New Life, New Land

by Roberta Kagan

“I’m Dovid Levi. I own this place. Cool Breeze is my friend.”

  The Black Panther turned the gun on Dovid. “You the owner? You the white owner?”

  “That’s right,” Dovid said.

  Cool Breeze began pulling down all the bottles of whiskey and putting them on the bar. “Here, don’t hurt nobody, just take what you wants and go.”

  Just then Glory walked in. Cool Breeze’s mouth dropped open. “What you doin’ here baby? You should be at the house. Why you come down here in the middle all this trouble?”

  “That your girl?” the Black Panther asked. “Ain’t she a pretty little thing.” He touched her hair. “You know your man is an Uncle Tom? You know he kisses whitey’s ass?”

  “You don’t know nothin’ about us. You don’t know nothin’ about Mister Dovi either. You just an angry kid. Don’t think I don’t feel real bad about what happened to Dr. King. I loved him too. But, what you doin’ by rioting ain’t gonna bring him back. And I can tell you this for sure, Dr. King wouldn’t approve of all this shit you and your friends are…” Glory said her hands on her hips in defiance.

  “Shut up, you stupid bitch.”

  “Don’t talk to her that way. I won’t have it. This is still my bar. And whether you have a gun or not, you are still on my property. I am not scared of you. If you want to prove you’re a man put the gun down and let’s fight fair. Can you fight with fists? Go ahead and show me what you’ve got,” Dovid said, straightening his back and looking right into the Black Panther’s eyes.

  “It don’t matter, mister Dovi,” Glory said. She was trembling. “Please don’t fight him.”

  “I ain’t gonna fight you old man. I’m gonna shoot you.” The Black Panther pointed the gun at Dovi. Dovi didn’t move. He stood staring into the man’s eyes.

  “Don’t,” Glory said. As the Black Panther was about to pull the trigger, Glory threw herself in front of Dovid.

  The bullet ripped right into her chest. Glory let out a gasp as she crumbled to the floor in a pool of blood. The group that was with the Black Panther took the bottles of whiskey and walked outside. But as they were leaving, one of them threw a Molotov cocktail into the gap in the broken window. A massive explosion followed. It rocked the building and within minutes the entire bar was engulfed in flames.

  Cool Breeze lifted Glory in his arms. Dovid helped him. Harry followed and the three of them got out to the street. Police cars were everywhere. Dovid ran up to the first one he could find.

  “Help us, please help us. Someone has been shot. She needs to get to the hospital right away.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Dovid and Harry stayed at Cool Breeze’s side as they sat outside the emergency room. They were waiting for the doctor to come out of the examining room and tell them how Glory was doing. The smell of rubbing alcohol and the sight of doctors with stethoscopes brought back memories of Dovid’s father.

  “Are you Mr. Dell?” a young doctor with wavy brown hair and calm eyes asked Cool Breeze.

  Cool Breeze nodded.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Dell. We did all we could.”

  Glory Marie Washington Dell was pronounced dead at 4:30 a.m. that morning.

  Cool Breeze made a sound like an animal choking. Then he looked down at the floor.

  “Will you be taking care of the arrangements?” the doctor asked in a soft voice.

  “Ain’t gonna be no arrangements. She got no family, and she and me aint got no money saved. I guess you gonna have to do whatever it is you do when this kind of thing happen.”

  Dovid could see that Cool Breeze was having a hard time holding back his tears. For the first time since he’d met him, he could see that Cool Breeze was angry.

  “I’ll pay for a plot and a coffin,” Dovid said.

  “You ain’t gotta do that Mister Dovid.”

  “I want to,” Dovid said. Then he turned to the doctor and said, “I’ll be in touch with you.”

  Dovid took Cool Breeze’s arm and the three men walked outside. It wasn’t exceptionally cold for April, but Cool Breeze was shivering.

  “You two go on home,” Cool Breeze said. “I need to walk for a while. Gotta take some time and be by myself. I’ll be getting’ on back to the house in a bit.”

  “Are you sure?” Dovid asked. He was worried about letting Cool Breeze go off alone in his condition.

