Among the Living by Jonathan Rabb Read Free Book Online Page A

help Calvin with the big crates.”
    “Yes, suh.”
    Raymond hopped up, and the man said, “There’s always one nigger that’s late, ain’t there? I’ll take a cigarette.”
    Jesler blinked for a moment and tapped one out, and Raymond’s head peered out from around the back. “Mr. Jesler. Calvin says there’s a couple a boxes been crushed down. Some loose heels and such inside.”
    It took Jesler a moment to refocus. “How many?”
    “Four or five.”
    The man smiled willfully. “It wasn’t like that when I drove up. You tell your boy to be more careful.”
    Jesler stood in the silence and waited for this last wave of resentment to pass. “Tell Calvin to be more careful.”
    “Yes, suh, Mr. Jesler.” Raymond disappeared into the truck.
    Jesler lit the man’s cigarette and said, “Maybe there won’t be any broken boxes next time out.”
    The man spat a stray piece of tobacco to the ground and inhaled deeply. “Maybe.”

2
    THE FIRST government letter from the State Department arrived on Friday. The Atlanta office had scheduled an appointment with Goldah in three weeks’ time. It was a single sentence followed by an equally short apology for any inconvenience this might cause. No mention of why, only that the material in question was too sensitive for correspondence and therefore required his presence. They had included a voucher to pay for Goldah’s train ticket.
    Jesler stared at the page as he gnawed at the last of his lamb chops. Pearl had kept the letter unopened in her purse all day, bringing it out only now, just before dessert.
    “You’d think they’d have more sense,” Jesler said. “A government letter asking you to report for no reason. No concern for how familiar that might sound to you.”
    The thought hadn’t even occurred to Goldah. “I didn’t take it that way.”
    “Then you’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din.” Jesler set the bone on his plate and ripped off a piece of the challah. “I’m sorry for this, Ike. I’ll close the store for a couple of days. Maybe I can get some business done up in Atlanta.”
    “Oh, I can go with him, Abe. No reason for you to close up. And there’s a better selection of suits in Atlanta anyway.”
    “Pearl, please. I’ll make a few phone calls. See if we can’t find out what’s going on with this.” Jesler picked up the letter and read it through again.
    With a sudden cheeriness Pearl said, “I was thinking you could wear the new blue tie to shul tomorrow, Ike. That would look very smart.”
    It was Goldah’s first Friday with the Jeslers. He thought all the ties she had bought him were blue.
    He said, “I wanted to say again how much I appreciate all you’ve done.”
    “Now stop saying that.” Pearl took great pleasure in this particular chastisement. “There’s no need. It’s a joy. And it’s a joy for Abe as well, isn’t it, Abe?”
    Jesler took a last look at the letter and set it down. “A joy,” he said absently. He saw Pearl staring across at him. “A real joy.”
    “And the service, Abe? Don’t you want to tell him about the service?”
    Jesler now recalled how she had instructed him on this. Somehow he had let it slip his mind.
    “Oh, it’s a good service,” he said. “Traditional. If a Jew came to town — even a Jew from New York or Philadelphia — and wanted to know where he could find a regular Shabbas service, they’d send him to us. No question about it. There’s no separating the men and the women. We’re Conservative now but just about as close to Orthodox as you can get. You grew up Orthodox, didn’t you?”
    “I didn’t. No. Not at all.”
    “Really? I thought most Czechs were religious. Laying tefillin. That sort of thing.” Jesler eyed another bone and picked it up.
    “That was more Poland and Lithuania.”
    Jesler nodded.
    Pearl said, “Were there Reform?”
    “You mean Methodists?” said Jesler. He shook his head with a smile. “I’m just joking with you, Ike. It’s a little