by Debby Lee
“The Women’s Club?” Babi hugged her again. “Rose will be thrilled. This calls for a celebration.”
“I’ll put a roast in the oven with potatoes and carrots. Shall I make apple dumplings?” Millie asked.
Father rolled into the room with Paul and Celia at his side. His gaze darted to the parcels on the table and settled on Millie. “What have we here?”
“I wanna see.” Celia climbed on a chair and peeked into one of the parcels.
“Celia, why don’t you ask Babi to take you and Paul for ice cream while I speak with Father?” Millie passed some coins to Babi, waited for the trio to leave, then silently unpacked her purchases and laid them on the table.
She rocked back on her heels. “Come look, Father.”
“I can see.” He made no movement to roll his chair closer.
“Proceeds from four hats paid for all of this.” She tossed her head back and swept her arm across the bounty on the table. “I know how to make and sell hats. If I sell three hats each week, I’ll earn more money than going to work in a factory. Three hats, Father. With help from Babi, Rose, and Celia, we can produce much more.”
He spun his chair around. Were his shoulders slouched? Had she become an obstinate brat with no regard for her father’s feelings?
Millie knelt at his side, offered him the tobacco, and softened her tone. “I arranged to sell hats at the Women’s Club meeting in two weeks. I can run a business and I can take care of our family. Babi and Celia cannot be sent away.”
He turned the plug of tobacco over in his hands while tears welled in his eyes. “I never meant for you to take care of the family. That’s my responsibility.”
Her cheeks burned. She dropped her chin to her chest. “I appreciate your need to take care of us, Father, but until you’re able—”
He balled up his fists and jabbed at the casts on his lifeless legs. “I was supposed to be successful in this country. Promised my father on his deathbed I’d make something of the Pulnik name in America. Why do you think I spend so much time teaching Paul? I’ve failed, and he’s the only one who will carry on the family name. If Paul succeeds, then I’ve kept my promise to my father.”
Millie remembered Grandfather Pulnik as a tyrant—always demanding something and leaving guilt in his wake. “What does the name matter? Your blood courses through the veins of your daughters, and our successes can also be attributed to you.”
“Perhaps you’re right.”
“Father.” Millie held his hands in hers. “Celia needs to know you love her as much as you do Paul. She is devastated by Mother’s death.”
“That’s just it. Every time I look at you girls, I see your mother. You all have her eyes. Most days, it is more than I can bear.”
How could she have discounted the effect of Mother’s death on Father? “Then I pray you will one day be able to look at us and find comfort rather than despair.”
She attempted to release his hands, but he clutched her fingers.
“If they’d hired me at the university, I could have provided for all of us, but they wouldn’t even read my curriculum vitae. They tore it up right in front of my face and said they had no need for foreigners on the faculty.”
Millie fumbled for the right words. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“If I’d been more persistent, I might have been able to teach elsewhere, and you and your mother wouldn’t have been working in the factory when it caught fire.” He ignored the tears that dampened his cheeks. “I blame myself for your mother’s death.”
“Oh Father.” She laid her head in his lap as she’d done when they lived in Poland. “Please don’t blame yourself. The real culprits are the factory owners who place profits above the health and welfare of their workers.”
He wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
“That’s why I agreed to help the union.” A lump formed in Millie’s throat. “We need to fight for workers’ safety so there are no more fires like the one that claimed Mother.”
“I wish there was something I could do.” He shook his head. “I’m useless in this chair.”
Millie kissed his forehead. “How would you like to help with our millinery business?”
“I’ll leave the sewing to women.”
“You’re good with numbers, Father. Would you assist me in recording sales and expenditures?”
His shoulders straightened. “I’ll need a record book.”
“I’ll purchase one tomorrow. And Father, I propose we discuss, as a family, how to allocate the money we earn from our hat sales.” She retrieved the remainder of the cash and held it out. “What do you think we should do with these funds?”
She hadn’t seen a spark in her father’s eyes since the day the twins were born.
“We should replenish the savings for the millinery shop.”
The plunk of coins inside the tea tin sounded like hope restored.
When Babi and the twins returned to the tenement, Babi waved a copy of the weekly newspaper at her. “There’s an article about Mr. Berg’s factory. The fire marshal chained the doors after receiving an anonymous tip that he should inspect the building. The union denies making that call. Berg is scheduled to appear before a judge on the eleventh of May.”
Millie sank into a chair. “Then Abe told me the truth. He wouldn’t necessarily have known about the closure.”
Had she dissolved any future with Abe by not trusting him? Should she apologize for her mistrust or accept that she seemed incapable of maintaining a relationship with a suitor?
Millie had to do more than apologize to Abe. She’d help him by showing up at the courthouse to testify, and she’d bring as many other workers with her as she could. They’d face Mr. Berg together.
Abe arrived at the office early on the eleventh of May and informed Sam and Mr. Crane he’d meet them at the courthouse with his witnesses, even though Yuri was the only confirmation he had. If, by some miracle, Millie did decide to testify, he’d still have just two of the five witnesses Mr. Crane expected.
