“Rita dear? Can you pour the milk for yourself, and your brother and sister while I tend to these flapjacks?”Salomi Brewster asked her 6 year old daughter, Rita.

“Yes mommy”Rita said as she carried the container of milk over to the table and went over to her little brother, Michael, who was 5 years old. “Tell me when”she said to him and poured the milk faster than intended. Michael watched with wide eyes as the milk quickly filled the bowl and spilled all over him and the table

“No Rita! Stop!”Michael said and started to cry when the milk spilled all over his pants. “Mommy!”he cried

“Rita Maria!? Why on earth would you do that?”Salomi asked

Rita put the container down and sighed,”Its Mikey’s fault, he didn’t say when!”

“Hey! You forgot me Rita, I WANT MY MILK!”4 year old Dahlia said as she pounded her little fists on the table

“Dahlia, lower your voice and behave yourself”Salomi said sternly and gave her the look that meant business right along with it. She quickly flipped the flapjacks over.

Dahlia crossed her arms and pouted,”Alright mommy, you didn’t have to yell”she said and she started crying along with Michael, however, she had no real tears, she was just making noise as she often loved to do.

“Rita give Dahlia her milk while I clean Michael”Salomi said as she knelt in front of Michael,”Hey there, no use crying over spilled milk, now calm down”she said in a soft voice to him. He stopped crying so he could hear her and he wiped his tears.”You cant cry about everything, your 5 years old, you’re a big man, just like your Daddy. Now you all need to keep quiet. He had a long night at the theater”she said while Michael nodded

“Want some milk?”Rita asked Dahlia. She nodded, still pouting and crying. “No you have to ask nicely”

“Please!?”Dahlia said and Rita poured her some milk, not spilling this time since she knew Dahlia didn’t know the whole ‘when’ game that she played with Michael. Dahlia was soon quiet and ate her oatmeal.

“There you go, your all clean, just a little wet alright?”Salomi said to Michael and then cleaned off the table and poured him some milk,”Apologize to Michael”she said to Rita

“Sorry”Rita said with a sigh.”He shouldn’t cry so much, boys don’t cry. I have never seen Daddy cry”Rita said as she poured herself some milk and sat down.

“Ive seen Daddy cry plenty of times, he cried when each of you were born”Salomi said. Michael was very sensitive for a boy but she figured he would grow out of it. He was surrounded by women all day, but once he started school today and played with boys his age, he would toughen up.

“Why am I crying?”Gabriel Brewster asked as he walked into the kitchen,”Whats all the fuss about?”he asked as he planted a few kisses on Salomi’s lips.

“Spilled milk”Salomi replied

“DADDY!”the three children cried as they all got up and ran to him. He scooped up Dahlia as Rita and Michael hugged one of his legs.

“Well good morning my little heathens”Gabriel said with a laugh,”You all need to take it easy on your mommy now, shes got a lot of work to do”

“Yes daddy”they all replied as they took their seats

Salomi put her hands on her hips and pretended to pout,”They are so easy for you!”she protested as the kids laughed. It was funny to see mommy pout. “Whats so funny?”she asked and they giggled.

Gabriel smiled and gave her a hug,”I just have that way with them I guess”he said

“Im sorry they woke you, I tried to keep them quiet”Salomi said as she put his flapjacks on a plate

“Its alright. I got 4 hours of sleep, I can get some rest later. I wanted to eat breakfast with my three chickadees and my mother hen”he said as he took the plate and sat down at the table next to Michael and poured himself some milk. Salomi put her own flapjacks onto the plate and soon sat down next to him and Rita.

“Im going to school today Daddy”Michael said proudly as he ate his oatmeal.

“I know, you are going to be a big boy soon. Next thing you know you’ll have to move out of here and find a job. Its comin’ soon, its right around the corner”Gabriel said as he winked at Michael

Michael’s eyes widened,”I have to move out? I cant live here anymore?”

“No”Gabriel said as he shook his head,”Once you go to school, you’ll learn so much that you’ll be too smart for us. Then once you leave, you can find a job”

“I don’t want to leave, I don’t want to work!”Michael said in a little squeaky voice. He was terrified, like he had to get packing right now.

Salomi shook her head,”Stop teasing him”she said to Gabriel,”Not today sweetheart. Later on when you finish school, you are just starting school today. See Rita? Shes in school and hasn’t moved out”

Rita nodded as she ate,”Im not going anywhere”she said as she shook her head,mouth full of food.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full”Salomi commented

“Yeah or we’ll kick you out”Gabriel said and Rita laughed,she knew he was joking.

“Im leaving!”Dahlia said with a smile as she threw her hands in the air. Unfortunately, her spoon was in her hand and oatmeal flew along with it. It hit the ceiling and stuck there.

“Oh Dahlia, be careful, your making a mess”Salomi said to her

“Your leaving arent you?”Gabriel asked,”Where will you go?”he asked her

“To Annie’s house”Dahlia said with a smile. Every night before they went to bed, they listened to the Great Adventures of Little Orphan Annie on the radio. All three of the children loved it, as well as going to the movies, they loved the new ‘talkie’ films that just came out.

“Annie isn’t real”Rita said

“Yes she is!”Michael and Dahlia protested

“How are you so sure?”Gabriel asked her. He loved asking them questions and spending time with them. He barely ate breakfast because he was usually busy resting.

“Cause my friend said so, we never see her, shes in the radio”Rita replied confidently

“So do you mean to tell me that Little Orphan Annie isn’t real but yet she lives inside our radio?”Gabriel asked her

“No Dad! Shes not a real person. No one has ever seen her”

Salomi nodded,”She’s got a point”she said to Gabriel,”So if she isn’t a real person but she does exist since we hear her speak, what is she?”

Rita frowned as she thought about it,”I don’t know”

“Shes real”Dahlia said,”Im going to her house to play”

Gabriel laughed,”Good luck with those theories girls”he said to them and then stuck the flapjack into his mouth.They ate in silence for a few moments and then he couldn’t take it anymore, he had to tell them,”Ok I have a surprise for all of you”

“SURPRISE!”Dahlia said as she threw her hands in the air again, this time no oatmeal.

“What? What is it?”Rita asked,”I need new ballet slippers. I want shiny tap shoes like Kit has”

“I want a train”Michael said

“I want clothes and jewels”Salomi said with a smile,”What do you have up your sleeve, Gabe?”

