War Torn Love

by Londo, Jay M.

  Momma would surely tan my butt if she had caught sight of where I was currently sitting, and not in my bedroom where I was supposed to be. She insisted on me always wearing a bloody dress, while I wished I were a boy at times. I skinned my knees up a bit in the climb, as usual - I didn’t mind, it was all worth it, to gain even a better vantage point from which to look. I had hoped though, that I wouldn’t be spotted, because if Momma had caught me, she would surely skin my butt bright red. She hates when I climb the trees.

  She always said in her stern voice, “girls aren’t supposed to climb trees,”

  But I wouldn’t have any of that - I had a stubborn independent streak about me, just like my Poppa. I was more of a tomboy than a girl, playing with dolls or girly things simply did not interest me in even the slightest. Most girls in my grade were not tomboys like me. I think sometimes I wanted to be the son Poppa never had - I always knew it broke his heart, though he wouldn’t come right out and say it. Don’t get me wrong I knew he loved me so. I had a little brother, who died of polio two years earlier. There is not a day that I do not think about him he was so precious to us all.

  I concentrated on my observation of this arriving family. They were oblivious to my presence. It looked like a Jewish family - I was so excited, when I had noticed this, and they looked just like us. I did not care if they were Jewish. All I was interested in was if there was going to be a kid my age for me to play with once more, I was not going to be persnickety.

  Looking down from my high perch, I spotted a man who looked to be around Poppa’s age, dressed just like Poppa dresses. The man wearing his yarmulke, long beard, then a lovely enough looking women nestled beside him, wearing a white tichel and a brown dress.

  And oh yes! To my delight, I almost screamed out giving away my secret location, when I had spotted him. A young boy, and from the looks of it, he appeared to be my age, but could not be sure. He certainly did not look to be too excited about moving here. He was staring down at his feet, scuffing them in the dusty dirt covering at the side of the path - well I was suddenly determined to change his mind. I knew once he knew I lived here, surely then he would cheer up. It was in my nature to meddle in others people’s business, whether they asked for it or not.

  Completely forgetting that I was trying to remain hidden, and that this would draw attention to where I was, I shouted, “Hello down there!” And then, I clapped my hands over my mouth, wobbling against the tree trunk, my stomach pressed tight against the branch, my legs wrapped around it. I lost all thought of distracting him, and was more interested at that time in staying on my perch.

  Suddenly the little boy looked up from staring down at his feet, with a shy, curious smile. I think that the fact that he was hearing another child’s voice might have had something to do with it. He was looking all around for me. He had no clue where I was. I was now playing a game with him, forcing him to look hard. It gave me a chance to study him.

  “Hello little boy,” Hey I am, I am up here silly! Up in the tree, over here. My name is Hana, and I live here.”

  He then spotted me, hiding out clutching onto the thick branch situated well above him, maybe some fifty feet - holding on for dear life to be honest. This new boy turned to his Momma, whispering in her ear. Later when I asked he told me he said:

  “Momma may I go and introduce myself to that funny girl up in that tree?”

  “Of course Abram, my child, but please my son, remember your manners, and don’t be too long, there’s a lot of work to do before the day’s up. Poppa will need your help unloading our belongings into our new house.”

  “Ok Momma, thank you!”

  Patting her husband, gently on his back. “Look Lejbus, our boy is already making a friend!”

  “Etka, maybe now he’ll start feeling good about this move, I’m sure my son is going to love our new home dear, it’s much larger than the last. And he’ll be able to enjoy this fresh country air; this is a proper place a boy should be raised, not the drab city. My happiest memories came from when I spent the summers on my uncle’s farm. I want Abram to have the same memories as I.”

  “One can only hope my husband.” From my vantage point I heard this faintly, though, I was already considering my retreat and scrabble back to earth too. Abram told me later that his mother was so amused by antics that she made him recount every second when he returned.

  Suddenly this young boy was running over towards the tree, towards me. I was currently up in, looking curiously up at me, with a curious look, and a wide smiling. Now he was standing directly underneath me, of course about fifty feet below me, I wished he were up in the tree with me; this tree was my special place where I like to come. I wanted to show him my tree house - perhaps - we could form a club. I was already planning our lives together, and I did not even know his name. Or for that matter if we were even going to like one another, or even get along.

  “Hello up there, my name is Abram Balsam, were just moving in next door here, are you a girl?

  “Yes of course I am a girl - that’s a silly question and I’m tough too! So don’t get any ideas just because I am a girl.”

  “Girl, do you live here, at this house?”

  “Yes of course I live here I’ve lived here all my life.”

  “Hey, girl, what is your name?”

  I do not why, was it his voice, his smile? A strange feeling coursed through out my young body, I had never experienced before. What I did not know at the time that I was experiencing love at first sight. That is just how much of a first impression he had made me.

  “Oh, my name is Hana Wakstok - Hana was my grandmother’s name. So do you have a problem that I am a girl?”

