Page 130 - issue

that had taken place here had been
between her and Nosson. But lately
Rusi had taken to coming in to talk to
her mother in her bedroom, and Chana
hadn’t the heart, or head, to fight it.
“Ma.”
Chana looked at her daughter,
painting a bland expression on her
face. Better bland, she reasoned, than
hurt or angry.
“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.”
Chana’s stomach dropped. She had-
n’t been expecting that.
“I guess I got kind of mad after that
meeting. I mean, I couldn’t believe that
you and Tatty wouldn’t tell me that you
had taken out such an expensive policy.”
“You felt like a little kid.”
Rusi’s face reddened. “You treat me
like a little kid” was one of the nicer
lines she had used earlier. “But I real-
ized that it’s not true. I mean, you real- choose not to share my financial infor-
ly didn’t have to tell me such a sensitive mation with my son,” she said tightly.
piece of information. It’s just that I
thought that if I was invited to the
meeting, I deserved to be in on all the
facts.”
Chana was silent for a minute, pro-
cessing her daughter’s apology. “You
spoke this over with your friends?”
Rusi’s already red face turned scar-
let. “I didn’t mention the money
involved.”
Chana said nothing.
“I’m sorry,” Rusi said, and this time
her voice broke. “I just couldn’t keep it
to myself.”
Chana tried to understand her
daughter’s need to unburden. She too
needed to unwind sometimes. But she
would never talk about her financial
woes like that. Then again, for Rusi
these weren’t financial woes. This was
about an argument with her mother.
And for Chana it was about an argu-
ment with her daughter. Chana smiled.
They could both do with a truce. “It’s
okay.”
“So do you think we’ll get the money
in the end?” Rusi asked, her voice once
again eager and childlike.
“I don’t know,” Chana said. “I hope
so. But I really don’t know. We have to
daven.”
“Maybe Efrayim can help us,” Rusi
suggested.
126 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
“Maybe. But I don’t want to involve
him and stress him out about it.”
“You’re going to end up telling him
anyway.”
Chana looked at her daughter.
She’d planned on telling Efrayim once
the money came through. Now that
didn’t seem too imminent. But would
she inform her son that she was actual-
ly in dire financial straits? She played
with the ends of her sheitel. “I’m not
sure that I want to talk to him about
this,” she repeated.
“Mommy, you’re too closed,” Rusi
said.
Chana said nothing. She could think
of plenty of character traits that Rusi
had “too much” of. “It’s my right to
She tried to think who she could
involve in the whole saga. Which
lawyers did she know?
The ringing of her cell phone jingled
her thoughts. She jabbed the answer
button. “Hi, Faigy,” she said dully.
“What’s up?”
“Chana!” Faigy’s voice was buoyant,
and Chana was grateful that her sister
sounded too preoccupied to notice her
dour mood. “Chananya’s about to get
engaged. They only went out twice, but
you know he went to chassidishe
yeshivos. He doesn’t intend to go out
more than four times, and if he can
muster up the courage it looks like he’s
going to propose tomorrow.”
“Is the girl ready?”
“Oh, sure. They’re Slonimer chas-
sidim and two dates is more than
enough for her. I wanted to tell you at
least a million times this past week, but
Chananya kept on talking about ayin
hara and all that and Menachem insist-
ed that I honor his wishes. But now I
just felt like I would burst, so I’m telling the ticking of the grandfather clock.
you. I mean, you are my only sister.”
“This is with his permission, of
course?” Chana asked, her tone light.
“Of course. You’re his favorite aunt,
you know that.”
“Of course.”
“Listen, Chana, I gotta go. I think
that’s the shadchan calling me on the
other line. I’ll give you details about the
girl and everything as soon as I can.
But in the meantime, keep your ears
open for that mazel tov.”
“My ears are open,” Chana said. She
clicked the phone off.
“Chananya’s about to get engaged?”
Rusi asked.
Chana nodded.
“He’s 21,” Rusi said. “Isn’t he young?”
“He went to chassidishe yeshivos,
don’t forget. I think that 21 in those cir-
cles is considered a bachelor.”
“I’m a real spinster then,” Rusi said
bitterly.
Chana sighed. When Rusi had
entered her room earlier, she had said
she was sorry. Now her apology lin-
gered hollowly in the air. Would things
ever be right between the two of them?
◆◆◆
Refused. Refused. Refused.
The words were like icy blades, cut-
ting into her soul.
The insurance money would not be
released. The circumstances were too
sketchy, the evidence too strongly piled
against them.
Grosshammer Insurance is unable
to release the one-million-dollar policy
that the late Mr. Schwimmer applied
for during the last month of his life.
Two hundred and fifty thousand dol-
lars will instead be deposited into the
account of the deceased’s wife, as per
his previous life insurance policy.
The letter went on to state the rea-
soning behind the agency’s decision,
but none of it interested Chana.
This decision can be appealed in a
court of law.
A court of law. She’d have to call
Attorney Hertz, the lawyer who’d come
to mind the day before. Her cell phone
rested silently at her elbow, yet Chana
made no move to lift it. Instead, she
placed her hands over her eyes and let
her shoulders sag.
The dining room was silent save for
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Chana felt as though her heart were
sinking lower and lower with each tick
of the clock. Two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars was a lot of money,
but it wasn’t a million. And Nosson had
specifically bought the more expensive
policy because he was doing well in