The Thirteenth Tuesday We Talk About the Perfect Day Summary

Schwartz tells Albom that he wants to be cremated. He and Charlotte have discussed it with the rabbi at the university who will preside over Schwartz's memorial service. The rabbi is shocked when Schwartz makes a joke about being overcooked, but Schwartz, as he gets closer to death, realizes his body is simply a shell, a container for the soul.

Schwartz tells Albom that people are afraid of even the sight of death. He read a book that said when someone dies in a hospital, they immediately cover him or her with a sheet and quickly remove the body, as if death is somehow contagious. Schwartz then tells Albom that he had a terrible coughing spell the night before. It was so bad that it went on...