“Weeeeeeeeeeeeee….”he said with a smile as he held out the word, it drove them crazy as they looked at him with excited smiles,”areeeeeeeeeeeeeee….going to the beach!”

“YAY!”the three children shouted. Salomi smiled,”The beach? Which beach?”

“Long Island of course”Gabriel said and then finished his milk,”Uncle Julian invited us out when I ran into him and Dorothy at the Rainbow Room last night”

“They were at the Rainbow Room?”Salomi asked,”How are they?”she asked him

“They’re doing great. Aunt Dorothy said she cant wait to see her 4 favorite children”he said

“Four?”Salomi asked

“Well you know you are still a child to her”he said with a wink. “So this Friday, after school and after Rita’s tap lessons, of course. We are going to spend the whole weekend at Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Jule’s house and go to the beach everyday. How does that sound?”

“FUN!”the three kids shouted.”I cant wait, I love their house”Rita said with a smile.

“What about your performances?”Salomi asked him,”I mean you make most of your money on the weekends”

“I got a bonus which will cover this weekend and next weekend. So I took this weekend off to spend with my 4 favorite people- oh actually 6”he said with a smile

“A bonus?!”Salomi said with a huge smile,”Oh that’s great baby”she said as she pulled him to her and kissed him on the mouth

“Eeeeew”the three kids shouted. “You cant kiss at the table!”Rita said sternly, sounding just like her mother. Gabriel and Salomi laughed.

“Is that so?”Gabriel asked her. She nodded,”Oh but there is one condition about this trip”he said to them,”You all have to be on your best behavior because you know Uncle Jules and Aunt Dorothy don’t like bad children. That means you two have to do good in school”he said as he looked at Rita and Michael,”that means no fighting, you have to do all your schoolwork and not get in trouble with the teacher. You are going to get high attitude scores. You got me?”he said to them. They both nodded eagerly,”And you….you little troublemaker…”he said to Dahlia.”You cant ransack this place like its your own personal playground, no whining, no screaming, no shouting, no tantrums, you got me?”he said to her.

“Yes Daddy”she said very sweetly

“You all cant be this loud every morning”Gabriel said,”You have to help your mother out”he said,”And speaking of….”he said as he looked at her,”You have to behave too”

“Me?”Salomi asked

“Yes, and do whatever I tell you”

“Like what?”she asked him as she cocked an eyebrow

“We’ll talk about that later”he said,”So if you all behave, we’ll go. If I hear anything from your Mother or teachers or anyone else or if I see it, no beach”the three kids’ eyes widened. “You got me?”he asked them, they nodded,”Good, so I expect you all to be angels all week”he said to them. Then the oatmeal that stuck to the ceiling came tumbling down right on top of Gabriel’s head. They all gasped and jumped back in shock. Michael looked at Rita with fear, did that mean they couldn’t go to the beach? Already? Dahlia looked very guilty, knowing it was hers, she looked up at the ceiling.

“Oh no”she whimpered. She was in trouble now.

However, Salomi started laughing, very hard, so hard her body shook and so did Gabriel. The three children were still shocked. Why were they laughing? “You look so foolish!”Salomi said with a laugh

“I have to see it!”Gabriel said as he got up and ran to the bathroom where the mirror was. Rita and Michael got up and ran after him, Salomi picked Dahlia up and followed them. Gabriel laughed as he looked at himself,”Im Oatmeal Man!”he said with a laugh

“Am I in trouble Mommy?”Dahlia whimpered as Salomi held her

“No baby your not. You actually made Daddy very happy. Look, hes laughing”she said as she laughed.

Dahlia smiled,”Daddy looks silly”she said as she laughed. Rita and Michael were laughing as Gabriel took the ‘Oatmeal Man’ joke to the extreme and chased them down the hall. Salomi put Dahlia down and she joined on the fun, screaming the loudest, of course. Salomi smiled and glanced at the clock and gasped.

“Gabriel, stop it, the kids are going to be late for school”she said to him. Gabriel stopped chasing them

“You heard your mother, get your books”he said to them

“Are we still going to the beach?”Rita asked him

“Yes, unless one of you does something really bad”he assured them. Rita and Michael went to the room and got their books.”Lets make it a family affair”he said as he gave Salomi a kiss. “I’ll drive”he said

“Thank you”Salomi said as she helped Dahlia get dressed and cleaned her up. Michael and Rita dressed themselves and got their books together. Salomi gave them their lunches, which was a sandwich and an apple and they all got in the car. Gabriel drove them to school and he turned to both of them,”Have a good day you two”he said to them.

“Thank you Daddy”Rita said eagerly as she kissed him on the mouth and kissed Salomi on the cheek,she ruffled Dahlia’s hair,”Bye Lia”

“Bye”Dahlia said softly. Rita hopped out the car and ran to her friends, showing off her first day of school dress to them. She was entering the 2nd grade.

“I don’t wanna go”Michael said as he started to cry. There were so many kids that he didn’t know, the building was so huge and Mommy wasn’t going to be there,”I wanna stay home with Mommy and Lia”he said as he cried

Tears filled Salomi’s eyes and she turned away, she didn’t want him to see her cry. She had been holding it in all day, her little boy was leaving her and starting school. He was growing up.

“Now you’re a big boy and you don’t cry alright?”Gabriel said to him,”You know Nicholas don’t you? Kit’s little brother? There he is”he said as he pointed,”You do know some children and that’s what school is for, not just to learn but to make friends. And your going to be so smart Michael, you are going to be teaching us things!”he said, “Wouldn’t you rather play with the kids and learn then be at home?” Michael shook his head.

Salomi blinked her tears away and got out the car and beckoned Michael to come with her, he reluctantly did. She knelt down to his level and said,”Michael. You know how much I love you…but you have to go to school. Your Daddy and I did the same thing. You are going to learn a lot of new things”she said to him.”And we cant go to the beach if you don’t go to school”she said. He looked at her and slowly stopped crying. She wiped away his tears as more tears formed in her own eyes,”Im going to be honest. Im going to miss my little boy”she said as a tear fell down her cheek,”Soon your gonna be too old for me”

“Don’t cry Mommy”Michael said as he hugged her,”Im going to miss you Mommy. Im scared”

“I know you are”she said as she hugged him,”But you’ll be safe here, all the kids in your class are going to be your age. Rita will be in a classroom right down the hall if you need her. I will be picking you up at 3 o clock sharp. The day will fly by I assure you, its going to be so exciting”she said through her tears.

