She pulled a lengthy blue flowery dress up to her and fixed a stare into the bathroom mirror. The minuscule mirror, not large enough to capture her full figure, forced her to look at her shape in pieces, the upper neck line and shoulders and then, standing on her tub, the dress covering her legs and ankles. Dissatisfied with the blue color, she tossed it over the rising pile on her bed.
Eli told her to wear something conservative and Rebecca knew exactly what he meant. Years of practice, living with her socially conscious, conventional mother taught her that. Rebecca had not even learned of a flapper dress until well into her twenties. While other young ladies freed themselves from the constraints of the older generation in the twenties with dazzling, sexy dresses celebrating cleavage and makeup that used to be considered a sure sign of prostitution, Rebecca’s parents coddled her with cultural courtesies and propriety. She had mixed feelings about that; on the one hand, she considered it a luxury to have been brought up with money, servants, cooks, and a large home and, on the other hand, she missed out on many of the reckless teenage experiences of her less fortunate friends in Munich and University.
Rebecca knew reds and yellows were too loud and short dresses were not conservative enough. She wanted to be a part of Eli’s life and this meant dressing the part for his family. A flustered emotion arose as she chose between two dresses still in her closet. A long sleeved, dark forest green outfit covered the ankles, and white flower embroidery decorated the collar and sleeves.
The other, a light bark brown dress whose sleeves broke right after the elbow in a white lace, also hid the ankles. A crisp white belt accompanied the garment. Rebecca pulled out the bark brown dress, a pair of gold earrings and her brown heels.
Eli wouldn’t pick her up until late afternoon, giving them time to arrive at his parents’ house before sundown, but Rebecca did not want to rush her appearance and desired to make sure of every detail before he arrived.
An hour before sundown, Eli rushed down to her room and knocked. Rebecca opened the heavy door with a delighted, nervous smile.
Eli had grown to know her smiles. She had a wide eyed smile that meant surprise. Her short stretched lip meant she was trying hard to be courteous. She had a hand covered smile when she felt elated, but remembered her cordial upbringing, and she had this smile where her lips were crooked in their corners. He knew she was anxious about meeting his family and, despite all his reassurances, he knew she still felt anxious. But deep inside, he also harbored doubts that everything would be fine.
Eli escorted her to his Audi and drove out of the heart of the city to the outskirts. Rebecca could see many low trees full of dark green leaves bundled up like a quilt about them, and elongated trees whose light evergreen feathers blew over the ground below them. It reminded her of the drive up to her own house while departing the busyness of Munich.
The Levin home was quaint, but one of the larger homes in the area. Unlike the Baum house with its luxury statues and daily tended gardens, this held a small garden in the front next to the windows. When Eli pulled his car into the driveway behind an expensive white 1931 BMW 3/15 DA 4, Rebecca saw a young girl peek out the window, giggle, and then drop the curtains. The car was unique in its appearance with a strong box shape, white and black contrasting colors, and thick tires. Seeing the car, Rebecca understood why Eli talked about wanting to buy one earlier.
“Your father’s?” she asked, knowing already the answer.
“Yes, he just bought it a few months ago. Beautiful, isn’t it?” Eli said beautiful with pride, eager to finally show Rebecca his family’s wealth, in complete contrast to Eli’s apartment and old car. Eli held Rebecca around the shoulders as they walked up to his parents’ home. The wide, tall white house with columns at the entrance looked simple and comfortable. Eli opened the door and the festivities from inside permeated into the corridor. A short woman in her late thirties with blond hair, brown eyes, a blue uniform and white apron hobbled over to them with a warm smile squished into her soft pale white cheeks.
“Ada!” Eli gave her a hug replete with missing someone he hadn’t seen in awhile and the maid kissed him on the cheek. “So good to see you again. Your surgery went well?”
“Yes, yes.” She answered in a strong Austrian accent, too heavy for Rebecca to make out all her words clearly. “The hospital stay was long, about one week and terribly boring. Not much to do and not much good food. Your parents were so kind to bring me plates of home cooked meals.”
