Lee Lee Hozak

 

 

I accepted to take care of my lovable and animated nephew. This responsibility is such a pleasure for me as he is my sister's son. I become free like a child while tending to him. I run after him and we jump up and down. We make baby talk. It has been long time since our home has had the sound of children's voices. My own kids had grown up, but now I have the same feelings as when they were young.

When I get tired of running around I lose to him, so I put him on my knees and I start to play Persian Children's games with him: Lee Lee Hozak, Atal Matal Tootooleh. He sits there staring at me, not knowing what to do or what to say.

I take a pen and paper and I draw a face, singing the Persian song describing the features. He forces himself to laugh because he feels obligated. His attention is elsewhere.

I go to turn on the T.V. and luckily, Sesame Street was on. One by one he introduces all of the characters: Big Bird, Berny, Marian... Then he recites the alphabet A B C D and starts counting 1 2 3. I look at him with pride and joy, and then I ask myself: "What happened to Lee Lee Hozak and Atal Matal Tootooleh?"

When my sister came home, I asked her: "What kind of games do you play to entertain Andrew?" She says: "He knows many games and he knows how to sing all of the nursery rhymes." I asked: "Which ones?" and she said: "Row Row Your Boat, Ring around the Rosi and Itsi Bitsi Spider." Then my little nephew started to sing the rhymes, fast accompanying his mother.

I took my left thumb with my right fingers and said to myself: "Oh God! Their Itsi Bitsi Spider has eaten our Lee Lee Hozak...

 

In The Back Alleys of Exile

Volume 2, Page 304