The Dressmaker's Son (3 page)

            Though out of breath
from running, Jacob took the back steps to the store two and three at a time. 
Bolting into the loft, he was met by Rebekah’s piercing screams.

”Don’t come near
me,” she shouted, hysterically. “You’re dead!” she screamed raising her hand in
preparation to plunge the large pair of scissors into Jacob’s chest.

“Rebekah—it’s me!”
he yelled, but she was too hysterical to hear.  He ran to her, taking her by
the shoulders. “Rebekah, it’s me, Jacob. Be quiet,” he said trying to force the
scissors from her hand.

She looked up into
his eyes, and finally her grip relaxed.  “Why are you wearing that stupid uniform,
Jacob?” she yelled.

Rachael, who had
momentarily frozen at the sight of the soldier and then quickly picked up Levi
and almost thrown him back in the crib so as to help Rebekah, echoed her
sister’s words, “Yes, Jacob, what are you doing in that stupid uniform?”

After a brief
explanation, Rachael and Rebekah took Levi and headed toward Rachael’s house.
Jacob set out to find the boys and to check if Rebekah’s husband and his
cobbler shop were okay.

Finally, Jacob and
the family were all safely at home.  It seemed as though a lifetime had passed since
the turmoil had all started, but in reality it was only about two hours.  Now
it was turning dark.  Outside the smell of burning stores and homes was
strong.  Jacob said a brief prayer of thanks for the safety of Rachael and the
girls and for those who had suffered such terrible losses.

Jacob was jolted
back to the present by the loud blowing of the ship’s smoke stack.  Once again
he went over to the railing where he stood searching the horizon.  He thought he
saw a glimpse of land.

“Are you out
there, America?” he shouted. “You better get ready. Jacob Lachavetsky is
coming!”

CHAPTER 4

After Jacob fled
to find his wife and children, Sara sat alone in the back of the apothecary
holding the gun.  It seemed like forever before her parents came back, but in
reality it was only about an hour.  When they walked in and saw the dead
soldier on the floor, they were petrified.  “Sarah, Sarah,” they started
shouting.  But there was no reply.

Making their way
to the room in the back of the store they found Sarah sitting there with the
gun in her hand pointed at the door.  They stopped in their tracks. “Sarah,”
her father said trying not to startle her.  “Why are you sitting there with
that gun?”                               

            Sara didn’t answer. It
was almost as if she were in some kind of a trance.

“Sara,” her mother
said. “It’s me and Papa.  What happened? Put down the gun, Sara.”

            Sara stared at them for
a moment and then dropped the gun to the floor.

            Her mother rushed to
her and knelt down hugging her.  ”My baby, what is it? What happened? Did you
shoot that soldier? Oh my God! Did he hurt you?”
            Then Sara started to cry. ”No, Mama, I didn’t kill him.  He wanted
to do terrible things to me.  Mr. Lachavetsky came in.  The soldier was going
to shoot him, so Mr. Lachavetsky killed him first.”

            “Why do you have the
gun, Sara?” her mother asked

            “Mr. Lachavetsky told
me to sit here with it until you came back and to shoot anyone who tried to get
me.”

            “My poor baby,” her
mother said.  ”Come, we will go home and get you cleaned up and then we’ll have
some food.” For Sarah’s mother, food could fix anything.

As they walked
through the room where the body was, Mr. Ratner said to his wife,

             “Jacob has shot a
Russian soldier. We need to get rid of the body.”

            “But how?” her mother
asked.

            “I will go and get the
police chief.  He isn’t a Jew, but he is a fair man.  We won’t tell him that it
was Jacob.  We will give him the gun and ask him what to do with the body.”

            Sara’s father returned
with the police chief and showed him the body.  The police chief reached down
to find some kind of identification.  “Where is his coat?” He asked.  “And did
he wear a hat?”

            “I don’t know,” Sara’s
father answered honestly.  He had not really gotten the whole story from Sara.

“Where, then, is
the gun?” the police chief inquired.

            “I have it here,”
Sara’s father replied as he went to a drawer behind the counter and took it
out.

            The police chief
immediately recognized the gun as the one he had given Jacob.

“Get your
daughter, please,” he told Sara’s father.  ”I need to hear the whole story.”

            “But she is just a
confused girl,” Sara’s father replied.

“Mr. Ratner. Get
her now, please.”

