Dear Malka,
Today, on Tisha B’Av, the saddest day of the year, Papa is fasting in memory of the tragedy that took place long ago, when the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed. Those were the first temples of the Jewish people. After they were lost, everyone fled in different directions and ended up in many parts of the world. I wonder how our ancestors found their way to Poland? I imagine them crossing forests of cedar, dusty desert roads, and deep oceans, and eventually settling in Govorovo. I am sure they thought we would be in Poland forever, not imagining we would one day have to leave and try to create a new life in Cuba.
I heard an expression here in Agramonte that says, “El mundo da muchas vueltas.” It means “The world spins round and round.” The world is a carousel and you don’t know where you’ll end up.
Even though Papa spent the entire day at home praying, he let me work on my sewing. He said I was working too hard to be fasting, but I fasted along with him.
This is the time when the mangos ripen to a delicious sweetness. Mario José gave us several mangos from their fields, and in the afternoon, Papa said I should eat one. They looked so good and I was very hungry by then. But how could I bite into a sweet mango knowing Papa was fasting until nightfall?
When it got dark, Papa and I finally took a sip of water and sat down to eat the mangos together. They tasted sweeter because we waited to eat them.
One day you will taste this sweetness, dear Malka. I can’t wait to see you bite into a mango! I warn you, mangos are messy—the juice gets all over your hands and drips down your chin—but it is worth it.
With all my love,
ESTHER