No one’s ever said that to me before.
The next few months flew by for Mort. Teddy agreed to study with him on Sundays also, as long as they didn’t get too far ahead of Natalie. They calculated batting averages for Teddy’s favorite baseball players and the ERA of every pitcher in the league. Teddy’s work with percentages and decimals was far beyond that of a third grader. The old book was like magic—as long as it sat open between them, father and son could talk easily with each other.
Rose noticed the change and remarked on it to Mort one Thursday after Natalie had gone home. They were in the kitchen, and Rose was drying dishes.
“You seem to be having a nice time with Teddy lately,” she said. “Natalie too.” Rose hesitated for a few moments, then added, “Why don’t you try to get along like that with your own daughters?” She put away some glasses and closed one of the cabinet doors a little too forcefully.
“Excuse me?”
“You have three daughters. You’ve never taken an interest in them the way you have with Natalie.”
He was taken aback. “I’m studying math with Teddy.”
“You’re studying with Teddy and Natalie.”
“That’s because Natalie comes over on Thursdays. To be honest, I’m not sure Teddy would have asked about the math in the first place without her. She’s good for him.”
“Judith has always taken care of Teddy. But you don’t dote on her the way you dote on Natalie.”
“I don’t dote on anyone, Rose! Judith is hardly home!”
“But Judith is so smart. You never encouraged her.” Rose was angry.
Mort became flustered. “Isn’t Judith in college right now? Studying everything she wants? Isn’t she getting a good education?”
“But you don’t laugh with Judith, not the way you…” Rose’s eyes began to tear up.
“What are you crying about, Rose? Teddy and I finally found something we really like to do together. Don’t turn it into something unpleasant.”
But Rose couldn’t help herself. Her sobs only came faster and it was hard to understand the words she managed to choke out between them. “For so long … disappointment after disappointment … and then she comes along and suddenly it doesn’t seem to matter.…”
Mort couldn’t imagine why Rose was so upset. How could she criticize him for spending time with his son?
“I think you need to sit, Rose,” was all he could say. He guided her to one of the kitchen chairs. Then he sat across from her and waited.
Slowly, Rose controlled her crying, and her breathing steadied. She wiped her eyes a few times with a napkin and stared down at the table.
Mimi breezed into the kitchen just then. Her hair was in curlers and she had just applied a fresh coat of nail polish. “Hey, Mom, what do you think of this color? Is it too pink?” She looked up from her fingernails to see her mother’s tear-streaked face. “Gee, Mom, are you okay? What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” Rose told her. “Why don’t you ask your father about the color?”
Mimi looked at her mother like she had two heads. “Really?”
“Absolutely,” Rose insisted. “Mort, your daughter would like your opinion on something.” He gave her a confused look, but she ignored him, got up from the table and started to walk out of the kitchen. “I’m sure you two will have a nice conversation,” she said. And then she left.
Chapter 36
ROSE
(October 1956)
Rose was putting cereal bowls out on the table when Teddy hobbled into the kitchen. “Why are you limping like that?” she asked him. He sat down and filled a bowl with cornflakes from the box. Rose asked again, “Why are you limping?”
Teddy didn’t look up. “My shoes are tight, I guess.”
“You guess? Are they tight or aren’t they?” Rose was irritated.
“Let me see your foot,” she told him. Teddy stuck one foot out from under the table, but looking at the shoe didn’t tell Rose much about the foot inside it. “Stand up,” she ordered. Teddy did as he was told and let Rose press on the front of his shoes. She could feel his toes pushing up against the edge of his Buster Browns.
“Why didn’t you tell me you needed new shoes?”
It took Teddy several moments to answer. “I told you a few weeks ago.”
“A few weeks ago?” She shook her head, unable to remember, and made her way to the coffeepot to pour herself a cup. “What did I say?”
“You told me that I had just gotten new shoes and my feet couldn’t grow again so fast.”
“I don’t remember having that conversation.”
Teddy stared into the bottom of his cereal bowl. He wouldn’t look up. “I told you my shoes were hurting on Saturday too,” he whispered.
“This past Saturday?”
He coughed. “Mmm.”
“I see. So it’s my fault that you’re limping.”
“No, I didn’t say—”
Rose silenced him with a look. “I’ll take you for shoes today, after school.”
“But it’s Tuesday.”
“So? The stores are open on Tuesdays.”
“I’m going to Natalie’s house today. I can wait one more day. Please!”
Mort walked into the kitchen just as Teddy’s eyes began to well up. “What’s all the yelling about?” he wanted to know.
Rose explained, “He can’t even walk, his shoes are so tight. I said we’d go shopping this afternoon, but no, he wants to go to your brother’s.”
Teddy’s face was flushed and sweaty. He looked desperate.
Mort had an idea. “Teddy, how are your sneakers?”
“A little small but not as tight as these.”
“Wear your sneakers to school then. Tomorrow you’ll get new shoes and new sneakers.”
Teddy looked happy, but Rose was furious. “You want him to go to school looking like a beggar?”
“Better a beggar than a cripple.” Mort held his ground. “He won’t make it through the morning in those shoes.”
“What is his teacher going to think? That he has a mother who can’t even dress her own son? He is not wearing sneakers to school!”
“Teddy, go to your room, please. Find your sneakers and give us a few minutes.” As soon as Teddy left the kitchen, Mort poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. Rose was still standing, glaring at him from her spot by the stove.
“Rose, please. Don’t blow this out of proportion. Why can’t you just take him for shoes tomorrow?”
“He needs them today.”
“One day isn’t going to make a difference.”
Rose looked like she wanted to throw her coffee at him. Instead, she dumped the remains in the sink, rinsed out the cup and placed it upside down on the dish rack. “You’re wrong. One day can make all the difference in the world.” She pointed to the clock over the sink. “The bus comes in ten minutes. You’d better call the kids downstairs if you want them to be on it. Otherwise, you’ll have to drive them to school. I’m going to get dressed.” She walked out of the kitchen, leaving Mort alone with his coffee.
*
About an hour after the girls got home from school, Rose was in the kitchen making dinner. It was baked chicken night and she was crushing Ritz crackers for the topping when she heard the phone ring.
“Rose, it’s Helen. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. You?” It wasn’t easy to get the casserole dish she needed off of the top shelf with only one hand. “Hold on a minute.” Even after she had the dish on the counter, Rose waited a few moments before putting the phone back to her ear.
“Sorry about that. Mort will pick Teddy up at the usual time, all right?”
“Sure. But how are you?”
“I told you I’m fine,” Rose snapped. “Why do you keep asking me that?”
“Teddy said you weren’t feeling well last week. I figured you still must be sick.”
“Well, you heard wrong. I haven’t been sick.” She always does this. Looking for bad news wherever she can find it.
There was an uncomfortable silence on the other end of the line. “Oh. My mistake.”
“Anything else?”
“Well, one thing. I have some old shoes of George’s. They’re like new. He wore them maybe for a week before he grew out of them. I’m sending them home with Teddy. They fit. You’ll see if you like them.”
“Shoes?”