Michael stopped crying and wiped away his last tears and reached up and wiped hers away,”Don’t cry Mommy. I’ll be good I promise. Im going to be a big boy”he said to her as he hugged her,”I’ll be good”he said

“That a’ boy”she said as she hugged him and adjusted his hat and light jacket and tied a shoe that came untied,”Now go over to your sister and Nicky”she said to him

“I love you too Mommy”he said to her,”Love you Daddy, love you Lia”he said to them and they waved to him, and then slowly he walked over to Nicky, Rita and Kit. The school bell rang then and all the kids were led inside. He followed Nicky in and stopped and turned around and there was Mommy, standing in the same spot,”I love you Mommy!”he said to her and then walked in.

“I love you too”she said. She smiled and got in the car and Gabriel hugged her.

“He’ll be alright”Gabriel said,”I assure you, he’ll come home today and he’ll be talking your ear off about how great school is”he said to her. Salomi nodded.

“I wanna go”Dahlia said

“Next year sweetheart….next year”Salomi said as they drove off.

*____________________________*

Salomi walked into the bedroom and Gabriel was reading the paper.”I thought you were asleep too”she said

“No, I just woke up from my nap”he said with a smile. He noticed that she was still a little upset from this morning, he got up and hugged her from behind,”You miss your little boy don’t you?”he asked her

She nodded,”Its so different now with just Lia you know?”she said to him,”Hes my little boy…”she said as tears filled her eyes again,”They grow up so fast you know? It seems like yesterday when…he was born…”

“Now hes the big 5. Hes going to school….its 1929, a new decade is going to begin, more prosperous than this one”he assured her,”He’ll be fine”

“I know…I just…I feel old. I feel like hes going to walk in here with a girl and say ‘Mommy, I want to get married’”

“Now hes not that grown up”Gabriel said with a smile,”That day will come you know, but it will be a long time from now. Don’t even think about it”he said to her,”I demand you to not be sad any longer”he said

“Demand?”she asked with a laugh

“I was serious this morning”he said,”If you don’t do what I say, we will not go to the beach. You don’t want to ruin the kids weekend do you? All that burden on your shoulders, it would be really bad”he said and grinned

“You demand though?”she asked him

“Alright. I’ll ask nicely”he said as he sat on the bed. “I implore you to not be so sad”he said,she nodded and smiled,”Good girl, now sit next to Papa”he said to her. She smiled and sat next to him. “I miss you”he said to her

Salomi nodded,”I miss you too”she said. While he was running around doing various things with various theaters, she was running around with the kids. She refused to hire a nanny and they had a maid come in once a week to help clean. Salomi wanted to be active in raising her children. They barely saw each other. When her day was winding down, his was just starting. He pulled her toward him and kissed her passionately. He then pulled away.

“Lia’s asleep right?”he asked her. Salomi laughed and nodded,”Good, she can sleep through a dust storm, we can be very loud”he said as he laid down on top of her.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Michael waited patiently as their teacher, Mrs. Honeycutt, told them where their assigned seats were. He hoped that he would get a seat right next to Nicky, it would be easier for him. Making friends was so hard for him. Then Mrs. Honeycutt called Nicky’s name, however, the seats around him filled up. Michael sighed with disappointment, wanting to cry. Great now where was he going to sit? “Michael Brewster?”Mrs. Honeycutt asked,he stepped forward,she smiled, she had a pretty smile. She also had dark hair and eyes like his mommy. “You can sit behind Abigail”she said as she gestured to the seat. He walked over and sat down in the chair, he looked over at Nicky sadly and Nicky just shrugged. They both were surrounded by kids they didn’t know. He didn’t pay attention as the rest of the kids took their seats. Then Mrs. Honeycutt put her name on the board,”That’s my name, Mrs. Honeycutt, and I will be your teacher this year. We are going to have so much fun learning. Im very excited”she said to them with a smile. Michael smiled, her smile looked just like mommy’s….he missed her. “Now before we get into our writing lesson, we are going to introduce ourselves. I want each of you to stand, say your first and last name and tell us something you like, your favorite thing”she said and started at the left side of the room.

Michael was seated in the middle toward the right so he had time to think, what was his favorite thing? Then a pencil dropped next to him and he picked it up, thinking it was his,”That’s mine please”a little voice said. He turned and stared in shock. It was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. She had big blue eyes just like Rita’s and dark hair like mommy. She had on a blue dress that made her eyes more blue. He held out his hand slowly and she took it and smiled at him.

“Sorry”was all he could say.

“Its alright”she said as she turned her attention to Nicky who had just stood up.

“Im Nicholas Andrews and I love baseball”he announced and a lot of the boys nodded.Some shouted,”I like it too!”

“Alright calm down children”she said as they continued around the room. Michael sat there and thought, what should he say? He glanced at the girl sitting next to him, should he say,’My name is Michael Brewster and I like her’? His turn was coming up and he started to panic. What was he going to say?

“My name is Abigail Henderson”said the redhead in front of him,”And I like dresses”she said and then sat down. It was his turn now. Everyone turned to look at him, there were a lot of kids in the class.

Michael stood up slowly,it started to get hot, he was scared now that everyone was staring at him. “Uh….My name’s Michael. And I…oh my last name is Brewster and I like….”he said and then glanced at the girl next to him, her dark hair was shiny just like his mothers, wait that’s it! “And I like my mommy”he said. However, some of the boys giggled, most of them said trains, bugs, baseball, not their mothers.

Mrs. Honeycutt nodded,”Now be quiet class. I like my mother too”she said to Michael,”We wouldn’t be here without them”she said and then turned her attention to the kid behind him. Michael sat down and sighed with relief. That wasn’t too hard, but now he was anxious to see what her name was and what she liked. Finally her turn came.

