Another Generation

by Roberta Kagan

  “You’re asking me what I think, but I know you’ll do what you want anyway. However, in my humble opinion, as far as Ab is concerned, I don’t think you should play matchmaker. If she gets hurt, you don’t want the responsibility of that. And, besides, he’s here in New York and she’s in Chicago.”

  “They could travel to see each other. Some people can make long distance relationships work.”

  “Do what you want. But I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

  “You’re always so cautious, John.”

  “Okay,” he smiled. “Go ahead, introduce her. Why not?”

  “Don’t be negative, please.”

  “I won’t. I promise. You know I adore Abby and only want what’s best for her,” John said.

  “We bicker like an old married couple.” Mark smiled at John.

  “We do, don’t we?”

  “Yep, but I love you.”

  “And, I love you too.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

  Mark and John were waiting at the airport baggage claim when everyone came downstairs to collect their luggage. Mark felt a pang of sadness when he hugged his mother. She had aged since his father’s death. But little Julie was a delight. She ran into John’s arms. Whenever he and Mark visited, John would spend hours playing with Julie. And even though the child was very young, she remembered him and called him Uncle John. It made Mark wish they could adopt a child.

  There were hugs all around; even Warren gave John and Mark quick embraces. Then Mark flagged down two taxis to take everyone back to their new house.

  When John and Mark were renting an apartment, they lived in the center of the Theater District, a busy, bustling area that was always filled with people, noise, and bright neon lights. But when they had enough money to purchase a home, they decided to buy on the Upper West Side across from Central Park. It was a quieter neighborhood. There were jogging tracks in the park that they often used for exercise. The zoo in the park was a nice place for a quiet afternoon walk. At their new location, they were closer to the museums, however, to get to the theater they had to take a taxi or hop on the subway. Mark felt that the subway with its extreme noise and rush of people would be overwhelming for Eidel. He wanted her to feel comfortable and at ease in New York and he knew that the city could be too much excitement for a woman of her age. So he decided they would a taxi wherever they went.

  When they arrived at the new house, Eidel gasped. “This is beautiful, Mark,” she said as he opened the door.

  The floors were white marble with a vein of silver running through. Cherry wood crown molding ran along the ceiling and the floor. The kitchen and bathrooms had been redone. Each bedroom had fresh flowers and magnificent bedspreads with curtains to match. In the living room was a large Persian rug and magnificent drapes in a deep plum to match the predominant color in the rug.

  “I love your new place,” Abby said to John.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  “It’s amazing! You guys did really well with your show. I’m proud of you,” Abby smiled.

  “Thanks. We are really grateful that everything went this well,” John answered.

  “You two deserve the best of everything. All I know is if it weren’t for you guys, I’d probably be dead right now,” Abby said.

  “I don’t know . . . ” John said.

  “Well . . . I do.”

  John served a lunch that he had prepared before they left for the airport. They all gathered around the large table in the dining room. Mark looked at John and smiled and John winked back at him.

  Later that night, everyone settled into their rooms. Mark and John were both exhausted. Mark went into the bathroom to shower and John got ready for bed. When Mark came out his hair was wet and he was wearing briefs.

  “You look so handsome,” John said.

  “You still think so?”

  “Are we fishing for compliments?”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Mark said.

  “Then yes. I do still think so. Even after we’ve been together for all these years I still look at you and my heart flutters.”

  “You think you’ll feel the same way when we get old?”

  “Yep. I know I will.”

  “I know I’ll feel the same way about you too. And . . . there is something else. I want to thank you for all the work you put into making my family comfortable. Everything is perfect.”

  “You don’t have to thank me, Mark. Your fam is my fam,” John said.

  Mark got into bed while John was taking off his watch and putting it on the dresser. John began walking toward the light switch.

  “How tired are you?” Mark asked, his voice husky with desire.

  “Tired, but not too tired . . . ”

  Mark smiled. “Good. Me neither. Why don’t you turn the light off and come here.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY TWO

  Mark arranged for the family to see the play the following evening with an after party that Mark, John, and Finkelstein had arranged in their honor. It was to take place in a fancy restaurant close to the theater.

