My Valentine

by Tracie Peterson

  The old cantor seemed taken aback by her sudden boldness. He nodded, his gray beard bobbing up and down with the motion.

  “I’ve heard it said,” she hesitated. She wasn’t a scholarly woman and all of the things she was about to say had come straight from her father’s mouth. She could only hope to accurately translate the things she’d been told. “I’ve heard it said,” she began again, “that the words of Isaiah make clear the coming of Messiah. The Christians believe Isaiah speaks of Jesus, but we believe it speaks of Israel. Is this true?”

  The cantor eyed her quite sternly for a moment. “It is true.”

  “The Christians also believe that Jesus is not only Messiah, but that He offers salvation to anyone who comes to Him.”

  “And what salvation would this be?” the cantor questioned. “Would it be salvation from the persecution our people have faced from their kind? Would it restore Israel and Jerusalem back to our people? Salvation from what, I ask?” The deep, resonant voice clearly bore irritation.

  “Well. . .” Darlene was now sorry to have brought up the subject. So much of what her father had shared regarding the Christians seemed reasonable, but confusing. “I thought it to mean salvation from death.”

  “You are of God’s chosen people, Miss Lewy. By reason of that you are already saved.”

  “But the Christians believe. . . .”

  “Feh! I care not for what the goyim believe. You are responsible for three things. Tefillah—prayer. Teshuvah—repentance. And tsedakah—righteousness. If you do what is right in God’s eyes, make your prayers, and turn away from your sins, God will look favorably upon you. The only salvation we seek is for Israel. Why do you suppose we say, ‘Next year in Jerusalem’? We mourn the destruction and loss of our beloved homeland. We long with fervency to return. Messiah will rebuild Jerusalem and the Holy Temple and restore his people to their land. The Turks now control it. Would you have me believe that the Christian Jesus came to earth but was unable to establish suchrestoration?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I suppose that is why I ask.”

  The cantor seemed to soften a bit. “It might be better if you were to leave this place. Esther has already told me there is room for you in her home. She would happily take you in and keep you.”

  “Leave my father? How could this be in keeping with the scriptures to honor him?” Darlene was devastated by the suggestion.

  “He is a traitor to his people if he believes that Jesus is Messiah. He will be forsaken and there will be no fellowship with him. He will become as one dead to us and you will be as one orphaned.”

  Darlene couldn’t help but shudder. She thought of the tiny, homeless children who frequented her doorstep. Would she be reduced to begging scraps of food and clothing from the friends and neighbors who would deem her father unfit—apostate—dead? She shuddered again. “I could not leave Tateh. He isn’t well and he might die. He needs me to care for him.”

  The old man’s harsh demeanor returned. “He will surely perish if he turns from God. As will you. Will you become meshummad—traitor to your faith and people? Will you trample under foot the traditions of your ancestors and break the heart of your dear, departed mother? If you follow your father into such betrayal, you will leave us no option but to declare you dead, as well.”

  Darlene felt shaken and unsure of herself. “I. . .I’m not. . .”

  The cantor got to his feet. “Christians have sought to destroy us. They treat us as less than human and disregard us, malign us, and even kill our people, all in the name of Christianity. Can you find acceptability in such a faith?” He didn’t wait for an answer, but strode proudly from the room.

  Darlene sat silently for several moments. She could feel her heart racing and perspiration forming on her brow. Why did such things have to be so consuming? The ringing of the bells caught her attention, and Darlene thought perhaps Mr. Singer had returned. Jumping to her feet, she was surprised to find her father standing in the door. A quick glance at the clock on the wall showed her that more time had passed than she’d been aware of.

  “Tateh, you’re back!”

  Abraham smiled broadly. “That I am and I have news to tell you. Come upstairs and we’ll sit together.”

  Darlene followed her father, wondering what in the world he had to tell her. His countenance was peaceful and his smile seemed to say that all was well, but in her heart Darlene feared that this talk would forever change their lives.

  “Let me check on your dinner,” she said, barely hearing her own words. She opened the oven to reveal a thick-breasted chicken roasting golden brown. Poking a fork into the center of it, she was satisfied to watch the succulent juices slide down the sides and into the pan.

  “Come, dinner will wait,” Abraham stated firmly.

  Darlene closed the oven and took her place at the table. It was always here that they shared important matters. It was at a similar table in Germany that her father had told her of her mother and brother’s death. It was at that same table he had announced their departure for America. What could he possibly wish to share with her now?

  “What is it, Tateh?”

  Abraham smiled. “I have invited the Blackwells to share Passoverwith us.”

  Passover? Her heart gave a sudden lurch. If Tateh was considering Passover, perhaps things weren’t as bad as she supposed. But to invite the Blackwells to their seder was a shock.

  “You’ve asked them here? For our seder?”

  “Yes. The message this morning at their church was all about Easter and the last supper of Jesus Christ. The last supper was a celebration of Passover. Pierce said that he wondered what that Passover feast might have been like, and I told him he should come see for himself.”

  “And they accepted?”

