Story for the Week
Sometimes I feel like the universe has a unique way of sending reminders.
We have a team call for work every Wednesday, and occasionally, my blog posts come up. A number of us are readers, so we compare recommendations. Several weeks ago, we were talking about phobias, and I mentioned that I recently wrote an entire blog post about my phobia of needles (I’ll Watch Gore but Can NOT Tolerate Needles). Someone else on the team mentioned spiders. Another person on the team mentioned dying, but not the act of dying. It was more the idea of being dead. I suggested he was basically saying he had eternal FOMO (fear of missing out).
That evening, I relayed the conversation to Corinne, and she said she kind of sees his point. While I was raised in a Christian household and we raised Corinne the same way, there’s a part of her that wonders what if we’re wrong. Obviously, this is where faith plays a big role. I mentioned to her that there was a philosopher I learned about in college. (It was Epicurus. I had to look it up.) He suggested that, if you believe in an afterlife, there is nothing to fear in death. If you don’t believe in an afterlife, there is still nothing to fear because you will just cease to exist and won’t even know you don’t exist anymore. 🤷🏼♀️
She understood the concept but still said it’s something she thinks about. I think we probably all have had similar thoughts at her age…maybe even older. But I told her that I have experienced too many things that I believe are signs that her dad and my mom are still around us all the time. There are too many reminders I get from the universe.
When Dennis’s cancer diagnosis came in 2019, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi had just released, so it’s not unusual that it would be on the radio a lot. But I remember vividly a number of occasions where we received bad news about Dennis’s test results and that song came on the radio. I spent a lot of time crying in my car in those days.
Over time, songs get pulled out of rotation, so by the time we had his celebration of life in July 2021, about 10 months after he passed, it wasn’t on the radio very often. We left on a 10-day road trip the week after his celebration, and we heard that song on the radio at least once every single day. We decided it was his way of telling us he was along for the drive.
I listen to The Pulse on SiriusXM these days…today’s pop music. I have never once heard “Someone You Loved” on this station, and I actually don’t remember the last time I heard it on the local FM station. But this past Father’s Day, Corinne came home from work in a pretty sour mood. She had spent her morning serving people treating their dads to breakfast and lunch, so it made sense. My brother-in-law suggested that we go for a drive because that always seems to make her feel better. So we headed out. We turned on the car, the radio went on…and I think you know where I’m going with this. “Someone You Loved” was already playing.
At the beginning of June, I had a different book scheduled for this week’s blog post. After two Alex Finlay thrillers, I planned to read a sweet romance by one of my favorite author duos, Ali Brady (now scheduled for next week). But when I checked out my First Reads for June, I thought the bonus short read reviewed below would be easy to slide in between the thrillers and the romance. Basically, it gave me an extra week to catch my breath, try a new-to-me author, and get a short story under my belt to review. So I added Abscond to my schedule.
When I finished it and looked at the date I had it scheduled, I realized it was smack in between what would have been our 23rd wedding anniversary on July 5 and Dennis’s 66th birthday on July 18. I believe wholeheartedly there is a reason the universe sent this book to me when it did, if for no other reason than to remind me of the love we have had in our lives and that it’s always with us.
In the words of Mr. McGillicutty: “…this world isn’t just all the things we can see and touch. It’s also all the things we can’t see, the things we choose to believe.”
Happy Anniversary, Honey…and Happy Birthday. We will always love you. 💟
Book Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Stars for Abscond by Abraham Verghese
38 pages
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Publication Date: July 1, 2025
This title was an Amazon First Reads bonus selection.
Publisher’s Description
It’s a New Jersey summer in 1967, and thirteen-year-old Ravi Ramanathan has the makings of a tennis prodigy. His surgeon father encourages his ambition, while his mother dreams of their only child following his father’s path. Surrounded by his parents’ love, Ravi chafes a bit at their daily routines and little traditions. Then one unexpected day, everything changes. Realizing how much he took for granted, Ravi must grow up overnight and find a new role in the life of his family.
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Main Characters:
- Ravi Ramanathan – 13-year-old tennis prodigy with his sights set on winning Wimbledon someday, his mother Rekha believes his destiny is to become a surgeon like his father, his father Ramesh wants him to find his own passion
- Mr. McGillicutty – retired stockbroker and widower who lives on the same street as Ravi, often a guest of Ravi’s parents for dinner, well-versed on Hindu culture and traditions, occasionally attended church with Ravi’s mother
- Billy – Ravi’s best friend, neighbor, and tennis partner; Ravi’s mother says they were twins in another life
A while back, Amazon started including a bonus short read as a part of its monthly First Read’s options. I have never really been a short story reader, but I have found in recent months that they are sometimes a nice break between books. I have also determined that they are a good way to experience new-to-me authors. I had never read Abraham Verghese before, and I’m so glad this story was included as a bonus short read for the month of June.
This 38-page story about Ravi Ramanathan’s summer of 1967 offers a beautifully written, emotional tale that packs a whole lot of feelings into a very short span of time. Ravi’s family thrives on rituals and daily routines. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, his father performs surgery at the hospital, and his mother believes he should always be sent to work after a hot breakfast. She wishes Ravi would get up early to join them.
On the morning the story begins, Ravi awakens early to the sounds of breakfast being prepared in the kitchen. He thinks about how this has been his best summer. At 13, he has grown stronger and faster, which has improved his tennis game. He is the top-ranked player in New Jersey in his age bracket. And on this particular morning, Ravi decides to go downstairs early to have breakfast with his parents.
Over breakfast, Ravi mentions his father’s book of surgical techniques that he spotted open on the desk in his father’s study. His father tells him that he has always reviewed his surgeries before performing them. When Ravi asks him why, his father says, “On paper, every operation looks simple. But paper doesn’t bleed.” Ravi asks him why he bothers then since every surgery has the potential to be different. He explains to Ravi that it is a habit…his ritual. And Ravi begins to think about how steeped in ritual his parents lives are when his rituals only include hitting and receiving the tennis ball.
Ravi’s father heads off to work, and Ravi leaves to practice tennis with Billy. The day starts as normal, but by the time it ends, Ravi’s life is forever changed. The rituals he scoffed at become his primary focus as he navigates a future unlike the one he had planned.
This amazing story exudes love and friendship, family and tradition, and demonstrates that all the plans in the world don’t guarantee anything. I found it heartbreaking and uplifting. It made me think about the people in my life who I have loved and lost along with those who have always shown love in good times and bad.
I’m so glad I opted into this story. It didn’t take long to finish, but it will stay with me for a very long time. 💟
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