MY HUSBAND'S LAW SCHOOL CLASS WILL BE IN OUR LIVING ROOM TONIGHT FROM 6:00 P.M. TO 9:00 P.M.
Although I’m not expecting to host the two Passover Seders this year, as I have done year after year, I’m preparing nonetheless. It appears that I’ve been sidelined—again, like last year when our first grandchild made her entry into the world on the evening of the second Passover Seder. She arrived in Portland, Oregon, shortly after I got off the plane and just as Jews around the world were reclining at their Passover Seder tables. For more on our Passovers past, refer to http://www.sharonmarkcohen.com, Cataract Surgery: See You Soon, dated March 10, 2020.
We won’t be allowed to travel to Los Angeles for our daughter’s 30th birthday on the first night of Passover this year either. Thirty years ago, our daughter preempted our Seder table as I gave birth the night before the first Seder. What’s a Jewish mother/grandmother to do?
With the downtime, in light of the Coronavirus lockdown, instead of more Passover food shopping, I began earnestly engaging in my full spring cleaning. After recovering from cataract surgery, which I underwent on March 11, and now not having to prepare for surgery on the other eye, since all elective surgeries have been canceled, I started by thoroughly cleaning the dining room on Friday—just in case the unlikely possibility of entertaining during this holiday season actually happens. With one perfectly clean room checked off my bucket list, I rested on Saturday. Why rush, I thought, won’t we be stuck indoors for a while…or longer?
On Sunday morning, I asked my husband which room I should tackle next. Somewhat surprisingly, he readily suggested the living room. I immediately sent him out to the garage to bring in the taller ladder. Off came the window treatments in the living room and I began the deep cleaning by washing the windows. After starting to move all the furnishings and furniture, I concluded that I may just take a few days to finish cleaning the one room, because…who cares?…no one is coming over.
My husband quickly set me straight on that. He said that he will be using my desktop in the living room on Tuesday to teach his on-line “Alternative Dispute Resolution” course. He’s been an Adjunct Professor at Rutgers-Newark School of Law for 35 years. This will be a challenge without the in-person “give and take,” but he’ll modify the course work so that he can teach remotely. With families on lockdown, can you think of a more topical course?
When 24 law students appear in our spotless living room at 6:00 P.M., I’ll be sitting nearby and auditing the class, which gives future attorneys the skills to handle cases, the likes of which, unfortunately, many couples are sure to need under the current unprecedented circumstances. I’ll reflect on some of the techniques my daughter taught me when she worked for casting agents and was tasked with selecting the best actors for the parts. Cleaning supplies stashed, I’ll be listening to the arguments and guessing who the best future lawyers in the class are, before grabbing the Windex and Pledge and moving on to the next room
Be well and stay safe. To all the future law students taking the course, my husband is looking forward to returning to the classroom filled with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Whenever that day comes, the students will once again enjoy participating in challenging mock arbitrations and negotiations, not-to-mention joining in his popular end-of-semester pizza-party social. All that will be instead of a bare-boned virtual visit to our living room, sans shared contact or toasts.