Sad News

My dad’s cousin, Rozochka, passed away. Rozochka means “little rose” and is a variation on her name Rosa. My dad has another cousin named Rosa, referred to by everyone in the family as “Big Rosa”. Because she is quite tall and stately. Rozochka, on the other hand, was tiny (like, 5’2 in heels?).

Rozochka was my grandfather’s favorite niece, which created all sort of odd frictions in the family. His sister lived nearby soon after Rozochka was born (or maybe they lived with my grandfather’s parents for a time?) and my grandpa used to babysit Rozochka. He was 14 or 15 at the time, and he would take Rozochka on walks, with her sitting on his shoulders. The passerby would utter in surprise “such a young father” – which absolutely delighted my grandfather.

Which reminds me…  When I was 16, that first summer after we came to the US in 1994, I used to take care of my second-cousin’s daughter, Lenochka, while my cousin was helping my parents with all sorts of immigrant stuff. Lenochka was 2 years old and absolutely adorable – plump cheeks and curls and all. I loved playing with her and taking her to a nearby playground. When people saw us together, they would ask in shocked voices “Oh my God, is this your daughter?” I thought it was kind of annoying and somewhat ridiculous – I mean, come on, I am just a kid, can’t you tell (I wished I looked older, but I knew I could have easily passed for a 14-year old). It wasn’t until I went to high school in the fall, where there were pregnant girls and girls who already had a child, that I realized it wasn’t all that weird for people to wonder...

Back to Rozochka. She helped us a lot that first year. She taught us about grocery shopping and coupon clipping. She taught us about Salvation Army and took us there to get some clothing and kitchen stuff. She and her husband drove us around whenever we needed to get places (because public transport in that town was less than optimal and we didn’t have a car). She helped us get set up and settled in the US. She was a strong person, a brave person. She took care of people, including her mentally ill brother who lived with her for many years until he passed away. I will remember her, and I will tell our kids about her, and G-d willing, I will tell our grandchildren about her, too.