  Cool Breeze didn’t answer. He just turned and began to walk away.

  Dovid and Harry stood watching Cool Breeze until he disappeared into the darkness and then they went home.

  Cool Breeze didn’t return that night or the following morning. The riots in the streets of Chicago continued. Although Eidel begged Dovid to stay at home, he was too worried about Cool Breeze. He didn’t tell Eidel where he was going or why, but, Dovid got dressed and drove right into the heart of the war zone in search of his friend. He rode past the tavern; it was burnt to the ground. A few feet away from the building, the sign that said “Arnie’s Little Slice ‘O Heaven” lay broken into pieces. Dovid felt sick because he knew something that no one else knew yet. Dovid had just lost everything he had. It was a stupid mistake. Dovid had been meaning to get insurance but had kept putting it off. Now it was too late. All he had left was his house and a small savings. Harry, too, would be affected by Dovid’s mistake and Dovid felt terrible about it. But, right at that very moment in time, all of that was not as important as the fact that he couldn’t find Cool Breeze anywhere. He went to the flophouse but the restaurant where Harry had once worked was now dark and Dovid had no idea where to begin to search. Still, he kept driving. Then, at two that afternoon, he passed a large building on fire. It was surrounded by an angry mob. When the mob saw Dovi they surrounded his car. Some of the men began banging their fists on the windshield. Dovid’s heart leaped out of his chest.

  What am I going to do? I can’t run these people over with my car. But if one of them grabs an object large enough to break the window, I am done for. Or even worse, if one of them has a gun …

  Then Dovid got an idea.

  Thank God it’s a windy night.

  He always had a roll of dollar bills in his pocket. Since he’d started working at the bar he made it a habit to keep a wad of singles on his person in case he needed to make change. Dovid pulled the money out of his pants pocket and cracked the window. He separated the bills and threw them out the window. The hearty breeze that came off Lake Michigan took the paper currency and flung it all over the street. The mob went after the money. They began grabbing whatever they could get. Fights ensued. There was utter chaos. But during the confusion, they forgot about Dovid and he saw his way out. As soon as the road was clear enough for him to maneuver through, Dovid quickly sped away.

  Tired, depressed, and not sure where else to look for Cool Breeze, Dovid headed home. Eidel was awake, waiting for him.

  “Did Cool Breeze come home or did he call?”

  “ Actually come to think of it, I haven’t seen him or Glory. But, you know how he is. He comes in late, sometimes he leaves early. He often takes Glory with him. I just didn’t realize that they weren’t here. I guess I was too worried about you to pay much attention to anything else.” Eidel said

  “Oh, my sweetheart. I’m fine.” Dovid said. She has no idea.

  “You want something to eat? Or something to drink?”

  “I’ll get myself a whiskey,” Dovid said.

  “You hardly ever drink alcohol,” Eidel rubbed Dovid’s shoulder.

  “I can’t find Cool Breeze. I hope he’s all right.”

  “Yes, so do I.”

  “Do you want a drink, Eidel?”

  She let out a short laugh. “You know … I have never tasted whiskey.”

  “Here, let me pour you a little. I have something to tell you. I’ve been avoiding telling you because it is terrible. Terrible. And I know how sensitive you are sometimes. Maybe, the whiskey might help.” His hands were trembling. He had waited as long as he could to give her the bad news. She had to know. So
oner or later she had to know.

  Eidel took a sip. “Wheew that burns.”

  “Yes, it does. Sometimes it burns away the pain of life.”

  “What is it, Dovi?”

  “There is so much I have to say …”

  “NU? So say it, please…you’re making me nervous.”

  “Glory was killed last night.”

  “Killed? My God, Dovi …” Eidel put her face in her hands. “How? What happened?”

  “She was protecting me.”

  “You?”

  “Yes, me. Then after she died, Cool Breeze was so distraught that he couldn’t come right home. He insisted on going for a walk alone. I haven’t heard from him since. The riots that we have been watching on TV are worse than you could imagine. It’s like a war is going on right in the streets.”