            Her father knew that he
dared not disobey the police chief, so he left to go get Sara and brought her
back to the store.

            It didn’t take long for
Sarah to tell Vladimir the story. Although her father had told her not to say
it was Mr. Lachavetsky, once Vladimir started questioning her, it all came out.

            “Please don’t do
anything to Mr. Lachavetsky,” Sarah had pleaded. “He saved me. He is a nice
man.”    

            “I know, Sarah,”
Vladimir replied in an even tone. “I will just need to talk to him. Don’t you
worry about it.”

            He turned to Mr.
Ratner. ”Don’t move him until I come back. I need to get his jacket and hat and
find out who he was.”

            When Vladimir didn’t
find anyone at Jacob’s store, he headed to Jacob’s home.  It had been only a
matter of hours since the pogrom had started and ended, but the mayhem and
destruction it had caused was unbelievable.  He climbed the steps to Jacob’s
house and knocked loudly.

            Rachael opened the door
and when she saw it was Vladimir, she was surprised.

“Vladimir,” she
said.  “What a surprise.  I just came from picking up my girls.  Thank you so
much for helping us.”

“I’m afraid my
help could turn into a disaster, Rachael,” he responded. “I need to see Jacob
right away.”

“He’s upstairs
with the children.  I’ll get him for you. Please, come in. Have a seat.”

CHAPTER 5

People were
pushing and shoving as usual as Jacob walked through the narrow aisle toward
the berth where Rachael was.  He had stopped to see the notice that was posted
daily stating the distance traveled and realized that, according to his
calculations, they were probably just hours from America.  He found Rachael
half asleep with her arms around Levi.  “Rachael, wake up,” he said softly as
he lifted Levi from her arms. “It’s time for breakfast.  We have to hurry or it
will be put away.”  The food was served in huge pans from which passengers
served themselves.  If one didn’t get there during the serving period, what was
left, if anything was returned to the galley.

Rachael motioned
for Jacob to sit down.  “Levi is still sick, Jacob,” she whispered.  “He’s
burning up.  What are we going to do?  I’ve been sponging him all night.”  They
had both heard the horror stories of people being sent back because of illness,
or even more common, eye disease problems.  “What if they won’t let us stay?”

Jacob tried to
comfort her.  “It will be okay, Rachael.  He’s run fever before.  I’ll go bring
back something for you and Levi to eat.”

Jacob’s
calculations were off, for by the time he returned, the announcement had been
made that the ship was approaching the harbor and the vessel was being prepared
for anchoring.  Quickly Rachael ate the fruit Jacob had brought and tried to
get Levi to drink some juice.  She was worried he would become dehydrated from
the fever.

Once the news came
that the ship would be docking, women began opening their packs and trying to
dress themselves and their children in their finest attire.  Jacob helped
Rachael get everyone ready.  Although her main concern was Levi, she made sure
the other children were as clean as possible and dressed appropriately. 
Cleanliness had been an enormous problem during the voyage.  There were only
two bathrooms.  Each had a basin and dishpan plus other metal cans used for
laundry tubs and other forms of cleaning.  Since most of the cans were used for
cleaning, there was a shortage of cans for seasickness.  As the trip
progressed, it was not uncommon for people to just vomit on the floor. 
Although they cleaned the floors once a day, if this happened after the
cleaning, it waited until the next day and the stench became unbearable.

While Rachael
stayed below, Jacob brought the other children up on deck where the baggage had
been hauled out and hundreds of immigrants were gathered still trying to
prepare themselves to their satisfaction for being presented to America.  He
noticed many men holding little slips of paper with notes, carefully rehearsing
their groups on how they were to answer questions.  Their nervousness made
Jacob sad.  He was sure he knew the answers to the questions and that his
family would do fine.  His brother, David, had sent him a list of questions he
would be asked and he had prepared the family before they left.

By mid-day when
the ship reached the harbor and the inspectors came on board, a metamorphosis
had occurred.  Bathrooms that had been filthy the entire trip were clean and
smelled of disinfectant.  Floors had been swept and mopped down.

Jacob’s brother,
David, had tried to prepare him for what would happen upon arrival.