“My name is Emily Hubbard”she said sweetly, her blue eyes shining, she moved some of her hair off her shoulder and continued,”I like to dance, I want to be a ballerina”she said proudly. Mrs. Honeycutt nodded as another girl sighed and said,”I was going to say that”

Michael smiled. Emily, what a pretty name.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Mommy was right. The day went by really quickly and he learned a few things and he was happy when he got a few answers right in math class. Mrs. Honeycutt even told him that he was good at math and that he should stick with it. Recess was fun too. Nicky seemed to be popular with a lot of the boys already, especially with his new baseball, he introduced them to Michael and soon he made friends. But the best part of the day happened when Emily tripped and fell. Not her falling, no, but what happened after. Michael rushed to her rescue and asked if she was alright, she nodded hiding the tears however, her knee was bleeding pretty badly. He called Mrs. Honeycutt over and she took Emily to the nurse, he also went along, just to make sure she was alright. The nurse bandaged Emily up and she was free to go just in time to get back to class. “Thank you Michael, my knee is better now”she said to him with a smile

“Your welcome”he said politely,”You can call me Mikey”he told her.

“Is that so?”Salomi said with a cocked eyebrow as Michael followed her around the kitchen as she started to clean and prepare for dinner. “So Emily is a new friend?”she asked him

“I hope so”he said as he blushed,”Her last name is Hubbard and she wants to be a ballerina like Rita and she has dark hair just like you and blue eyes like daddy”he rambled on,”She sits right next to me”

Salomi smiled. Gabriel was right, Michael did just as he said he would. He did come home excited and couldn’t wait to go back, but mostly over a girl. Michael seemed to have a crush already. How sweet. “Im happy that you had a great day at school”Salomi said

“You were right mommy, school is fun, I wanna go back tomorrow”he said excitedly

“I wanna go back tomorrow”Dahlia said

“No you cant go yet, your too young”Michael said to her

Dahlia crossed her arms and pouted,”Im not!”

“Yes you are”

“Im not!”Dahlia shouted back at him

Salomi turned around and wanted to scold her but took a different approach,”I have a feeling that two naughty little children don’t want to go to the beach”she said. They both looked at her with wide eyes, she turned to Michael,”Now get started on your homework”she said to him

“Yes mommy”he said as he went to the bedroom

“And you….”she said to Dahlia, she sighed and yet she smiled, she was so loud and wild, she reminded her of herself when she was little, letting frogs into the house, pretending to fly and getting many bruises,”you go play with your dolls and be quiet until dinner alright?”she said to her. Dahlia nodded and ran off. Salomi smiled and went back to cleaning.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Rita smiled as she took off her tap shoes and put on her regular shoes. Another great dance lesson, she loved to dance. She wanted to be like Fred Astaire, but a girl version. She walked out of the dance school with Kit and they saw Kit’s parents having a disagreement. They stopped and listened.

“Sweetheart you are overreacting”Kit’s mother said,”It isn’t that bad-“

“You don’t know how bad it is!”Kit’s father said to her,”The stocks are starting to fall, I have invested a lot of credit into it! Money that isn’t even mine-“

“Well that’s your fault”Kit’s mother replied,”Stick with what you have, your own money”

“Yeah, you would know”he said to her,”You spend more time with my money than you do with me”he said. She gasped and then turned away and saw Kit and Rita.

She quickly smiled,”You girls are done already!? How was class Kit? Hello Rita”she said to them

“Hello Mrs. Andrews”Rita said politely, but she wanted to know what they were fighting about.

“Dance class was great Mommy, I cant wait for the Halloween recital”Kit said as a car pulled up. Rita recognized it as her mother’s car.

“I’ll see you tomorrow”Rita said to Kit and Kit returned the farewell, she walked toward her car as she heard Dahlia yell,”RITA, WE’RE HERE!”out the window and her mother scolding her. “Hi mommy, Mikey, Lia”she said as she got into the car

“How was class huney?”Salomi asked her as she waved to the Andrews and drove back home.

“Great, my pirouettes are perfect now. Madame said so”Rita smiled proudly,”Can I show you when I get home?”

“Of course”

“Is Daddy coming home late again?”she asked. Salomi nodded. Rita sighed, she wanted to show Daddy, he loved watching her dance and gave her great tips as well. “Mommy?”she asked

“Yes dear”

“How do you spend more time with money than a person?”Rita asked

Salomi looked at her,”What do you mean?”

“Well Mr. Andrews said that Mrs. Andrews spends more time with his money than with him, how?”she asked

Salomi sucked in her breath, seemed that Rita overheard a pretty heated debate,”That just means she shops too much”she said and then looked at Rita,”You know its wrong to eavesdrop, you shouldn’t listen to other people’s conversations, its rude”

“I know but I didn’t understand”Rita defended herself. Salomi nodded and they rode home in silence except for moments when Dahlia and Michael would argue, but they didn’t last long since Salomi kept bringing up the beach.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Salomi woke up with a start as she felt a body fall on top of her, she opened her eyes and saw that it was Gabriel,”Are you crazy? Do you want me to have a heart attack?”

“I missed you”he said as he kissed her passionately and she eagerly kissed him back. They laid there and kissed for awhile, just like they used to do when they first met on the Titanic and when they found each other again 2 years after. That seemed so long ago, almost 20 years. He pulled away and laid next to her and then sat up with a start, “How were the kids today?”he asked

“Well behaved”Salomi said with a smile,”A few arguments here and there but whenever I mention not going to the beach, they shut right up. I think we need to go to the beach every weekend, I love it when they’re quiet”

“Good, because I cant take it anymore”he said as he got up and walked out of the room

Salomi got up and followed him and saw that he was walking down the hall to the kids’ room.”Gabe!”she hissed as she ran to him,”You are not waking them up now are you?”

“Yes, we gotta start spreading the news”he said in a sing song voice as he opened their door and turned on the light. Rita opened her eyes, Michael stirred a little but Dahlia was dead to the world. She could sleep through anything but she was always the last to go to sleep. “WE ARE GOING TO THE BEACH! CONGRATULATIONS!”he said as he danced around the room. Salomi stood there helplessly as Rita let out a yell and jumped off the bed and ran to her father, Michael sat up with wide eyes and he looked at her.

“Really mommy?”he asked her

She nodded,”You all have been very good this week”she said and Michael let out a shout and hugged them both. Dahlia finally stirred and Michael ran to her.

“WE’RE GOING TO THE BEACH TOMORROW!”he shouted excitedly and Dahlia nodded sleepily, not quite awake yet. Salomi looked at the clock it was almost 1 am, how was she going to get them to go back to sleep after all this excitement?