  “Killed? My God! Poor Glory. Poor Cool Breeze. Thank God you’re home safe. Is Harry all right?”Eidel got up and rubbed Dovid’s shoulders hard as if she were holding onto him fearing that she might lose him to death too.

  He nodded. “Yes, Harry is fine. But I don’t know what happened to Cool Breeze. I don’t even know where to begin to look for him. And it’s not safe to go down to the tavern.”

  She shook her head.

  “And, Eidel … about the tavern … they burned it to the ground.”

  “Burned it?” She was in shock. He could see it in her face. It was a lot of terrible news all at once, but he had to tell her the truth. He couldn’t keep it a secret even though he wanted to. She had to know.

  “We had no insurance. We can’t rebuild the bar. I guess what I am trying to tell you is …we aren’t rich anymore,” Dovid said.

  Eidel lifted the glass of whiskey and downed it entirely in one swig. Her head shook involuntarily from the strength of the drink. Then she was silent for a moment. Clearing her throat and taking both of his hands she gazed intently into his eyes. “We’ll manage. We always have. As long as we have each other, we’ll survive this.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Dovid called Harry the following day and told him that he needed to speak with him and Ida. He knew he had to give Harry the bad news about the loss of the tavern, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell him on the phone. Harry and Ida said they would come by in the morning.

  Harry brought bagels, lox, and cream cheese. Dovid felt sick. He couldn’t eat. How was he ever going to tell his friends that not only had his negligence ruined his own family, but it had destroyed their livelihood as well?

  Dovid was silent as he watched Harry help the women set up the food on the kitchen table. The TV was on, playing softly. Although no one was actually watching it, they could hear news about the riots still going on in the background. Eidel knew how hard this was going to be for Dovid. She finished helping Ida and Harry then she went into the living room where Dovid was looking out the window.

  “Come, Dovi, eat. Then we’ll tell them together. It will be all right.”

  Eidel put her hand on her husband’s shoulder. He was amazed at the inner strength he saw in her. He had always thought of Eidel as weak and delicate but in his time of need she was showing him a side of her he had never seen. All the love he’d always felt for her was burning in the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. The sound of an angry mob, shouting and breaking glass in the background, came from the television.

  Dovid sat down beside Eidel. Everyone ate, the delicious fragrance of brewing coffee filled the air.

  “Harry, I’m sorry. I failed you,” Dovid said. He sighed. “We’ve lost the bar. We’ve lost everything. I drove by there yesterday, it’s burned to the ground.”

  “We can rebuild,” Harry said looking concerned.

  “There was no insurance. There is no money to rebuild.”

  “What about the land? Can we sell the land and start over somewhere else?” Harry asked.

  Dovid shook his head. “We don’t own the land. We paid rent on it. This is all my fault. I should have had the place insured. I just didn’t take the time to take care of it and now …”

  “What about Cool Breeze? Have you heard anything from Cool Breeze?”

  “Not a word.”

  “So what are we going to do now?” Harry said.

  “I don’t know. I am so stunned that I’m numb. I feel sick with guilt for what I’ve done to you and Ida.”

  Ida stood up and walked over to the TV. She turned it off. “No sense in sitting and watching this. We already know what is happening on the South Side. Now we have to figure out what we are going to do to ensure our future. Harry and I have a little money saved.”

  “We have some as well,” said Eidel.

  “I have built a good name for myself in the restaurant business,” Ida said. “I think maybe we should go in together and open a small Polish restaurant in downtown Skokie. Oakton Street looks like a promising location. There are a lot of shops opening there. There should be plenty of traffic. We can post all of the reviews from the newspapers about my cooking right in the window. I have met a few Chicago restaurant critics. I will try to contact them and see if they will come in and give us a try. If they write good reviews we can build our business on their recommendations. What do you two think about this idea?”

  “I think you’re a genius!” Eidel said.

  Dovid nodded. “I think it’s a good idea.”

  “Yes, me too,” Harry agreed.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Even with their future so uncertain, and knowing that he should save every penny, Dovid still bought a plot in the cemetery next to the two plots he’d already purchased for himself and Eidel. He arranged for Glory’s burial, as he had promised Cool Breeze he would.