  Haley and Warren made a handsome couple, she in a silver after-five dress, he in a dark suit. Eidel wore a simple beige skirt suit with low-heeled shoes. Abby wore a black sheath dress with her long black curls caught up in a clip. The only jewelry Abby wore was the Star of David necklace Eidel gave her.

  Mark’s family was seated in the front row. Mark was so proud he was beaming. All his life, this had been his dream. He wanted to show his family that he had worth in the world. He had longed for their acceptance, and now he had it. He even had his father’s love, finally, if for a short time, which meant more to him than he could ever express in words.

  The cast was brilliant that night. There were no mistakes. Not a one, which was unusual for live theater. Everyone wanted Mark to be pleased with their performance and he was.

  After the show, the entire cast spent a half hour outside the stage-door signing autographs then they walked the half block to the restaurant where the party was to take place. When Brian Shield, the actor who had taken John’s place in the show arrived, Mark rushed over to him.

  “I have someone I want you to meet,” Mark said. “Come with me.” Mark led Brian to the table where Abby was seated beside John. “Abby,” he said, tapping her on the shoulder. She turned around. “This is Brian, he was the actor who played the captain in the show. Brian this is my sister, Abby.”

  “Hi, Abby,” Brian said.

  “Hi.” She smiled. He was handsome; there was no doubt about it. His hair was blond and curly; his eyes were bright blue. They were so blue that she wondered if that was their real color or if he was wearing contact lenses. His teeth were bright white, he had a pleasant smile, and he was dressed impeccably. Yet she was still not open to getting involved with anyone. Abby knew that Mark meant well, but she just wasn’t ready.

  “May I join you?” he asked.

  “Sure,” Abby said, glancing at John. She hoped that he could see that Mark bringing this man to meet her was nothing but an intrusion as far as she was concerned.

  “Can I get you something from the bar?” Brian asked Abby.

  “Sure. I’ll have a Coke.”

  “Rum and Coke?”

  “Just a Coke. Thanks,” she said.

  After Brian left to go to the bar to get the drink, John turned to Abby. “You quit drinking?”

  “Yeah. I did. I don’t do drugs anymore either. Not even pot. In fact, I hardly take an aspirin these days. I had a lot of problems with addictions. When I first got to my mom’s house I was still drinking and smoking dope. I did it for a while but, I can’t handle it. If the least little thing goes wrong I start to over-use. So, I gave it up entirely. I’ve been sober for over a year now. I feel a lot better.” She shrugged her shoulders. “What can I say, John. I am blessed. I have a second chance to make my life right. I don’t want to blow it.”

  “I completely understand. You should feel good about yourself, Ab. You’ve come a lon
g way.”

  “Like I said. I’ve been lucky. Things aren’t always perfect between my mom and me or my sister and me. We have our fights; we have our differences. But we’re all trying to make things work between us. For the first time in my life, I feel like a part of a family and not an outsider. And that makes everything in my life worthwhile.”

  “By the way,” John asked “How did you like the show? You were the inspiration after all.”

  “Inspiration, me.” She laughed “I loved it. It’s truly brilliant. You and Mark did a great job.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled.

  Brian came back with a Coke for Abby. He sat beside her, making small talk. John even excused himself to allow them to have time alone. But Abby could feel herself keeping him at a distance. She had far too many one-night stands in her past to want to go in that direction again. He was flirtatious, touching her hand, letting his fingers rest on her shoulder. She knew what he wanted but there was no way she could see herself waking up in a strange man’s bed tomorrow morning. Those days are over for me. Yes, he’s a good-looking guy, but I’m just not going to do this.

  After they all finished dinner and the cast and crew had gone, Warren stood up and held his glass in the air. “I want to make a toast,” he said. “To Mark and John. Thank you for inviting me. I really enjoyed the show. It was wonderful. I don’t know how you ever got that dog to cooperate so well on stage. My guess is he must have been a police dog.” Everyone laughed. Then Warren continued, “All kidding aside, you guys did a really great job.” Everyone cheered and took a sip of their drinks.

