1929

by M. L. Gardner

  “I’ll start working on it tomorrow morning,” she decided aloud.

  Aryl had moved to the window, tuning out much of the conversation, looking out as a light snow began to fall. He loved the quiet hush that came over the city when snow blanketed the streets but was unable to enjoy it thoroughly, knowing he would soon have to turn up the heat. He looked back at the dwindling supply of wood on the hearth and sighed. He decided he would have to go out and look for more broken pallets or any form of firewood after work tomorrow.

  November 26th 1929

  Aryl broke off from the group a few blocks from home in search of firewood while Jonathan and Caleb continued home. Caleb mumbled about feeling guilty for not helping Aryl, but Jonathan had a hard time hearing him over the crunch of their work boots on the iced-over snow coating the sidewalk. He pulled his wool hat down lower on his ears and shivered.

  “It’s really getting cold,” he commented.

  “What?” Caleb asked.

  “Nothing.”

  They walked on in silence until they were about a block from their building. Caleb stopped and pointed.

  “Hey, look at that. I used to have one just like that!” he said, pointing to a black Packard parked on their side of the street. “Wonder what it’s doing in this neighborhood?”

  “Maybe they’re moving in,” Jonathan said sarcastically. Caleb didn’t take his eyes off the car even as they passed it.

  “Damn, I miss that car,” he said longingly. They were a few steps beyond it when the rear car door opened and a woman exited, taking several strides to catch up to the men.

  “Jonathan!” she called when she was a few paces behind him. He looked back and did a double take. He took a deep breath before he turned to face her fully.

  “Hello, Ruth,” he said flatly.

  Caleb’s eyebrows almost hit his hairline.

  “Hello, Jonathan,” she said sweetly and took slow steps toward him. “It’s been a long time.”

  “It has.”

  “How have you been?” she asked casually.

  He looked around the neighborhood and then back to her with a phony expression of glee.

  “Wonderful. Just fabulous, Ruth. Just thought I’d spend some time seeing how the other half lives,” he said mockingly.

  “I heard. I’m so sorry about what happened to you. I know how hard you worked. I watched you pour your heart and soul into your brokerage,” she said soothingly.

  “I’m sorry, why are you here?” he asked her, slightly annoyed.

  “I just wanted to make sure you were all right. Like I said, I heard what happened and I just feel awful.”

  “Does Victor know you’re here?” Jonathan asked coldly.

  “Oh. I didn’t know you knew we were married. No, he doesn’t. He’s out of town. It’s best that way, given our history. You’re not his favorite person.”

  “Believe me, the feeling is mutual.”

  “I only married him because I was pining over you,” she blurted out. Jonathan didn’t know what to say to that, so he focused on the ground in front of his feet. “I was brokenhearted.” She touched her heart and attempted a pout.

  “I sent you a letter.” He looked up at her impatiently. “I explained everything.”

  She waved her hands. “You know what? None of that matters. It’s all in the past. I came here today to let you know that I still care for you, Jonathan, and if you need anything, anything at all, you can come to me. I have money, resources, and people. I could have you out of this neighborhood tonight if you wished.” He glared at her. “Here’s how you can get a hold of me without having to deal with him.” She held out a piece of paper. He reached out and took it even as the voice in his head screamed at him to turn and walk away.

  She was inches away from him now, looking up at him through her lashes.

  “I do mean anything you might need, Jonathan,” she cooed and reached one arm around his neck, the other around his waist to hug him.

  He didn’t return the hug and pulled away after a brief second. Before he could say anything, Caleb stepped in.

  “Ava’s waiting at home, Jon.”

  “Maybe I’ll see you again sometime?” she asked hopefully.

  At the top of the landing, Caleb reached into Jonathan’s left pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, holding it up for Jonathan to see.

  “She slipped this in when she hugged you,” he informed. Jonathan opened it up and read it aloud.