Rita and Gabriel danced around the room and then she proceeded to show him her perfect pirouette and put on her tap shoes and did the latest routine. Gabriel turned on the gramophone and put in a record and they all started to dance, Michael too. Dahlia stood there confused,”Why are they dancing mommy?”

“Theyre happy, didn’t you hear? We’re going to the beach sweetheart”Salomi said to her with a big smile and then Dahlia let out the loudest scream of joy ever and joined with them and danced, or more like hopped around the room. Gabriel smiled and walked over to her as her favorite song played.

“Dance with me darling”he said as he twirled Salomi around the room. Rita danced with Michael and Dahlia danced with her teddy bear, screaming in delight as she did.

“Now how are we going to get them to go to sleep?”Salomi asked him,”They have school tomorrow you know..actually today is Friday, its one in the morning!”

“Let me put them to sleep my dear, I woke them”he said with a smile as they danced around the room. However, the children tired themselves out and soon they were laid back down in their beds, it was almost two by then.

“They lost an hour of sleep, you’re a bad boy for doing that”Salomi said to him

Gabriel smiled wickedly,”I’ll show you how bad I really am”he said as he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. Salomi didn’t know what had come over him, but she liked it, they made love for hours and as usual, it was amazing.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Why are you so happy today?”Emily asked Michael as they ate lunch together. Ever since the first day of school, the two got closer and closer and Michael didn’t mind. Emily was so pretty, he loved being around her.

“My daddy promised me and my sisters that if we were good all week that we were going to go to the beach and we leave today after school”Michael said excitedly

Emily’s eyes lit up,”Really? I have never been to a beach. What’s it like?”

Michael looked at her with wide eyes,”You have never been to the beach before?”

Emily shook her head,”My mommy just moved here with me, we used to live on a farm with my grandmother. I didn’t see any beaches around”

“Beaches are fun. Theres lots of water and sand. The water is cold but once you get in, it warms up, its like a big bathtub with real fish in it and you can make sand castles and theres stores with lots of toys and candy nearby”

“Real fish?”Emily asked, her eyes lighting up. “I would love to go one day it sounds great”

“I’ll take you one day”he said to her and she smiled. “But Ive never been to a real farm before. Are there lots of animals? Whats it like?”he asked her. She smiled and explained and he looked into her deep blue eyes as she did so.

*________________________________*

“Let Aunt Dorothy get a look at you”Dorothy said as she saw the three children, they walked up to her and she gave them a hug and a gift as always.

“Arent you technically ‘Grandmother’ Dorothy?”Jules asked with a small smile,”Since their mother is technically your daughter?”

“Oh do shut up Jules”Dorothy said to him as she gave new tap shoes to Rita, a toy train for Michael and a doll for Dahlia.

Salomi smiled,”Im green with envy, you give the best gifts”she said as she hugged Dorothy.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t leave you out either”she said as she gave Salomi a bottle of her favorite perfume. Salomi gave her a hug and a big thank you,”Don’t mention it, they are getting so big!”

“Yes they are, Michael just started school. Dahlia will be going next year. Rita is becoming quite the dancer”Salomi said to her as they sat down in the parlor and talked as they sipped on some tea. The children played with their new gifts excitedly. Jules and Gabriel watched this but with different expressions. Jules seemed worried about something and then he got a cigar and walked out on the front porch, Gabriel followed suit.

“You got a good looking clan there sport”Jules said to him,”Nice work. Dahlia and Rita are going to drive the men wild one day”

“Don’t remind me”Gabriel said as he lit his own cigar,”So how are things?”

“They’re going well”Jules said simply as he puffed on the cigar and then slowly exhaled the smoke.

“Well? Not exciting? Swell? Fantastic?”Gabriel asked him

Jules sighed, he then looked inside, as if he were checking to see if the children or the women were around and then he turned to Gabriel,”Well theres…investment troubles”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, you have stocks, right Gabriel? I mean you know whats going on right?”Jules asked him

“Yes I do, I have plenty on credit”Gabriel said,”That’s why my children are going to a good school, keeping Salomi happy and have a luxurious roof over our heads”

Jules nodded,”And Im happy for you, but you do know whats going on?”

Gabriel shook his head,”I haven’t paid much attention, just taking the checks and certificates as they come in. I think I can double the family fortune”

Jules sighed,”Gabriel, for the first time in years, the stocks arent doing so well. They are starting to sink”

“Ok so a little recession, I have heard talks about it, but it cant all go kaput, it will rise again by Monday”Gabriel said nonchalantly

“I hope your right”Jules said

“What else is it?”

“It’s the film industry these days, now that the ‘talkies’ are out, they are doing away with silent films”Jules said,”Which may mean less money for me. I mean I don’t know how the new equipment works, a lot of the silent actors don’t want to do ‘talkies’ because they are afraid of how they sound. The transition is a little harder than I thought”

“You’ll get the hang of it”Gabriel said as he watched the sun start to set,”I mean as I said to Salomi, these past 10 years have been hard but very prosperous, we cant possibly go anywhere but up”

“I hope your right”Jules said

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“You look beautiful Dorothy”Salomi said as she saw Dorothy in her dress. The adults were going to go out for the evening for cocktails while the housekeeper took care of the children and put them to bed.

“Oh this old thing?”Dorothy said modestly,”Thank you and I must say Lomi, you look wonderful. You have grown up to be such a lovely woman and mother”

“Oh Dorothy, you don’t have to say that-“

“I don’t know how you do it, you look like a movie star still and with three kids? They are so well behaved-“

“Oh no, you don’t see them when we eat breakfast in the morning-“

“That’s quite alright, they can misbehave around you, that’s how they learn, but out in public? Around family? They are supposed to be polite like they have been. Im very proud of you Lomi”

“Thank you”Salomi said,then she frowned,”So..have you and Jules…”

“We have been trying but we gave up…Im 44 years old now. Im too old to have children”

“Who said that?”

“I said that. You don’t see old ladies like me popping out children….”she said and then sighed,”Its fine…I had a feeling that maybe it couldn’t happen but Im not upset. We thought about adoption”

“That’s a great option. I mean why bring more children into the world when theres children already here that are in need?”Salomi asked

Dorothy nodded,”Good point”she said but she still looked upset.

