The Dressmaker's Son (26 page)

CHAPTER 63

As the train
pulled into Grand Central station Solomon peered out the window looking for
Kathleen.  They had made plans to meet there and spend the night in a hotel
before he went home.  He tried not to feel guilty about doing that to his
family, but he knew he would not have as much time as he wanted to spend with
her.  It was Sunday and he would go home to his family Monday afternoon.  At last
the train jerked to a full stop.  Most passengers had already picked up their
belongings and were standing in the aisle waiting to disembark.  Walking down
the steps to the platform he looked around.  There were hordes of people, but
he didn’t see Kathleen.  Scanning right and left, he started to wonder whether
he had told her the right day.  Or was there some reason she couldn’t get
there?  Then he heard her shouting, “Solomon, over here!” She was standing
behind the crowd waving furiously.

Pushing through
the crowd, he made his way to her and took her in his arms.  Holding her at arm’s
length, he just stared at her.

“What?” she asked.

“You are
absolutely the most beautiful girl I have ever seen!” he said.  “And look at
this,” he continued patting her tummy, “It’s already getting big.”

“Of course,
silly.”  She answered laughing.  “That’s what happens.  And it’s not an ‘it’.”

“But we don’t know
what it is, Kathleen.  What do we call it?”

“The baby,” she
said.  “The baby is getting big.  And so am I,” she added.

He noticed the
overnight case she had put down when he lifted her off her feet.  “Let’s go
check into our hotel,” he said as he bent over to retrieve her little suitcase.

They started
walking toward the steps in the station.  When they arrived outside, he hailed
a taxicab.

“Where are we
going?” Kathleen asked.

“It’s a surprise.”
 He leaned over and whispered it to the driver.

When they pulled
up at the Waldorf Astoria, Kathleen shrieked, “Solomon, are you sure?”

“Yes. We deserve
the best for tonight.”

Solomon made a big
show of signing them in as Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Shearman.  When they were settled
in their room, Solomon took Kathleen’s hands and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Tell me
everything,” he said, pulling her toward him.  “Are you feeling okay?  How are
your parents doing with all this?  How long will you still work?”

“Whoa! Slow down
Big Sol,” she answered using a name she had coined for him when they first
started dating.  “Everything is fine.  The doctor says everything looks good.  I’ll
probably work right up until I deliver as long as I feel okay.  The baby isn’t
due until September.”

“And your parents
are fine with your staying there with the baby?  I can’t believe I won’t be
here for the birth of our first child.”

Kathleen put her
arms around Solomon’s neck and pushed him back on the bed and started kissing
him.  “It will be okay, Sol. Women have babies every day.”

Willingly he
returned her kisses.  Then he stopped.

“What is it, Sol?”

“Is this all right,
Kathleen? I mean.  Will it bother the baby?”

She laughed.  “Not
as much as it will bother me if you don’t make love to me.”

He heard her loud
and clear.

Later they went
out, had a nice dinner and took a long walk.  When they were back in bed and had
made love again, Kathleen propped up on one elbow and looked at Solomon.

“What is wrong?”

“What are we going
to do about your family, Sol?”

“I wish I knew.  I
really don’t know whether to tell them now so they can get to know you or wait 'til
I come home and tell them then.”

“Don’t you think
they will be angrier if they know you left married with a pregnant wife and
didn't tell them?  I know it is a big deal thing to marry out of the faith, but
I did convert.”

“I know, Kathleen.
 And I know they will love you.  They aren’t like some other Jews I know who
sometimes disown their child, or even worse consider them dead.  You may be
right.  I think we should tell them while I am home.”

Kathleen shuddered.
“Your parents couldn’t be like that if they created someone like you.  Tomorrow
you will come meet my mother and father and when you go home, you can tell your
family.  I know you are nervous about it, but in my heart I really believe it
will be okay.”

Things went fine
with Kathleen’s parents.  Solomon could tell that her father’s Christian faith
had him worried about Kathleen’s soul.  He asked Solomon twice whether he was
sure that Jews didn’t believe in Jesus.  It was unfathomable to him. But he was
trying hard to be accepting of the situation.  Her mother had made corned beef
and cabbage.  “You’re going to become a little bit Irish,” she told Solomon.

“That okay with
me, Mrs. Conner.  Our child will learn about both our cultures."

“That’s good,
Solomon.  A little corned beef and cabbage here and lox and bagels at your
parents’ home.”

When he left
Kathleen gave him a big hug.  “You look like a kid who has to confess that he
ate all the cookies in the cookie jar.”