“Did you fall ill?” Rebecca’s curiosity brought her to the forefront of the conversation.
“Heavy heart palpitations. I have been feeling faint and fatigued and went to have myself checked.”
“What did the doctors say?” Rebecca’s study of nursing left her head spinning with questions, thoughts and she felt quite comfortable with this conversation, one most people would prefer not knowing the details of.
“After a week of rest, he told me I’d be fine, but Mr. and Mrs. Levin insist I rest and refuse I lift a finger during the feast. This will be different for me, being waited on instead of the one doing the serving.” Ada grinned into her wide chin and wobbled back into the living room area where she tended to low stress knitting, and sewing sweaters for all the Levin kids, including Eli. Rebecca heard the three sisters Eli told her about in the next room with Ada giggling, and she looked at Eli and smiled her nervous smile.
“Let’s introduce you, shall we?” Eli’s eyes silently asked if she was ready to move forward. Rebecca nodded and Eli ambled hand in hand with her into the living room. Sarah, Eli’s oldest sister, sat the farthest away in the room, gazing over Rebecca, watching her carefully with occasional intermittent smiles. Her long brown wavy hair draped, braided, over her shoulder. The tallest of the three, with her love of dancing, she maintained a lean strong form.
Leah, Eli’s middle sister, sat next to Sarah on a closer side of the sofa. Her short, straight, brown hair was fashioned in a bob and her cheeks were puffy like her dress, or perhaps it was her figure. Her rounded eyes matched her personality. Miriam, Eli’s youngest sister, sat on Ada’s lap on the sofa to the left as they entered the room. Her kind big brown eyes hid behind curly long brown hair, the lightest of the three, which dangled to her waist. Eli guided Rebecca to the empty sofa to the right. Rebecca sat next to Eli while he held her hand.
“So, how was your drive up?” Ada inquired, easing the sisters into welcoming the new guest.
“It was a short trip, pleasant. Not any difficulties,” Eli responded.
Ada directed her eyes at Rebecca. “And you, dear, did you enjoy the drive?”
“Yes, it reminded me of trips to my parents’ house, roads bordered with trees and bush. It’s always nice getting out of the city and into the country.”
“The city can be so daunting, so much noise and crowds. The worst of Germany in one spot,” Ada confessed. Rebecca had only heard the words: daunting, noise, crowd and nodded her head in agreement, knowing from Ada’s expression she did not much care for the city of Munich.
Rebecca’s lips pressed tightly when they pulled upward and Eli recognized her “polite” smile.
Eli also knew this because he was privy to her esteem of Munich, the freedom it provided her, the boisterous life, and the many hospitals in need of help. Rebecca had told him about the hospital close to the courthouse and the interview she had for a position there. She hoped to secure a job come May, but she was still waiting on hearing back from them.
Ada smiled at the sisters, encouraging their polite conversation.
“How did you enjoy your studies at University?” Sarah asked, not only out of courtesy, but out of sincere interest. She planned to attend a university for dancing.
“I enjoyed my classes very much,” Rebecca answered and Eli interrupted.
“She received her diploma in Nursing.”
“A nurse,” Sarah remarked, her eyes softening, “That’s a kind profession, dedicating your life to helping others.”
&nb
sp; “It’s all I ever wanted to do since I was a child.” Rebecca recollected old memories she had not thought about for some time, “I remember watching the doctors and nurses closely whenever I had to go to the hospital with Mutti, and admired their delicate skill and patient hands.”
Sarah smiled at Rebecca’s response and then Leah gained the courage to entertain the new guest. She played with her short hair when she spoke.
“Eli told us you worked at a local diner,” Leah offered information Eli mentioned in passing.
“Yes, I do.”
“Is it good work?”
“It can be stressful at times, but work is work.” Rebecca shrugged and Leah played with her fingers before looking away from Rebecca.
“What grade are you in at school?” Rebecca inquired.
“I’m in the seventh grade,” Leah said, like she had accomplished a great feat.