He looked around the office and prayed he’d still have his job tomorrow. He’d spent most of his time the past week looking for Yuri instead of pursuing other witnesses to testify against Mr. Berg, but he’d finally found her the night before and knew she was safe. Hungry and exhausted, but safe. Even at the risk of losing his job, it would be worth it if Millie viewed the act as a token of his affection.
He straightened his tie, grabbed his hat, and left to pick up Yuri.
The young girl stood on the sidewalk outside her tenement building, wrapped in the shawl Millie had given her.
Abe opened the front passenger door and bid her good morning.
She leaned in, her gaze sweeping the vehicle. “Where’s Millie?”
“I’ve not spoken to her in several days. I’m not sure she plans to testify.”
Yuri bit at her lower lip and bowed her head. “She promised to be by my side.”
“I know Millie meant to be with you. It’s just that—”
“I don’t know if I can do this without her.”
“Would you be willing to go to the courthouse and then decide if you want to testify? I will make sure you see Millie today. You have my word.”
The girl hesitated for several seconds before she slid into the car.
Ten minutes later, Abe parked near the back entrance of the courthouse. When he and Yuri rounded the corner to the front of the building, several people stood on the limestone steps.
“Millie!” Yuri shouted as she ran toward her.
Millie opened her arms to the girl and mouthed a thank-you in Abe’s direction.
He joined them at the entrance. Millie reached for his hand and squeezed it, but before they exchanged any words, she pointed. “There’s Mr. Berg.”
Abe looked over his shoulder. Mr. Berg, flanked by men Abe recognized as notorious lawyers for the garment factory bosses, bounded up the steps.
Words were no longer necessary. They linked arms with
the others to block the entrance.
Berg’s entourage stopped in front of them. “Out of our way or we’ll have you arrested,” one of the lawyers demanded.
“Not until Mr. Berg admits he compromised the safety of his workers,” Millie said.
“You.” Mr. Berg pointed his finger in her face. “I should’ve known. You little snitch.”
“She’s not the only one,” a man near Millie said. “We all saw the violations, and we’re all here to say so.”
“Say it.” Abe glared at Mr. Berg.
“Have you told your lawyers about the fire you started with your cigar ashes?” Millie asked, her voice strong and sure.
“Have you?” Abe repeated.
Mr. Berg lunged at him.
Abe jerked his head and stumbled backward. Millie held firm, preventing his fall.
Berg’s lawyers pulled Mr. Berg back and held him, but he managed to thrust out his chest. “You’ll see who triumphs in this hearing.”
The lawyers kept their grip on Berg and urged him toward a side door.
As soon as Berg’s group disappeared around the corner of the building, Yuri and Millie hugged again and wiped tears from their faces.
“Where were you?” Millie asked.
“Grandfather fell. I took him to the infirmary and stayed with him until yesterday when he was released into my care.”
“Abe?” Millie asked.
“I waited outside her tenement. Three nights ago, I saw a lantern light, so I knocked on the door, but no one answered.”
“I was afraid to answer the door in the middle of the night,” Yuri said. “I thought Mr. Berg discovered I made the call to the fire marshal and sent someone to harm me.”
“You?” Abe and Millie asked in unison.
Yuri nodded. “When I told my grandfather about the locked fire escape doors and how Mr. Berg accused me of stealing, he insisted I call.”
Millie glanced at Abe with eyes that begged his forgiveness.
His heart full, Abe continued, “I finally intercepted her last night before she entered her tenement.”
“This means so much to me,” Millie whispered.
“And it means a lot to me,” Abe answered, then addressed the whole group. “Thank you all for coming and not giving up on the union’s purpose.”
“We had given up,” a woman heavy with child exclaimed. “My husband and I blamed Millie for the factory closing. When we read the announcement in the newspaper that the fire marshal closed the factory, we knew we had to do something for the next generation.” She patted her belly. “Millie located us, and we were ready to testify. My sister, who worked for Mr. Berg last year, asked to testify against him too.”
Millie and the woman regarded one another. “Fortunately,” Millie said, “I remembered their last name from the time cards, and I’d heard they lived within two blocks of me. I went to every building and asked if anyone knew them.”
Abe nodded. “Shall we go inside?”
The witnesses entered the hearing en masse—Millie flanked by Yuri on one side and Abe on the other.
Mr. Crane took a seat and looked down the row of witnesses. His lips moved as he counted to five. “Well done, Skala.”
Abe beamed. Thanks to Millie, he would not lose his job.
One after another, the witnesses answered questions about the locked fire escape doors, the fire caused by Mr. Berg’s cigar ashes, the penalties for extra privy breaks, and the sprinkler system not connected to a water source.
Mr. Berg could no longer deny the allegations.
The judge indicted him on three counts of malicious endangerment and told Mr. Berg he could not conduct any business in the garment industry until after his fate was decided at trial.
Abe jumped to his feet and cheered. Millie cheered right beside him.
Chapter 10
Millie sat in her tenement, needle in hand, and shared the events of the morning with Babi and Father. She’d wanted to spend more time with Yuri and Abe, but Yuri wanted to go home to attend to her grandfather and Abe had work obligations. He promised to bring Yuri to see her that evening.
