The is someone listening Story

1958

Written 2015 * 449 Words

By Howard Yasgar

In 1958, I lived in Westville Connecticut and I had a very close friend named Jon Bloom.

Jon lived about 20 miles from me in Bethany Connecticut.

Most of all Jon loved the superfast modified Ford automobiles that were used by the Connecticut State police, He loved them so much, he would seek them out when the State Troopers auctioned them off. He knew exactly which cars were the modified ones.

In 1958 Jon had just purchased a 1957 model and he and I would drive to up-state New York, where we would stop at numerous roadhouses along the highway, and Jon would rev up his engine and offer to race anyone thinking they had a faster car.

One day, both our lives changed forever, Jon had married and moved away.

I really missed Jon, but in 1963 I also married and moved from Connecticut to Florida.

Over the years I wondered what had happened to my good friend Jon so I contacted a few people that had lived in his home town of Bethany Connecticut, and I called the Pratt and Whitney company where he had worked, and I found there were Jon Bloom’s all over the place, but none of them were my friend Jon, It was just like he had disappeared.

Then came the Internet, so every so often, whenever I got the bug, I Googled looking for Jon, and again I found plenty of Jon Bloom’s, but not my Jon Bloom.

My search for Jon went like this for over 57 years.

One day in 2015, we received a Face Book message from a Canadian lady, she, like me, was just trying to touch base with old friends.

She said she had known Jon, and I learned from her that his wife was named Maxine, and she had found my friend Jon Bloom in Houston Texas.

My wife then went back on the internet and found that Maxine was Jon’s ex-wife.

I was hesitant to call Jon’s ex-wife, but eventually I did.

Her new husband said he couldn’t help me find Jon, but he was nice enough to give me a phone number to try, that was on January 11, 2015.

I called, left a message, and then I went shopping with my wife.

Upon returning home, there was a message on my cell phone, so I called.

It was my friend Jon and I had found him after 57 years of searching.

Jon and I talked for a long time.

Here is what Jon told me, “Every morning when I wake up, I say a prayer. This very morning, I said a prayer and I mentioned the name of two of my neighbors here in Texas. But for some crazy reason, I had also mentioned your name, and I haven’t seen you or heard from you for over fifty years.

I said, Jon, do you think someone is listening to your prayers?

The Florida Miracle

In 1952, my grandfather Eddie moved to Florida, all our relatives in New Haven Connecticut all said that Grandpa Eddie was crazy and he would soon return to New Haven.

But Grandpa fooled them all, he loved Florida. Eventually he and Grandma moved to South Beach.

On South Beach Grandma made lots of friends and Grandpa went dancing at a local bandstand several nights a week.

To prove his critics wrong, Grandpa Eddie would return to New Haven for a couple of weeks each

Summer.

One day in 1959 when I was 21 years old, while in New Haven, Grandpa got real sick, and it looked so serious, my mom, who was a registered nurse thought he was going to die. A trip to the ER verified he wasn’t having a heart attack, so mom tucked him in her bed at home hoping he would get better, but he didn’t.

Grandpa was real sick and all he would say, was let me go home to Florida, please take me home. But getting Grandpa Eddie home to Florida would be no easy task, first of all, it was a long ride to the airport, and then there was the 3-1/2 hour night owl flight, and who would meet him at the airport.

The family made their decision, I, the oldest grandson, was elected to take Grandpa home.

Mom said, don’t be scared, if he passes away on the airplane, just tell the stewardess she will know what to do. I was still scared, but I said I would do it.

Grandpa looked terrible, but the plane had lots of open seats so I sat him next to a window, but He looked very bad, he was so bad I didn’t want to look at him, his eyes were closed.

About one and a half hours into the flight, Grandpa started sniffing, he looked at me and said “I smell Florida”.

I thought he was going delusional and I got real frightened, I had heard that this this how people act before they die.

Grandpa started taking deep breaths, and gulps of air. His eyes opened, and he said “I know we are near Florida.”

By the time we landed it was near four in the morning in Miami and my Grandpa was in perfect health, and carried his own suitcase.

He rented a 1959 Chevrolet and he let me drive him home. For me this was some kind of a miracle.