Page 132 - issue
P. 132
It was hard for Chana to place the call because she
knew that the minute she started to discuss her
financial issues, she’d burst out crying. She didn’t
want that to happen. Better to keep it all in, under the
wraps, than to expose her vulnerabilities.
business…and possibly because he had come and try to help her deal with it. Would loneliness be her constant com-
a premonition of what was to be. It was panion?
his way of showing that he cared about She didn’t want that. She didn’t
her. Her cell phone rang. It was Rusi.
want her son to turn the whole world Chana didn’t have to bother preparing
If she accepted the lesser sum of anything for her because she wasn’t
money, did that mean that she was over because of her. going to make it home for supper.
denying her husband’s love? His desire
to watch over her from a better place? And then December 16, her secular It was her birthday, but somehow,
she wasn’t surprised. Shared supper-
Chana shook her head to clear it. birthday arrived. While 25 Kislev, the time had ceased to exist in their house-
This wasn’t about her need to feel pro- hold, though at least Rusi was polite
tected. This was about Grosshammer’s first night of Chanukah, was her enough to check in.
wrongful denial of her claim. But why
would Attorney Hertz want to help her? Hebrew birth date and the date that With a sigh, Chana wondered why
He wasn’t their family lawyer. They did- she even bothered preparing healthy
n’t have a lawyer. He was simply some- she and Nosson had always celebrated, meals when Rusi was hardly ever home
one that Nosson knew from shul and to eat them. Quinoa, spinach, tofu.
from whom they had asked occasional she was still officially forty-nine today. When Chana was a young bride, no
favors over the years. When they’d one had even known what those foods
bought their house, when Nosson had She was getting older. But there was were.
been looking into acquiring a patent
for something… no one around to even notice it. The Nosson used to laugh at her for
catering to their daughter’s whims.
This was different, though… This was memories of the year before and what “She’ll eat whatever you serve her. Even
very delicate business. It meant con- if she’s learning about holistic medicine
testing a company’s decision not to had once been rushed to the forefront in school, that doesn’t mean she has to
release the money due her. actually eat the stuff that they preach.”
of her mind.
Chana sighed. Rusi’s words, But she’d waved away his sugges-
unpleasant as they were, came to mind “Chana, we’re going out on the tions that she go back to cooking clas-
now. “You’re too closed,” she had told town tomorrow.” sic foods. She got satisfaction from pro-
her mother. viding for her daughter’s needs, and
“On the town?” this was her way of showing her love.
Rusi was right. It was hard for Chana “A very special woman was born So Nosson had gone along with the
to place the call because she knew that forty-eight years ago, or did you forget? “crazy cooking faze” with a good-
the minute she started to discuss her I arranged a table for two at La natured grin.
financial issues, she’d burst out crying. Ambience. I heard from a couple of
She didn’t want that to happen. Better guys in shul that the ambience there is The truth was that Chana had just
to keep it all in, under the wraps, than really terrific.” been grinning and bearing the whole
to expose her vulnerabilities. “The ambience? Since when do you thing too. When she’d first begun cook-
care about that?” To the best of ing all of the “funny foods,” she wasn’t
And besides, Chana didn’t have the Chana’s knowledge her husband sure how long she’d be able to stick it
faintest notion of how to go about any cared most about the food and could- out either.
type of legal proceedings. n’t care less where he ate it.
Nosson had looked at her with After Nosson had passed away,
◆◆◆ those blue-gray eyes of his that seemed though, she felt that she simply could-
to permanently twinkle. He hadn’t said n’t cut out this expression of love. Yet
Two days later, Chana had still done anything, but Chana could feel how night after night, she heard Rusi’s
nothing about the insurance letter. She much he cared about her. excuses:
couldn’t bring herself to call the lawyer, La Ambience it was. And for her
and she’d held back her tears and wor- forty-eight years, he’d given her a neck- “Sorry, I can’t make it tonight.”
ries during her phone conversation lace with forty-eight emeralds. “I ate at Riva’s house.”
with Efrayim. She wanted to confide in “For our forty-eighth anniversary, “I’m so tired, I can’t taste a morsel. It
her son, but she was afraid that he’d it’ll be a necklace of forty-eight dia- looks delicious, though.”
take the next plane out of Israel to monds,” he had promised. Chana looked at her house phone,
The promise hovered over her head,
making her dizzy. Man proposes, G-d
disposes. Some wise man had come up
with that saying long ago. Her parents
had their own Yiddish equivalent. “A
mentch tracht un G-tt lacht.”
The clock in her dining room was
ticking away. Her life was ticking away.
