Baba, an American Woman, illustrated by Angelin Miller
Baba, an American woman When my grandmother was dying I asked her—I don’t remember the question, the exact wording— something like, what truths have you learned? Very old people sat watching game shows. Baba was pretty far gone already, prone to private spirals of thought. We sat in chairs at a round table. Two sedate nurses counted pills. A bell rang from the TV: a contestant rewarded for a good answer. She said, “America, a light among nations…” Then she warbled, “Israel.” “Israel?” She turned her head toward the picture window filled with a seasonless color.