The Dressmaker's Son (16 page)

CHAPTER 32

It didn’t take
Sarah long to find Misha’s address. All she had to do was go through the
customer files.

            “I didn’t realize that
that was the Catherine you talked about,” she told Rebekah when she gave her
the address.  “I actually remember her.  She has bought several very expensive
gowns from us.  In fact, she was in not too long ago looking for a gown for
some big holiday party coming up.  She is fanatical about the way her gowns fit.”

            “Do you remember what
she looks like?”  Rebekah asked.

“As a matter of
fact I do,” Sarah answered.  “I was called out a couple of times when she was
complaining about her alterations.  She is quite tall and thin.  Her hair is
brown and her face is rather plain. Kind of round with big brown eyes. No
comparison to you.”

            Rachael blushed. “I
wasn’t asking for that reason, really.  I just wanted to be able to recognize
her if I needed to.”

            “Just be careful, Larissa.”

            “I’m just going to try
to watch the building for a while.  I’ll be careful.  I don’t want to ruin what
might be my only chance to get Samuel.  I may need to take some time off during
the day.  I’ll be happy to make up the time and I promise I will get all my
work done.”

“That won’t be a
problem.  Let’s just keep this between us.”

And careful Rebekah
was.  For almost a month she watched the apartment building where Misha lived.  It
was an enormous building that had originally been built in the late 1700s as a
city mansion for a duchess.  At some point it had been changed from a baroque
to a classical style on the exterior.  Ultimately it was acquired by someone
who had turned it into very luxurious and spacious apartments.  Misha obviously
did very well as a member of the Imperial Army.

Rebekah watched
patiently.  She would go at different times during the day, knowing that at some
point, Samuel would exit the building.  Her mind conjured up different
scenarios of what she would do when she saw him.  She knew she couldn’t really
make a plan until she saw him.  The most logical plan was to cause some
distraction for whoever was with him, grab Samuel and run.  Sometimes she
fantasized taking him in the same way Misha did by luring his keeper into
leaving him for a minute. “Wouldn’t that be ironic,” she thought to herself.

Then, one morning about
a month after she had started her surveillance, she saw him.  Rebekah had been
watching from across the street for about ten minutes when Samuel and some
woman who looked like she must be a housekeeper came walking out of the house.  It
was all she could do to quiet her racing heart.  She hurried across the street
and walked several feet behind them.  Samuel was holding the woman’s hand.  She
was stout and walked briskly, almost pulling on Samuel to keep up.  He was
chatting as he walked along.  As she got closer, she could hear some of the
conversation.

“Just one
chocolate,” Samuel was saying.  "Mother lets me have one.” 

The older woman
smiled at him.  She seemed kindly with her pudgy face and soft grey hair that
was piled in a bun on top of her head.  “Maybe, one,” she said.  “If you are a
good boy and don’t get it all over yourself.”

“I will be
careful,” he said solemnly, as he did his best to keep up with her.

Larissa crossed
back to the other side of the street and walked along for a while until she saw
them enter a grocery store.  Then she returned to work.

Because she had to
work through lunch to keep her work caught up, Rebekah couldn’t speak to Sarah
until closing.  She waited outside for her to come out.

“Come, Sarah,” she
said, her voice full of excitement. “Let me take you to dinner.  I have
something to tell you.”

Sarah could see
the change in Rebekah. “Of course, Larissa,” she answered smiling. “I’m always
up for a free meal.”

“I can’t believe
how he’s changed,” Rebekah was telling Sarah. “He must be a foot taller, and
his hair is not as light a blond anymore.  He looks healthy, but he looks a
little sad.”

“What will you do
now?” Sarah asked.

“Well, I was
hoping to see some kind of pattern, but this obviously was just a random trip
to the store.  I’ll continue to watch.  Now that I know his size I will look
for a couple of sets of clothes for him.  I know he wasn’t with Catherine.  Probably
a servant.  They came out of the store carrying bags of groceries.  She had
Samuel carrying his own bag.  I’ll wait until he is with someone like her again.
 Then I will snatch him.  I probably won’t have the luxury of getting her to
leave me alone with Samuel, but I can follow them into the store and get him
out while she is shopping.”

“It could be
scary, Larissa.”

“I know, Sarah,
but I know I can do it.  Do you think your parents would mind if he stayed at
your house for a day or two? Too many people might see him where I am.”

“I’m sure it will
be fine, Larissa.  Come for dinner tomorrow night and we can talk about it.”

“Is your mother
expecting me?”