“What else is it?”Salomi asked,”Are you two alright?”

“Jules and I? Oh we are fine, just as we were when we married 9 years ago”she said

“Well you look upset about something, you can tell me”

Dorothy sighed,”Im afraid Im going to have to quit acting in films”

“Why? What happened to that movie with Greta Garbo?”

“I didn’t get the part…theres this new actress…Colleen Moore…she got it. Shes all the rage now”Dorothy said sadly

“Im sorry, but don’t give up-“

“Im going to have to”Dorothy said,”People can hear actors talk now….my voice…it just doesn’t sound good. Many people have commented how they don’t like how I sound. They would rather keep me in the background and not say a word and Im better than that. Times are changing, this whole sound phenomenon…it ruined me”she said as tears came to her eyes

Salomi stared at her in shock,she couldn’t believe that THE Dorothy Gibson, her Dorothy, wasn’t good enough for the film industry anymore. The film actresses out now all seemed to credit her as an influence, it was insane. “You cant get a vocal coach or something? I mean Dorothy come on, you talk to me, you sound fine”

“Some people don’t like the Jersey accent that I have, they say its nasally. One person said that ‘it seems that her voice doesn’t match the mouth that its coming out of and the mouth is very beautiful’. What is that supposed to mean?”Dorothy asked angrily. She then calmed herself down,”But Im fine Salomi really.Im obviously still bitter yes but…that’s all a part of getting old I guess. My photos with William are still selling, he even wants to put one of my best photos as a stamp. Can you believe that?”Dorothy asked her, her eyes getting their delightful shine back.

“That’s wonderful. Now whenever I send a letter,Im going to have your face on it”Salomi said with a smile

“And Jules is still working in the industry.Hes behind the scenes,they cant possibly kick him out for bullshit reasons like not having a pretty enough voice”she commented,”Besides,if we adopt, I need to be home with the children. No nannies for me”

“I agree”Salomi said to her,”However sometimes I feel like I need one for each child”

The door then opened and Jules peeked his head through,”You gals ready yet? Or are you still drowning yourself in rouge?”

“We’re coming darling”Dorothy said to him as she forced a smile. The whole quitting the film industry still hurt her. They met Gabriel downstairs and went to The Seagull. Both Jules and Dorothy both had a lot on their minds with the stocks plummeting, the drastic changes in film and the problems with having a child of their own, however, with Gabriel and Salomi’s happy and optimistic natures, they couldn’t drown in their worries for too long.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The next morning, the six of them went to the beach. The children were ready with their swimsuits, pails and buckets. They played in the water and sand while the adults relaxed in the sand.

“Goodness Lomi, your bathing suit…”Dorothy said to her as they both watched Michael try to make his own sand castle. It was coming along great actually.

“What?”Salomi asked her

“Its very…so much skin”Dorothy said,”I mean you are showing a lot of leg, shoulders..everything”

“Oh come off it Dorothy, everyone thinks we ‘flappers’ show way too much skin”Salomi said with a laugh

“I personally think that she doesn’t show enough”Gabriel said as he sat down on the other side of Salomi and the two women laughed. Salomi swatted him,”Hey! Im just being honest”he said with a laugh.

Then they heard a really loud scream. Dorothy and Jules both jumped and looked around, it was Dahlia. Her suit was wet and she was running away from the waves as they washed on the shore.”Is she alright?”Dorothy asked

Salomi laughed,”No that scream tells us that shes doing just fine”

“Geez that was loud”Jules said with a laugh,”Does she scream like that all the time?”

“Only when she gets very excited…or very upset…or when something doesn’t go her way”Gabriel commented,”So…yes it does happen a lot”he said as Dahlia screamed again. But this time another scream came after hers and he turned to see what happened.

“DON’T! LIA, YOU RUINED IT!”Michael screamed at her. Apparently Dahlia stomped all over his sand castle. He then pushed her away and she fell into the sand on her bottom, she screamed in agony as if it was the worst pain ever.

Gabriel and Salomi quickly got up. Gabriel comforted but yet scolded Dahlia for ruining the castle as Salomi calmed Michael down. They brought the two back over to the adults.”Looks like someone wants to go home”he said to Dahlia as he sat her down next to him

“NO! I DON’T!”Dahlia cried out loud

“Well you better sit still and be quiet, your argument isn’t convincing me otherwise”he said to her. Dahlia sat there with her arms crossed,pouting, sniffling every now and then.

“You cant push Lia, even if she did something wrong, you know better than that”Salomi said to Michael.”Apologize”she said to him. They both said they were sorry to each other and sat there in silence next to their parents. Rita met a friend and they were playing with her dog as they ran around and got in and out of the water.

“I want a doggy”Dahlia said in a small voice

“Well we will have to think about that. But dogs are only for good children”Gabriel said to her. Dahlia didn’t like that answer and kept pouting. Dorothy then started to laugh,”Whats so funny?”he asked her

“I never thought that I would see the day. Gabriel Brewster, star of the stage, being a family man and scolding the children. It’s a shock”she said.She looked at Michael and Dahlia,”I remember when Gabriel was only 15. We met on a ship, he got in trouble a lot”

“I don’t think that’s a very good story to tell them”Jules said with a laugh

“Why not? Their father was young once”Dorothy asked him

“Daddy’s in trouble?”Dahlia asked, still pouting

“Not now, but when he was younger, yes. What did he do to you the first day he met you Lomi?”Dorothy asked her

Salomi laughed, remembering her first hour on the Titanic. She remembered exploring the deck while Uncle Vernie and her father stayed in the cabin and tended to the cash that Morietti had them deliver back to the States. She smiled,”I remember it quite clearly. A waiter gave me some croissants for breakfast, I took two or three and I remember the strange look he gave me. I take set my croissants down next to me and turned away for a second and one of them was gone! I turn and see a boy running off with it. It turned out to be Gabriel”she said as they laughed,Dahlia and Michael didn’t understand,she turned to them,”Your Daddy stole my food”

“Ooooooh!”Dahlia said in a tone that told Gabriel that he was in trouble

“I was hungry!”Gabriel said defending himself,”And Salomi pushed me!”