“Very good!” Rebecca reciprocated her feelings. Rebecca glanced away from the far sofa and focused on the sofa across from where she and Eli sat. She gleamed looking at the little girl. “This must be Miriam?” she asked, knowing the answer.
Ada cuddled Miriam in her arms, kissing her on the forehead. “She is the youngest in the family.” Ada raked her fingers through Miriam’s long, light brown hair.
“How old are you?”
Miriam raised her right hand and showed five short fingers, then pulled her hand down to cover her giggling mouth.
“Miriam doesn’t like to talk to people she doesn’t know very well,” Eli confided to Rebecca.
Sarah leapt from her seat like she leapt in her ballet shoes and pranced to the other side of the room. All eyes followed her. “I think Mama needs me in the kitchen,” Sarah said and disappeared.
Eli turned to Rebecca. “Mama is preparing the rest of the feast. Sarah is helping her today since Ada is resting from her visit to the hospital. Sarah enjoys helping Ada cook too when she’s not busy with her schoolwork.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Rebecca asked.
“No, no, it’s real busy in there. I’m sure you’d get lost in the hustle of the preparations.” Eli pinched her nose. Rebecca squinted at his dark brown eyes and sent him a private smile.
At the feast, Eli walked with Rebecca to the table and covered his head with a white fabric he called a kippah. A white lace cloth that could have been sewn by Ada covered the long table. Eight white ceramic plates sat on the table, three settings on each long side, with one setting at each end. A large round platter reigned in the center, with a roasted egg on a small plate, horseradish in small dish, a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine in another dish, parsley in yet another dish, and a few chicken on a small plate.
Two plates of matzos sat at each end of the table and a glass of wine accompanied each plate.
Rebecca’s eyes widened in awe at the procedural arrangement of the feast. Eli showed her to her seat next to him at a corner of the table. Eli strategically planned it this way so that she would be between himself and his mother, the two people he knew would be easiest for her to converse with during the lengthy Jewish remembrance. Sarah sat on the other side of Eli, filling up the last seat. Ada sat across from Rebecca, followed by Leah and finally Miriam who sat next to her father. Ezekiel entered the room, a tall man with a strong lean figure and a short grey beard and mustache. He also wore a white kippah covering his head. He walked to Eli, patted him on the shoulders with a hopeful smile, then greeted the lady Eli had brought to meet the family.
“Shalom. My name is Ezekiel. It’s a pleasure to meet one of Eli’s friends.” Warm and inviting, Ezekiel put Rebecca at ease.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Eli has told me so much about you, about all of you.”
“He’s told us much about you as well. Finally we get to meet you.” Ezekiel felt like her own father when he finished his sentence and sauntered to his chair to wait with everyone else for Deborah to find her seat. Finished with the meal to be served after Seder, she pulled off her apron and rushed out of the kitchen adjacent to the dining room, both rooms smaller than at the Baum’s house.
Her hair was a mix of grays and browns pinned up on her head. Her eyes were wide and her figure plump, but healthy. She looked more motherly than elegant, a stark contrast for Rebecca at her own house. She sat down and the Seder began. Eli had told Rebecca in advance to simply follow him and that no one expected her to grasp the entire feast tonight. The eldest daughter dimmed the lights and Ada set two candles on each end of the table.
Miriam opened her mouth for the first time for Rebecca to hear. “Why is this night different from all other nights?”
Ezekiel began with the Kadeish prayer over the wine. Then they each stood, one by one, and made their way to the washing bowl set on a cabinet near the table, washing and drying their hands. Eli told her normally there would be a prayer after this, but Pesach was a special holiday that omitted it in the hopes of exciting the child’s inquiry to ask why. They sipped their wine and then dipped parsley into salty water while Ezekiel said a blessing, followed by another cup of wine and, a peculiar event to Rebecca, the taking of matzo, the breaking of it and hiding half of it under a napkin while returning the rest to the main plate.