“Mama always has
plenty.  Besides Papa has been asking about your plans once you find Samuel,
and I think he wants to talk to you about it.  I’ll let Mama know you are
coming.”

When Rebekah
arrived for dinner the next night, Mr. Jacobson was already home.  He greeted
her at the door.  “I’m glad you are here tonight, Larissa,” he started. “I was
happy to hear you know of Samuel’s whereabouts.”

“Thank you, Benjamin.
 I hope I can get him soon.”

“Have you thought
about how you are going to get to America, Larissa?”

“I was originally
planning to go back the way I came,” Rebekah replied.  “But with the war raging,
my original plan won’t work.  I thought about going north and trying to go
through Norway, but I really don’t know how.”

“That is why I
wanted to see you.  We need to talk about a plan for you.  I have some ideas
that I think can work.”

“That’s wonderful,
Benjamin,” Rebekah said as Sarah came into the room.

“You’re here
already,” she said, greeting Rebekah. “Come, Mama is ready for dinner.”

Dinner was
delicious, as usual.  And as usual, there was much talk of the war and what was
going on in Petrograd.  “If the reports we are getting are true, the news is
not good,” Mr. Jacobson began.  “Thousands and thousands of our troops have
perished and many more are wounded.  And the czar is leading the troops instead
of tending to what is going on here.”

Mrs. Jacobson remarked.
 “Does that mean we are going to lose?”

“It’s too early to
tell, Hannah.  There is fighting on the western front in France.  Germany
marched straight through Belgium to get there, although they are said to be
neutral.  But I’m concerned about how Larissa will get to America from here. Contrary
to the czar’s hopes, this war has not united our people.  The Bolsheviks are
still stirring things up, talking revolution.  The Kadets and the Social
Democrats are looking for legitimate reform.  The Secret Police is still on the
prowl looking for dissidents of any kind.  I don’t know what it will be like
for us Jews.  Many of our people are involved with the Bolsheviks which is
scary because that group is Marxist, and while the Jews are welcomed now, who
knows what it will be like if the result is a communist government?”

“How would you
suggest I go, Benjamin?” Rebekah asked, feeling more doubtful than ever.

“Well, Larissa,
the best way is to go to Finland.  I know people who know people there who will
take you in and help you plan the rest of the trip.  You will probably have to
go through Sweden to Norway where you can take a steamship to America.  Do you
have enough money for train fare and steamship tickets?”

“Yes, sir,”
Rebekah answered. “Would we go by train to Finland?  I don’t even know what
language they speak.  How will I get along?”

Benjamin smiled. “The
people who will meet you speak Russian and a little English.  By now they
probably speak Finnish also. They have been there several years.  And, they also
speak Yiddish.  Yes, you would go by train, but schedules are crazy with the
trains being used for the troops so it could take a while.”

Rebekah was
delighted. “I’m so grateful for your help, Benjamin. I hate to ask for anything
else, but when I get Samuel can I bring him here until we go? I’m scared that
my apartment might not be safe for him.”

Hannah answered
for her husband. “Of course you can, Larissa.  We can’t wait to meet him.  You
can start bringing your stuff over at any time.  Then when you get Samuel you
can bring him right here until you leave.”

It was another six
months before Rebekah could take Samuel.  The very next citing she made was
actually Misha with Samuel.  It was early morning and Rebekah had decided to
see if an early morning trip ever occurred.  It was about 8:30 am and Misha and
Samuel came bounding out of the house and down the steps.  Misha glanced at
Rebekah for a moment and then turned back to Samuel.  Rebekah’s heart couldn’t
help but skip a beat at the sight of the two of the together.  Misha looked
dazzling in his full gray overcoat with the metal buttons glistening off the
sun.  But it was his actions that surprised her.  Samuel was trying to ask him
a question, but because of the height difference, Misha couldn’t quite hear him.
 He lifted him onto his shoulder in one sweeping move and almost shouted, “Now,
little one. Tell Father what we need at the store besides the newspaper and
shaving gear I have to get for my trip back to the front.”

            “A chocolate, Father.” Samuel
shouted back. “I have to have a piece of chocolate.” Rebekah couldn’t hear the
rest of what he said.

            “Only one!” Misha
exclaimed in mock disbelief.  “I’ll tell you what, Mishka.  It is time for
another secret.  I will get you five chocolates.  You can hide the other four
and eat them when you think of your father.”  Then she saw him give Samuel a
big hug and kiss him on each cheek, but she couldn’t hear the rest of what he
said more softly to him.  

