“I don’t know nothing about that, mister.” She was clearly agitated now.
“You said your grandmother lived in Europe? Your grandfather too?”
“Yes. Why are you asking me all these questions? Do you want to buy the brooch or not?”
“Please, young lady, would you take me to your grandfather? If he has a tattoo like mine, I would very much like to talk to him.”
She stared for a moment and he could almost hear her thinking. Then reluctantly she nodded and said in a small voice. “We do not live near here. We’ll have to take a bus.”
“That’s not necessary. I have an automobile in back.” Ari looked around at the dusty shop. Jose wouldn’t be in for several hours to clean and organize, not that he did either very well. He felt it would be safe to lock up for a few hours. It wasn’t as if customers were beating down his door.
Ari came out from behind the counter and set the hours on the paper clock that hung beside the front door and then stuck it in the glass window with a suction cup. Back in three hours.
He locked the door and then ushered the girl to the rear of the shop. “By the way, what is your name, my dear?”
“Florica, Florica Stokes. My family and friends call me Flori.” She cocked an eyebrow, “And yours, old man?”
He smiled as he took a brown sweater off a hook and jiggled it to make sure his keys were in the pocket. “Ariel Lubinski. My friends, if I had any left, would call me Ari.”
They passes through the back of the shop where Ari had his simple living quarters. They consisted of a small sitting room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The kitchen was a counter on one side of the sitting room. At one end was an old refrigerator, and a hotplate sat beside it on the counter. That was all. Ari wasn’t much of a cook. He normally ate in a delicatessen down a block on Flatbush. A padded rocking chair, folding table, and old fashioned TV sat on the opposite side of the counter. In the rear was a door leading to a one-car garage. Ari opened the door and flipped a light switch, stepped back for the girl to precede him.
“I don’t need some man to open doors for me,” she told him. “I ain’t no lady.”
He snorted, “I understand, young Florica, but I was brought up to be a gentleman. I apologize in advance.” He gestured to the passenger door of the faded white car. It was old and boxy.
“What is this, Ari? I’ve never seen a car like this one. Does it actually run?” She walked slowly around the boxy car.
“Of course it runs. It is a 1962 Studebaker Lark. Lots of room, and runs very well. Please get in. I will restrain myself from opening your door.” Ari climbed behind the wheel and pressed a button on the sun visor. The garage door opened slowly with groans and screeches. However, the car barely made a sound as they pulled into the alley and then onto busy Flatbush Avenue.
Flori directed him to drive down Flatbush to Avenue U. “We’re going to Brighton Beach. My grandfather and father have several houses where our family lives when we’re not on the road.”
“On the road?” he was curious now.
She gave a one-shoulder shrug. “We travel part of the year, following the jobs. My father and uncles tar driveways and roofs. Sometimes they sell camping trailers.” She shrugged again. “It’s a living.”
The drive passed quickly even though Ari was a cautious driver. As Flori began to feel more at ease with the old man, she relaxed and answered his questions, even venturing a couple of her own. Soon Ari drove through the streets of Brighton Beach, a former Jewish enclave. Now there were many cultures represented, mainly Russian.
Flori pointed, “Go down Coney Island Avenue. It’s off here.” She indicated a narrow drive between a delicatessen and a used clothing store.
Ari turned in and found himself in a courtyard off the alley behind the buildings. Five or six houses backed onto the paved area. Off to the left were three trucks and three automobiles in a row. One of the trucks, an older Ford pickup, Ari noted, had what looked like two oval fuel oil tanks on the back. The vehicles were all old and unprofessionally patched.
Ari pulled in next to the pickup and shut the motor off.
“This way,” Flori said. She got out and started up a short flight of steps leading to a small porch.
“Wait, young lady,” Ari said shuffling after her. “I don’t move as fast as you.” He caught up to her half way up the steps and she gripped his arm, helping him the rest of the way.
Just as she was about to open the screen door, a quavering voice called, “Flori. Who is this?”
Ari saw an elderly man seated in a battered wicker lounge chair, a blanket over legs that were propped up on an equally battered ottoman. The man’s face was thin, leathery, and dark, some uneven stubble on his chin. His salt and pepper hair was sleek and brushed straight back.
In a surprisingly strong voice, he asked, “I asked you who is this man, girl?” He pulled himself straighter in the chair, dropping his slipper-clad feet onto the porch floor.
As she was about to answer, Ari held up a hand and replied, “I am Ari Lubinski. Your granddaughter came to my shop looking to sell a silver brooch.” He pulled the silver ornament out of his pocket and held it out. “Where did you get this, Mr...?”
“Gray. Luca Gray, at least now. It used to be Luca Stănescu in Romania and Luca Loche in Britain.” He fondled the piece of silver jewelry, turning it in his hands. His eyes grew misty and he smiled while wiping his eyes with the corner of the blanket. Finally, he said, “Mr. Lubinski, I made this for my wife. I made it from a bar of silver I smuggled out of East Germany. It was retribution, you see; I was one of the few Roma who escaped from Auschwitz.” He pulled a sleeve back revealing a faded, blurred number.
Ari carefully lowered himself down on a chair beside the old man, also remembering a time long past. Slowly he pulled his sleeve back and showed the old Gypsy his number. Faded ink on their arms forged an instant bond between the two. They smiled at each other.