“I did,” he
answered smiling.

Solomon took the
subway and walked the rest of the way home.  He walked into the store and saw
Jacob bending over a pile of papers at the counter.

“Need someone to
figure out the bills for you, Papa,” he said.

Jacob all but flew
from behind the counter.  He hugged Solomon as though he had been away for a
century.

“You look good, Sollie,”
he said standing back.  “A bit thin.  I’m sure the cooking isn’t like your mama’s.”

“You’ve got that
right, Papa.  I’m looking forward to some of her great meals.”

“Let’s go tell her
you are here.  She has been waiting every day.”

“In a minute, Papa.
 I need to talk to you first.”

“Is something
wrong, Sollie?”

“No, Papa, but I
have something to tell you and it’s going to be quite a surprise.”

“Go ahead,
Sollie,” Jacob answered pulling over two chairs. “Sit.  What’s wrong?”

“Well, it isn’t
exactly something wrong,” he began.

Then he told him
all about how he had met Kathleen; how he never imagined he could feel like
that; and how she had converted with Rabbi Greenman and they had gotten married
before he left for Houston.

“Why didn’t you
tell us, Sollie? We would have worked it out.”

“I know Papa.  I
told that to Kathleen, that you and Mama were different.  But I was worried
about Mama.  My joining the army was really hard on her so I thought we would
wait until I came home on leave.”
            “I can understand that.  Did Kathleen convert because you asked her
to?”

“No, Papa.  That’s
the strangest thing.  She was already looking into Judaism because she had
become disillusioned with her faith.  In fact, I told her that I didn’t want
her to do it for me.  We were married by Rabbi Greenman and we told him that we
would do it again when my family could be there.”

“Wow.  This is a
lot to absorb, Sollie.”

“I know, but you
haven’t heard the rest, Papa.”

“And?” Jacob
asked.

“And we are going
to have a baby.”

Jacob’s eyes
filled with tears.  He jumped up and grabbed Solomon holding him tight.  “My,
son,” he started with a husky voice.  “I’m overwhelmed.  My son is going to be
a Papa.”  But at the same time he knew that his son was going to war and
leaving a pregnant wife behind.  It would be a difficult time for everyone.

“I didn’t know
whether to tell you before I left to go overseas, but Kathleen said it wasn’t
fair.  She said any two people who created a man like me had to be special.”

“Sounds like a
bright girl, Sollie.”

“She is. And
beautiful, too.  And Papa, I wouldn’t say this to Mama, but if something
happens to me, I wanted you and the family to know and stay a part of her life
and my child’s.”

“God forbid,”
Jacob replied. “But I know what you mean. Let’s go tell Mama.  We should tell
her before the rest of the family.”

“I’m really
nervous, Papa.”

“I know, but your mama
will be so happy to see you it won’t matter what you tell her,” he said smiling.
 He said a silent prayer that he was right.

And Jacob was right.
 Rachael was, of course, shocked; but when it had all sunk in and she saw how
much in love Solomon was, she knew she would make the best of the situation.  And
what was done was done, so she must make the most of it.  “And it will be a
Jewish home,” she thought to herself.  Not to mention the fact that the thought
of being a “Bubbe” was a joy she could hardly wait to experience.

At dinner they
told the other children.  They were excited for Solomon and enthralled by the
idea that they would be aunts and uncles.  By the end of the meal, Rachael was
planning a dinner for Kathleen and her parents.

CHAPTER 64

There was not much
blood from the dead policeman, but there was from Misha’s wound.  Clutching his
side, he gathered leaves from the woods and covered it up.  As he started back
into the woods, he heard the sound of people moving.  Turning, he saw two
policemen coming toward him.  He walked quickly to the right so that he
wouldn’t lead them to where Rebekah and Samuel were.

            “There’s the soldier,”
one of them yelled, and they both ran toward him.

            Misha continued toward
the right, but there was really nowhere to go.  They caught up with him quickly.
One was tall and thin and the other was short and quite fat.  The tall one
grabbed him by the back of his collar while the other hit him across the head
with a baton he was carrying.

            “What’s this?” the fat
one asked in broken Russian.  “It looks like he’s been shot.”

            “How did you get that wound,
soldier,” the tall one asked.

            Misha didn’t answer.  He
really didn’t understand what the tall policeman was saying. The short
policeman hit him again right across the wound.

            “Someone shot me as I
got off the train,” Misha answered, addressing the fat man. “I was trying to
find a place to rest.  I don’t know who shot me.”

