The Last Carrousel Ride
BY HARVEY BLUMENTHAL
In 2010 my wife, Sandy, and I took our oldest grandson, Stevie, then thirteen, on a trip to California. It was just the three of us. We stayed in Santa Monica, two blocks from the ocean.
One evening, we walked to the famous Santa Monica Pier, joined the crowd and explored the boardwalk that extended about 100 yards out into the ocean. It was at dusk when we returned to the beginning of the pier, and Stevie and I entered the enclosed carrousel ride. The young man operating the merry-go-round told us he was about to close the ride, and we were his last two customers.
Seven years afterward, my beloved Sandy died suddenly and unexpectedly.
As the ride slowed to a stop, I urged him to give us an extra five minutes so Sandy could join us, and I tipped him ten bucks.
Seven years afterward, my beloved Sandy died suddenly and unexpectedly.
A few months later, a friend sent me a humorous brief riddle about a carrousel, and I burst out crying, acutely remembering when Sandy and I laughed together like happy children while riding that merry-go-round together, never aware that it would be our last time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – HARVEY BLUMENTHAL
Harvey Blumenthal is a retired physician in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has published many essays and memoirs. He served two years (1970-72) active duty as a Navy physician during the Vietnam War.