On February 11th 2023 my community came out to support the purchase of the home of Eureka Books. I opened the evening by invoking the spirit of five men who I had been thinking of much lately. That and the following story are at the end of the “Building Purchase” page found by clicking here.
At the end of the evening I sang a song, but in retrospect I would have liked to tell the following story. At least I can tell it here.
My step-father Ali was a father to my brother and me.
He owned a flower shop on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. He followed the lead of at least two other Persian Americans we knew of in the Bay Area who opened flower shops. He operated Cannery Flowers for 15 years before shifting his focus, going back to school, and teaching English to immigrants for the last five years of his life.
When he suddenly quit the flower shop, he came up to visit me in Arcata where I was living. We went to Trinidad with pita bread, feta cheese, basil, and tomatoes overlooking the sea and remembering what life is all about. He needed some time to re-evaluate his life and found a good space for that here.
We went to the old Vista Del Mar and had a drink with my friend Bob who he could see was a genuine friend and an artist. He would refer to him as my “artist friend” for the rest of his life.
We went to Los Bagels where I worked and he saw it through the eyes of a small business man. He was impressed how they had found their niche and implemented a vision of becoming a fixture in the community. He loved the fresh food and the local nature of the products.
After his trip he went back to the Bay Area and started his new life. Moments from that week are some of the most cherished memories of my life because I could give back to this man who had done so much to help me through my life. I felt like we were two men relating to each other and the puzzle of life.
One time when I was younger I spent the day at his flower shop on a beautiful summer day. He had picked up some strawberries at the flower market. We poured the berries into a glass vase, filled the vase with water, and ate the rinsed strawberries with joy. They were so delicious. We had a moment where we both realized that this is about as good as life gets. He asked me if we should fill the vase again and I said yes.
This moment was one of the many times in his life where Ali would say “What a life…” He would say this in moments of sadness, exasperation, confusion, and joy throughout his life. The phrase captures what it means to be alive, in all its wonder.
Sitting there, feeling the sun, tasting the strawberries, and enjoying being alive, we almost couldn’t believe our luck to be living this life, in this place, at this time.
That’s how I feel again. I almost can’t believe my luck to be here with you in this moment.
I wish he were here to be with me in these times. He isn’t in body, but his spirit is here, along with all my ancestors and all my progeny. I invoke their spirits as I do this work and I thank them as I come to rest.
Solomon Everta 