“It is a game! Come on, don’t get all bent out of shape. Pretty soon Natalie will learn not to cry when I go. She’ll understand that when I leave, the game is over.” Abe snapped his fingers. “Besides, it’s educational. I’m teaching her to count. She says a number for each step. She’s already up to ten.”
Helen made a face at him. “I don’t believe you.”
“I’ll make you a bet. Tomorrow morning, come with us and see. If she doesn’t count to ten, I’ll do the dishes tomorrow night. By myself.”
“What if she does count to ten? What do I have to give you?” Abe took the frying pan Helen was drying out of her hands and placed it on the counter. Then he wrapped his arms around her and leaned in for a kiss. “I’ll figure something out,” he said.
The next day, after the boys left for school, Abe sat Natalie down on the couch and tied the laces on her white leather booties. “Daddy has something important to tell you, sweet pea.”
Natalie stared at him, her hazel eyes focusing in on his blue ones. “Daddy,” she said.
“Yes. Every morning Daddy and Natalie walk up and down the steps, right?”
“Uppy!” Natalie screeched. She slid off the couch and ran for the door. Abe made her sit back down.
“Every morning we play our special game. But when Daddy has to leave, that means the time for Uppy is all done. No more crying when Daddy leaves. Do you understand?”
Natalie nodded and whispered, “Uppy.”
“I mean it,” Abe said, trying to sound serious, even a little angry, to make his point. In response, Natalie kissed his hand and hugged it to her cheek. Abe sighed. This one’s smarter than the other four put together.
After a few moments, he pulled his hand away. “Let’s go,” he said.
Out in the hall, Abe carried Natalie to the bottom of the steps while Helen stayed up at the top. Natalie was bouncing up and down with excitement. “Ready to show Mommy how you can count?” Abe asked.
“Who can count?” Mort was coming out of his apartment, briefcase in hand.
“Say hi to Uncle Mort, Natalie. Natalie’s gonna count the steps for Helen.”
Natalie waved and yelled her name for her uncle. “Mo!”
Mort put down his briefcase and crossed his arms. “Show me,” he said, in a tone Abe didn’t appreciate.
“You wanna see her go up the steps?”
“I want to hear her count the steps,” Mort corrected.
Abe wanted to smack him, but Natalie kept smiling, repeating his name over and over. “Mo! Mo! Mo!” After she calmed down, she pointed to the steps in front of her. She took the first step slowly, keeping one hand on the wall and the other hand wrapped around Abe’s fingers. Once she had balanced herself on the first step, she shouted, “Un!”
“Un?” Mort sniffed. “What does that mean?”
“It’s how she says ‘one,’ Morty.” Abe tried to keep his voice light. “Give her a break, will ya? She’s a baby, for Chrissakes.”
“You said she could count. That means she has to be able to say the numbers.”
“Shut up and listen.”
“Toooo!” Natalie called out on the second step. Mort raised an eyebrow.
“Free, foah, fie, six, sen, ate, nine, ten!” Natalie announced. After she got to ten, she started counting from one again until she reached the top of the staircase. When she was finished, she held up her arms to be carried and buried her face in Abe’s shoulder. The climbing had exhausted her, and her breathing became heavy and sleepy. Warm brown curls tickled his cheek and Abe lost himself entirely in the sweetness of the moment. His reverie was broken by a loud sound from the bottom of the stairs. Mort had slammed the door shut, exiting without saying goodbye. By the time Abe looked up, his brother was already gone.
Chapter 25
ROSE
(June 1950)
Rose didn’t want to admit it, but she was enjoying herself. She needed a change of scenery, even if the scenery happened to belong to Sol and Arlene. They were showing off their new house on Long Island with a weekend barbecue. Helen and her family were already there, and Rose’s family were on their way. Rose rolled down the car window and let the breeze wash over her. It felt good to be out of the house and away from Brooklyn.
When the invitation was first extended, Rose wasn’t sure she wanted to attend (she couldn’t stand the thought of spending another day with Helen), but as the details of Sol’s home were revealed to her (the house was on five acres; there was a swimming pool, a rose garden, woods and a pond), the idea of escaping the confines of her home started to look more and more appealing.
