WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND? — Sharon Mark Cohen

On July 2, 2025, when my brother Al’s car broke down in Elizabeth, New Jersey, I drove from my home in South Orange to give him a lift. Our first stop was the AT&T store to order a new cell phone.

His phone hadn’t been working for three years! Yes, he has a landline, but that wouldn’t have helped if he hadn’t been with our brother Stu when the car broke down. Luckily, Stu had his iPhone to call for assistance and to contact me.

As the tow truck lifted Al’s car, I arrived, and off we went. We dropped Stu off at his destination and searched for nearby stores selling cell phones.

My three older brothers are a wealth of information. Our friend and rabbi’s son, Rabbi Yossi, knows Al the best. He says he’s a deep thinker and a disciple of The Baal Shem Tov, also known as the Besht, who was “an 18th-century Ukrainian rabbi and mystic who founded the Hasidic Jewish movement.” He should have heard him in action when we were shopping.

Once we arrived at the store, we were greeted by the nicest and most professional staff. The young salesman called for his manager to help find the proper cell phone for my brother’s needs.

While she went to the back room to dig for a simple phone, it was as though the floodgates opened. After a free-flowing, lengthy chat, Al questioned the young salesman and learned he was originally from Brazil. Al began to speak with him using a few words in the man’s native Portuguese. Then, the young man asked Al if he’d ever been to Brazil, and he mentioned that he had been to Rio.

As the time passed, Al asked the man, who was happy to take time speaking with my affable brother, if his father was in construction. With a confirmation from the friendly twenty-something, who seemed surprised that my brother knew that, Al continued in the line of thought by asking if his last name was Silva.

Shockingly to me, and surprisingly to the young man, while it turns out it is a common family name for Brazilians, that guess was also correct. At that point, we wrapped up the sale and headed out as my brother decided not to press his luck.

Al didn’t want a fancy iPhone; instead, he opted for a simple flip phone. The super fun part is watching him toy with it as he learns to use all its features. He’s constantly critical of others on their phones, remarking that everyone is always playing with their toys. Now, he admittedly is playing with his.

Maybe he’ll have some fun with his new toy and realize the use of having it at his disposal. Possibly, he’ll graduate to an iPhone. I’m happy to take a trip with him back to the AT&T store and hear more banter, or maybe even take a trip to Rio.

What’s on your mind? I’d bet one of my brothers has some talking points.