The Horse Adjutant father, was agitated and speaking anxiously, he said to my father while pointing at me, “This boy should immediately escape towards Hungary.” My father shook his head, his eyes full of emotion. After a long pause he said, “Ta- deusz, I have known you a long time. You will see that none of us will come back, except Leon.” Then he looked at him intently. “I am asking you, dear friend, that when Leon does return, you must help him. My sisters in the United States will pay you.” This conversation was taking place with the three of us now outside my family home, so as not to upset my mother more than she already was. I told them both I didn’t want to leave my family alone. My dad paused and with great sincerity said, “Son, if you survive, tell the story of everything that happened to us. They must know.” That was the day I learned my father was 42 years old and my mother was 38. I had never known how old they were before. There was no reason to know. Obviously, un- der duress, my father tried to explain, “Son for some time I was very tough with you …” This was his goodbye speech. I have played it over and over in my head thousands of times. I will never forget. “You were not such a good boy. You didn’t want to go to school or help me with my work. I know you are not a soft child, but as a child, you were deathly ill with pneumo- nia, and we were scared to death you would pass away. It’s a miracle that you are even standing here. Your mother and I lost two young children before you. They were very young but old enough for us to fall in love with and when each died, it was like the end of the world for us. So when you got sick, we thought we might be cursed, hopelessly repeating the past. The whole community rallied on your behalf, praying and doing whatever they could to help. They even held a constant vigil, day and night, just for you. And miraculously, you got better.” My father continued, “Once you were strong enough, your mother and I took you to the famous Tzadik in Tyczyn who gave you a special blessing. He told us, ‘This boy will outlive your whole family.’ Leon, I think he is right -- you will live longer than any of us.” Silently, my father turned away, a proud man reduced to tears. He did not want to show me his grief. But he found his composure, and with conviction in his tone said one more thing, “Leon, if you should survive, you should know where our bones rest.” He pointed to me and our neighbor, “Tadeusz, take him as your own child.” The last thing my father said to me was, “Go back. You have a chance. Go back.” He turned, defeated, and went back into the house. Soon, I heard another piece of furniture break into pieces. I was deeply distraught, but I didn’t cry, I just walked with Tadeusz. We both sensed the world was changing forever. I did not stay long. But be-
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