To America and Back
Page 33
At that time Naitty Freulich led his business in a seemingly well paved passagel. Raphaella would arrive to the Grocery store four days a week. In the evenings, the couple would climb to the Gallery on the second floor and lie on the mattresse and make love. At their sides there were spices’ envelopes and juices’ bottles and dried beans’ packages. Not far from these were also
Juta sacks of flours and paper packets of milk powder.
Naity would smile to himself, saying: There is Jewish Prayer: ‘Listen O’Israel on the Bed’. I’m doing that very well recently.
Blessed be Raphaella. She is quite considerate, and does not complain about the peculiar circumstances and surounding that make our burning love become possible. I am saving a lot of rent payment by not hiring a room. With the old Freulichs and Effy I could not have lived, as the place there is very narrow. In the first month after my demobilization, I was sleeping there in the bathroom. Thank God, now I’m on the right path, dwelling here. Sometimes there would come a mouse to my mattresse, but I’ve bought some ‘cage trap’, that I put a piece of sausage in it- and here we capture it: then drawning the living animal in a bucket filled with dirty water.
“Tomorrow night we’ll go out, and see a new Musical on the Broadway, O.K.?” he asked Raphaella, who was very glad.
So, as half of their nights they had been together, at least one of these was devoted to a broad range of culture and entertainment, as she was calling it: Go out to a theatre or in a movie or attend musical event somewhere. Though Naitty hadn’t been fond of Jaz nor of Classic music, he was generous to share enjoying that with Raphaella, who was having patience enough to listen one day, so she was hoping – to the wedding march.
However, after two and half months of renewed hot relationship, Naitty became aware that he had been again buried in the ground. A small supplier, who had sold him the main products for his business, would agree to continue – only if Nathan pays cash for fifty percent of each order. Also the Bank, who had provided him loans in a high percent of interest, began to send warning letters. Then the Citizens Bank of Bronx broke Nathan’s neck, by sending gangsters to threaten him. They demanded him to pay not only his recent debts, but also old debts of his old Uncle Freulich, Effy’s father – that he could not pay off. Effy himself had become to know about his cousine’s renewed trouble. He talked again with Naitty about leaving the U.S. and emigrating to Israel. “You should have a strange impulse to leave behind – your dream about U.S. of America,” said Effy.
“I wonder, Effy,” answered Naitty, “You are not such a fanatical religious Jew. You’re non- religious at all. So, why rush there?
I’ll use that alternative only as a last resource”
“Today Israel is like a Cowboys’ land,” answered Effy. “It’s a place that a gold cover is wrapping a patriotic nationalistic package. The one who is ready to go to the South of the country, -Negev, can double his investment within a year, so I was told.”
“No, dear cousine. S h e does not agree to move. I’ve already spoken to her. And without her – my life is damned and doomed. I always remember that she is a delegate of Hashem (Hebrew word for God). As had been written in ‘Kabala book of the Ari’- Raphaella would be Lilith; but the good one, not the negative.”
One day Effy decided to meet Raphaella. By Naitty’s approval, of course. Naitty was almost desparated. He thought, that a dialogue of Raphaella with his cousine might be a last chance to win her on his side, and so he would let him try. Effy would explain her the situation of Naitty, tell her the prossibilities open to them in Israel. He would try to convince her ‘as an objective observer’, so told him his cousine to tell her.
“You have to understand,” Effy told Raphaella, while he met her in a café, “that Israel today is a very normal and secure country, having a potential of long run huge prosperity. It’s not at all the terrible country which you would read about in the papers.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said, and regretted that she had come to meet this primitive guy, a guard and guide in a Brothel.
“Last week I have met a smart Israeli,” he said, “It was in an office of the Israeli Embssy here. His name was Raanan Weitz. He told us, a group of interested guys, about a project he was leading- to establish a ‘cowboys like’ farm. It will be with horses, cows and sheep and goats- in the Negev. The Jewish Agency would finance the settlers. I want to join that group. You and Naitty can take another Project, there are plenty.”
“I don’t envision myself living in an uncivilized desert, O’key?” Raphaella opposed him.
“Look,” said Effy, “You don’t imagine what a magnificient climate is there. D’you know, that the weather is almost stable all the year? In winter- you hardly ever have to wear a coat or a pair of boots. Another issue that I want to remind you, is that Naitty is an expert in marketing business. They don’t have there enough products yet, lacking foreign exchange. But now the economic situation has changed, as the Government and also private smart people – get compensation monies from Germany. This will repent the Nazi killings – or at least their cruel robbery in the Hollocaust.”
“Effy, enough, I am tired of talking about that emigration. I have discussed everything with Naitty. Thank you for meeting me.”
She rose nervously from her seat, and wanted to go away.
Effy grabbed her by her arm and forced her to stay.
“Sit down!” his voice was threatening, “You know I know many things about you, that nobody knows; even not Naitty. Now, you should understand, that a return to your old profession, be a whore again – is worse than emigration to Israel! Don’t you see that? I speak for your well being. We are both Jews, Raphaella.”
“Let me go,” she rose again from her chair, her face tortured:
“I’ll tell Naitty what dirty words you had used, to insult me! I would die – but wouldn’t go there. I’m an atheistic Jewess, and I am not a Zionist either. I can’t agree that a Jewish woman like me should go elsewhere to suffer! Why has Naithan sent you?”
Effy tried again to hold her; she slapped his cheek and ran away.
“Raphaella’s answer was extremely negative,” Effy told Naitty.
In the next day Raphaella met her lover. Naitty told her that he had been trying to take out goods from the store, as much as possible. He put the boxes under a shed in Freulich courtyard.
“I must lock this store,” he said, “and my uncle has to sell the fixed property and remainder of goods – to the one who will offer the best price. It’s under control of the Court. But don’t think I have nothing now. I’ve saved ten thousands Dollars in cash, and I’ll sell the hidden stock and get more.”
Effy was just happy about his cousine’s re-entanglement. Now his dream to come with Naitty to Israel will be realized. Raphaella is a big problem. He is crazyy about her. It’s not a simple situation. Today, he says, he visited the young Lubabitzer Rabbi in his Synagogue. Even though Naitty does not appreciate him as a great man, but as an excellant ads expert ( ‘the shrewd Rabbi simply copies from the explanations of Rashi, the greatest middle ages Explanator of the Jewish Bible and Talmud. Lubabitzer is a repetitor, and nothing else,’- Naitty was saying)- he went to listen to his advice what to do. The Rabbi told Naitty that he should not force his future wife, Raphaella- to emigrate with him; instead – he should get into a ‘Yeshiva’-Talmud school in Cincinati or somewhere else, for the time being. Raphaella should bear a baby there, after having married. It’ll all be on the Rabbi’s account… ‘In this way,’ said Effy, ‘I myself will be in a deeper pit. May God or the Devil put a new refusal idea in Raphaella’s mind. She should contradict that alternative too. And Naitty would soon find out, how stupid was the idea – to get into learning with a group in Yeshiva… He is such a brilliant businessman, who can’t live a week without planning some smart and complicated transaction. No, it wouldn’t become to be a reality, the Rabbi’s proposal… I have had reasonable hopes regarding Naitty. He could initiate marvellous financial transacti
ons, almost miracles. I’m his fan…’
CHAPTER 34