Their bottom-floor apartment, once so spacious, felt cramped and crowded to her these days. And the noise! Even at night, there was never any silence. The late spring days had become unusually hot, and open windows let in the honks and screeches from every passing car and truck. The bedrooms were so close together that the tiniest cough or whimper from one of her children would keep her awake at night. And while Rose felt like she was constantly cleaning and neatening their home, clutter and children seemed to congregate in every corner of every room. She was suffocating. So after a few days of mulling it over, Rose called back to tell Arlene they were coming.
When they turned off the main road onto an unmarked dirt lane, Mort thought they were lost. Rose insisted she had read the directions properly, and in a few minutes the lane gave way to a clearing from which the house was visible. It was an enormous white house with four large pillars in the front. They parked on the semi-circular gravel driveway that wound around a perfect green lawn and emerged from the car, anxious to stretch their legs and have a look around. Teddy woke up as soon as the motor was off, and Judith held his hand as they walked to the front door.
Sol’s home wasn’t an estate exactly, but it came close. There were two other homes that were visible from the driveway, but once the housekeeper guided them through the marbled center hallway to the terrace out back, the view consisted only of trees and a few distant hills. Despite the fact that there were over a hundred people there, the backyard had a peaceful quality to it that Rose wouldn’t normally have associated with Sol or Arlene. She wondered what had drawn them to this place.
As Rose crossed the wide stone terrace to say hello to their hosts, the sun beamed down so strongly that she had to raise her hand over eyes to shield them from the glare. Arlene had on a huge pair of sunglasses, and Rose began to see the wisdom in wearing them. She didn’t own any, but she certainly wished she had a pair on now.
“Rose! Mort! You made it! Whaddya think of the place? Nice, huh?” Sol gave her a kiss on the cheek and shook Mort’s hand vigorously. Arlene hugged them both and thanked them for coming.
“Oh Arlene, you have so much space! It’s marvelous!” The words came out so enthusiastically that Mort raised his eyebrow at her. She wasn’t usually so friendly to Sol and Arlene, she knew, but she didn’t see any point in hiding her admiration.
“Thanks, sweetheart.” Sol was enjoying the compliments. “Where are the kids?”
“Oh, right over there,” Rose pointed toward the covered pool. “They’re excited to see your swimming pool!”
Arlene looked worried. “I hope they won’t be too disappointed—it isn’t open yet. We couldn’t get the pool people over here in time.”
“Oh, the kids are fine. It’s too breezy for swimming anyway—it’s at least ten degrees cooler out here than it is in the city! The air is so refreshing!”
Sol chuckled and elbowed Mort. “Looks like you’ll be moving soon too, Morty! Maybe we can get you that house across the street!”
Mort gave him a thin smile. “I guess you never know.”
“If that cereal guy of yours keeps up, you’ll be ready for a house by next year!”
“We’ll see,” Mort said.
“Where does that go?” Rose interjected, pointing to the path emerging from the treeline at the back of the property.
“That? Johnny calls it the nature trail! It ta
kes you through a little patch of woods. We got some blueberry bushes back there.” Sol called over the waiter and insisted that Mort and Rose each take a drink from his tray. “It’s a sloe gin fizz,” he informed them. “Go on—you’ll love it!”
Mort sniffed at his glass and Rose took a small sip. “What else is back there?” she asked.
“There’s a little pond at the end of the path,” Sol continued, “Johnny loves it back there. He likes the frogs and the turtles—all that crap.”
Rose took another sip. “I’m sure it’s very pretty,” she said.
“Sol, come say hello to Howard and Connie,” Arlene called. She had noticed another couple she wanted to greet, a tall blond pair, both wearing sunglasses like her own.
“Sure, sweetheart.” Sol patted Mort on the back. “Gotta go make nice with the new neighbors,” he whispered loudly. “Get something to eat, okay?”