            She crept a little
closer and heard Samuel say, “I will miss you too, Father,” in a serious,
grown-up voice she hadn’t heard before. “I am really starting to love you now.” 
Then she quickly backed up several steps and hid behind a row of trees.

Misha gave him an
extra hug and set him down.  “Come, let’s go in and pick out the chocolates.”  He
felt overwhelmed that he would be leaving again in the morning and didn’t know
when he would get to see Mishka again.

The next citing
she made was Catherine and Misha.  Rebekah recognized her from Sarah’s
description.  It was cold out and she was dressed in a long blue coat with a
fur collar and cuffs. She wore a fur hat which covered her hair, but the shape
of her face and her height immediately told her it was Catherine.

Wearing her long
beaver coat and fur hat, Rebekah walked with her head down behind them.  Her
suspicion was verified when she heard Samuel say, “Mother, will we be long at
the bank?”

“No, Mishka,” she
had replied.  “And then I will take you for one chocolate.”

Rebekah continued
to come back every day at different times.  One morning she saw Samuel come out
with the same grey-haired lady that she had first seen.  He was bundled up
against the cold, as was the woman.  She watched as they walked toward the
grocery store. Once they went inside, Rebekah crossed the street and entered
the store.

The woman was at
the meat counter chatting with the butcher.  The store had only one other
customer, so they were having a casual conversation as she ordered what she
needed. Rebekah noticed that the shelves were sparsely stocked and the contents
of the meat cases were meager.  Samuel had wandered over to where the candy was.
 Rebekah walked over to where he was standing.  She picked up a couple of
pieces of chocolate and took them to the other clerk in the store.  “I’d like
to buy these for that precious little boy,” she told the clerk.

The servant
overheard and turned to her.  “That’s very kind of you, ma’am, but tell him he can
only eat one now.”

“I will,” Rebekah
replied. “He is such a good little boy, waiting patiently for you.”  Then she
walked over to Samuel and handed him the candy.  At the same time she turned to
see the servant was still flirting with the butcher.  She secured Samuel’s arm
and ushered him out the door before he could make a sound.  They were a block
away when she hailed a taxi and dragged him into it.

She gave the
driver an address not far from where the Jacobson’s lived.  Then she turned to
Samuel.  “Samuel, it’s me, Mama. Do you know who I am?”

Samuel was scared.
 A tear slid down his cheek and Rebekah wiped it away with her hand.  He looked
at her. “Where are you taking me?” he asked, trying not to cry.

She cupped his
face in her hands.  “Samuel,” she said, this time in Yiddish, a language he had
been brought up speaking since he was an infant.  “Don’t you remember me?
Remember America and Bubbe and Aunt Rachael?”

Samuel studied her
face.  Then he reached over and took off her hat.  “What happened to your hair,
Mama?” he asked smiling.

“Oh, Samuel,” she
whispered, taking him her arms and hugging him.  “You do know your mama.”  Tears
were streaming unrestrained down her face.

Samuel let her
hold him for a while before he pulled away. “Mama,” he asked. “How did you find
me?”

“Oh, Samuel.  I
have so much to tell you.  Basically I came here from America and just kept
looking.  Now we will be going to my very good friend’s house.  Then we will
talk.”

That evening
Rebekah and Samuel left for America.

CHAPTER 33

“I think this is
everything for your order, Anna,” the butcher said handing her a large bag. “You
have a good day.”

            “Thank you, Peter,” she
replied. “You better help whoever came in a few minutes ago.  I felt the draft
from the door.  I’ll see you next week.”  She turned to get Mishka, but she
didn’t see him near the candy where he usually stayed.  “Mishka,” she called. “Where
are you?” There was no reply.

            “Come now, Mishka.  We
need to go.  Don’t be hiding on me.” The butcher came out from around the
counter and looked around. “I don’t see him anywhere, Anna.  Do you think he
might have gone outside?”

            “I can’t imagine,” she
replied. “But I’ll go look.  It isn’t like him to do this.”

She hurried out
into the cold.  “Mishka,” she called. “Come here right now.  When I tell your mother,
you are going to get punished.”

            She walked up and down
the block, shouting his name and peering in stores.  “He must have gone home,”
she muttered to herself.  “Please God let him be home.”

             Moving faster than she
ever had in her life, Anna ran up the stairs.  The cleaning girl was dusting in
the living room. “Have you seen little Mishka?” she asked breathlessly.

            “No,” the girl replied.
“Didn’t you take him with you?”

