Jewish fiction; Jews -- New York (State) -- New York -- Fiction; Lower East Side (New York, N.Y.) -- Fiction; Short stories
“Yah-yah-yah! I’ll run on all fours to do it! The impudence from
such penniless nobodies wanting to pull in a young man with a future
for a doctor! Nobody but such a yok like you would be such an easy
mark.”
“Well, I got to live my own life, and I love her.”
“That’s all I got to say.--Where’s my hat? Throw yourself away on
the pretty face, make yourself to shame and to laughter with a ragged
Melamid for a father-in-law, and I wash my hands from you for the rest
of your life.”
* * * * *
A change came over David from that day. For the first time we was no
more one person together. We couldn’t no more laugh and talk like we
used to. When I tried to look him in the eyes, he gave them a turn away
from me.
I used to lie awake nights turning over in my head David’s looks,
David’s words, and it made me frightened like something black rising
over me and pushing me out from David’s heart. I could feel he was
blaming me for something I couldn’t understand.
Once David asked me, “Don’t you love me no more?”
I tried to tell him that there wasn’t no change in my love, but I
couldn’t no more talk out to him what was in my mind, like I used.
“I didn’t want to worry you before with my worries,” he said to
me at last.
“Worry me, David! What am I here for?”
“My uncle is acting like a stingy grouch,” he answered me, “and I
can’t stand no more his bossing me.”
“Why didn’t you speak yourself out to me what was on your mind,
David?” I asked him.
“You don’t know how my plans is smashed to pieces,” he said, with
a worried look on his face. “I don’t see how I’ll ever be able to
open my doctor’s office. And how can we get married with your people
hanging on for your wages?”
“Ah, David, don’t you no longer feel that love can find a way
out?”
He looked on me, down and up, and up and down, till I drawed myself
back, frightened.
But he grabbed me back to him. “I love you. I love you, heart
of mine,” he said, kissing me on the neck, on my hair and my
eyes. “And nothing else matters, does it, does it?” and he kissed
me again and again, as if he wanted to swallow me up.
Next day I go out from the shop and down the steps to meet him, like on
every day.
I give a look around.
“Gott! Where is he? He wasn’t never late before,” gave a knock
my heart.
I waited out till all the girls was gone, and the streets was getting
empty, but David didn’t come yet.
“Maybe an accident happened to him, and I standing round here like a
dummy,” and I gave a quick hurry home.
But nobody had heard nothing.
“He’s coming! He _must_ come!” I fighted back my fear. But by
evening he hadn’t come yet.
I sent in my brother next door to see if he could find him.
“He moved to-day,” comes in my brother to tell me.
“My God! David left me? It ain’t possible!”
I walk around the house, waiting and listening. “Don’t let nobody
see your nervousness. Don’t let yourself out. Don’t break down.”
It got late and everybody was gone to bed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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