“Thanks,” Mort said. As soon as Sol’s back was turned, he put his glass down on another waiter’s tray. “Ugh,” he said. “I can’t drink any more of that thing.”
“Really? I think it’s good,” said Rose.
“Suit yourself. I’m going to get some food.” Mort headed over to the long buffet table set out on one side of the terrace, and Rose decided to look for a bathroom. The powder room she found was as big as her bedroom, and the wallpaper was speckled with cream and gold. The windows looked out over the side yard, where most of the children had gathered, including Judith and Teddy. Rose watched them for a few minutes after she dried her hands. The older boys had brought their mitts and Harry and Joe were teaching Teddy how to throw a ball. Sam and George were helping, and Rose’s younger girls were practicing cartwheels in the grass. They seem to be having a good time.
Helen was waiting for the bathroom as Rose exited. “How funny!” Helen said when she saw her, “I was just wondering where you were! I saw Mort making himself a plate but I couldn’t find you out there!”
“Well, here I am,” Rose said.
“Good! I’ll just be a minute in here. Wait for me, and I’ll walk back out with you.” Helen shut the powder room door. As soon as it was closed, Rose walked outside and headed straight for the path by the woods.
Alone on the path she felt like a kid playing hooky from school. She wondered if anyone had seen where she had gone and decided it didn’t matter because no one had followed her. The farther along the path she walked, the more distant the sounds and voices from the party became. She passed at least a dozen blueberry bushes, just as Sol had promised, and she was almost certain there were raspberry bushes there as well. It was cooler than on the terrace, and the trees muted the sunlight so that her eyes no longer bothered her.
After a few minutes Rose came to the pond. It wasn’t much bigger than Sol’s swimming pool, but she spotted two frogs and a lizard on the rocks by the edge. She wondered if there were really any turtles in it, but the water was too murky to tell. A patch of bluebells grew haphazardly near the water, and Rose picked some before sitting herself on a stone bench that someone had placed under one of the trees. The smell of the flowers reminded her of the perfume her mother used to wear when she was little. What a peaceful spot this is. The silence was so soothing that she almost fell asleep.
Rose lost track of how long she had been sitting there on the bench. If someone had asked, she would have sworn it had only been five minutes, ten at the most. But then she heard the shouting.
At first Rose thought the children were playing a game. The voices were getting closer and she was annoyed because her private moment was ruined. But after a few more shouts, she realized it wasn’t a game. They were yelling her name. They were looking for her.
Isn’t this always the way, she thought. Just when I finally have a few minutes to myself—
“Rose! Are you back here? Rose? Rose!” It was Abe’s voice. He sounded upset. “I’m here,” she admitted. She spoke it out loud but too softly for anyone to hear. Helen probably sent him after me because I didn’t wait for her at the bathroom. Typical.
“Rose!”
“I’m here!” she yelled.
Abe appeared on the pathway, dripping with sweat and breathing heavily. When he saw her he froze. “Thank God,” he said, gasping for air. He leaned halfway over, hands gripping his bended knees for support. He started to cough, and the words sputtered out: “We couldn’t find you when it happened. We looked everywhere for you. They couldn’t wait anymore.” He stood up straight and wiped his forehead. “They left fifteen minutes ago. I told them I’d drive you there when we found you.”
When she stood, the bluebells in her lap fell to the ground. “What are you talking about? What happened? Where are we going?”
Abe took a few steps toward her. “Rose, I don’t want to scare you. Everything’s going to be fine, but we have to go to the hospital.”
“Is it Mort? Did he—”
“Mort’s fine, Rose. He’s fine. But we have to go now.”
“Then who?”
“Come on, we have to get out of here.” Abe tried to guide her back to the house, but Rose pushed him away. She screamed at him then, shattering the serenity of the spot she had so enjoyed. “I’m not leaving until you tell me!”
“It’s Teddy,” Abe whispered. “He had an accident. It’s Teddy.”