  “Dennison and Pierce did. Mrs. Morgan, Dennison’s widowed sister, declined interest. I don’t think she much cares for our kind.” His words were given in a rather sorrowful manner. “Of course, she also takes a strong stand where Dennison’s youngest child is concerned and refused for both herself and Constance Blackwell.”

  “I see.” Darlene felt a lump form in her throat. “Well, I suppose I have preparations to see to.”

  “You are unhappy with this?” Abraham looked at her so tenderly that Darlene couldn’t distance herself from him.

  “No, not really.” She considered telling him about the cantor, butdecided against it. “I’m just surprised that they would want to come.”

  Abraham chuckled. “I think Pierce would make any excuse to come. He seems most anxious to see you again. He always asks about you and wonders how it is that you are ever away when he comes for fittings.”

  Darlene blushed, feeling her cheeks grow very hot. She thought no one had noticed her purposeful absences. “I suppose it is because I have muchto do.”

  Abraham laughed even more at her feeble attempt to disguise the truth. “Daughter, you are not so very good at telling falsehoods. I’ve seen the way your face lights up when I speak of him. Perhaps you have a place in your heart for him?”

  “No!” Darlene declared a bit too enthusiastically. “He’s not of our faith and besides, I would never leave you.”

  “You will one day. It is important for a woman to marry and I will see you safely settled into a marriage of love and security before I die. So, if you think you can prolong my life on earth by simply refusing to marry, think again.”

  Darlene saw the glint of amusement in his eyes. She loved this man more than any other human being. Falling to her knees, she threw her arms around his waist and with her head on his lap began to cry. “I love you, Tateh, please do not jest about your death. I’m afraid when I think of you dying and leaving me behind. I think of how much it hurt to lose my mother and I can’t bear the thought of your passing.”

  Abraham stroked her hair and tried to reassure her. “That is why the truth is important to me, Darlene. I want to be absolutely sure of my eternity. Does that sound like a foolish old
man who is afraid to die?”

  “Of course not!” she declared, raising her gaze to meet her father’s eyes.

  “Well, it’s the truth. I am a foolish old man and I’m afraid to die. Dennison Blackwell isn’t afraid to end his life on earth because he has great confidence in what will happen to him after his earthly life is completed.”

  “And you don’t have such faith in your beliefs?” She dried her eyes with the back of her sleeve and waited for his answer.

  He gently touched her cheek with his aged fingers. “If I could say yes, I would and put your mind forever at ease. But I cannot say yes.”

  “I’m afraid, Tateh.”

  “I know.” He smiled sympathetically. “I suppose it would do little good to tell you not to be afraid.”

  “Very little good,” she said with a hint of a smile on her lips. She got to her feet and Abraham stood too, wrapping her in his arms.

  “You will make for the Blackwells a fine seder?” he questioned softly.

  “Of course, Tateh. It will be the very best.”

  “Good. Now, I must go to work and earn for us the money for such a feast.”

  Darlene let him go without another word. She made her way to her bedroom and closed the door quietly behind her. Standing there in the stark, simple room, Darlene couldn’t help but wonder where the future would take them. Surely if her father converted to Christianity, they’d find it impossible to remain in the neighborhood. Mr. Singer had already made it clear that they would be cut off from the community and called dead.

  Drawing a deep breath, Darlene went to her bed and sat down. No matter what happens, she thought, no matter where I am led, I will not forsake my father. I will not be blinded by the prejudice and stupidity of my own people. She saw her reflection in the dresser mirror and tried hard to smile. Her eyes were still red-rimmed from crying and her face rather ashen from the shocks of the day, but deep inside, Darlene knew that her spirit thrived and that her heart was complete and whole. She would not be defeated by these things. She had trusted her father all of her life. To deny his ability to look out for her very best interests now would be to subject all of his ways to speculative guesses.

  Dropping her gaze, Darlene caught sight of the chest where Pierce’s valentine lay hidden away. She’d never spoken to him of the matter. In fact, her father was quite right to mention her disappearances when Pierce was scheduled to arrive in the shop. She felt nervous and jittery inside whenever she thought about Pierce Blackwell. There was no future with him, but he stirred her imagination in a way that could be quite maddening. With very little thought, she went to the chest and retrieved the pristine card.

  She traced the letters My Valentine and wondered if Pierce had ever given it a single thought after having it delivered to her. He must think her terribly rude to have never thanked him for his thoughtfulness. And she truly believed that the act had been inspired by thoughtfulness and not because Pierce wanted to mock her inexperience with the day.

  And now they were coming for Passover.

  Pierce and his father would arrive to share her favorite celebration. Would they mock her faith, or would they understand and cherish it as she did? She thought of the recited words of the Passover dinner. The questions that were always asked and the responses that were always given. “What makes this night different?” she whispered and replaced the valentine in the chest. And indeed, she couldn’t help but know that this night would be most different from all the others she had known.