Michael gasped as he looked at his mother. “Ooooooooh!”Dahlia said again

“I pushed you only because you stole from me. You could have just asked me”

“Oh like you would have given it to me. You were a greedy,spoiled brat! That’s why you had two! You wanted both to yourself, you wouldn’t have shared”Gabriel said

“You should share”Dahlia said, quoting her mother on various occasions

“But I let you keep it, remember that? I even bought nuts for you. We became friends after that…then more”Salomi said and blushed, feeling like she was 12 again.

Gabriel smiled at her, she looked so cute when she blushed. She was almost 30, but she still looked like she was 21. “Your blushing arent you?”he asked her. Dorothy and Jules laughed. He leaned in and kissed her,”Remember our first kiss?”he whispered to her.

Before she could answer, Dahlia and Michael were saying “eeew” and complained about their parents kissing in front of them. “Why don’t you two go off and play, and behave…or we will just have to go home early”Salomi said to them, they both eagerly ran off. Michael returned to his sand castle and Dahlia ran off screaming towards Rita, her new friend and her dog. The dog didn’t like the screaming and started to run off, the three girls chasing it. Salomi shook her head,”That girl is going to be the death of me”

“But shes so cute”Jules said. Whenever Dahlia pouted, it made him feel so bad. Just like it did to everyone else, that pout was very powerful.

“Yes but-“

“Shes just a baby, darling”Gabriel said to her

“Gabriel, she will be a monster when shes 10 if we don’t start disciplining her better!”Salomi said to him. Rita and Michael were easy but it seemed that Dahlia was a different breed.

“Discipline is for boys”Gabriel said to her,”Besides, all you have to do is give them rewards and consequences. She was an angel this week wasn’t she?”he asked her

“Almost”Salomi said, even though he was right. The three children were well behaved since they wanted to go to the beach so badly.

“What do you mean?”Dorothy asked

“Coming here was a reward for them, for good behavior. I told them that if they did anything that was considered wrong, no beach. And look where we are”Gabriel explained to her

“So what happens in the coming months? When it gets cold?”Jules asked

“Hey Christmas is around the corner, theres always that wire to Santa”Gabriel said as they all laughed.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Call us when you get home. Oh Im going to miss you so”Dorothy said as she hugged Salomi and kissed each of the children goodbye. They all had a nice Sunday picnic on the beach and after that they packed and got ready to go back home. Michael and Rita had school the next day and needed plenty of rest.

“Thank you for having us”Gabriel said as he hugged Jules.

“It was a pleasure. Anytime”Jules said to him, he then leaned and whispered to him,”First thing Monday, check on all your stocks. This could be serious and you can lose everything”

“Its not as bad as all that-“

“Just do it. Alright? It will be for your own good”Jules said.”Im going to the bank and Im checking myself”he said

Gabriel sighed,”Alright I will”he said

*___________________________*

“How was the beach? Was it fun?”Emily asked Michael eagerly as they ate lunch on Monday. She was stuck in the apartment all weekend with her mother, various babysitters and the radio, her mother didn’t like her going outside as much, there were a lot of dangers in the city, much more than the farm. She always wondered about Michael and how much fun he was having.

“Oh it was great”Michael said with a huge smile. “I made huge sand castles, my aunt bought me a nice train, I played in the water, we had picnics, I ate lots of salt water taffy…and fish, the sun was shining really bright, I didn’t want to leave”

“I wouldn’t”Emily said,”You look darker, you got a tan?”she asked him. He nodded. He was going to ask her how her weekend was but Nicky interrupted.

“We’re done eating now and we are going to play some ball. Come on”he said. He never understood why Michael liked talking to that Emily girl so much.

Michael sighed a little, he liked playing ball but he loved talking to Emily more. However, he was afraid to tell the other boys that, they would laugh and call him a girl. That’s the last thing he needed,”Im going to play ball, want to watch?”

“Alright”Emily said with a shrug as she followed him to the playground

“Hurry up Mikey!”Nicky called to him and he ran ahead. Emily started to follow when she heard someone call her. It was Abigail.

“Did you want to play hopscotch with us Emily?”Abigail asked her.

“Well…I was going to watch Michael play ball”Emily started to explain. Abigail looked at Sasha Steel, who was standing next to her, and giggled.”What?”she asked

“Why do you play with boys all the time? You are always with Mikey”Sasha said, she walked over to her and whispered,”Some of the girls in class think that you want to be a boy since you play with them so much”

“Really?”Emily asked

“Why do you?”Abigail asked,”They are dirty. They smell too”

“Mikey doesn’t smell”Emily defended her new friend. Abigail and Sasha looked at each other, Emily didn’t like the look they had.

“Are you going to play with us or not? Or are you going to be just a stinky boy?”Sasha asked her

Emily looked back at Mikey. He seemed fine, the girls were probably right. She does play with him a lot but why not? But she didn’t want the girls to think she wanted to be a boy, it seemed some of them already believed it. “Im not going to be a stinky boy’’she said as she walked over to where they drew the hopscotch board on the ground,”Now how do you play?”she asked them

“You don’t know how to play hopscotch?”Sasha asked her with wide eyes

“Boys don’t play hopscotch”Abigail said

“We didn’t play hopscotch on the farm, we just played with animals and climbed trees”Emily answered Sasha’s question, ignoring Abigail.

“Farm? Ive never seen a farm around here”Sasha said to her

Emily figured that, what was with these city kids? None of them have seen a farm in their life. “I used to live on a farm in Philadelphia. I just moved here before school started”

“What kind of animals did you play with?”Sasha asked her

“All of them, cats, dogs, chickens, horses, goats-“

“I love horses!”Abigail said.

“Me too”Sasha said in reply.”Gee your lucky”

Emily just shrugged,”So how do you play?”she asked them. They showed her how to play and they were much nicer afterwards, even though Abigail did make a few ‘stinky boy’ comments now and then. But they were fun to play with. Michael noticed that Emily wasn’t watching them anymore and was playing with Sasha and Abigail. He couldn’t help but be jealous, it seemed that they were having a lot of fun. She couldn’t have fun with him too?