  “No I don’t think so; I never had a girl friends before. I have never seen a girl that climbs trees before!”

  “I bet I can climb faster than you!”

  He smiled and said, “We could race sometime.”

  “So Abram Balsam how old are you?”

  “I’m eight and -a-half years old - so how old are you? What was your name again?”

  “Hana silly, you’re funny! I am going to be eight on the twenty forth of this month - my Momma said I could have a birthday party. I’m going to invite you, were going to have chocolate cake, and Poppa said we could make ice cream - you can sit next to me.”

  In all my fun, a horribly unexpected turn of events quickly unfolded, ruining everything. Momma, who must have heard me talking too loudly, interrupted me - I knew by her general tone in her voice, which I was surely going to be in trouble for this.

  “Hana Ester Wakstok you get down out of that tree at once, you hear me young lady. We will be talking about this later. And please be careful on your way down, you know you worry me so.”

  I knew Momma was not actually mad at me - she was just putting on airs. I think she was embarrassed that her daughter was, of all things, climbing trees. Thinking what kind of an impression was I going to make. I knew that she was excited, as I was - that - a new family was moving in next door. She must have longed to have another woman to talk too. She watched me all the way down - never did her eyes leave me. Once I was finished climbing down from out of the tree, Momma came over to me, and were Abram had been standing waiting for me I thought he wanted to get a better look at me, sizing me up.

  Momma turned her attention from me to the young man standing at the bottom of the tree, who seemed excited to meet me. I knew I was temporarily safe from trouble, as long as Abram was around.

  “Well hello their young man - my name is Mrs. Wakstok, I live here, I’m Hana’s Momma. Whom might you be?”

  Interrupting her in all the excitement, I was jumping up and down, “Oh Momma, this is Abram Balsam, and you’re never going to believe it Momma, he’s eight in a half years old. Isn’t that positively wonderful!”

  “Hana Ester, do you mind letting him answer my question on his own, that’s not polite. “He had a typical eight year old smile - showing off his two front missing upper teeth to me. “Pleasure
to meet you Mrs. Wakstok.” Then pointing over towards his parents, “That’s my mother and father over there.”

  “Well, let me be the first to say, Abram it’s a pleasure to meet you - I can see my daughter is going to be happy to have a child her age to play with. The children that live around her are much older than her, And none Jewish. She has been so lonely as of late. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of you young man.” Then Momma put in a good word for me, as she did, she winked at me. “Well Abram I hope you like cookies, I am always making them.”

  I smiled back at him, in agreement with Momma - I just wished that she would not have told him how lonesome I was. For no explanation, I began sticking my tongue through the narrow gap were I lost my tooth last week, and pushing on my other loss tooth with my tongue, that surely would be following out soon enough. Showing Abram how I could wiggle my tooth. Then I reach out and shook his hand.

  “Well Abram, what do you say, the three of us stroll on over, and then you can introduce my daughter, and I to your parents, I would love to meet them both.”

  “Yes Ma’am!”

  He appeared to be as excited to introduce his parents to me, and Momma. We walked over to their yard, carefully.

  “Momma, and Poppa, this is Mrs. Wakstok, and look Momma this is her daughter, her name is Hana, guess what mother on the 24th she’s going to turn eight years old! She just invited me to her birthday party; they are going to have chocolate cake. And make home-made ice cream. She will be eight just like me Momma and Poppa! And she has a tree-house - you should see it, it’s up in that tree.”

  I could tell that Abram was as excited to have someone new to play with - as I was - that made me very happy. Like Abram, my parents and his parents would end up became quite good friends, in fact Mr. Balsam and my father eventually went into business together.

  “Mrs. Wakstok, this is my Poppa, Mr. Balsam.”

  Mr. Balsam stopped what he had been doing, and turned to face Mrs. Wakstok - my Mom. She smiled back at him.

  “Please Mrs. Wakstok, Mr. Balsam sounds so formal, please all my friends call me Lejbus this is my lovely wife Etka. So nice to make your acquaintances Mrs. Wakstok!”

  “Please call me Ester. So nice to meet the both of you. Say if you don’t mind me being too forward. Do you folks have any assistance unloading your wagon? From the looks of it, you have some heavy looking items to unload, and trying to get them all up all those stairs. Will be difficult by yourselves.”

  I suddenly knew what my mother was upto. My mother reached out to formally shake Mr. and Mrs. Balsam hand, and in doing so would cement a friendship.

  “Please would you call me Ester? So nice to meet you both.”

  “No it’s just the three of us I’m afraid, were new to the area, but we should be just fine, do not fret over us.”

  “Oh no, Etka, that simply won’t do at all, no not at all. Our Jewish community is very tight knit, we help each other. Hold on just a minute, I’ve got an idea. Hana dear, would you please go fetch your sister, Marym for me sweetie!”

  I turned and then ran as fast as I could. A couple of minutes later Marym and I both came running back to Momma’s location.

  “Yes Momma, Hana said you wanted to see me?”