“First they will
examine the passengers in first and second class,” he had written.  “They will
be discharged immediately when the ship reaches the pier.  Then the inspectors
will inspect the people in steerage.  When done, the people seeking permanent
residency will be put on a ferry to Ellis Island.  Be prepared.  It will
probably be crowded; and depending on how many ships are landing, you could be
waiting on the ferry for hours.  When the ferry gets to Ellis Island, they will
let you off, pin a slip of paper on you, and take you to the baggage room to
leave your stuff while you are being processed.  Take heart for once you get
there the processing should only take two to three hours.”

It was just as
David had written.  The travelers in steerage were the last permitted to leave
the ship.  Luckily, it was hours not days as some passengers had warned, as
they waited in the harbor for the ferry to take them to Ellis Island.  Jacob
had gotten a bottle and filled it with water for Rachael to use for Levi, but
his fever was still high.  Somehow, the inspectors had not noticed how sick Levi
was.

Finally, after ten
hours, the ferry came.  When it docked at Ellis Island, the passengers were
released in groups.  After another two hours of waiting, Jacob, Rachael and the
children made their way down the gangplank to land.  As they followed the
others to the immigration facility, Jacob stopped suddenly.  He got down on his
knees and kissed the ground.  Looking up he declared, “Thank you, God. Thank
you to those who helped us make this voyage to America.  Three times what they
sent me I will pay back. I swear it!”

The crowd behind
them was forcing Rachael forward. “Get up, Jacob,” she ordered, kicking him. 
Levi, covered by her shawl, squirmed in her arms and cried out.  They were led
to the baggage room where, along with the other immigrants, they deposited
their belongings.  From there they were led to a flight of stairs leading to
the Registry Room.  As they walked to the top, Jacob noticed they were being
watched by the men standing at the top.  When they reached the top, an
attendant stamped their identification cards and directed them into a central
gangway which was divided by piping and wire gratings into aisles and
compartments.  There was an immigration doctor at the beginning of the aisle
and one about thirty feet down the aisle.  Jacob recognized them as the two men
who had been watching them as they walked up the steps.  All seemed to be going
well as Jacob moved down the line.  The children followed him with Rachael last
carrying Levi.  When the first doctor got to Rachael, he gave her the usual
cursory examination, but before letting her pass to the next doctor, he took
Levi from her.

“This baby has
fever. He will have to go for further examination,” he said making a mark on
Levi’s clothing and told her to keep moving.  He motioned to someone to come
get the baby, but Rachael would not move.  Finally the doctor gave Levi back to
her and sent them along knowing that at the end of the line, Levi would be
taken for further examination. 

After passing the
second doctor and then the third, who checked for trachoma, an infectious eye
disease which can lead to blindness, Jacob and the other children proceeded to
the main floor area of the Registry Room and into aisles that led to the legal
inspectors.  Rachael was ushered into a separate compartment where there were
several other women and a few children.  Here another doctor examined Levi.

             In the Registry Room,
Jacob moved on to the immigration officers who looked through all of his
papers. “Spell your last name,” one said, handing Jacob back the papers. 
Jacob, speaking very little English, only recognized the word ”name,” so he
just kept repeating “Lachavetsky.”  Suddenly a voice interrupted.

“It’s Shearmon,”
he said. “That is the family name.” It was Jacob’s brother, David.  Jacob
breathed a sigh of relief and excitement at the sight of him.  It had never
occurred to him that he would be able to reclaim his real family name, although
this was a shortened version of it.  The family name had been Shermonsky.  As a
child, he had taken the name Lachavetsky when he lived as the son of a family
by that name that had no sons of their own.  This was to escape the mandatory
conscription for all Jewish boys between the ages of twelve and twenty-five
into twenty-five years of military service.  If a family had only one son, he
was spared from serving.

The immigration
officer wrote down “Shearmon,” and told David to return downstairs to the
waiting area.  Nobody could really figure out how he had gotten up to the
Registry Room.  Immigrants were not permitted to speak to relatives until they
were accepted into the country.  Jacob answered the rest of the questions. 
When he was finished, the papers were stamped “accepted,” and they were all
sent downstairs.  There they reunited with David.  After explaining what had
happened to Rachael and Levi, they made their way back upstairs to look for
them.  Miriam and Leah headed toward the room where they thought she had gone.

After almost an
hour, Miriam and Leah came running toward Jacob. “Papa,” Miriam shouted. “We
found Mama.  She has to stay with Levi.  They’re going to take them somewhere. 
Mama is very angry.  You must do something!”
            “Calm down, Miriam.  What do you mean they are going to take them
somewhere?  Where are they going to take them?”

