsner, who was more than 100 years old. He was known for his incredible memory, and his ability to solve problems, large or small. He liked to tell stories about his time spent in Morocco, and his role in caring for Jews liberated from the concentration camps.
After I sat with Dr. Kirsner for a short while, he told me about a carpet he wanted to give me as a present. Dr. Kirsner was the physician for the King of Morocco in the 1950s, who gifted him a beautiful handmade carpet each time he visited the country. “Let me take it out of its wrapping and show you”, and with the strength of a young man, he pulled out one carpet standing upright on a low shelf in his study closet. He lifted it above his head and placed it on a reader’s desk in the middle of the room. Then he removed its thin, white cloth covering, and gently unrolled it in front of me.
The carpet was black, with no distinguishing features, such as the abstract designs normally seen on these types of rugs, except for a few small stars scattered without a discernable pattern. Its gloomy presence dimmed the strong sunlight penetrating the window in front of us.
Then the woven design and color gradually modulated, its fine purple color drawing me closer, reminding me of the reverence I had for Dr. Kirsner. Now a view of the temple in Jerusalem, finely spun of silver and gold metal thread, surrounded by brightly colored birds, flowers, and vines was embroidered on its surface. The word Hashem, written in Hebrew, was entwined around its blue border.
Dr. Kirsner said, “Eventually you will need to restore this rug to see its fine workmanship”.
I was confused by the meaning of his comment since the carpet was more beautiful than anything I could have imagined.
When my visit was over, I left the apartment, carrying the heavy carpet in front of me. My departure came with feelings I often experience after a visit to Dr. Kirsner…A longing to hear more stories and questioning when I might find the time to return.
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Eli Daniel Ehrenpreis started life as a musician and then became a physician, educator, writer, and inventor. He stopped seeing patients in 2016 after a major surgery. He has published many scientific papers and six books on medical topics. He has published poetry and short stories in Reapparition, Medicine and Meaning, Hektoen International, Tamarind, and Star 82 Review. His creative work often focuses on his personal experiences. He lives with his wife Ana, and two small dogs in Skokie, Illinois.