  Harry, Ida, Dovid, and Eidel were there as they laid Glory to rest, but Cool Breeze never came.

  I hope he’s not dead. I pray he didn’t kill himself.

  Dovid felt that Harry was thinking the same thing, but neither said a word.

  After the funeral, both couples went back to Dovid’s house.

  On April seventh, the riots in Chicago ended, leaving eleven dead, five hundred injured, and over two thousand people arrested.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  July 1968

  Ida searched up and down Oakton Street until she found a storefront for rent. She called everyone she’d ever met in the restaurant business until she found someone who had used equipment that they wanted to sell. She met with the seller and negotiated until she got a fair deal on everything she needed to open the restaurant. Next, Ida and Eidel scanned resale stores all over the city until they found an eclectic blend of twelve sets of tables and chairs.

  Together, the two couples cleaned the store. They painted and washed down the big picture windows. Eidel scrubbed the bathroom until it shone.

  Harry went to thrift stores where he bought used sets of dishes and silverware.

  Finally, they set a date for a grand opening.

  Every night Ida came to the Levis’ house and she and Ida baked soft, braided challah bread from scratch as well as an array of delectable desserts for the restaurant. Harry acted as a host and waiter, and he also bussed the tables. Eidel was in charge of taking the money. They still didn’t have a cash register, so all transactions were made out of a metal box.

  At first, things were very slow. Dovid was worried; he had invested every penny that he’d saved and if the restaurant didn’t make it then he would have to start over with nothing.

  Dovid and Ida were in charge of the cooking. They used most of Ida’s recipes. The food was delicious, and the prices were reasonable. Since Skokie was populated by a large number of eastern European Jews, many of whom had survived the Nazis and come to America, Ida’s home cooking was a wonderful reminder of their lives before Hitler. When a customer walked into Ida’s they could smell the glorious aroma of real homemade Matzo ball soup and kreplach. Once in a while, Dovid would notice a customer wiping away a tear and he thought that maybe the fragrance had probably brought back memories
.

  But word of mouth was slow, and people didn’t go out to dinner much during the week. Unlike the tavern, which had been busy six days a week, the restaurant did most of its business on the weekends. It was difficult to know how much food to order and often there was a lot of spoilage and waste.

  The two couples sat down after the restaurant closed one night and talked about their situation.

  “I think I should look for a job in the city while the two of you work the restaurant,” Dovid said. “Eidel can stay at home with the children. As you know, we had to hire a nanny and that is costing more than we are earning. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough money coming in from the restaurant to support two families. I will try to earn enough to take care of my family and for now, you two take whatever the restaurant brings in. But as soon as business picks up, we can all come back to work here.”

  “You think it will ever pick up?” Harry asked.

  “I hope so. But for now, I think it’s best that I look for work.”

  And so Dovid began searching for a job as a bartender. He went from tavern to tavern throughout the city. He had plenty of experience. But, even so, it wasn’t as easy as he had anticipated. For three months he went out on interviews every day, but no one hired him.

  By December, money was really tight. Dovid had a family to feed and a mortgage. He sold the car and he and Eidel began taking buses, which were not as reliable in the suburbs as they were in the city. All three children were growing quickly but there was no money for new shoes or clothes. Eidel took the children to a thrift store where she bought them what she could. In January of 1969, Eidel decided to take the L train into the heart of downtown and try to get work. She spent three weeks going to shops, offices, and restaurants, hoping to find any kind of a job. While she was gone she left the children at the restaurant with Ida but she returned home each night defeated.

  There was almost nothing left now. Dovid began shoveling snow for neighbors to earn a few dollars. However, it was hardly enough for a family to survive on. The children were living on boiled white rice, noodles, and cans of beans. What was left of their savings was almost completely gone, and once it was, Dovid knew that they would no longer be able to pay the mortgage. That summer, Dovid mowed lawns, trimmed trees, and did odd jobs. He went hungry to feed the children and somehow he was able to keep paying the mortgage.