Jacob's Way (12 page)

Finally Reisa said, “We would like to pay for the meal.”

Elmo stared at her. “I don't reckon so, miss. It'll be a sad day when a guest has to pay in my house.”

“Come into the parlor, and let us see what you have.” Judith smiled. “I've been needing some new ribbon for a dress I'm makin' for my youngest daughter. You got anything like that?”

The evening passed quickly. The Tarkingtons evidently were starved for talk, and they paid for their merchandise, which was a considerable assortment. Afterwards they sat in the parlor and talked.

Finally Mrs. Tarkington said, “Well, it's too dark for you to go anywhere tonight.”

“That's right. There ain't no hotel close either. We got six bedrooms in this house. I reckon one of them ought to suit you.”

“Oh, that's so kind of you,” Reisa said.

“Glad to have company,” Elmo said. “Mama, why don't you show them their rooms and let them get to bed. You've about talked their ears off.”

“I think Mr. Dimitri and this young lady knows who does the talking around here.” She smiled, got up, and took them to their rooms. “I hope you will make yourself at home. Good night.”

After Judith Tarkington had gone downstairs, Reisa turned to her grandfather, her eyes glowing. “What wonderful people they are!”

“They are indeed.” Jacob was so tired he could hardly stand up. He said, “We can't expect this kind of treatment everywhere. God is good. Good night, Reisa.”

The next two days passed quickly and pleasantly for Jacob and Reisa. The weather was fine, and they learned more each day about their new profession. They found lodging both nights with families much like the Tarkingtons, and marveled at the hospitality of Americans. But their stock dwindled, and just before they went to bed on Thursday night, Jacob said, “It's time to go back to New York and restock. And I could use a rest.”

Reisa glanced at her grandfather, noting the lines of strain on his face. “Yes, that is what we must do,” she said firmly.

They left the next morning and made a leisurely journey toward New York. They asked for lodging each night, and insisted on paying their way. Reisa adjusted her pace to suit Jacob, who was very tired indeed. She resolved in the future to be more careful of his well-being.

When they reached the outskirts of New York, Reisa turned to Jacob, her eyes shining. “The Master of the Universe has been good to us,
Zaideh!
Here we are, safe, with money in our pocket, and a home to go to.”

Jacob took her hand and nodded. “Yes, God is always good.”

“Well, look who's here!” Rachel Gold came sweeping in to greet Jacob and Reisa. She had the dust of flour on her hands and wiped them on a napkin before she reached out and hugged Reisa, then shook hands with Jacob. “We've wondered and wondered where you two got to.”

Laban Gold came in holding a newspaper in his hand. He smiled at them and greeted them warmly. “Did you have a successful trip?”

“Oh, yes!” Reisa said at once. “We made more in three days than we would have made in two weeks with the pushcart.”

“Fine! Fine!” Laban said. “Well, come in, and we'll stir up something to eat, and you can tell us all about it.”

“I want to go see Dov while you eat, Grandfather.”

Laban chuckled. “That big fellow's been worried about you. Came every day to ask for you.”

Reisa left the house and went two houses down, where she found Dov sitting on the doorstep. He jumped up at once, and his eyes glowed with pleasure. Reisa put out her hands, and they were swallowed by his huge, massive paws. “Reisa!” Dov said, his voice rumbling deep in his throat. “You're back.”

“Yes. I've missed you, Dov.”

“I missed you, too. Sit down. Tell me all.”

Reisa sat down on the steps and shared her experiences with Dov, and then finally he asked, “You go soon?”

“I'm afraid so.” Seeing the sadness come into his dark eyes, Reisa reached over and took his hand in both of hers. “It'll only be for a few days. We're doing so well, Dov.”

“Nobody bother you?”

“No. God took care of us.”

“I like to go with you some time.”

Reisa laughed. “Maybe you can.”

She left Dov, promising she would see him the next day, that they would go out after he got off from work, and she would buy him a meal at a cafe. This pleased him, and he patted her shoulder clumsily with his hand.

Back at the Golds for dinner, she found that the whole family was anxious to hear about their experiences. Reisa did most of the talking, and finally she said, “God was with us. And we learned so much.”

“Indeed,” Jacob said. “It was much better than I expected.”

“What did you learn mostly?” Zillah asked.

“Oh, just little things,” Reisa answered. “For one thing, next time we'll take some small, inexpensive toys so that when the parents buy we can give them to the children.”

