Ben called Irene his “safety net.” Without you I’m lost. Your warmth calms me. She could think of worse things for a man to say to her. Rusty once accused her of rescuing people the way some people rescue stray animals. The way Mason had rescued Fred. Miri had told her about that, about how he’d found Fred starving and wet in a snowstorm when he was just a puppy. No collar. No tags. Mason had nursed him back to health. Miri knew Irene would respond to that story. But she still wouldn’t let the dog into her side of the house. Ben Sapphire, on the other hand, wasn’t a dog. He was a grown man who owned apartment buildings in Jersey City and Elizabeth. And he considered himself mishpocheh, one of the family, with her blessing.
She told Rusty she was thinking of taking him up on his offer to go to Miami Beach. They would travel by train. “Maybe for a week or two, although Ben would like to stay longer.”
From the look on Rusty’s face you’d think she’d just announced that a man had landed on the moon.
“He has two bedrooms,” Irene said, “one for him and one for me, and my own half bath, just a few blocks from the ocean.”
Miri, who wasn’t included in this discussion but was listening anyway, kept her mouth shut.
“I know his family,” Irene continued. “He knows mine. What could go wrong?”
Now Rusty looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.
“You think I don’t know he could have any woman he wants—with his real estate and his new Packard? Am I somebody who ever wanted another husband? I have everything I need right here. My family, good friends, plenty to do. But a little adventure—what could be bad?”
“You know what could be bad,” Rusty said.
“You’re worried I’ll get pregnant?” When Irene laughed, Miri laughed with her.
Rusty, stony-faced, didn’t. “I’m worried about your feelings, your heart—”
“I have pills for my heart.”
“Not if it gets broken.”
“Darling…thank you for caring so much.”
Rusty shook her head and walked out of the room.
Miri stayed and gave Irene a hug.
Daisy
Longy had the last appointment of the day. “You know, Doc, you look like hell, no offense meant.”
And it was true. Dr. O had dark circles under his eyes and was so pooped at the end of office hours he sometimes took a snooze on the couch before heading home. Daisy was worried and prayed it wasn’t his heart. She’d been there when he’d lost his two brothers to back-to-back heart attacks while still in their forties.
“You need a vacation,” Longy said. “Come to Vegas with me. We’ll shoot craps. Eat the best steaks you ever tasted. I’ll show you around town.”
“Sounds good, Abe, but I can’t get away now.”
“Doc, sometimes when you think you can’t, that’s the time you have to.” Longy could be very persuasive. “You like Betty Hutton?”
“Is the pope Catholic?”
Longy laughed. “She’s playing in Vegas next week.”
“I wish I could, Abe.”
Before he left the office, Longy took Daisy aside. “Help me out on this, Daisy.”
“I’ll try, Mr. Zwillman.”
“I’m worried about him.”
“Me, too.”
So Daisy cleared the following Thursday, Friday and Monday, without further discussion.
Corinne called Daisy the next morning. “Whose idea is this trip to Vegas?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Longy’s, am I right?”
“Corinne…” Daisy took a deep breath. “He needs to get away. He’s exhausted. It’s beginning to affect him at the office.”
“He could go away with me.”
“That would be wonderful and I’d be glad to stay with the children.”
“The children,” Corinne said, as if she’d just remembered. “We can’t both be gone at the same time, not now.”
“It’s just for a long weekend,” Daisy reminded her.
“Yes, a long weekend, but with Longy.”
Daisy laughed. “No denying that.”
Corinne sighed. “All right.”
Daisy said, “If you need anything, I’ll be around.”
“Thank you, Daisy.”
On Wednesday, after office hours, Longy picked up Dr. O in a limo heading for LaGuardia. “We’ll catch some winter sun if we’re lucky,” Longy called to Daisy.
“Catch some for me, too.” Daisy waved goodbye.
Dr. O waved back.
Miri
Henry and Leah were planning their June wedding. They’d once talked about renting a big house down the shore, and everyone would come and stay for the weekend, but they’d changed their minds. The wedding would be smaller now, in a garden at the Hotel La Reine in Bradley Beach.
How could they be planning a wedding? Miri wondered. Because life goes on? Maybe this was true and maybe it wasn’t. Life might go on but it didn’t go on in the same way. It would never be the same for the Fosters. It would never be the same for the Steins. It might never be the same for Natalie. She didn’t know who Natalie was anymore. She wasn’t even sure about herself. Who was this girl who looked back at her from the mirror? If she’d once thought being in love could fix anything, she didn’t anymore. It couldn’t bring back Penny or make Betsy better.
—
SHE BEGGED RUSTY to let her go to the Paper Mill Playhouse with Frekki. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
Rusty didn’t give her an answer. When she turned and walked out of the room without another word, Miri knew she’d won.
—