After this strange display, Miriam spoke again in her soft, but audible voice and Rebecca smiled at the young child’s patience and dedication which, at this point, surpassed her own. Miriam asked, “Why do we eat matzo instead of bread, why do we eat bitter vegetables, why do we dip our vegetables twice, and why do we recline instead of sitting up straight?”
Rebecca gazed around the room and noticed she was the only one with a straight posture out of habit from constant reminder by her mother. Ezekiel then began the retelling of a story she remembered from Catholic school, the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
Rebecca smelled the array of food hidden in the kitchen which was prepared by Deborah and Sarah while Ezekiel told the story. She found herself eager for the Seder to conclude so that she might eat, but knew the Seder would be long and she tried to hold onto her patience. After the story finished, everyone stood again and washed their hands and then Ezekiel gave a blessing. Rebecca followed behind Eli. Two more blessings were given over the matzo which, at this time, was broken and taken. Eli noticed Rebecca’s fascination with each detail. Then a blessing was given, followed by the horseradish and mixture of fruit spread over the matzo.
Rebecca watched everyone and waited for the family to eat the matzo before taking any herself.
Deborah stood, followed by Ada and Sarah and they each brought in a plate of food to the table. Homemade matzo balls, baked potato pancakes, braised chicken, beets, briskets, and grilled duck filled the plates. But before anyone ate, they enjoyed eating the egg and then finally filled their plates with food. Rebecca’s appetite was well worn at this time and Eli turned to her, whispering in jest.
“I told you it would be awhile before we eat.” Rebecca could only smile and hold her tongue. After dinner, they enjoyed the dessert and chocolate-covered matzo, followed by two more cups of wine.
Miriam made it a point at this time to share her contribution to the dinner. “I made the dessert myself,” she said with a high smile that pinched her pinkish cheeks.
“With Mama’s help,” Deborah added.
“The feast was amazing.” Rebecca complimented Deborah and then Ezekiel. Deborah smiled with warmth like Ezekiel, but to Rebecca her warmth seemed more heartfelt, much like Eli’s own smiles.
Eli escorted Rebecca to the living room and, on their way, Sarah brushed past Eli. Rebecca continued onto the living area and sat where she had previously, giving the two of them a chance to talk in private.
“She’s very pleasant and sweet,” Sarah said and Eli could hear the but in her voice, “but she is so very goy.” Sarah tried to say the word with the utmost politeness, but tact came second to honesty for her. They whispered in the corner before the entrance to the living room and Rebecca overheard the word and, though not knowing
what it fully meant, gathered it implied something about her in a negative light. Before Eli broke away from his sister, she concluded, “Father will never approve.”
When Eli walked into the living room, an outsider wouldn’t have known any discord had occurred between him and his sibling from his gay disposition and relaxed smile. But Rebecca knew something was wrong. Eli built a wall of confidence every time his insecurities festered, and she could see the wall now, a façade of ease when she could feel him crumbling.
He was crumbling, not only because he knew his father would disapprove of her despite his warm welcome, and not only because of Deseire’s shame of him; he was crumbling because he also felt Rebecca pulling away. He could feel it inside of him ever since the argument she had with her mother at graduation. For the past few weeks she had been growing more distant. He didn’t want her to know his family had oppositions too, or for her to sense any more uncertainty in the relationship.
Eli watched Rebecca watching Miriam and Leah play games on the floor. She watched the kids play for some time, whispering to Eli and stealing unseen kisses until Ezekiel called Eli to the den.
Ezekiel stood over a desk of papers and files when Eli arrived and he waved his son into talk with him.
“Yes, Father?”
“I need to speak with you before you go. You know I don’t like to handle these personal matters over the phone or in the office.”
“Yes.” Eli’s body became fixed, tense like it had when he was scolded as a boy.
“Close the door.”
Eli followed his father’s instruction and then returned to him.
“You know I don’t have to tell you this, but I’m going to anyhow. I and your mama realize you have strong feelings for Rebecca, but the two of you come from different worlds and these worlds can’t mix. It’s dangerous for the both of you.”
The Day the Flowers Died Page 10