“Yes, even if they don't buy,” Jacob said. “We found this one woman in a very poor house. She had three children and no money at all. You could see the longing in her eyes.” His glance went over to Reisa, and he smiled. “The woman obviously loved a locket, and guess who simply gave it to her?”

“But,
Zaideh
, she wanted it so much, and she had so little.”

Jacob laughed then, reached over, and patted Reisa's hand. “We'll never get rich. You'll give away all of our profits.”

Being very tired, Reisa and Jacob went to bed early. When she lay down, Boris came at once. He climbed up on her chest as he always had and stood staring at her with his huge green eyes.

“You missed me, did you?”

“Yow!” Boris said and bared his teeth at her in his grotesque grin.

“Well, you'll have to miss me a little bit more. You can have me for two days, but then we'll be leaving again.”

She stroked Boris's fur, and then began thinking of the profits that they would make. She was not a greedy young woman, but she knew that when cold weather came they would have to go back to the pushcart. Her grandfather, she knew, could not stand the bitter cold weather. He had always been sickly during the winters, and they would not be able to make their trips then.

For a long time she stroked Boris, then rolled him off, turned out the light, and went to sleep.

A dream came to her some time that night. She was not a young woman who typically remembered her dreams, but this dream was clearer than any she had ever had. It was a simple thing. There was a man there, and she could not see his face. But she could hear his voice. She was standing before him, and he was saying,
“You must go south.”

She woke up abruptly, shocked at the clarity of it. Her dreams were mostly formless and meaningless. “What does that mean?” she said. “We must go south?”

The next morning she told Jacob her dream, and asked if he thought it meant anything.

“Dreams sometimes mean something,” he responded. “But usually they don't.”

This satisfied Reisa, and she said no more.

By the time June came, Reisa and Jacob had done very well. They had made five trips and sold a great deal of merchandise. They had also learned a great deal about what to buy and what not to buy. It was quite an art, and Reisa realized that the longer she was at it, the more successful she would be.

The thing that troubled her the most was the recurring dream that she had. She had it five times, and the last two times it had been different. She had been walking down a road with Jacob at her side through a field of blossoms so white that they almost hurt her eyes. And they had passed by people, but they were not like people she had ever seen, for their faces and hands were all black. Always as they walked down the road, she could see the man before them, and he was always saying,
“Go south.”

The dream troubled her, especially since she had it repeatedly. She said no more to Jacob, but one night she prayed, “God, if this dream is from you, please make it clear!”

Ten

R
eisa!—Reisa!”

Hearing her name called, Reisa turned quickly and saw Zuriel Benjamin making his way through the crowd. He was wearing a light tan suit, a white shirt, a blue tie, and a straw hat with a wide brim that covered his brow.

Coming forward, he took her hand and said, “Reisa, I'm so pleased to see you!”

“Zuriel, what are you doing here?”

A band was playing loudly not fifty feet away, so Reisa had to shout her words. They had come to the village of Benton on the Fourth of July and had spent the morning selling their goods in an open space. She had left Jacob there while she wandered around to see the sights.

Zuriel smiled broadly. His white teeth gleamed against his darkly tanned skin, and his black hair glistened as he removed his hat. He had curly hair which he had allowed to grow rather long, and now he held onto her hand tightly. “I'm so pleased to see you. Come. Let's get away from all this noise.”

Reisa allowed herself to be led away, noting that he did not release her hand. This brought a smile to her lips, for she remembered that, from what she had heard of Zuriel, he was very successful with young ladies.

“Now,” Zuriel said as he drew her down to a bench a hundred yards away from the center of activity. “Tell me how you've been. You look wonderful.”

“Thank you, Zuriel. You're in good health, I see.”

“Oh, yes. I never get sick.” He reached over and took her hand again in both of his and leaned forward. “I had forgotten how pretty you were.”

Reisa laughed aloud and pulled her hand back. “And I had forgotten what a romantic young man you are. How many young ladies have you been after since I saw you last?”

For a moment Zuriel looked confused, but he was a goodhumored young man, and he laughed. “It's all a game, Reisa. They smile at me, and I smile back. And then they run, and I chase them. Isn't that what you do?”

“No. I don't do anything like that.”

“Then how do you expect to get a husband?”

“I don't expect one. If the Master of the Universe wants me to have a husband, he knows where I live. And he knows where that young man lives. He will bring us together.”

Her words amused Zuriel. His black eyes sparkled with humor, and he shook his head, saying in a pseudo-mournful tone, “You'll never get a husband. You're too romantic.”