  “Yes, darling I would like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Balsam, and their lovely son Abram. Lejbus, and Etka this is my eldest daughter, Marym.”

  “Well than, pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Balsam.”

  “Thank you; it’s a pleasure to meet you too young lady.”

  Then Momma turned back to glance at Marym. In a soft voice, “Darling I would like you to take your bike into town and go fetch Poppa at the store, and oh thinking about it, you better go ahead and get Mr. Landau as well. Tell them both to come home at once, tell them that our new neighbor has arrived and need some assistance moving their personal belongings into their home. Now hurry along child!”

  “Oh Mrs. Wakstok, Ester I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that for us - we don’t want to impose, but thank you!”

  “Oh don’t think anything of it - I won’t take no for an answer. And I’ll tell you what, I will lend you a hand. You and your family will have dinner at my house tonight. Come to think of it, we have a spare room were you and your family can sleep comfortably tonight, then tomorrow I’ll come over with you after a nice breakfast. Marym and I will give you a hand unpacking. I’m sure Hana wouldn’t mind showing Abram around, how’s that sound?”

  Abram’s mother began crying, “You show such kindness to us, we’re strangers to you. I knew moving here was a good idea, well than it would be rude to reject such kindness that has been shown towards us. All I can say is thank you! It would be a pleasure - to break bread with such nice people. God surely heard my prayer.”

  Momma smiled back as she walked over and gave Mrs. Balsam a hug. Then shook Mr. Balsam hand. Momma appeared to be on cloud nine, she’s always happiest when she could be to assistance others, she said she liked doing God’s work; it was her own way of giving back. I to was so happy that Abram was going to be coming over to my house. Wrapped up in the moment, I walked over and gave him a hug. He wasn’t quite as receptive to this sudden warmness I had showed towards him - in fact he turned beet red, I think he was embarrass by this, oh what had I done, I thought. His parents and my mother all smiled, all looking upon us, and commented on how cute it was. His arms never seem to rise up and embrace mine, though I think deep down he liked it. I just so happened to have seen him half-smiling. He told me as much years later. I let my arms back down and also turned beet red in utter embarrassment, after the adults had to make such a big deal about it. Once I had noticed the parents all smiling.

  Abram’s mother commented. “Oh look at that, how cute is that, aren’t they a charming couple. Your daughters are quite beautiful.” At the time I had never even considered Abram as a boyfriend material, I did not like boys in that way; no he was nothing more than a playmate. Well not for a couple more years anyways. And from that instant on, over the next couple of years, that’s what we were defined as, and it sort of stuck, “the charming little couple.” I always tried holding Abram’s hand, I wasn’t quite sure why, but he would always pull his hand away from mine, I guess I was a tomboy, but I still was a girl at heart, and from that very first moment, he had won mine. From the moment the two of us met, we went everywhere together, like two peas in a pod.

  About half-hour later, things got into full swing, when Poppa and Mr. Landau showed up upon Momma’s request, along with my older sister. They all introduced one another; see with Hasidic Jews, we always helped one another in time of need, to not offer help to others who are in need, is strongly wrong, especially in God’s eyes. Soon as my Dad and Mr. Landau had arrived, my sister Marym, and my mother made a beeline for the house. Momma wanted to go make our new neighbors feel as welcome as humanly possible, by making up some beds, and cooking up a tradition Jewish meal for our guest. Well it was more a feast.

  I myself did not get off so scot-free for the night’s events. I gathered eggs and the vegetables for the little feast. Normally I would have put up an objection, and fretted over being assigned such a mundane task, but not this time. To make it go a bit better, I took the liberty of asking if Abram wanted to lend a hand. He excitedly asked his Momma,

  She said, “Go ahead!”

  He was so excited that we had chickens. Coming from the city, he had never actually gotten up and close to a live chicken before. I think once I took him inside the chicken coop he was intimidated by are rooster, with good reason he was a hoary old bird. He liked to try attacking once in a while.

  Momma called out to everyone that dinner was going to be ready in a little while. The men had been gathered in the living room, and began smoking cigars. Mrs. Balsam and Mrs. Landau joined Momma, disappearing behind the door led from the dining room leading onto in the kitchen. We could hear them giggling - it was nice to think of Momma was enjoying herself once again. She just enjoyed putting on dinner part
ies. She really did have a heart of gold, even then, I hoped to grow up to be like her.

  I saw my opening. Abram was standing there all alone twiddling his thumbs - looking uncomfortable, out of place - being ignored by all the adults in the room. Excited I asked him, “Abram would you like to go up and see my room - well my sisters and my room, I have a puzzle of the Eifel Tower I have been working on - would you like to help me with it? I’m about half done with it.”

  “Sure, why not? I like puzzles.” I could hear the excitement in his voice.

  Surprised that he actually liked puzzles just like me, “You do?”

  “Yep! I sure do, I was working on one of the Alps before we had to move,” smiling as he answered. We headed towards my room.

  “Wow! Hana I love your room, it’s so big.”