by Sarah Raz
The four friends patiently waited for the water to boil and closely followed the coffee making process. Alice began instructing them in the secrets of reading: “Normally, the coffee reading process is quite an intimate one and should not be performed in front of an audience, but because we are such good friends, I feel that I can set that rule aside. I see a wonderful year of good health for you and your husband, a year of happiness and prosperity. Recent developments in Europe notwithstanding, you will continue having good business ties with Germany and with Austria. You will do much traveling, but I can see here that your family wishes to come and settle in Marseille. You should get ready to live with your extended family. We, your friends, will always be close to you and continue to spend much time together… but wait a second, what is it that I see here? You will take leave from one of your friends before the year is out and you will never see her again…” Beads of sweat started forming around Alice’s neckline. She felt ill at ease and tried to change the subject. “I can see you attending an opera performance in Paris where you will meet someone who will totally change your whole attitude to life. Rosette, you are a smart and reasonable young lady and you do things not only for your own benefit, but from a deep sense of responsibility to those around you. You will yet become known for your philanthropic activities.” But again the coffee was taking her to the story line of Rosette’s parting from a close friend, a parting that would take place before the end of the year under unusual and frantic circumstances. She chose not to say anything more, keeping Rosette’s secret to herself. Rosette noticed the small convulsion in Alice’s slender frame and suggested that she take a break and not allow herself to become too overwrought. The friends were all very impressed with Alice’s ability to foretell the future and frequented her salon week after week to have their fortunes told in private.
In the carriage back home, Alice thought that her husband must be lonely having not seen her for more than five hours. She recalled that a long time had passed since she last reported back to her dear departed mother up above. As always when she had need to pour her soul out to her, the moon came out from among the clouds, ready to listen. Alice thanked her mother for giving her the fortitude to extract herself from a difficult situation and suggesting that she take up the art of coffee reading from her aunts. They were right to say that it was not good to keep knowledge away from people. In any case, what was destined to come to pass will show its face sooner or later. Alice gave a small smile as she began nodding off, happy with herself.
Rosette and her husband had departed for Paris to strengthen their business ties in the capital. Her leave from Alice had seen many tears shed and Alice felt that she may never live to see her friend again. Wishing to thank Rosette for all her help, Alice placed in her hand a jewel with a blue gemstone. “This amulet will protect you from evil,” she told her. “What I am depositing with you, I shall be glad to get back upon our next meeting.”
One day a letter came from Jacques in which he wrote about her baby brother Albert, the medical student. Apparently, he had come down with sharp abdominal pain and though he was not far from a hospital, his acute appendicitis had already progressed beyond the point of surgery and he could not be saved. Albert’s young life had ended without him being able to start a family. His teachers spoke highly of him and expected him to do very well as a physician. Albert had never been a burden on his family, always managing to win scholarships to pay for his education.
Once again, Alice had to don her mourning clothes. It was as if she could never really put that black dress away for good. She cried bitter tears for being so far from her family in this difficult hour, for the hard fortune that seemed to have shadowed the Levite women in her family, and for her brother who had lost his life at such an early age. It was like the death of her older brother Yitzhak all over again.
From that day Alice had not left her bed. Her vomiting never stopped. She lost weight to the point of putting in danger her own life and that of her unborn child. She could neither eat nor drink. Leon’s wife took a break from work in the hat factory to devote all her time to taking care of Alice and Asher spent most of his time at her bedside. The doctor, who had been rushed over to examine her, suggested that her pregnancy be artificially terminated since it was putting Alice’s life at risk. Alice would not hear of it. She had heard stories of women who had abortions and could never conceive again and she would not allow that to happen to her. For months she could not function and there was no one who could replace her at the business. Asher had to start dipping into the meager cash reserves they had left. He simply could not let her suffer and paid no mind to the factory. His brother Leon soon returned to his old ways and in the absence of a partner who was actively engaged in the business accrued debts and could not supply orders for merchandise. Asher was helpless without Alice at his side. Like a horseless carriage, he found himself adrift, bereft of all energy and passion. His whole world was Alice’s wellbeing.
Alice was delivered of a baby girl. She was wary of going to the hospital and decided to give birth at home with the help of a midwife. Asher had arranged all the details and the birth proved to be an easy one.
Alice, who was still quite weak, devoted her entire being to looking after her daughter. She called her Mati, after Asher’s mother. This was the Sephardic custom, honoring grandparents by calling newborns after them. That is how names were preserved across generations. Alice decided that the girl would hear Bulgarian, French, and Ladino at home, so she could later attend a Jewish school in which both French and Ladino would been used.