  “Thanks for the memories. I will always love you, Ruth. She put a lipstick kiss on it.” He looked at Caleb in frustration. “I really don’t need this shit right now.”

  “I know. Here,” he said. “I’ll get rid of them for you.” He held his hand out for the second note.

  “Thanks. See you tomorrow.” Jonathan turned toward his door just as a woman’s scream echoed in the hall. Caleb snapped his fingers.

  “Arianna – Rat.” Caleb knew that yell in particular, and he broke into a jog to rescue Arianna from the vermin.

  ∞∞∞

  Aryl spent an hour looking in alleys and behind stores. It only slightly paid off. He got enough splintered wood planks and broken crates to last for a few hours. He was freezing when he walked in, set the wood on the hearth and warmed his numb hands by the fire that Claire already had glowing.

  “Dinner’s almost ready,” she told him as she handed him a mug of steaming tea. He nodded, too cold to converse. A few minutes later, she brought a big bowl of soup over to him, so he could eat while warming.

  “What kind of soup is this?” he asked.

  “Chicken noodle,” she said, handing him a fat chunk of bread.

  “Where’s the chicken?”

  She leaned over and poked around with her spoon.

  “Oh, there’s a piece,” she said and grinned. “Shannon showed me how to make three dinners out of half a chicken,” she said proudly.

  “I really appreciate you being so good about this,” he said affectionately. “Even though this latest idea didn’t work out, eventually something will and we have to be ready.”

  “I know.” They sat on the brick hearth, eating their soup and talking about every possible way to increase their savings.

  November 27th 1929

  Jonathan got home amazed that he had made it through the day without a confrontation, with his lunch, without a prank, and with his coat. They had even walked after work to Victor’s office to pay December’s rent before the Thanksgiving holiday, and Victor had been out of the office as Ruth had mentioned. It bordered on a good day.

  “They furloughed tomorrow,” he told Ava over dinner.

  “Don’t they always?” she asked referring to the Thanksgiving holiday.

  “I have no idea. I’ve heard they do and they don’t, depending on who you ask. For now, they are consolidating shipments to save on labor. We get tomorrow off, without pay, of course,” he said, his brow furrowed with worry. He pushed the mix of cubed potatoes and ham around with his fork. “Caleb won a turkey in the raffle, so I guess he’s hosting Thanksgiving. He asked each of us to bring something. I’m not sure what you want to bring.”

  “I’ll figure something out,” she said, not exactly looking forward to the first major holiday in the tenement either. They ate while listening to the radio.

  Later that evening, Jonathan sat reading on the couch, and Ava joined him after she finished another letter to his parents. Picking up a blanket on the way, she nestled next to him, covered them both and closed her eyes trying to ignore the sounds of the city outside. She concentrated on the slow, rhythmic sound of Jonathan’s breathing and the soft crackles of the fire. She was just drifting off on his shoulder when they heard angry shouting coming from down the hall. They looked at each other then quickly toward the door, identifying one of the voices immediately as Arianna’s.

  “Think we should go over there?” Ava whispered.

  “No. And why are we whispering?”

  “I don’t know,” she whispe
red back and giggled. Jonathan intended to let Caleb and Arianna work out whatever had her shrieking today, but he changed his mind when he heard the crashing of what sounded like shattering glass.

  ∞∞∞

  Looking down the hallway, he saw Caleb backed up against the wall of the hall with his hands up, trying to calm Arianna. She stood in her own doorway with a frying pan.

  “Hey, now!” Jonathan inched his way in front of Caleb and faced Arianna. “What’s going on here?” he asked her and glanced back at Caleb.

  “This son of a bitch is stepping out on me!” she screamed, pointing at Caleb with the pan.

  “Arianna.” Jonathan held up his hands. “If he’s not with you, he’s with me, and I can tell you that all he leaves this apartment to do is work. I swear to you.”