Chapter 26
HELEN
Helen was there when it happened. She had walked over to the side yard to check on the kids and saw her boys and at least half a dozen others starting an impromptu baseball game. Teddy was sitting with the younger kids and the girls, watching the bigger boys play. But he got bored with their hand-clapping games and wandered onto the makeshift infield just as Sam was hitting the ball. It smacked Teddy in the eye, and the little boy fell over, crying, from the impact.
Helen had seen her share of playground accidents—she knew enough to know that crying was a good sign. She would have been more concerned if Teddy had been quiet. She ran over to him, scooped him up off the grass and carried him, screaming, to the terrace to find Rose and Mort.
Rose was nowhere in sight, but Mort was there, sitting at a table next to Abe. Both men stood up when they saw her with Teddy. “What the hell happened?” Mort yelled, causing Teddy to cry even harder. People were turning their heads, and everyone was staring.
“It was an accident, Mort. He got hit in the head with a baseball.”
“What the—”
Abe stopped him. “Calm down, we don’t want to make him any more upset.”
“Shh. Shh.” Helen wiped Teddy’s tears. She laid him down on the closest lounge chair and tried to pry his hands away from his eye to get a look at it. A few of the women asked if they could help, and Arlene ran over with a dish towel wrapped around some ice cubes. Helen whispered to Teddy that she wanted to put the ice near his eye. “It will make it feel better,” she promised. The little boy moved his hands a few inches but continued to wail. Helen could see the skin around the eye starting to swell and blacken. Abe politely encouraged everyone to go back to their conversations and food and to give the little boy some air. Mort just stood by, scowling.
“Where’s Rose?” Helen asked him.
“She must be in the powder room.”
“I don’t think so—I saw her there only fifteen minutes ago. She wouldn’t have gone again so soon.”
“Well, maybe she’s still there.”
“No, she was gone when I came out.” She was supposed to wait for me, but she didn’t.
“I’ll go look for her,” Abe told them.
Judith ran over then to see how Teddy was. “Is he all right?” she asked Helen.
“I think he’ll be fine, honey. But we might want to bring him to the hospital just so they can check his eye and make sure his head is okay.”
“The hospital?” Judith’s eyes grew wide and started tearing.
“It’s not as serious as it—”
Mort interrupted, his face red and angry: “You were in charge, young lady,” he said to
Judith. “If you had been watching your brother properly, this never would have—”
“Mort!” Helen glared at him. “I saw the whole thing. Teddy bolted onto the field. Judith couldn’t have stopped him. This isn’t anyone’s fault. It was an accident.”
Mort paced around the lounge chair, firing questions at Helen like artillery shells. She tried her best to answer them.
“Do you think it’s serious?”
“I think he’ll be fine. Harry got hit like this when he was little too. They’re boys—it happens.”
“If he’s so fine, then why should we drag him to the hospital?”
Helen took a deep breath. “I’m not a doctor, Mort. They need to examine his eye. Obviously I can’t do that. And they should check him for a concussion. To be safe, you should take him.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Don’t you want to wait for Rose?”
“What I want is for this all to be over so I can get the hell off of this goddamned island. If she doesn’t get back here in five minutes, we’re leaving.”
“But Teddy will want Rose to be with—”
“If Abe can’t find her in five minutes, I’ll drive and you’ll sit with Teddy in back.”
“But Mort—”
“Someone needs to sit in the back with him,” Mort snapped. “If you won’t go, Judith will do it.”
That’s the last thing Judith needs. “Of course I’ll come with you. But I’m sure Rose will be back in a minute.”
* * *
Five minutes passed, and Rose hadn’t returned. After ten more minutes, Abe still couldn’t find her. Helen had no choice but to go with Mort. She pulled Abe to the side before she left. “Find Rose and bring her to the hospital as soon as you can.”
“I will,” he promised.
Helen sat in the backseat with Teddy while Mort drove. Teddy had finally stopped crying, and Helen was rubbing his back and patting his hair. His head was in her lap, and she was holding the wet dish towel over his eye. The ice had melted, but the towel was still cold. Teddy’s other eye was open, watching her. She smiled at him. “Everything is going to be all right,” she said. She said it over and over, like a prayer.
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