The couple’s financial situation continued to deteriorate and with the birth of Mati their needs had only increased. Asher was unable to rebuild the business. Despair started showing its ugly face in the Uziel household. Alice felt that she was on the brink of losing her family and demanded that they go back to Bulgaria. Knowing that they could not afford the journey, she had written to her brother Jacques a long letter in which she told him of their failure to find success in their new business venture and all that had befallen them in the last two difficult years. She begged for his help. Jacques, who had always been very cautious with his money immediately grasped the enormous trouble in which his sister had found herself. During one of his weekly visits with his father Menachem, he recanted to him all that had happened in Alice’s life. Together, they had decided to fund Alice’s return to Plovdiv and Jacques sent Alice a substantial sum to guarantee her quick return to her ancestral home.
Asher said his goodbyes to his brother. He left him the factory, the building, and the machines. In their last meeting, Alice could not find the strength for reproach; she thanked her sister in law for her help while she had been sick. Asher, on the other hand, slammed the door on his way out. In his heart of hearts he knew that he could never forgive his brother for letting him astray and bringing about such a great crisis in his life. Alice took her canary cage outside and opened the door. She smiled when she saw the two little yellow birds fly away, guided by a stray moonbeam. They seemed to understand that a new chapter in their lives had just begun.
The journey home was accompanied by sorrow and by anxiety for the future. Alice’s only comfort had been her two year-old. She was the only thing that brought her joy. The trip itself did not take long. Unlike the outward journey, which had been undertaken in the spirit of adventure and endless possibilities, the return journey was as drab as the third-class train carriage in which it had taken place. Asher kept promising her that their new lives in Plovdiv would be good again. He tried his best to roll back the wheel of time and pretend that the last two years could be somehow erased. He tried his best to lift Alice’s spirits and told her that he had full confidence that they would be able to overcome the current crisis and that the good times would find them again. Together, they had decided that they would terminate their journey in Sofia rather than go all the way to Plovdiv. This way they could rebuild their lives on their own without i
mposing further on Jacques’ kindness.
While still on the train, Alice had written to Jacques to inform him of their decision and to ask his forbearance. She thanked him for the efforts he had made to extract them from France and she expressed to him their determination to rebuild their lives again in Sofia.
Immediately upon their arrival in Sofia, Asher contacted his former employers, who were glad to see him and promised to help in any way they could. Preferring not to approach the Jewish “Geulah” bank, Asher petitioned the head of his former company for an advance upon his future salary. The couple rented a small apartment and furnished it humbly as befitted their new situation. Alice renewed her contacts with her sister Corrine, but did not expect her to offer any help. A dark cloud of estrangement floated above them, not permitting her to feel wanted at her sister’s house.
After many travails Corrine had been delivered of a child, a daughter, whom she had named Sophie. Every Tuesday afternoon, the two sisters and their daughters met to spend some time in each other’s company. Corinne’s finances had been good and she spent most of her days socializing with other women of her social status, volunteering for the Jewish women organization WIZO, helping out at the Jewish orphanage, and going out. Her husband had been busy with work and only rarely joined her on her outings. The two couples spent almost no time together.
Mati was growing up by leaps and bounds. She looked just like Asher, but for her fiery red hair, which resembled Jacques’. Alice never neglected to dress her in the prettiest dresses, braided her hair in two braids punctuated by colorful matching ribbons, and had begun her education in the ways of the women of Levi. She spoke to her in three languages and sang for her Ladino lullabies and Hebrew songs of the Land of Israel.
The Bulgarian economy was not good and it affected mostly the urban population. Many businesses had shut their doors or reduce their hours. The government could not collect sufficient taxes and had to cut back on various programs. Thousands of government employees had lost their jobs and it had a significant ripple effect on the economy at large. It had always been accepted wisdom that Bulgaria had never been a particularly fertile ground for antisemitism, but that year saw the formation of an organization by the name of Rodna Zashchita (National Defense), headed by a Hitler-like figure, a certain General Shkoinov. In part, this was due to Bulgarian students who had come into contact with their German counterparts in universities in Germany and in Austria. Another organization by the name of “Ataka” (Attack), called for a general boycott of Jewish commerce and the closing of Jewish banks. It also called for Jews to be removed from positions of influence. Swastikas started popping up on the windows of Jewish stores. Prime Minister Moshanov emphasized that the Bulgarian tradition had always been one of tolerance, had always opposed antisemitism, and that most Bulgarians saw Jews as people who kept to themselves while contributing much to the Bulgarian society, but there had been those who emphasized the negative aspects of the Jewish community: “cultural backwardness”, “materialism”, and “isolationism”. The Jewish community in Sofia made every effort to calm down the situation and avoid even the appearance of hostility.
Asher threw himself into work, trying to make up for lost ground. His efforts were appreciated, but had not led to any increase in his compensation.
Alice contacted her aunts back in Plovdiv and asked them for the contact information of a shirt manufacturer there who had been Jacques’ old friend. She had made up her mind to help Asher with family finances and planned to market the Plovdiv manufacturer’s shirts in the capital city. To free up the time necessary for her new enterprise, Alice had begun visiting Corinne with Mati more and more often, under the pretext that the two young toddlers could have fun together. Soon, she began leaving Mati with Sophie’s nanny for five or more hours at a time. Not being sure how Corrine would react to this, Alice asked the nanny to keep this new arrangement between the two of them.
