The Dressmaker's Son (11 page)

“She
was beautiful, Aunt Bekka. Her name was Millie. She had hair like you but her
eyes were a hazel color.

“It
was a horrible fire. I was coming back to the factory from an errand they asked
me to run or I could have been trapped in it. . When I saw the smoke and flames
I started running and tried to go into the building. All I could think of was
Millie. I tried three times and each time the police pushed me back. It only
took about half an hour to put the fire out, but by then people were jumping
out the windows. It was horrible. I didn’t see Millie, so I went to the place
by the pier they had set up to identify people and there she was.  Her parents
had come to see if she was there when she didn’t come home, and they had
identified her.”

“I’m
so sorry, Sollie,” Rebekah answered as she went to him and gave him a hug.

After
he left, she thought about how lucky she really was.  Sollie had been a
god-send, but she also couldn’t have done it without Mrs. Weiss. From day one
she did everything she could to help: sweeping up the cuttings, pressing seams
for Rebekah, and running errands for her.  She was so encouraging and tried to
keep a smile on her face, but Rebekah knew she still blamed herself for what
happened to Samuel. They had talked about it after Samuel was taken, and
Rebekah and Rachael tried to convince her that it wasn’t her fault, but their
reasoning fell on deaf ears.  Most nights Rebekah could hear her crying softly
in her bed and praying. “Please God, let Rebekah find Samuel and find forgiveness
for what I let happen.”

Rebekah
took the final holiday collection to Martin in October.  It had been over a
year and a half since she had started designing gowns and dresses for
Bloomingdales.  He acclaimed it her best work and called several people in to
see the gowns.  It had become almost a tradition that she and Martin went to
lunch after she presented a new collection.  It was always at the most
expensive restaurants.  He had taught her a lot about the retail business and
they had shared stories about the old country.  Once he had asked her to dinner,
but Rebekah knew by the way he looked at her, that his interest was more than
business.  Of course she was flattered, but even though Martin was a widower,
Rebekah had no intention of going down the road of mixing business and pleasure.

It was a beautiful
fall day and they had walked to the restaurant.  About halfway through their
meal Rebekah could hardly keep her mind on what Martin was saying, knowing what
she had to tell him.  Finally, when there was a lull in the conversation, she
said, “Martin, there is something I have to tell you.”

“My goodness,
Rebekah, don’t look so serious.  Are you going up on your prices,” he asked
grinning.

“No, Martin.  I’m
afraid that after this collection I will do only one more for fall."

“Impossible,”
Martin exclaimed.  “Why would you not continue designing gowns? Or are you
planning to go to my competition?  I know you said you would be exclusive to
Bloomingdales for only a year and it has been past that, but we can work this
out.  There are stores in other states where you could branch out easily.  I’ll
even help you make the connections.  I’m not a greedy man, Rebekah.”

Rebekah couldn’t
help but smile. “No, Martin, it isn’t that.  You have been wonderful to me and
I will never forget that.  I have to go to St. Petersburg and I don’t know how
long I will be gone, so I can’t guarantee another collection.”

“St. Petersburg,
Russia?” he asked. “Why would you go there now? It’s dangerous over there,
Rebekah.  Why on earth would you make such a trip now?”

Rebekah studied
Martin’s face.  She didn’t know what to tell him.  She felt a closeness to him
that surprised even her. Finally she decided to tell him her story.  She knew
it was the right thing to do.

She told him about
Misha, about her husband dying, and about little Samuel.  She didn’t even
realize that when she stopped, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Martin reached
across the table and wiped them with his napkin. ”I’ve always wondered why you
were so sad, Rebekah.  Even when you smiled I would think to myself, ‘Her smile
doesn’t reach her eyes.’ You are a brave woman, but you are smart, clever, and very
beautiful.  I believe you will be successful in your quest to find Samuel.  I
will pray for you, and when you return, I hope you will come back to
Bloomingdales with more collections.”

Rebekah was
touched by Martin’s words. “I don’t know what to say, Martin.  I’ve surprised
myself telling you this story, but somehow, I felt you would understand.  Nobody
else knows of this.  I know you will keep it between us.  I appreciate all you
have done for me and your confidence in me.”  

“Of course,”
Martin replied.

“And when I
return,” Rebekah said with a smile, “I will design the best collection of gowns
and dresses you have ever seen!”