  Chapter 9

  And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you,What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of theLord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel inEgypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

  Exodus 12:26–27

  Darlene had worked diligently to rid the house and shop of any crumb of leaven. She swept the place from the top floor down and burned every bit until she was satisfied that the house was clean. This was in keeping with the teachings of her Jewish faith, and it made her proud to be such an important part of Passover. She remembered asking her bubbe why they had to eat unleavened bread and why the house had to be kept so clean of crumbs. Bubbe had told her the story of Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt and it came to be a story she remembered well, for it was retold with every Passover celebration.

  “When our people were in Egypt,” Bubbe had said, “they were slaves to the Pharaoh. They suffered great miseries and God took pity upon them and sent out Moses to appeal to Pharaoh to let God’s people go. But of course, Pharaoh was a stubborn man and he endured many plagues and sufferings upon his own people before finally agreeing to let the Israelites go free. The last of these great plagues was the most horrible of all. God told Moses he would take the life of every firstborn in the land of Egypt. Our people smeared blood over the doors and windows and the destroyer passed over, seeing this as a symbol of obedience unto God. Then, they had to rise up with haste to make the great journey to freedom. There was no time for the bread to rise and so they ate unleavened bread. Thus Passover became the Feast of Unleavened Bread.”

  Darlene still shuddered to think of such a monumental judgment upon the land. She remembered the verses Bubbe had quoted. “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.”

  Darlene felt a deep sense of awe in that statement. It was such a moving reminder. “I am the Lord.” Baruch Ha-Shem, she thought. Blessed is the Name.

  With her mind focused on the preparations for Passover, Darlene forgot about the Blackwells. Instead, she wondered if her father would participate with the same enthusiasm he had once held for the ceremony. Surely he still felt the same about the deliverance of God’s people from bondage. Freedom was a most cherished thing in the Lewy household and Darlene knew full well that her father didn’t take such matters lightly. But perhaps the Christians in their faith were not so concerned with such things. What if the Blackwells had convinced her father that such freedom and remembrances were unimportant?

  This was her first conscious thoughts of Pierce and his father. She grew nervous trying to imagine them at the seder table. Would they wear yarmulkes? Would they recite the prayers? Would they scoff and laugh at the faith of her people?

  Somehow, Darlene couldn’t imagine Pierce or his father being so cruel, but she reminded herself that she really didn’t know either one all that well. Putting aside her worries, Darlene began to think about Pierce. She’d caught a glimpse of him leaving the shop one day and couldn’t help but notice the way her heart beat faster at the very sight of him. Why did he have to affect her in such a way? Why could she not forget his smiling face and warm brown eyes? Sometimes it hurt so much to imagine what life with Pierce might be like. She knew what it felt like to be held securely in his arms. Would he hold her in that same possessive way if they were married? Would his smile be as sweet and his manners as gentle if she were his wife?

  “No!” she exclaimed, putting her hands to her head as if to squeeze out such thoughts. It was sheer madness to imagine such things. Pierce was a Christian and she was a Jew. There was no possibility of the two coming together as one.

  

  The Blackwell carriage drew up to the shop of Abraham Lewy. Pierce felt the anticipation of seeing Darlene mount within him and he found himself anxious to push the evening forward. If his father sensed this, he said nothing. In fact, little talk had been exchanged between them because two hours earlier, Pierce had announced his desire to move to Chicago. Dennison hadn’t taken the news very well. A number of protests to such an idea were easily put forth, but Pierce had answers for all of his father’s concerns. Hadn’t they been his own concerns when first the thought of such a trip had come to mind? How will you live? How will you travel there? How will you survive in the wilds of
Illinois? They were legitimate questions and Pierce couldn’t pretend that he had all of the answers.

  Seeing his father’s brooding face, Pierce offered him a word of consolation. “Don’t fret about this that hasn’t come to pass. I promise I won’t make any rash decisions, and I will discuss everything with you first.”

  “Discuss, but not necessarily heed my advise,” Dennison muttered.

  Pierce realized that nothing he said would offer comfort and gave up. He sprang from the carriage and, without waiting for his father, went to knock on the shop door. Closed for Passover, the window shade on the door had been pulled and even the shop windows were shaded for privacy. As his father came to stand beside him, Pierce couldn’t help but feel the racing of his heart and wondered if his father would make some comment about the inappropriateness of Pierce’s interest in Darlene. But before any word could be exchanged, Abraham Lewy opened the door and smiled.

  “Ah, you have come. Shalom.”

  “Shalom, my friend,” Dennison replied. “And my thanks for this invitation to your home and celebration.”

  It was a most somber occasion, and yet Pierce could hardly contain himself. He knew that just up those wooden stairs, Darlene would be scurrying around to make everything perfect for the occasion. He wanted to see her more than anything, and all other thoughts were wasted on him.

  “Come, my Darlene has already made ready our table,” Abraham said. “Oh, and here.” He pulled out two yarmulkes and handed them to Dennison and Pierce. “You will not mind wearing a headcovering for prayer, will you?”

  “Of course not,” Dennison announced and promptly placed the yarmulke on his head.

  Pierce held the small black piece for a moment and smiled. “My pleasure,” he announced, putting it into place. All he could think of was that this might in some way bring about Darlene’s approval. He certainly didn’t believe it necessary for prayer, but he knew it was something she would expect.