“Never mind how romantic I am. Tell me what you've been doing.”

“No. You tell me first.”

The two sat on the bench. Around them there were games and booths set up, and far off on the other side of the small park young boys were exploding squibs. The firecrackers went off like miniature cannons, and the squeals of pleasure from the boys came to them as they sat there.

“We took your advice and have gone backpacking, Zuriel. It's been very good. God has been very good to us.”

“I told you, didn't I? It's the only way, being a back peddler. You've made a lot of money?”

“Not a lot. And when bad weather comes we won't be able to travel.”

“Oh, I don't know, I do pretty well. People are lonesome in the wintertime. I sometimes sell more in the winter than in the summer. People are anxious to see someone and have someone to talk to.” He thought for a moment and said, “There are many lonely people out there. I've learned to spot them. They're anxious to have you in their house and find out what's going on in the big world.”

“I've noticed that. It's a little sad.”

“Well, all of us get a little bit lonely at times.” He reached out and touched her shoulder and winked. “Even you romantic people, eh?”

Reisa could not resist his good humor. “Yes. Even us romantic people,” she said. “Now, tell me about yourself.”

“Oh, I'll tell you later. Let's go join in the festivities. I've got a pocket full of money. Come along, I'll buy you a taffy apple.”

“What is a taffy apple?”

“They put a stick in an apple then dip it in hot taffy. It sticks to the apple. Come along and I'll show you.”

Taffy apples did not sound particularly good to Reisa, but she found that they were delicious. She got her face and hands covered with the sticky candy and had to go to the pump to wash it off.

The two spent an hour going around to the different stalls and booths. Zuriel was an amusing young man, quick and always easy with his smile. Finally Reisa took him back to Jacob, who was very glad to see the young man.

“You go look around for a while. It's rather fun,
Zaideh
.”

Jacob left her with their small stall that they had rented for twenty-five cents, and while he was gone she and Zuriel talked easily. She was glad to see Zuriel again, for he had been kind to her.

Later in the day there were patriotic speeches and a drill team by men dressed in the blue uniform. Reisa watched all this and listened, not understanding much about the war that had passed over America. Zuriel explained it to her. “It was over slavery. The South wanted to keep slaves, but the North felt it was wrong.”

“Then the North was right.”

“Yes, they were.”

“People from the South must be very bad.”

“No, they're really not. I've just come from there. I have a friend there, a cousin actually. He says they're very warm-hearted people. Generous and quick to help, for the most part. They were just wrong on the one issue. It cost them dearly, though.”

Reisa stored this in her mind, for she was always anxious to learn about America.

The rest of the day was spent pleasantly enough, and that night they treated themselves by staying in a hotel. They had made a great deal of money, for people were free spenders during the celebration.

Zuriel insisted on buying their supper in the crowded dining room. There was the usual struggle of finding something that was kosher, so they settled for vegetables and dessert.

“It's inconvenient not having kosher food,” Jacob said. His eyes fell on Zuriel, and he smiled suddenly. “I suppose you always stick with the kosher diet.”

For once Zuriel Benjamin was somewhat taken aback. “Well, as much as possible,” he said carefully. “Of course, sometimes a fellow has to have something to eat. You know how that is.”

Jacob laughed. “You are a scoundrel, Zuriel, but a charming one. Do the best you can, my boy, and God will look after you.”

Jacob went to his room soon after this, but it was early yet.

“Come. Let's take a walk,” Zuriel said. “It's very nice out tonight.”

The two walked out of the hotel and down the main street. The booths were still up, and many couples were walking up and down the sidewalk. A band was playing, this time not stirring martial music, but a softer tune. They walked to the end of the street, and over to their left a grove of trees rose up into the sky. The stars were sparkling overhead like tiny dots of fire.

“It's so quiet here,” Reisa said. She stopped and listened, for a man had started to sing. He had a clear tenor voice that sounded very beautiful to her.

“What's that he's singing, Zuriel?”

Zuriel listened for a moment and said, “It's a song the southern soldiers sang during the war. It's called ‘Lorena.' It's still very popular, even in the North.”

The two stood there and listened as the words came floating on the summer air.

The years creep slowly by, Lorena
,

The snow is on the grass again
,

The sun's low down the sky, Lorena
,

The frost gleams where the flowers have been.

But the heart throbs on as warmly now
,

As when the summer days were nigh;

Oh! the sun can never dip so low
,

Adown affections cloudless sky.