When they finished
the meal, instead of separating as they usually did, Martin asked Rebekah to
come back to the store for just a few minutes.  She couldn’t imagine what he
wanted, but didn’t feel she could refuse.  He took her directly to the fur
department.  “Margaret,” he said to the saleslady, “Select a couple of full
length coats that would be appropriate for the bitter cold weather, something
simple, but elegant.  Rebekah is making a trip to Russia where it will be frigid.”

Margaret produced
three beautiful full length coats.  One was mink, one beaver, and one fox.  Martin
insisted that Rebekah try them on.  Of course they all looked beautiful.  “Pick
the one you like best, Rebekah.”  Martin said.

“It’s so nice of
you to worry about my keeping warm, Martin, but I’m not sure I can afford one
of these coats.”

“This is a gift
from me. Please, pick one.”

“Really, this is
very generous of you, but this is a very expensive gift.”

“Let’s just say I
want to make sure you stay warm and don’t get sick so you can come back and
make more money for Bloomingdales.”

“In that case,”
Rebekah said smiling. “I accept.  And I’ll take the beaver which is more
practical for every day.”

Then Martin made
her go with him to the shoe department where he picked out two pair of boots
for her to wear with the coat.

Rebekah was
speechless.  He knew she probably couldn’t afford these things, which is why he
did it.  When he walked her out to the street she said, “You are an amazing
man, Martin.  I really don’t know how to thank you.”

“Just come home
safely, Rebekah,” he said, his voice husky. “And bring back that little boy
with you.”

She reached up
impulsively and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  “I will, Martin, no matter what
it takes.”  She could feel his eyes following her as she walked down the
street.

The next five
weeks flew by.  Rebekah busied herself getting ready for her trip. She made
several dresses that would be suitable for working in St. Petersburg’s cold climate.
 She also made a couple of gowns to take, although she wasn’t sure why.  Meanwhile,
Solomon supervised the completion of the orders for the holiday collection.  Rebekah
knew that he would make sure all the orders were filled and delivered.  

CHAPTER 22

November 1914

When the day of
her departure arrived, Rachael and Jacob got ready to take Rebekah to the port.
 As they left the store, Solomon came running down the street.

“Wait for me,” he
shouted, catching up quickly.  Catching his breath he turned to Rebekah.  “I
couldn’t let my future business partner leave without seeing her off.”

Rebekah smiled as
Rachael and Jacob looked at each other.

“When I return,
Sollie is going to help me set up the business we talked about,” she explained.

“A wonderful
idea,” Rachael replied.  “Come. Let’s get going.  You have to leave before you
can come back.”

When Rebekah
finally had to board the ship, Rachael hugged her hard, “Come back quickly,
Rebekah,” she said.  “I will miss you.”

“I will try,
Rachael,” she answered.  Then she turned to Jacob and hugged him. “I don’t know
what I would have done without you Jacob.  Thank you for everything.”

Jacob had given
her the names of several men in both Kiev and Yelizavetgrad that he knew she could
trust if she ran into trouble.  They would also have connections in St. Petersburg
to help Rebekah get settled.  Jacob was not very good at accepting praise.  He
hugged her back.  “Just come back safely with my nephew,” he said.  “That will
be thank you enough.”

Rebekah boarded
the ship with the other first class passengers.  She stood at the railing
watching Rachael and Jacob who were waving furiously.  She could see, though,
that Rachael was crying.
            “Don’t cry, baby sister,” Rebekah said to herself.  “I will come
back.  I promise.”

Rachael held on to
Jacob’s arm watching Rebekah wave.  “I’m so scared for her, Jacob,” she whispered.
 “How will she know what to do in St. Petersburg? What if she can’t get Mama
out of Russia?”

“Shush, Rachael.  When
did you ever see Rebekah not know what to do?  She will be fine.  She has
already bought an open ticket for Mama, and she has money to get started,”
Jacob replied.  “And besides, Rebekah could charm a snake if she had to.  Have
faith in her.  She will find a way to get Samuel.”

Rachael shrugged
her shoulders, “Of course she will,” she said softly, “And just think, before
we know it, Mama will be here.”

“That’s my girl,”
Jacob said hugging her to him.  “Now we need to hurry along.  The girls are
watching the store, and God knows what they are doing.  Besides, I have a
meeting tonight and I want to settle out everything before I go.”

“You and your
meetings,” Rachael answered.  “I thought when we came to America all that would
be behind us.”

“How can it be, Rachael?”
Jacob answered his voice heavy.  "We got out, but think of all of those
still suffering.  It has to change in Russia.  I’ve never been a Bolshevik, but
I’ve always believed in reform.  The Bund here works to help that movement in Russia.
 I must be a part of it.”