  “Oh, yeah? Then what in the hell is this?” She threw Ruth’s notes in Jonathan’s face and then tried to get around him with the frying pan aimed at Caleb. Jonathan grabbed her from behind and held her back. “Arianna! Calm down!” he yelled.

  “Let me go!” she screamed, kicking behind her, aiming at his shins.

  “Arianna, those aren’t mine!”

  “Liar!” She wriggled and grunted, trying to get out of Jonathan’s grasp.

  “I swear to you, they aren’t!” Caleb pleaded.

  “Not yours, huh? Then who the hell do they belong to? They were in your pants pocket, Caleb! Well, whose are they then?” she demanded. Caleb looked helplessly at Arianna.

  “I can’t tell you,” he said.

  “You’re lying! They’re yours! I know they’re yours! I’m leaving! Soon as Jon lets me go, I’m packing and going home!” she sobbed. Jonathan closed his eyes and took a deep, frustrated breath.

  “They’re mine, Arianna,” he said through gritted teeth. She stopped fighting him immediately.

  “What!?” She twisted her head around to try to look at him.

  “Jon–” Caleb started but didn’t know how to finish. Either way, one of them was in trouble tonight.

  “They’re mine, Arianna. Caleb was just getting rid of them for me, so Ava wouldn’t see them.” He slowly let Arianna go, sliding his hand down her arm to take the frying pan from her. Just in case.

  “Yours?” she whispered in disbelief. He nodded.

  “You son of a bitch! Stepping out on Ava!”

  Now Caleb grabbed her to keep her from pummeling Jonathan, who raised his arms to protect his head and spun around. Ava was standing behind him with a strained expression. Arianna stopped fighting, and they all watched Ava cautiously. She walked past him and picked the notes up off the floor.

  “Ava. Don’t,” Jonathan begged. “Let me explain first.”

  “You should have explained in the first place,” she snapped at him and unfolded each note, her spine stiffening as she read them. She walked by Jonathan with a hard face, dropped the notes at his feet as she passed and then slammed their apartment door. Jonathan leaned against the wall.

  “This is great, just great,” he growled, and banged the back of his head on the wall twice.

  “Jon, I’m sorry. I should have thrown them out the window first thing,” Caleb’s voice trailed off.

  “You were helping him hide an affair!” Arianna’s voice was scratchy from screaming.

  “It’s not an affair, Ahna. It was a set-up. Don’t you remember Ruth?” Caleb asked her. Jonathan took over the explanation.

  “Blonde, blue eyes, talked a lot, I was with her just before Ava. She was always going around with us, and then suddenly she was gone?” Arianna’s eyes lit up.

  “I remember now,” she whispered.

  “Well, she found Jonathan,” Caleb interrupted. “Not that hard to do being married to Victor. Well, she showed up outside last night. I guess she’s still smitten. She slipped a note in Jon’s pocket, and I saw it. I pulled it out and offered to get rid of it for him, so it didn’t cause any problems. Like this,” Caleb sighed. Arianna looked toward Ava’s door.

  “Oh, boy,” she said, understanding fully now. “Maybe I should go talk to her first and explain things.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Caleb agreed.

  He pulled Jonathan inside, where he sat down hard at the dining table. Caleb poured hot coffee and sat down across from him silently.

  “I had just let myself relax, too,” he said with a mocking laugh. “I was sitting on the couch reading and had the passing thought that I’d gotten through one day without some sort of dramatics.” He shook his head helplessly.

  “I’m sorry. If I hadn’t been preoccupied with trying to catch that rat yesterday, I wouldn’t have forgotten to toss them out the window,” Caleb apologized.

  “How’d she find them anyway?” Jon asked.

  “I was changing, and they fell out of my pocket. She picked them up, and, well, you saw the rest,” he said, cringing.

  Jonathan nodded, and they sat in silence until Arianna returned a half-hour later.