“How beautiful!” Reisa was vaguely aware that Zuriel had moved closer to her, his arm touching hers. She was caught up with the song as it continued:

We loved each other then, Lorena
,

More than we ever dared to tell;

And what we might have been, Lorena
,

Had but our lovings prospered well—

But then, tis past, the years are gone
,

I'll not call up their shadowy forms;

I'll say to them, “Lost years, sleep on!

Sleep on! Nor heed life's pelting storms.”

I'll say to them, “Lost years, sleep long!

Sleep long! Nor heed life's pelting storms.”

For some reason the pathos and sadness of the words touched Reisa's spirit. She stood there as the words came to her. The singer continued in the same sad strain. She felt tears rise to her eyes, but did not understand why.

Sensing her mood, Zuriel turned her around and held her by her upper arms. Leaning forward, he saw her tears. “Why, Reisa, you're crying!”

“It's—it's so sad!”

Reisa's mood was so strange that she could not remember a time like this. She felt Zuriel's arms go about her and pull her close, and the softness of her body pressed against him in a way that she had never pressed herself against a man. All of the sweetness and the richness that was in her seemed to rise, and as he bent his head and put his lips on hers, she returned the pressure of them. She was aware of his needs as a man, and perhaps for the first time in her life she was aware of what it meant to be a woman. He held her closer, his lips demanding, and she found herself responding. Her own arms had gone around his neck—and then suddenly she realized what was happening, and it frightened her. He no longer had her, and she turned her head aside and placed both hands on his chest.

“Reisa, you're so sweet!”

“You—you mustn't say those things.”

“Why not? They're true enough.”

“Good night. I must go.” And she turned and walked away.

The next morning Reisa blushed slightly when she met Zuriel at breakfast. To her relief, he said nothing about the previous night, but kept his talk on business.

“I've got a new plan,” Zuriel announced. “I'm going to go down to the southern part of the country.”

“You would leave the North?” Jacob said. “Why is that?”

“Well, for one thing, I like it there. For another, my cousin down there tells me that it's good right now for peddlers. No competition. The stores charge high prices, and people are quick to look for a bargain.”

“How long will you be gone, Zuriel?” Reisa asked.

“I don't know. All depends on how I do.” He smiled at her and winked. “You wait until I get back. Don't be marrying up some rich old man.”

Reisa's flush deepened, but she managed a smile. “I don't think you'll have to worry about that.”

They parted from Zuriel and for the next two days made their way back by another route toward the city. By the time they reached home, they had sold at least three-fourths of their goods.

“If we could just take a pushcart with us, we could sell out of that,” Reisa said.

“It would never do. Where would we keep it at night?” Jacob replied.

That night back at the Golds' Reisa slept well. She was awakened by Boris pushing his nose against her cheek. It was cold and wet, and she put her arms around him and hugged him, shaking him back and forth. “You rascal,” she whispered. “What a life you have! Just eat and sleep and get petted. I should have such a life!”

All day she was busy helping Mrs. Gold with the housework, but after supper that night she had a visitor. Dov found her walking along the street just for a change of scene. His huge form towered over her as she greeted him warmly, as always giving him her hands. It gave her a strange pleasure when his huge hands enveloped hers, and she always remembered how he had protected her on board the ship.

“How are you, Dov?”

Dov did not answer, and Reisa could see that he was troubled. “What's wrong?” she said. “Are you sick?”

“No sick.” He struggled with words, and she knew he was trying to find the proper English word. He was not quick with language, but he did the best he could.

“Take me with you,” he finally said slowly.

Reisa was confused. His hands tightened and hurt her own, until finally she said, “You're hurting me, Dov.” He released her hands at once, and she reached up and put her hand on his massive arm. It was like putting her hand on an oak tree. “What do you mean?”

Dov tried to speak but gave up on English. Finally he began speaking in Russian. “Two nights ago I had dream.”

Instantly Reisa tensed. “What kind of a dream, Dov?”

“I dream of you and the reb. You are walking along the road.” He closed his eyes for a moment as if to refresh his mind. When he opened them they were troubled. “You are on a road with white flowers all around, and—and there are black people everywhere. They are staring at you and the reb.”

Reisa was shaken. It was the same dream, in essence, that she herself had had repeatedly. She saw the trouble in Dov's features and patted his arm. “I won't leave you, Dov. Tell me again about the dream. Don't leave anything out.” She listened as he repeated it almost word for word, and then said, “It's just a dream. I won't leave you.”