“Of course,”
Rachael murmured.  “Just be careful.  If anything happened to you, I don’t know
what I’d do.”

“We’re not in
Russia anymore, Rachael.  It’s okay to go to these meetings.  That’s why we
came here.”

As they reached
the train station, Rachael turned to Jacob and gave him a hug.  “I guess that’s
part of why I fell in love with you.  You care about the whole world.”

Jacob hugged her
back.  “Such a display in public,” he said smiling.  “And that is why I married
you, Rachael!”

CHAPTER 23

For Rebekah, the
crossing in first class was amazing after having come to America in steerage.  The
luxury was everywhere: in the music and sitting rooms, the stateroom itself,
and especially the dining facilities.  She even got to wear the two gowns she
had made, which got the attention of several gentlemen who noticed that she was
seated with two other couples but was alone.  Discreetly, she discouraged them,
but she was able to practice her story and become Larissa Fedatov.

After disembarking,
she took a train to Yelizavetgrad and then a carriage to the delicatessen.

As she sat in the
carriage from the train station, Rebekah remembered growing up in Yelizavetgrad.
 She thought of her father and the closeness they shared. She remembered the
last pogrom before Rachael and Jacob left for America, and how devastated she
had felt at their leaving.  As she drove by the house where she had lived with Michael,
she felt sadness for how she had deceived him with her relationship with Misha.
 

And she thought
about Misha.  Although he was still the handsome soldier who had knocked on her
door looking for a deserter, he was now her enemy.  “I mustn’t underestimate
him,” she thought to herself. “I will have to out-think and out-maneuver him to
get Samuel back.”

The carriage
pulled up to the little delicatessen her mother still ran, and Rebekah paid the
driver.  “Just leave my suitcases by the door,” she told him.  “I’ll come back
out for them.”

As she walked in,
the familiar smells set Rebekah’s head spinning.  She closed the door quietly
and stood silently.  Rose was behind the counter chopping something, but her
hearing had always been keen.  “I’ll be with you in a minute,” Rose called out,
never looking up.  Rebekah watched her wipe her hands on her apron.  As she
turned, she said, “Now, what can I get for you?”

When she saw
Rebekah, her faced paled.  “My God,” she whispered, “Rebekah!”

In an instant
Rebekah saw how her mother had aged in the past three years.  Her face had more
lines; she stooped a little more; and there was a sadness in her eyes that
Rebekah knew was from the loneliness.

“How about a hug,”
Rebekah answered.

Rose just stood
there.

She went to her
mother and put her arms around her.  Rose clutched Rebekah to her as though she
was afraid she was an apparition.

“Are you here by
yourself?” she finally asked. “Where is Samuel? Is everything all right?”

“Make some tea,
Mama, and let’s sit.  I have a lot to tell you.”

“Start now,” Rose
ordered.  “While I make the tea.  What’s wrong? Where is Samuel?”

Rebekah knew to
tell her mother the truth.  She told her about Misha taking Samuel and her
plans to go to St. Petersburg to get her child back.  “But there is more, Mama.
 I am going to send you to America.  I have a ticket for you to sail.  We will
get you packed and I will go with you to the ship.”

“What are you
talking about, Rebekah?  You expect me to just pick up and leave? What about
the delicatessen? What about my house?”

“They don’t matter
now, Mama,” Rebekah replied.  “You need to be with your family in America.  You
won’t be safe here once I get Samuel.  Misha will come after you with a
vengeance.  We need to get you out before I get Samuel.”

Rose was silent
for what seemed like forever. She remembered her encounter with Misha after
Rebekah left.

“When is all this
going to happen?” she asked Rebekah.

 “We will go and
pack now.  You will have to leave some things behind, but we can pack most of
it.  Your ticket is first class, and you will be able to take several
suitcases.

“After you are
safely on the ship, I will contact whoever you want to give the business and
house to.  We can’t tell anyone.  You can write to people when you are in
America.  And even then you have to be careful.  For all we know, Misha could
have people spying on you.”

“Let me put the
potato salad in the refrigerator,” Rose said absentmindedly.

“Fine, Mama,”
Rebekah said, smiling.  She realized that her mother was practically in shock.

They spent the
night packing and reminiscing about when Rachael and Rebekah were little.  There
were memories lingering in every little room.  Rachael helped Rose pick out
things that were important to her, but there was only so much room and a lot had
to be left behind.