  But Warren didn’t sit down. Instead, he waited until everyone was quiet and then he began to speak again. “And . . . ” Warren added. “Since we are all here tonight, Haley and I would like to make an announcement.” He smiled at Haley who seemed to be glowing by the light of the chandelier. “Haley and I are engaged. We are getting married.”

  Eidel put her hands to her cheeks and smiled brightly. Then she got up and hugged Haley and then Warren.

  The rest of the family followed suit. Although Abby was happy for her sister, she didn’t want anyone to know that the thought of Abby getting married and moving out of Eidel’s house left her feeling a little lost. Over the last several years, she and Haley had grown very close and now things were going to change again. Abby had to accept that Haley would be moving in with her new husband and taking little Julie with her. The idea of not being able to stay up until midnight chatting and laughing with Haley left an emptiness inside of Abby that gnawed at her. At least I will still see Haley every day at the shop. And Warren, Haley, and Julie will probably come to Eidel’s house for dinner on Sundays. But things will never be the same.

  The following day, Brian came to see Abby at Mark and John’s house. He asked her to have dinner with him. She refused.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just too busy with work to start seeing anyone. Besides, you live in New York and I live in Chicago. It’s probably best we stay friends.”

  Brian was offended. He straightened his back and looked at Abby. “I wasn’t looking for a lifetime partner. I was just asking you to have dinner.” He shook his head. “No harm done,” he said and left.

  John overheard the conversation and went in to talk to Abby. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. He got mad because I didn’t want to go out with him. It’s not him, John. It’s me. In the past, I would get all crazy over some guy and get my heart broken. Or, like the last one, get my ass kicked. I don’t want to get involved with anybody. I’m happy with the way things are.”

  “How about when Haley moves out? You gonna be all right?”

  “I’ll have to. But I’ll miss her. We spent so many nights sitting up after Mom and Julie went to bed, laughing and telling stories. It was like a pajama party. And I was happy. Really happy. I found my sister. You know what I mean? I hate it that I’m about to lose her.”

  “You won’t lose her. She’s your sister and the bond you guys have built over these last several years is solid. She just won’t be around all the time anymore. Ab, you might want to start thinking about finding a partner too,” John said rubbing Abby’s shoulder.

  “Thinking about finding a partner is one thing. Doing it is another. I just don’t feel ready. The thing is, I actually have gone out on a couple of dates with guys I met at the muffin shop. But it always seems like when I meet a guy, we go out, have a quick dinner, and sometimes it’s not even dinner. Sometimes it’s just a cup of coffee. The next thing I know he wants me to come back to his place. We’ve hardly had a full conversation, I don’t know his favorite color, how he likes his steak, or if he wants kids or not. Most of the time I don’t even know his last name yet. I don’t know anything about him and he knows even less about me, but the dude wants me to jump into his bed. It happens all the time. And I am just not going to do that anymore. Those days are over for me.”

  “I get it,” John said. “I wish I knew what to tell you.”

  “Nothing to tell me, John. I am just not ready.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY THREE

  Skokie Illinois

  Two weeks after Eidel, Haley, Abby, Julie, and Warren returned from New York.

  One night after work when Eidel had put Julie to bed, the three women sat at the table having coffee and some of the muffins left over from that day.

  “Mom, I’ve wanted to talk to you. Maybe this is a good time,” Haley said.

  “What is it? Is something wrong?” Eidel asked, a deep frown of concern settling into her brow.

  “I have avoided talking about this for several reasons. But most of all because I don’t want you to be upset.”

  “Haley, what are you talking about?”

  “Dad. I want to talk to you about Dad. I have to know if you think he would be angry that I am marrying a non-Jew?”

  Eidel sat back and raised her eyebrows. She sucked in a deep breath then took a sip of coffee. “I think your father would have wanted you to be happy. He knew how hurt you were by the divorce.”