She kept busy by sewing and relied on the familiar push and pull of the needle to calm her. Would Abe forgive her for mistrusting him? Every image of the future she imagined included Abe at her side.
She marveled at her family. Babi was teaching Celia and Paul how to make a hearty stew with chunks of beef and fresh vegetables, and Father was recording expenses for the hat business in his new ledger. Only Rose was absent.
“How many hats would we need to sew in a week to make more money than Rose earns at the factory?” Millie asked.
Father took a minute and tapped the pencil against his head. “Just two of the embroidered cloche.”
“What do you think?”
Father straightened his shoulders and held his chin high. “I propose Rose quit her job and sew hats.”
“And I agree.”
Abe whistled as he approached Mrs. Dunn’s boardinghouse. The events of the day had gone better than expected. An indictment against Mr. Berg, a vote of confidence from Mr. Crane, and a pleasant conversation with Millie. After supper he’d see her again. He prayed she’d forgive him and agree to resume their courtship. He could no longer fathom life without her.
He freshened up in the hall bathroom. His father’s booming voice carried down the hallway, but Abe could only distinguish a few words—deal, lifetime, double your money. He squeezed his eyes shut. Had he heard correctly? Was his father trying to con the other boarders?
He rushed to the dining room.
Upon his entrance, his father said, “Well, we can discuss this another time.”
His father greeted him and changed the subject to the New York Giants and how he’d met Red Ames and how the World Series pitcher autographed a baseball as a gift for Abe.
The youngest boarder in the bunch, a pasty-faced delivery boy, turned to him. “Can I see it?”
Abe stared at his father. What baseball? He had never even heard the story before. “I don’t have it. I guess my father forgot to give it to me.”
Mrs. Dunn entered the dining room carrying a shepherd’s pie and apologized for the delay in supper.
“That’s okay,” the pasty-faced kid said. “Abe’s father was telling us how he can double our money by investing in a bridge-building company.”
Abe’s father brushed the kid’s comment aside. “Wouldn’t that be something to double our money? I’m sorry you misunderstood, young man. I meant to say I have a friend in upstate New York who claims he can double our money.”
“Oh,” the kid replied. “Then tell Mrs. Dunn about the signed baseball from Red Ames. Where is it?”
Abe threw down his napkin and excused himself from the table. He’d heard enough of his father’s lies. Had he also lied about being sick? About not having long to live? Abe needed to get him out of Mrs. Dunn’s home before he conned anyone here.
He entered his room and fell to his knees. Lord, help me do the right thing.
Thirty minutes later, his father entered the room. “You could’ve covered for your old man. Said you lost the baseball. Make me look good to the others.”
Abe gave his head a quick shake then repeated, “Make you look good? Now how would I do that? By following your lead and lying?”
“I’m just saying, before you entered the room, I had the kid’s respect. Nice to have someone look up to you.”
Anger swirled in Abe’s gut. “Respect is earned.”
“We’re really not so different, you and I.” His father lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed. “You con people into joining the union. Make promises you can’t keep. Lies can get us what we want.”
“And lies can destroy us.” Abe sank into a chair, too exhausted to stand. “Tell me the truth. Are you dying?”
“We’re all dying, Son.”
With every sound from the hallway, Millie flew to the door. She’d expected Abe and Yuri to be there by now. She
was eager to introduce Yuri to her family and even more eager to speak privately with Abe.
Rose giggled when Millie jumped for the fifth time since they’d washed and dried the supper dishes. “You’re as nervous as a young bride.”
Millie’s cheeks warmed. A bride? I hope the opportunity presents itself.
The tap at the door brought her back to her feet. Millie rushed to greet their guests. She embraced Yuri and looked at Abe, her gaze lingering on his face.
Babi insisted they sit at the table and eat sweet baking-powder biscuits topped with fresh strawberries and rich, thick cream—a delicacy Father recommended they serve their guests.
Father rolled his wheelchair up to the table, welcomed Yuri to their home, greeted Abe, and conversed with him as though they were lifelong friends.
Celia waited until Abe finished dessert and then showed him two pieces of fabric she had stitched together. Paul handed him an atlas and pointed to several cities in Poland and named them.
Rose whisked Yuri to the corner of the living area to show her the sketch of her next embroidery pattern for an aqua-blue silk hat trimmed in beige chiffon. Yuri asked Rose to show her how to embroider, and the two sat in the corner, heads together, whispering, smiling, and stitching.
Babi sat down beside Millie.
The tableau pleased her. Her family had not been torn apart.
This is what it means to be part of a family.
Abe had never heard Mr. Pulnik speak so enthusiastically. He told Abe how Millie had sold two hats, then that order doubled, and she’d arranged for a hat sale at the prestigious Women’s Club. “I’m the accountant. We all have our jobs. Paul threads the needles, Celia bastes the straight seams, their Babi cuts the pattern pieces and sews, and Mildred and Rose design and sew. I project we’ll soon be able to move into a larger tenement that affords a work area, perhaps even buy a sewing machine.” He raised an eyebrow. “Did Mildred tell you Rose agreed to quit her factory job to help with the millinery business?”