Miriam tried to
compose herself. “I didn’t understand most of what they were saying,” she said,
trying not to cry. “But the lady examined Levi and then another lady who spoke
Russian said he had to be taken somewhere.  Mama said Levi wasn’t going
anywhere without her.”

Jacob put his arm
around Miriam but turned as he heard Rachael’s voice.  She was striding down
the hall with Levi in her arms.  Behind her were a harried looking woman in
white and another woman dressed in regular clothes.  They caught up with
Rachael as she reached Jacob.

“They want to take
Levi away,” she said quickly looking at David.  “Tell them you will take us
with you and we can take care of him.”

David turned to
the two women.  He had been in America for almost six years and his English was
quite good.  “Good evening, ladies,” he started slowly.  “I am this child’s
uncle.  My brother and his family will come to my home.  We will care for
little Levi.  He is just exhausted from the trip.”

There was a trace
of sympathy in the weary faces of the two women, but they had been working with
immigrants for hours, and they, too, were exhausted. “I’m sorry, sir,” the
nurse responded.  “This child has a fever and must be put in quarantine.  It is
fine for the mother to go with him, but I don’t think we were able to make her
understand that.”

David had heard
all kinds of horror stories about the quarantine centers.  The conditions were
unsanitary; treatment for patients was limited, so many never made it out of
the center.  He had even heard stories of women being raped.  Of course, much
of this was based on unsubstantiated rumor.

“Can her husband
or son go with her?” he asked, horrified by the thought of Rachael alone in
this strange place.

“No, I’m sorry.
Only the mother.  There is so little room.  We will make arrangements to have
them taken there.”

David turned to
Rachael. “It’s going to be all right,” he said softly in Russian. “You can go
with Levi.  They cannot let him come home with us until his fever is gone. 
These ladies will get you to a quarantine center where you can stay until he is
better, but Jacob cannot go with you.  I will take him and the children home
with me.  Ruth will take care of them.  Tomorrow I will bring Jacob to see
you.”

Rachael turned to
Jacob and the children, who had been listening.  Miriam and Leah were both
leaning against Jacob, and Joshua was holding Miriam’s hand.  Their faces were
pale with dark circles beneath their eyes.  They all looked lost and frightened
except for Solomon.  He stood close to Rachael, trying to comfort Levi who was
starting to cry.

“Children, you and
Papa will go with Uncle David.  Levi and I must go where he will get some care.”

Solomon
interrupted. “I will go with you and Levi, Mama.”

“You can’t,
Sollie," she answered firmly.  “You must go with Papa and help him.”

“But who will be
with you and Levi?”

“We will be
together.  It will be all right.  You must help Papa with the others.  Please.”

He could tell by
her tone that the discussion was over.  Kissing Levi on the forehead, he
whispered, “Sollie loves you, Levi.”

“Come, children.
We’ll get the luggage and Papa will be along in a minute,” David requested,
trying to guide them toward the baggage room.  Solomon stood, imploring Rachael
with his eyes, hoping for a reprieve.

“Help Uncle David,
Sollie,” she responded to his silent plea.

He turned and
joined the others.

Jacob saw the pain
and fear in his son’s eyes.  “I’ll bring Sollie with me tomorrow, Rachael,” he
said loud enough for him to hear.  Then he took Rachael by the shoulders. 
“You’ll be all right?” he asked.

“Yes, Jacob. Take
care of the children.”

“I love you,
Rachael.”

“I know, Jacob.”
She replied as she turned to leave with the two women, one of whom was pulling
impatiently at her arm.  After a few steps, she turned back. “I love you too,
Jacob.”  And then she added with the voice of one totally in control. “Bring me
and Levi clean clothes and make sure the children eat.  They must be starving.”

Jacob nodded and
watched her walk away with Levi.  He marveled at Rachael’s strength.  Despite
her exhaustion and fear, she would take charge.  He found David, the children,
and their limited belongings waiting in the main entrance hall.

“Rachael, she’s
okay?” David asked.

“She’s holding up,
David.  She’s frightened, but Rachael will be okay.”

“Come now,” David
said in a lighter tone. “We’ll go home.  Ruth is waiting.  She’s been cooking
for days.  She can’t wait to meet her nieces and nephews, and my Sarah wants to
meet her cousins.”