D King Writing Sample- Meals on Wheels Recipient Story.pdf

A story about a recipient of the Meals on Wheel program

1. Meal Recipient Stories: Marilyn
David King
Marilyn was born and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to a large Jewish family. Now 83 years old, she
recalls a childhood that sounds like it could be from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Her parents owned the
parlor floor of a brownstone at the corner of South 5
th
and Marcy Ave., which they shared with her
mother’s brother, two sisters, and father while Marilyn and her sister were growing up. The floor above
them was vacant, and she and her uncle would roller skate together through the empty halls, much to
her mother’s annoyance. Still, she longed to move to Manhattan, often walking down the block to the
subway line where she would watch the overhead trains pass by on their way across the East River. “I
always wanted to live in the city,” she says.
She finally got there when she was 17, as a young bride moving into Stuyvesant Town with her husband,
Henry. She’d met Henry in summer school when they were both 15. At first, she intentionally gave him a
wrong phone number, but when she realized he was 6’6”, her interest was piqued. She describes Henry
as the “ultimate gentleman, very kind, and old fashioned.” They both enlisted in the navy after their
marriage, eventually being stationed in Washington for four years.
Through their years together they traveled across the US, taking the Greyhound bus. They both loved to
drink tea, so they’d bring a thermos full of it and have tea time late at night on the bus. Avid Yankee
fans, they’d sometimes go down to Florida for spring training. Other times they’d visit San Francisco,
Seattle, Kentucky, Tennessee, or see her sister in Florida. Marilyn especially loved visiting caves, so
they’d scout them out around the country. They loved being alone together and kept to themselves
even when others wanted to join. No matter where they went though, Marilyn was always happy to
come back to New York.
After their time in the navy, Marilyn tried working at a trimmings company, a typing job, and as
switchboard operator. She was an artist at heart though, great at drawing and playing the piano. She
even played at Carnegie Hall once. Henry owned a market, selling groceries in the front and pet supplies
in the back. After having her daughter, Marilyn earned two master’s degrees, in Psychology and Social
Work, from Baruch College. She then found work as a social worker in the geriatrics department of
Bellevue Hospital. She stayed there for 25 years, and never wanted to retire. When she finally did, every
floor of the hospital threw her a party.
Henry passed away three years ago, she was his caregiver in his final days. She’s been in and out of the
hospital three times in the past few months. She recently had surgery due to issues with her pacemaker.
Her left arm has been swollen since she’s gotten it, and she can’t move her arm or fingers at all. She’s
left-handed, which means she can’t eat on her own, play the piano, or draw, all the things she loves. She
suffers from seizures and tremors, and recently two mini-strokes caused her to fall and knock four teeth
out. Her daughter lives in New Jersey with her family and calls several times a week, she also has a close
relationship with her neighbors. Her husband was receiving meals from Citymeals when he became
disabled. Then, she started getting them too. Warren, her meal deliverer, is “a very nice guy,” she says,
“who knows the door is always open, even if I don’t answer.”