128 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
knew that the minute she started to discuss her
financial issues, she’d burst out crying. She didn’t
want that to happen. Better to keep it all in, under the
wraps, than to expose her vulnerabilities.
business…and possibly because he had come and try to help her deal with it. Would loneliness be her constant com-
a premonition of what was to be. It was panion?
his way of showing that he cared about She didn’t want that. She didn’t
her. Her cell phone rang. It was Rusi.
want her son to turn the whole world Chana didn’t have to bother preparing
If she accepted the lesser sum of anything for her because she wasn’t
money, did that mean that she was over because of her. going to make it home for supper.
denying her husband’s love? His desire
to watch over her from a better place? And then December 16, her secular It was her birthday, but somehow,
she wasn’t surprised. Shared supper-
Chana shook her head to clear it. birthday arrived. While 25 Kislev, the time had ceased to exist in their house-
This wasn’t about her need to feel pro- hold, though at least Rusi was polite
tected. This was about Grosshammer’s first night of Chanukah, was her enough to check in.
wrongful denial of her claim. But why
would Attorney Hertz want to help her? Hebrew birth date and the date that With a sigh, Chana wondered why
He wasn’t their family lawyer. They did- she even bothered preparing healthy
n’t have a lawyer. He was simply some- she and Nosson had always celebrated, meals when Rusi was hardly ever home
one that Nosson knew from shul and to eat them. Quinoa, spinach, tofu.
from whom they had asked occasional she was still officially forty-nine today. When Chana was a young bride, no
favors over the years. When they’d one had even known what those foods
bought their house, when Nosson had She was getting older. But there was were.
been looking into acquiring a patent
for something… no one around to even notice it. The Nosson used to laugh at her for
catering to their daughter’s whims.
This was different, though… This was memories of the year before and what “She’ll eat whatever you serve her. Even
very delicate business. It meant con- if she’s learning about holistic medicine
testing a company’s decision not to had once been rushed to the forefront in school, that doesn’t mean she has to
release the money due her. actually eat the stuff that they preach.”
of her mind.
Chana sighed. Rusi’s words, But she’d waved away his sugges-
unpleasant as they were, came to mind “Chana, we’re going out on the tions that she go back to cooking clas-
now. “You’re too closed,” she had told town tomorrow.” sic foods. She got satisfaction from pro-
her mother. viding for her daughter’s needs, and
“On the town?” this was her way of showing her love.
Rusi was right. It was hard for Chana “A very special woman was born So Nosson had gone along with the
to place the call because she knew that forty-eight years ago, or did you forget? “crazy cooking faze” with a good-
the minute she started to discuss her I arranged a table for two at La natured grin.
financial issues, she’d burst out crying. Ambience. I heard from a couple of
She didn’t want that to happen. Better guys in shul that the ambience there is The truth was that Chana had just
to keep it all in, under the wraps, than really terrific.” been grinning and bearing the whole
to expose her vulnerabilities. “The ambience? Since when do you thing too. When she’d first begun cook-
care about that?” To the best of ing all of the “funny foods,” she wasn’t
And besides, Chana didn’t have the Chana’s knowledge her husband sure how long she’d be able to stick it
faintest notion of how to go about any cared most about the food and could- out either.
type of legal proceedings. n’t care less where he ate it.
Nosson had looked at her with After Nosson had passed away,
◆◆◆ those blue-gray eyes of his that seemed though, she felt that she simply could-
to permanently twinkle. He hadn’t said n’t cut out this expression of love. Yet
Two days later, Chana had still done anything, but Chana could feel how night after night, she heard Rusi’s
nothing about the insurance letter. She much he cared about her. excuses:
couldn’t bring herself to call the lawyer, La Ambience it was. And for her
and she’d held back her tears and wor- forty-eight years, he’d given her a neck- “Sorry, I can’t make it tonight.”
ries during her phone conversation lace with forty-eight emeralds. “I ate at Riva’s house.”
with Efrayim. She wanted to confide in “For our forty-eighth anniversary, “I’m so tired, I can’t taste a morsel. It
her son, but she was afraid that he’d it’ll be a necklace of forty-eight dia- looks delicious, though.”
take the next plane out of Israel to monds,” he had promised. Chana looked at her house phone,
The promise hovered over her head,
making her dizzy. Man proposes, G-d
disposes. Some wise man had come up
with that saying long ago. Her parents
had their own Yiddish equivalent. “A
mentch tracht un G-tt lacht.”
The clock in her dining room was
ticking away. Her life was ticking away.
128 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