  “I would like to believe he would have liked Warren. In many ways, he and Warren are a lot alike,” Haley said.

  “I think he would have, Hale,” Abby said. “I know he wanted you to be happy. He loved you.”

  “Yes, that he did,” Eidel said. “He loved you too, Abby. I know that for sure.”

  Abby took her sister’s hand. “Don’t let anything ruin your happiness. Be happy, Haley. You deserve it.”

  “I was thinking,” Eidel said as she looked at Haley and then at Abby. “I think you both know that your father’s parents died when he was very young. He and I decided that we were going to get married before we left Poland. Once we knew that we planned to wed, Dad and I went to the site where his parents were buried. We stood over what would have been their gravesites and spoke to them. Your father told them that he and I were very much in love and we planned to get married as soon as we left Poland. Then we asked them to please come to our wedding. We asked them to be there with us, watching over us in spirit. It meant a lot to your father to feel their presence on our wedding day. He told me as much. He said that it is a Jewish tradition to go to the cemetery or the place a loved one is buried and invite them to join you in spirit on the day of your wedding.”

  “Do you think we should go to the cemetery and invite Dad?” Abby asked.

  “That’s up to Haley,” Eidel said.

  “I would like that very much. It means a lot to me to know his spirit will be there with me as I pledge my vows. If he cannot stand beside me in a physical body at least I will feel him beside me in spirit.”

  “Then we will all go together and invite him tomorrow,” Eidel said, patting Haley’s shoulder.

  CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR

  Three months later, at the beginning of October 1996, Haley and Warren were wed in a simple civil ceremony. It was nothing like Haley’s elaborate first wedding. This was just a small gathering of loved ones. Warren’s mother, his sister and her
husband, Mark and John, Abby, Eidel, and Julie were all there at Haley’s side. As she said I do, she felt the warmth of a hand on her shoulder and knew in her heart that her father was there too.

  The couple exchanged rings.

  Abby held Haley in her arms. They laughed and cried at the same time. “I’m so happy for you,” Abby said. She was, but it was bittersweet.

  Eidel, Mark, and John all embraced the couple.

  After the ceremony, everyone went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and then back to Eidel’s house for coffee and cake.

  The following day, Mark and John returned to New York City and Warren and Haley left on their honeymoon to Quebec. Julie stayed with Eidel and Abby.

  Haley was to be gone for two weeks. She and Abby had hired a college student, Rhonda Lyser, to help at the bakery shop from October through New Year’s, their busiest season. People began purchasing baskets as early as Halloween and the sales increased all the way until the beginning of January. Haley wanted to forgo her trip until later in the year but Abby insisted that her sister go on her honeymoon.

  “You’ll be back before things start to get crazy around here. While you’re gone, I’ll take the early part of the month to train Rhonda. Then we can all start the basket mania when you get back.” Abby hugged Haley. “Go on your honeymoon. Be happy. Enjoy this wonderful time in your life, Hale.”

  “I love you, Ab.”

  “I love you too, kid sister.”

  Haley laughed. “You never called me that before.”

  “You are my kid sister.”

  “Yeah, I sure am.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE

  Haley woke before Warren in the honeymoon suite at Le Château Frontenac. She got out of bed and walked into the circular sitting room adjacent to the bedroom. She gazed out the window that overlooked the Saint Lawrence Seaway where a large ship was docked in the harbor. It was such a romantic choice of locations for their honeymoon. I know he would have preferred to wait until mid-winter to go on our honeymoon so we could go up to Lake Geneva and snowmobile. But he chose to come to this place for me. He knew I would love it here and I do. Warren is quite a guy. The poor man has sat through a thousand romantic films when I know he would rather be watching a football game. He’s so different from Simon, who was such a selfish man. I can’t help but feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world. Warren is kind and gentle, even though he is so rough on the outside. When I watch him play with Julie, I feel my heart swell. All the pain I went through with Simon was worth it because if he hadn’t been such a jerk we would still be together and I would never know what real love is.