A Hungry Heart
A Memoir
Chapter One
Two of my close friends threw a fine birthday party for me. Two daughters,
a grandson, a couple of former wives, an ex-girlfriend, old acquaintances,
champagne, wine and good music filled the elegant room overlooking New
York's crystal skyline. It was an evening not to be forgotten. Later, joy
still coursed through my thoughts when I plumped my pillow and attempted
to sleep. But no matter how I twisted and turned, sleep refused to come.
Then, in the silence, one large number began roaming through the darkness.
Ninety! I tried telling myself that it had nothing to do with anything,
but through the leftover haze of red wine, I realized it had a lot to do
with just about everything. On my next birthday I would be ninety. I had
better get on with it. Later could be too late.
Since that night I have revisited the banquet that life has laid before
me. What a superb feast it is! The sweetness of recognition and success,
the bitterness of poverty, hunger, and bigotry overlying the rituals of
existence: marriage, birth, work, seasoned with pain and joy, and most of
all - l ... read full excerpt from: A Hungry Heart: A Memoir ebook
