“No.”
“I know,” Jonathan said. “Even now I find it strange. Every once in a while, I’ll look up, expecting to see the towers.”
Rina shook her head. “It’ll be so good to see my boys.”
“My mother told me you’re staying with the Lazaruses forShabbat ,” Jonathan said. “They’re deliriously happy about seeing everyone. It’s wonderful that you’ve remained in contact with them.”
“They’re my sons’ grandparents,” Decker said.
“You’d be surprised at the pettiness I see, Akiva. Pastoral counseling is sometimes a misnomer for refereeing.”
“I can believe that,” Decker said. “The Lazaruses are nice people. I’m sure they get a lump in their throat every time they see me with Rina.”
“Actually, they adore you,” Jonathan said. “I think they’ve co-opted you as one of their own. At least that’s what my mother tells me.” He tapped the wheel and cleared his throat. “I shouldn’t be so possessive. My mother is your mother, too.”
They exited the highway somewhere in the middle part of town. The main avenues were still clear, so traveling was doable. But Decker knew that within an hour, the streets would be clogged with mean-looking vehicular metal that would make him wish he were battling rush-hour traffic in L.A. At least back home, the city was car friendly. New York streets had been built for buggies, not for delivery trucks and their drivers who felt it was their God-given right to double-park even if it meant jamming up the roadways. And the street addresses never corresponded to anything. It was impossible to find a location unless you knew it was there to begin with. To Decker, an excursion through Manhattan was akin to one big scavenger hunt.
He sat back and looked out the window, thinking about Jon’s words: “My mother is your mother, too.”
“You know, it’s funny, Jon. I think of you as my half brother. And the others—your brothers and sisters—I feel related to them as well. But your mother . . . who is as much my mother as yours . . . I haven’t made the connection yet. I probably never will.”
Jonathan nodded. “I can understand that. There is this small issue called my father.”
“Maybe that’s it. I’m sure I make her very uncomfortable—”
“Not really. She knows her secret is safe with all of us.”
“Psychologically then.” Decker laughed. “I like your mother. I really do. But my own mother is still alive. It’s unfair to expect a man to have more than one mother at any given time.”
“Not to mention a couple of mothers-in-law,” Rina added. “My motherand Mrs. Lazarus.”
Decker frowned. “Yeah, that too. Two mothers, two mothers-in-law, two daughters, and a wife. I’m surrounded by all these estrogen-filled beings. Don’t you feel sorry for me?”
“I would,” Rina answered. “Except right now I’m cranky because of PMS.”
Her face was deadpan. Decker couldn’t tell if she was serious or not. But he didn’t question her. Never rouse a sleeping lion.
Street Dreams Page 43