Among the Living Read Free Page A

—”
    “ Yes ,” said Pearl with no small amount of relief. “Protecting. That’s a very good way of thinking about it. As Abe said, Yitzhak, it’s a way of protecting.”
    “And making things easier.”
    “Easier,” said Goldah. It was such a simple, desperate word. “I can see that, yes.”
    “Of course you can,” said Jesler. “Good man. You’ll see it’ll make a world of difference. Especially when you’ll be wanting to make a name for yourself.”
    Goldah noticed a group of children in a park with sticks and a small rubber ball that was cut in two. They were laughing.
    “What did you have in mind?” he said as he continued to watch the children. “Isaac then?”
    “Well …” Jesler rubbed the back of his hand along the soft flesh of his throat and Goldah was drawn by the sound of the stubble against Jesler’s rough knuckles. “It’s a possibility, certainly a possibility.”
    “We thought about Izzy or Iz,” Pearl said, “but Isadore Rabinowicz — that’s the treasurer of the shul — he goes by Izzy, and Isher Laski is Iz as well.”
    “ ‘Is Iz,’ ” Jesler repeated with a quiet laugh. “That’s always been funny to me: Is Iz. ‘Is Iz coming to the store?’ ‘Is Iz at home, Mrs. Laski?’ Is Iz. What do you do with that?”
    “He went to Chapel Hill on a music scholarship,” said Pearl, “so I’m thinking it worked out just fine for him. Now, we were thinking of something —”
    “Ike,” said Jesler. “Ike Goldah. That’s good and strong.”
    Goldah realized the name had been in the car with them all along. “Ike,” he said.
    “Yes,” said Pearl. “Ike Goldah.” She was masking her disappointment at having had her husband say it first. “Like the general. That has a very good sound to it, don’t you think?”
    “Strong,” said Jesler.
    “Very strong,” said Pearl.
    “And familiar,” said Jesler.
    Goldah said, “Like the general.”
    “ Yes ,” said Pearl. “Like the general.”
    Goldah thought he might wait until they arrived at the house to agree, but Jesler and his wife seemed so eager to have it all taken care of. “Squared away,” a GI had put it. “Get things squared away.”
    “Well,” said Goldah, “Ike it is.”
    Jesler tapped his hand on Pearl’s knee, and Pearl smiled and took hold of Goldah’s hand. “That’s just fine, then,” she said. “Just fine.”
    Jesler held out his hand across his wife, and tried to keep his eyes on the road. “Well, glad to meet you, Ike Goldah.”
    Goldah let go of Pearl’s hand and took Jesler’s. They shook firmly.
    “Yes,” said Goldah. “Glad to meet you.”

    Pearl insisted on a short detour. She had forgotten flowers — it simply couldn’t be helped. She said her boys could wait in the car. It was an uncomfortable few minutes until Jesler remembered the scrap of paper in his pocket. With all the preparations for Goldah’s arrival, he’d let it slip his mind completely. Jesler checked his watch. It was nearly two. He’d told Jimmy he’d get back to him no later than one thirty.
    “I’ve got to make a quick call,” Jesler said as he took his hat. “Just a few minutes. You don’t mind do you?”
    He was already out the door and heading across the street before Goldah could answer. Inside the Texaco station, Jesler found the booth free, pulled out the scrap, and dialed the number. A woman picked up. She sounded tired, irritated. Half a minute later, a man came on the line: “Jimmy, here.”
    “It’s Jesler.”
    “Hey, Abe. I was just about to give up on you.”
    “You said by two,” said Jesler. “It’s not even quarter of.” He tried not to breathe through the silence.
    “Sure … I was just thinking you might be having second thoughts this time around.”
    “Hardly,” said Jesler.
    “Good. New shipment comes in tonight.”
    “I thought it was tomorrow.”
    “Well, one a.m. is technically tomorrow but I call it tonight. Either way, that’s when it’s docking. If