Mr. Katz made a grand entrance just before seven and walked down the steps ahead of us, brandishing the key.
“You should be very grateful you have such a generous boss,” he said. “You should be very grateful you’re still working here. Me—I would have thrown the lot of you out.”
Then he stood in the doorway, scrutinizing each girl as she went in. When it was my turn, he put out a hand and stopped me.
“Not you,” he said. “The boss don’t want you back. You’re a troublemaker.”
There was a clamor around me. “But you have to have Molly back! That’s not fair.”
I was gratified to hear this, but those girls didn’t realize how relieved I was never to have to work in that place again.
“It’s all right.” I turned to face the girls. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine. No sense in making a fuss about me. I’ll get myself a better job somewhere else.”
Rose pushed her way to stand beside me. “No, Molly, it’s not all right.” She stood on tiptoe and glared at Katz. “If you don’t let her come back then we’ll all go on strike again.”
“Rose—it’s all right.” I put my hand on her shoulder to restrain her. “The girls have got you and you’ll do just famously, so don’t worry about me.” I gave her an encouraging smile as she looked at me dubiously. “No, honestly. I have a hundred plans of things I want to do. Just make sure you don’t let that bully Katz get away with anything. Remember what Lowenstein promised you and make sure he puts in electric light straightaway. And better heating too.”
I leaned across and gave her a little kiss on her cheek. “I’ll stay in touch,” I said. “I’ll come to Samuel’s Deli at lunchtime to get all the latest news.”
I gave Mr. Katz a haughty stare, then I pushed past the rest of the girls waiting on the steps. I was free of Lowenstein’s. It felt wonderful. And it was also playing into my plans—I could now quite legitimately go back to Mostel’s, tell Mr. Mostel what had happened, and start working there again. That way I could keep an eye on his son, as well as on anyone else who might want to sneak up to his office and come down with his designs. And I could ask questions about Katherine too. Just perfect, in fact. I skipped down Essex Street with sprightly step.
Later that morning I was reinstated at Mostel’s. The conditions inside were not much better than at Lowenstein’s—cold and drafty and the only heat coming from a couple of oil stoves, one at either door.
“I don’t know why the boss was softhearted enough to take you back,” Seedy Sam said, looking at me with great distaste. “First you walk out and then you want to come back. You should recognize a good thing when you see it.”
“I’ll let you know when I see it,” I said, eyeing him with the same distaste. Then I breezed past him to take my old place next to Sadie. She looked surprised and delighted to see me.
“How come they took you back?” she whispered.
“My uncle did the boss a favor once. I’m not letting him forget it,” I said.
A little later Mr. Mostel himself showed up. “I’ve been working on the new designs all weekend, girls,” he said, waving a briefcase at us, “and I think we’ve got the goods this time. My new styles will be all the rave. They’ll go off the racks like hot-cakes. I just need to put some finishing touches and get the sample hands to work on them, and then it’s full speed ahead.”
At lunchtime the girls crowded around me as we went down the stairs.
“How come you’re back again? Mostel never takes anyone back!” Golda said.
“Where did you go, anyway?” Sadie asked.
“I had things I had to do,” I said vaguely. “Now I’ve done them and I need to start earning money again.”
“I know where she went.” Little Sarah gave me a knowing look. “She went to work for Lowenstein. And I know what she was really doing there too.”
“You do?” The alarm must have shown on my face.
“Sure. You’re not really one of us, are you?” She stood on the sidewalk, smiling at me, blushing at being the center of attention for once.
For once I didn’t know what to say. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“I heard about the strike,” she said triumphantly. “Everyone is talking about it. I heard you were sent there to help organize the workers. You really work for the union ladies, don’t you?”
“Not exactly,” I said, relief rushing to my face. “But I did help organize the strike there, it’s true.”
“See, I knew it.” Sarah looked smug.
The rest of the girls pressed closer. “You helped organize a strike? And did the girls win?”
“Yes, they did. They went back to work today with better pay and better conditions.”
“And is that why you’re here—to do the same thing for us?” Sadie asked, her fact alight with excitement.
“I’m here to earn money,” I said.