            “Yeah, right.” he
responded.  “You’re wanted all over the place. They’re offering a big reward,
too.”

            Misha feigned ignorance.
 “For what?” he asked.

            “You’re a fucking
deserter.  That’s for what.”

            Misha smiled.  “Isn’t
everybody these days?” he asked.

            “Right,” the policeman
answered as he drew back and punched Misha in the face.

            Instinctively Misha
reached for his gun rather than try to hit him back.  In his condition two
against one just wouldn’t work.  Before the policeman realized what he had
done, Misha got off a shot and as the tall policeman fell back, Misha fired at
the short one but not before he got off a shot that hit Misha in the chest.  The
short policeman fell back.  Misha had hit him right in the heart.  Misha turned
to walk toward the woods and collapsed.

            Rebekah came running
toward him.  She had made her way forward when Misha hadn’t returned and seen
what had happened. “Misha,” she said kneeling beside him.

            “It’s okay, Rebekah.”

            “But you’re shot again,
Misha. We have to get you help.” There was blood everywhere. She pressed both
hands over Misha’s wound.

            “No, Rebekah.  It’s too
late.  You and Samuel have to find safety.  It’s almost dark.  Go back to
Samuel.  Take care of our son.  And tell him about me, that I loved him.  That
I wanted him to grow up in America and be anything he wants.  I love you,
Rebekah.”

            Rebekah’s tears were
falling on Misha’s face as he spoke. “No, Misha.  Please.  Let me help you.”

            “No, Rebekah. Go,” he
ordered and closed his eyes.

            “Misha no!” she cried.  Rebekah
didn’t know if he had passed out or died.  She felt for a pulse but didn’t find
one. “I love you, too, Misha,” she whispered, lying across his body, her tears
mixing with his blood.  Again she felt for a pulse but could feel nothing.  She
got up and headed back into the woods to Samuel.

CHAPTER 65

The pier was
packed with families saying good-bye to all the soldiers.  Solomon had his own
entourage.  Kathleen’s parents were there and, of course, all of Jacob’s family.
 Even Mrs. Weiss had come.  She still hadn’t gotten over Samuel’s being taken
by Misha.  Solomon took a minute to say good-bye to her.

“And don’t you
worry, Mrs. Weiss.  Aunt Bekka will come back with Samuel.  It is just a matter
of time.”

“Thank you,” she
replied a little teary-eyed.  "I pray for that every day.  You are a fine
young man.  You come back safely to us and your new bride.”

“Yes, ma’am”

After saying good-bye
to his brothers and sisters, he turned to his mother and father.  Jacob hugged
him hard and told him how proud he was of him.  “And don’t worry about Kathleen;
she is already one of our family, Sollie.”

“Thank you, Papa.”

Rachael pushed
Jacob out of the way.  “Look at us taking up all his time.”  She put her arms
around Solomon and held him tight for a minute.  “We’ll be okay, Sollie.  I
love you.  Now, go spend time with Kathleen.”

“I love you, too,
Mama.  I know you’ll take care of my wife and baby.  You’ll be a great Bubbe.”

“Yes, Sollie.  And
you’ll be a good Papa.”

Kathleen stood
quietly waiting her turn.

“I saved the best
for last,” Solomon said putting his arms around her.  “I want you take care of
our baby and yourself, Kathleen.”

“Of course I will,
Sol.  I’m going to miss you so much.”
            “Me too, honey.  But I’ll write and I’ll be back before you know
it.”

A whistle sounded
which Solomon knew meant they had to board the ship.

“I have to go.  I
love you the world, Kathleen.”

“I know, Sol.  But
I love you the world, moon and stars.” It was a little litany they always recited.

The crowd began to
thin out but many waited until the soldiers were on board, trying to get one
last look at their loved one.  Kathleen stood with her parents and Solomon’s
family scouring the front row looking for Solomon.

Suddenly Gabe
yelled out and began waving.  “There he is. There’s Sollie!”

            Everyone waved.  The
gang planks were lowered and before long, the ship was being guided out to sea.

            “Okay," Jacob
announced.  “Let’s start home.”  Rachael shivered.

            "What is it
Rachael?” Jacob asked putting his arm around her. “Are you cold?”

            “No, Jacob. I just had
that feeling that someone walked on my grave.”

            Jacob squeezed her to
him.  “Only God knows what will happen, Rachael.  We can’t second guess him.  We
can only wait and prey.”