“Florica! Florica, come here!” Luca shouted.
The young girl flew out the door, “Yes, grandpoppa?”
“Bring us some wine and glasses. My friend and I have much to talk about.
NOT MY BLOOD is scheduled for publication in 2015.
About the Author
Don Kafrissen lives on five rural acres on Florida’s West Coast with his wife Diane, 2 cats and a dog. He and his wife built their own house and are car people, taking part in many car shows and cruise-ins each year with their vintage autos. Don started the Brooksville Writers’ Group several years ago and now enjoys friendships with many local authors.
Kafrissen is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, has lived in Rhode Island, Canada, Texas, California, Vermont and many other places. He has visited 43 different countries, and he and his wife once lived 10 years on a 40’ Endeavor sailboat, spending many happy months in the Caribbean. He is a graduate of Cranston High School East in Cranston, R.I. and Queen’s University’s McArthur College in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
For news, other books, and to contact Don Kafrissen
Go to: http://idbpi.wordpress.com
Other Books by Don Kafrissen
BROTHERS BEYOND BLOOD
Can two young men who meet in a concentration camp become friends?
It’s possible and even probable. But what if one of them is a prisoner and the other is his guard?
Years after the end of WWII, when the two brothers Hans and Herschel Rothberg have passed on, a lawyer presents their surviving family with a letter, a document that completely turns their world upside down. This manuscript chronicles the relationship of two young men, boys actually, who are thrown together by their experiences in a Nazi concentration camp. It describes their amazing journey from the horrors of Kefferstadt to a Displaced Persons camp in Germany, and finally to the United States.
Herschel and Hans Rothberg were brothers in the truest sense of the word. Separately, they were doomed, but if they could find a way to work together, they just might be able to survive.
&
nbsp; “I held my breath reading until the end! I absolutely could not put down this book until I found out what was going to happen to Herschel and Hans.”
J.M. Bolton author of “Alien Within”
“It’s so real, you feel like you’re actually there! What a great adventure. You couldn’t find two more unlikely allies, and yet Kafrissen makes it work!”
Marlene A Becker author of “The Deacon & the Demon”
“Brothers Beyond Blood tells the story of two German teen-aged boys enduring the horror of a World War II concentration camp, one a detainee and the other a guard. Their friendship becomes their redemption during the final days of the Nazi regime. This is a must for young adult readers who will form an instant bond with the boys and their victory over evil.”
Jerry Cowling, author of “Lincoln in the Basement”
Missing Pieces
It’s a simple job, right? Drive a custom Lincoln convertible to Las Vegas. All expenses paid.
What could go wrong?
That’s what Dave and his wife, Chris thought until a simple car delivery turned into days of terror!
Soon they were embroiled in a plot to outsmart an evil computer genius, as well as the mob, and some hired hit men. Some vacation!
But you can always count on your friends, especially when things get just a little too hot!
“Missing Pieces tells it like it is! The book kicks some serious butt!” Tom Navickas
Also look for:
“White Emeralds”
and
“Gunfight on Clearwater Beach”
Published in the USA by
International Digital Book Publishing Industries
Praise for Don Kafrissen
LONG LOST BROTHER
“An exciting new chapter to the Rothburg saga! Kafrissen makes you feel as if you are there, experiencing the horrors of the concentration camps and the desperate efforts of the people there to survive. Being forced to experience such inhuman atrocities would be enough to make even the most peaceful man consider revenge. But at the same time, Kafrissen makes you face the morality of such a decision. A powerful story!” JM Bolton, author of Heirs to the Empire
BROTHERS BEYOND BLOOD
“The plot is skillfully developed, and the characters are genuine. The narrative style is different from most novels, and it is an approach that fits the story. The novel is interesting and entertaining. A good read.”
Robert Krueger, author of The Children's Story,
A Novel Not for Children
“… an interesting read. The idea of spinning this story from the character's perspective was certainly a different approach. Fact or fiction, the overriding truth remains.”
“This is a well written story about the bonds and rewards of a good friendship. There are twists and turns that test the friendship. The characters are well defined. I really enjoyed this book!!!”
MISSING PIECES
What could go wrong? It's a simple job, right? Drive a custom Lincoln Convertible to Las Vegas, all expenses paid. That's what Dave Manley and his wife, Chris, thought. Until a simple car delivery turned into days of terror! Soon they're embroiled in a plot to outsmart an evil computer genius, as well as the mob and some hired hit men. Some vacation. But you can always count on your friends when things get just a little bit too hot!
“Found it hard go put down because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Hope it becomes a series.”
“Full of adventure and some comedy, it kept me glued to the book to the last page.”
“Well drawn characters moving through an exciting adventure that resolves nicely in conclusion. It is well done. Intrigue. Rugged guys. Sexy women. If you like adventure stories, read this story. Kafrissen weaves a good tale.”
Also by Don Kafrissen
Brothers Beyond Blood
Missing Pieces
White Emeralds
Gunfight on Clearwater Beach
On Top of Her Game
Mustang Charlie
Mosaic 2010
Mosaic 2014
Long Lost Brother Page 30