 Rose was thrilled
to be going to be with Rachael, Jacob and the children.  She smiled sheepishly
at Rebekah as they packed a box of silver.  “You know I don’t really care about
the delicatessen and the house, Rebekah?” she said.  “I have been so lonely
here.  No Papa, no children, no grandchildren.  I wasn’t afraid of Misha.  I
was afraid of never seeing my family again. I had not dared to dream I would
have this opportunity.  Both you and Jacob had promised to bring me to America,
but I knew how costly it was and how hard it must be to start over in a new
country.  I’m just sorry about the reason to do it now.”

“I know, Mama,”
Rebekah answered. “Since the day we each got to America all we talked about was
how we could bring you to us.  Strange things have happened, but this is the
right time. Who knows? Maybe this is all part of a greater plan to get you
there now.”  Then she told Rose all about her work with Bloomingdales and how
lucrative it had been for her.

Rose had tears in
her eyes, but she smiled.  “You always had such talent, Rebekah.  I remember
when Papa took you to St. Petersburg and you came home and copied a gown you
had seen in the window of a department store.  I am so proud of you.”

“Thank you, Mama,”
Rebekah answered.  “But, I have a surprise for you.”  She went and opened one of
her suitcases and took out three dresses.  “I made these for you for the
sailing,” she told Rose laying the dresses on the bed.  “I hoped you hadn’t
gotten fatter or skinnier, but I figured you still had the old sewing machine
and I could make alterations if I needed to.”

“Rebekah,” Rose
almost whispered, “They are beautiful.”

“Thank you, Mama.  Try
them on now so I can see how they fit.”

As it turned out
they fit fine except for a few tucks here and there.  Rebekah got out the
machine and quickly made the alterations.  Then she stood up with the scissors
in her hand.

“I’m going to go
into the bathroom for a while,” she told Rose.  “Why don’t you finish packing
any other little things you think you can squeeze in.”  Then she headed for the
bathroom with the scissors and a package she had taken from her suitcase.

About an hour
later she came back into the room.  Her hair was red, and she had cut it short.
 It was drying in soft curls around her face.

“Rebekah,” Rose
said with surprise in her voice.  “What have you done?"

“This is the new
me, Mama.  I also have a pair of glasses with plain glass in them that I will
wear.  I don’t think Misha would recognize me unless he really studied my face.
“

“I’m sure he
wouldn’t,” Rose acknowledged.  “What about your name?”

“Larissa Fedatov. 
How does it sound?” she asked.

“As good as
anything else, I guess,” Rose replied.

Rebekah smiled. “I
guess we should try to sleep, Mama. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.”

Rebekah had
arranged for a carriage to pick them up the next morning and take them to the
train.  On the train Rebekah went over everything Rose would need to know when
landing in America.  She assured her that Jacob and Rachael would meet her when
she landed at Ellis Island.  Rose was overwhelmed, but not frightened as they
talked.  She was a competent woman and confident that she would do fine at
Ellis Island.  Her excitement grew as she thought about seeing Rachael, Jacob
and her grandchildren, but she was terribly worried about Rebekah. “What will
you do when you get to St. Petersburg, Rebekah?” she asked.  “How will you get
Samuel back? Misha is a powerful man whose father-in-law is close to the czar. “

 “I don’t know
yet, Mama, but I will find a way.  Initially I will get a job at a department
store doing alterations.  I’ll take my time, and I’ll make a plan.”

“Be careful,
Rebekah.  Misha is an evil man.”

“You know, that is
the thing that is so hard to believe.  I never saw that part of him. Maybe he
just wants his son as much as I do.  But, I will be careful.  He has no idea
that I will be in St. Petersburg so the element of surprise will help me.”

When they got to
the port, the ship was already letting passengers board.  “I can probably go
aboard with you to get you settled, Mama,” Rebekah offered.

Rose shook her
head. “No, Rebekah, I will be fine.  We have already given them my suitcases
and they said they will be put in my room.  Someone will take me to it.  You
know how I am about good-bys.”  She gave Rebekah a big hug.  “Be careful,
Rebekah.  I don’t doubt that if anyone can get Samuel back you can.  But
promise me again you will be careful.”

“I will,” Rebekah
answered, hugging Rose as hard as she could.

Rose laughed, “Be
careful!  You don’t want to break an old lady’s bones! I love you,” she
whispered in Rebekah’s ear and turned and headed up the gang plank.

“I love you too,
Mama,” Rebekah replied and watched Rose walk away.  She knew her mother would
not stand and wave.  She would go right to her room.  She watched until Rose
had given the gentleman her ticket and disappeared into the crowd.  Then she
headed for the train to St. Petersburg.