Out shopping one day with one of her girlfriends, Corrinne was appalled to see her sister hard at work trying to convince the store owner to buy some blouses from her. She averted her gaze and almost dragged her friend out of the store. That afternoon when Alice stopped by Corinne’s place to pick up her daughter she had a rather unwelcome surprise waiting for her. Corinne was seated in an arm chair, a stern expression on her face. “You are shaming me and my name all over town!” she said. “Are you a commoner that you have to work for a living now? And where is your husband who is supposed to support you? Do you have no shame? And now, of all times, now when we the Jews must keep our heads down, now you go out to peddle your wares like the lowest of the shiksas? I am going to write an urgent letter to Jacques about this; he will put Asher in his place!”
Alice, tired as she was from a full day’s work, did not spare her sister her real feelings. “How detached from reality can you be? How come you think that women should not be working for a living? Were you born with a silver spoon in your mouth? Have you not helped mom and dad around the café when you were a kid? Do you not remember how hard our own mother had worked her entire life? Perhaps you are not aware how difficult our financial situation is. Today I sold shirts for forty-five levs. It takes Asher a full week to make that much. Do you believe that I should deny this to my husband and my daughter? Do you want me to beg you for scraps for the remainder of my life? Does it make you feel good to see me brought so low, so humiliated, so desperately in need of your assistance?” Alice took a few steps closer to her sister, who shifted uncomfortably in her chair, opened wide her startling blue eyes, and, pointing her index finger straight at Corrine added in a voice made hoarse with anger, “well, you should know, sister, that I intend to rebuild my family’s fortunes with my own two hands and together with my husband we shall return to the lifestyle we had had before we left. I am sorry that you are ashamed of me, but this is my life now. I can only hope that our mother is not watching you right now! How selfish you are! How detached from reality, how unable to understand the needs of a woman, a wife, and a mother!” Corinne, in a great emotional upheaval, now raised her own voice. “I do not wish to ever see you or your daughter again. If you do not stop walking the streets and putting me and my family to shame, you have no place here.” Alice regarded her sister with a mixture of disgust and contempt. Tears were choking her throat. She grabbed her daughter from the midst of play with her niece and swore that she would never set foot in that house again until she were offered an apology.
Alice went home, all the way thinking what she would tell her husband and how to avoid hurting him when she repeated her sister’s words. He, who was putting all his efforts into making himself a success once again, had been open to her desire to contribute to the family income. Had she not proven to him once before her business acumen? Why should she feel ashamed?
Alice had always been keen to keep at least a semblance of harmony within her extended family. She could not believe that Corinne would not want to see her again, but she decided to let time work its magic.
That night, when Asher came home from the office, he could not ignore the delectable smells emanating from the tiny kitchen and notice the bottle of wine on the table; not a Kiddush wine, mind you, but one meant for romance. Exhausted as she had been, Alice put on her best dress and managed to look fresh and full of life. “What are we celebrating,” Asher asked. “I don’t remember seeing anything on the calendar for today.” Alice approached him with a radiant smile on her face, her hands behind her back, as someone who was hiding a delicious surprise. Asher gave her a hug and kissed her on her lips. “What have you done this time, you naughty girl,” he asked. She produced from behind her back a velvet pouch and handed it over to him. Asher opened the small sack to find in it the sum of three hundred and fifty levs, a substantial sum indeed. Asher was taken aback. Where could all this money have come from? “Alice, who gave you so much money?” he asked rather brusquely. Alice faced him, smiling, pleased with herself. “I had made this mone
y myself! I sold quite a few shirts and blouses this month and this is my share of the profits. The Plovdiv manufacturer is very pleased and he is already sending more merchandise for me to sell. There will be no woman in Sofia who will not own one of his creations.”
Asher sat down on one of the chairs and had Alice sit on his lap. From his wallet he took out a few German pfennigs. Part of his salary was paid in the German currency, whose value had been both higher and more stable than the Bulgarian one. Alice knew that the pfennigs were meant as a bonus and that they meant that he had concluded a particularly large and complex deal. “Alice do you think it smart that you should be beating the pavement to peddle your wares? Isn’t it harmful to our little Mati that you are spending so much time away from home? I am sure you will find a good use for the extra money, but you know how people wag their tongues and they will not fail to make a big stink out of this, your sister and all her high society friends. This is not France where they are much more liberal about such matters. Here, our family and friends will see this as a weakness, as something to be ashamed of. What do you think?” Asher asked the question without really expecting an answer. He kept stroking her hair, as if letting her know that anything she decides would be fine with him. He knew he had a wise partner who weighed her steps carefully and he had full trust in her.