            “Yes,” Anna answered. “But
while I was ordering the meats, he disappeared.  I thought he might have come
home.”  She turned to the sound of Catherine’s voice as she entered the room.

            “Why are you standing
here chatting with groceries in your hands, Anna?” she snapped.  “Where is Mishka?
 His tutor is here waiting for him.  I can’t believe how long it has taken you
just to get a few things.”

Anna stood frozen.
 Catherine watched as all the blood drained out of Anna’s face.  “I can’t find
him,” Anna barely whispered.

Catherine looked
at her like she was crazy.  “What do you mean you can’t find him?” she said
raising her voice.  “You took him with you to the store.  I said he could have
one chocolate. What do you mean you can’t find him?”

“He was in the
store with me standing by the candy like he always does,” Anna started. “When
my order was complete I turned to him to see which chocolate he wanted and he
wasn’t there.  I looked everywhere.” She started to cry. “I couldn’t find him.  I
thought maybe he had come home alone.”

Catherine stood
still as a statue.  It seemed like an eternity to Anna, but after what was
probably only a minute, Catherine lunged at Anna, grabbing both her shoulders
and shaking her.  “You thought he came home,” she screamed in her face.  “When
did he ever come home alone? Get my coat and hat,” she ordered the cleaning
girl.  “We will go look for him.  We will look in every store and every bank,
office or restaurant. Put down those groceries, Anna.”  Putting on her hat and
coat she ran out the door with Anna following.

            They looked for hours,
Anna sniveling the entire time. Catherine was like a wild woman as she darted
into each store asking if anyone had seen a little boy and describing Mishka’s
appearance.

            Finally Catherine
headed home. When they got inside, she went and stood by the fireplace to warm herself.
 Anna stood apart from her.

            “Okay, Anna.” She
started. “Start from the beginning.  From the minute you and Mishka walked in
the market.”

            Anna could hardly
breathe she was so scared.  “Well, ma’am, we went into the store and I went
over to the meat counter to order the meats.  Peter, he’s the butcher, got all
the stuff together.  Mishka had gone over to the candy row to pick out his
chocolate.”

            “Did he pick one and
bring it to you?” Catherine asked.

            Anna thought for a
minute.  “No, ma’am, he didn’t."  Then she remembered the woman who wanted
to buy him some chocolates, and she realized the draft wasn’t someone who had
come into the store because there was nobody there.  It was that woman leaving
with Mishka.  Instinctively she knew she shouldn’t tell her this; it could mean
her dismissal or even worse.  But her conscience wouldn’t let her not tell.  She
loved little Mishka and would not do anything to prevent him from being found.  “Ma’am,”
she started. “There was a woman in the store while we were there.  She came and
asked me if she could buy a few pieces of chocolate for Mishka.  She said he
was such a cute, good little boy.  I told her okay, but to tell him he could
only eat one of them now.”

            Catherine moved to one
of two brocaded, overstuffed chairs on each side of the fireplace and took off
her hat and coat before sitting down. Her heart was racing. “Did you see the
lady give Mishka the chocolates?” she asked.

“No, ma’am,” Anna
answered. “I was giving the rest of the order to Peter.  He’s the butcher,” she
repeated.

            “Did you hear her
leave? Did the door open and shut?”

            “No, ma’am.  I mean.  Well,
I did feel a draft from the door opening, but I thought it was a customer
coming in.”

            “You stupid, ignorant,
idiot,” Catherine yelled.  “Why weren’t you watching him?  How could you let
someone just walk out of the store with my son?”

            Anna started to cry. “I’m
so sorry,” she sobbed.  “He’s such a good boy.  He always stays in one place.  I
never have to scold him.  She must have just forced him through the door.”

            Catherine pulled
herself together.  She loved little Mishka as if he were her own child, but all
she could think of was what Misha would say when he found out the boy was missing.
 “All right, Anna,” she said wearily.  “Tell me as much as you can about this
lady.  Think hard.  What did she look like and what was she wearing?”

            “Well, ma’am,” Anna
started. “I only saw her for a minute.  She was wearing a long fur coat.  It
was brown and she had on a fur hat.  She was a beautiful lady, but the only
thing I really remember about her face is her eyes.  They were a bright
blue-green with long black lashes.”

            “What about her hair?”
Catherine asked. “What color was it?”

            “It was a dark red.  It
hung out from under her hat in curls.”

            Catherine turned to the
cleaning girl. “Go out and get me a taxi and come get me when it’s here,” she
ordered.  Then she got ready to go to the only person she knew who could
possibly help her find Misha, her father.