  “All right, I explained everything to her. Everything you guys told me anyway. I think she’ll at least talk to you. You’ll have to fill in the details, Jon. There’s a lot more she wants to know.”

  “Thanks.” He patted her back as he walked past her.

  She sat next to Caleb at the table, quiet for a moment and then took his hand.

  “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

  “It’s okay. I know how it must have looked,” he admitted.

  “It didn’t look good, that’s for sure.”

  “You were really gonna club me with that pan, weren’t you?” he asked, half-smiling.

  “Yes. Yes I was.”

  “I would never do that to you, Ahna. Step out on you, I mean.”

  “I know that deep down, Caleb. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “A woman scorned is a very scary thing,” he breathed.

  ∞∞∞

  Jonathan sat down on the far end of the couch, eying Ava tensely. On her end, she sat with crossed legs and her arms crossed over her chest, staring at the fire.

  “If I had a nickel for every hour we’ve spent staring at this fire,” he said quietly.

  “Who is she?” Ava demanded. He took a deep breath and sat back, attempting to get comfortable. He had a feeling he would be there a while. “She is someone I was with before you.”

  “Why have you never mentioned her before?”

  “There was no need to. The minute I met you, she was ancient history.”

  “You were with her when you met me?” she asked with a look of surprise.

  “Yes. At the dinner party. I deserted her when I left the party with you. She was the drunken annoying one, remember?”

  “I was upset that night. But you took me for coffee later, and you didn’t mention that you were seriously involved with someone.”

  “I’d already forgotten about her, Ava. I’d already decided that I was going to end it with her, and I wasn’t going to say anything to you that would make you think twice about seeing me again. If I had told you that I was involved with someone else, would you have gone to dinner with me the very next night?”

  “Probably not,” she answered honestly.

  “See? I wasn’t going to risk that.”

  “I would have told you to end it with her and then come see me.” She glanced at him sideways. “That’s the proper way to do things. Technically, I was the other woman from the time you met me until you ended it with her.”

  “Which was all of twenty four hours, Ava. I wrote her a letter the very next day. I didn’t even see her again. I had Charles turn her away when she came to the door and my doorman turn her away at the office. Eventually, she accepted it and I hadn’t heard from her again. Until now.”

  Fury welled up in her at the thought of this woman approaching Jonathan on the street to slip him a note smelling of perfume and imprinted with a lipstick kiss.

  “How did she find you then?” she asked through tight lips. Jonathan hesitated, not wanting to say the name.
>
  “She’s married to Victor,” he finally said bluntly. Her head whipped to face him.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. She mentioned he was out of town and felt bad about what happened to us–”

  “To us? Or to you?” she asked with an accusing tone.

  “Well, she said to me.” He fidgeted uncomfortably at the questioning.

  “All right, Jon, just start at the beginning,” she sighed and listened as he gave her every detail of the meeting, starting with Caleb noticing the car and ending with them on the landing and hearing Arianna scream at the rat. Her eyes flashed livid when he told her that Ruth had hugged him when she slipped him the note. She took a minute before she said anything in return. “So, you were just going to let Caleb get rid of the notes and never say anything to me about it?” she asked, appalled. He nodded grudgingly.

  “Do we honestly need more problems?” he asked.

  “No, but that’s not the point.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have told you. But just like when I first met you, I wasn’t about to let her come between us. If I had walked in here and told you, what would you have done?” She thought about it for a moment.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I do know that if she ever approaches you again,” she spoke with penetrating eyes, “you will tell me about it right away.”

  “I promise.” He nodded, relieved that the confrontation was over. She was distant, though, when she changed into nightclothes and got into bed with her back to Jonathan for a night of restless sleep.

  November 28th 1929

  Tension hung in the air as they ate breakfast quietly. Afterward, Ava searched for something to make for Thanksgiving dinner. She pulled out a bucket of potatoes from under the cloth skirt that hid the sink pipes, which had been snuggled up against the wall to keep them chilled.