Liza's Story Part 11

This post tells us about the painful experience Elizabeth felt, when a creature she knew from the street, died. Who was this mysterious friend? How do brushemaking come into the picture and what was going through Liza's mind every time when she learned to make a straw hat?

Continuing Mrs Elizabeth's recollection of the time when she was deeply shaken by death: You know, Tibor, I thought at that time that I was tired of life, because I had lost 13 family members in thirteen years, sometimes even seven in a single year! But the death of this horse deeply shocked me and filled me with fear at the thought of death. In the eyes of this unwise animal I saw a terror that terrified me, what could await me after death with the burden of my sins? The very next day I went to confession to the Reverend Mátrai, and of course my first question was, "Are there horses in heaven?"

I felt the father's surprise. You know priests, preferably, never show their emotions in the confessional and I could describe him with a word I learned later, "poker-faced" silence. True, he did stipulate that before he gave me an answer, I had to tell him my sins and why I asked that question.

Well, I quickly listed my sins and told him my deep pain and he absolved me. As for the "horses in heaven", all he said was that we have no revelation about that, but given that man in heaven is also man, one can assume that the circumstances will be human, albeit much more beautiful and blissful. Thus it is possible that animals will surround the saved, as they did in Paradise. This was somewhat reassuring, but I could not forget that frightened look for long!

And now listen, brother secretary! All things work for the lovers of God, and the death of the horse has brought a very significant change in my life! Knowing my predicament, the bridesmaids hired me on the spot as a handyman with room, board and salary. I worked for them for almost a year! "I tell you," she said, and here I saw a smile again on Aunt Elizabeth's face, "this couple lived the opposite life! The very fat lady ran the business, and the man did the washing, cooking and cleaning.