Memories

What are your favorite memories from when you were little? You favorite smells? Your favorite people? If we are blessed with the ability to remember things, try going back in time to the things that made you the happiest, when you felt safest.

When I do this, it brings me back to a time when I was still young enough to hold my dad’s hand. I can still feel his big hand wrapped around my small one when we would walk across the parking lot to the New Royal Bakery. Yes, you knew this memory would have something to do with food. He would be buying stuff for Shabbos, and the woman behind the counter would ask if my brother and I wanted a cookie. What a question. My brother liked the ones with the cherry in the middle, and I took the one that was a chocolate nut sandwich cookie situation.

Then we would walk next door to Ray Anthony if my dad or brother needed a haircut. Two Italian brothers owned this store, and I still remember thinking how much hair they each had.

And then we would go into Petaks. This was the takeout store that was, at the time, owned by someone whose last name was Petak. What a concept. I still remember how friendly Mr. Petak was and the yummy food we would bring home.

And then the years pass. Petaks was bought by someone, Ray Anthony moved to another location, and New Royal Bakery eventually became Zaides. Yes, the famous Zaides. Their cookies are delicious, but they became nut-free, so my delicious chocolate nut sandwich cookies went the way of the dinosaur.

As many of you know, a few months ago, there was a fire that started in the Chinese restaurant in the same strip mall as Zaides. All the stores, including a newly opened kosher restaurant, were forced to close. I had heard rumors that they were all going to be fixed and back to business as usual, but I didn’t really hear anything else about it.

Well, last week, I happened to be driving to an appointment, and I passed by the strip mall. It was demolished. Gone. Bulldozed to oblivion. And then, out of nowhere, I started crying. I was actually surprised at how sad this scene made me. All the memories of my childhood and even bringing my own children to the bakery and to get their haircuts with my dad were reduced to a pile of rubble. Don’t you just hate when that happens?

I texted my brother, I called my sister, I even texted another previous Fair Lawn resident whose dad used to work in one of the stores that was no longer there. She told me that the site made her so sad as well. My brother remembered his favorite cookie. My sister reminisced with me. And that was that.

When I was telling Husband #1 about it, we started talking about his parents’ house in Monsey. They had lived in a beautiful ranch-style home and sold it about 20 years ago. The people who bought it knocked down the whole thing and rebuilt a giant monstrosity made of brick and glass.

“I guess I know how you feel when you saw what they did to your house,” I said to him. “Yup,” he replied. Husband #1 is a man of many words after all. (He actually really is, but this was kind of an emotional conversation. And you know men and their emotions…)

All these things just remind us that life keeps moving along. The “favorite” memory that I have from elementary school is one that my Oreos really enjoy. It is the memory of learning my first mishna. If a cow falls into a hole that is on your property, you are responsible to pay for the cow. My friend and I even put on a little performance reenacting what the cow owner and the homeowner would have said to one and another when this occurred. Yes, my Oreos think this is a great memory, even though they question females learning mishna — but that is whole other discussion.

How about today, you take a few minutes to remember something wonderful from your past, or even from this morning. It’s a real gift.

Banji Ganchrow of Teaneck is happy when she can remember what she ate for breakfast.