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Kit giggled as she ran over to Rita and sat behind her in her assigned seat,”HE told me to give this to you”she said as she put a piece of paper on her desk

Rita rolled her eyes, she knew exactly who HE was. It was Clayton Millner. He was quite dorky and he had a crush on her. He has had one since last year. She didn’t like him at all, he had huge glasses, he always had boogers in his nose and he was a boy after all. He wasn’t even nice to her. He always pulled her hair or threw something at her. “Open it”Kit pleaded to her

Rita sighed and opened it up. There was a big red heart on it and then under it, it said in bad handwriting…bad spelling too: Can yoo play with me afder skool? Then there were boxes next to yes or no. She shook her head as Kit laughed,”He spelled school wrong!”

“Shhhh”Rita said as Mrs. Burnett, their teacher, entered the room. She put the piece of paper under her desk and took out her handwriting book. She glanced to her left and saw Clayton looking at her, his eyes pleading for an answer. She looked away.

“So…are you?”Kit asked her

“No I cant, we have ballet after school remember?”Rita whispered to her and Kit nodded in agreement,”Besides, he doesn’t like me”

“Yes he does, he wants to kiss you”she said and giggled

“Eeew”Rita said as she wrinkled her nose up. “I know he doesn’t like me. My Daddy likes my Mommy very much and he never pulls her hair or anything. Hes just lying”

Kit shrugged,”My mom throws things at my dad sometimes. They like each other…I think”she said,”Hes gonna give you another note tomorrow”she said with a giggle

“I know”Rita said

“Ms. Brewster? Ms. Andrews? I don’t want to change your assigned seating”Mrs. Burnett scolded them and they immediately shut up.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“I have graded all of your pictures of the great outdoors and I am very impressed. There may be a few future artists in my classroom”Mrs. Honeycutt said as she passed back their art pictures that they drew and colored last week. There was a huge red check and smiling face on Michael’s picture and he smiled. He drew the beach with water, sand, a castle, birds, fish, the sun and blue sky. It was very colorful. He looked at Emily’s picture, it was of a farm. There was a house with grass and animals around it.

“Is that your farm?”Michael asked her. Emily smiled at him and nodded.

“Is that your beach?”she asked him. He nodded, then had an idea. He handed it back to her.

“Keep it”he said

“Why?”she asked him

“Because Im giving it to you, as a present. You have never seen a beach before…now you can see one”he said

Emily smiled at him. “Oh thank you Mikey”she said, she then gave him her farm picture. “Keep it since you have never been to a farm. I will take you one day”she said

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

While the children were listening to the radio, Salomi decided to get back to her chores from earlier that day. The weather was getting cooler and she was putting all her summer dresses back in their boxes to save for next season. She also brought her winter and fall clothes out of their boxes and hung them up. She took out one of her favorite dresses and hung it up and she noticed something fall to the floor. She saw that it was a piece of paper and picked it up, she flipped it over and it was a photo. It was taken at Gatsby’s party 9 years ago. There were a whole bunch of people that she didn’t remember and in the center were her and Gabriel, he was obviously drunk because he decided to kiss her cheek when the picture was taken. Salomi remembered that and smiled, in the picture she was beaming and quite tipsy, but next to her was Darla and Leon. Leon had one arm around her and another around Darla, looking very happy and Darla had a pursed smile. Salomi never noticed before but she knew that it was a smile that Darla would put on if something was wrong. Something had to be definitely wrong, because a week later she killed Leon. Tears welled up in her eyes and started to fall. Why? Why couldn’t she have seen it sooner? How could she let that happen? Why?

“Mommy? Whats that?”a voice said behind her and she jumped. She turned and it was Michael. “Mommy? Why are you crying?”

“Oh nothing sweetheart”Salomi said as she wiped her tears quickly.

“Who are those people in that picture?”he said as he sat on the floor next to her. “Is that Daddy? He looks silly”

“Yes, he was in a silly mood that night”she said

“Is that you? You look happy, your hair is short”Michael said with a gasp, his mommy looked so different.

“Yes that was the style back then”Salomi said, she grew her hair back after the incident, the ‘bob’ was just another reminder of Darla.

“Who’s that?”he asked as he pointed to a girl.

“I don’t know”

“Who’s that?”he asked as he pointed to a man with a champagne glass, he seemed to be the drunkest one in the picture

“I don’t know”

“Who’s that?”he asked as he pointed to a woman who was on some man’s back as if he were going to give her a piggy back ride and the way Gatsby’s parties were, he probably did.

“Huney I don’t-“

“Who’s that?”he asked as he pointed to Darla

“That’s Darla, she…..was a friend of mine”Salomi said quietly

“Why isn’t she your friend anymore?”

“She did something really bad. Something that I cant say”Salomi said and Michael frowned since that was his next question

“Where is she now?”he asked her

Salomi frowned and took the picture from him,”She’s dead”she said. Which wasn’t a total lie. Darla was in Chicago at the Cooke County Jail, shes been there for 9 years and hasn’t heard from her since. She was dead to her.

“Is that why you are crying?”he asked her

Salomi nodded,”Why don’t we go back into the parlor now?”she asked him as she got up. She put the photo in the pocket of her apron as she followed him into the parlor where Rita and Dahlia were still listening to “Annie”. He obediently sat next to Dahlia and listened and Salomi went into the kitchen and got herself a glass, she then opened a cabinet and poured herself some gin. She put it back in the cabinet when Gabriel walked into the kitchen,she looked at him with surprise.”What are you doing here?”she asked as she put the glass down

“I live here remember?”he said with a smile as he hugged her and gave her a kiss,”What kind of welcome is that for a husband who has missed his wife most terribly?”

Salomi smiled,”Im sorry but…don’t you have a show tonight?”

“I did, but it was cancelled”he said

“Oh Im sorry”Salomi said to him,then she gasped,”They fired you?”

“Oh no, my show has been cancelled but it will be back. We are going to be performing for Franklin Roosevelt”

“Governor Roosevelt?”she asked him.He nodded,”Well huney that’s wonderful. I voted for him you know”

“So did I”he said,”So they cancelled my shows until Im done with this one and then I’ll be back in business”he said excitedly.He then saw the glass on the counter,”Oh is that water? Im thirsty”

“Oh no its-“she started to say but he already grabbed it and took a huge gulp of it. He made a face and set it down. He looked at her. She sighed,”Its gin”

“I know”he said to her,”Why are you drinking?”he said sternly

“Its nothing-“

“Whats wrong?”he asked her. Salomi hasn’t drank as much as she used to but she never drank at home, unless something was wrong.

“Nothing! I cant have a drink every once in awhile?”Salomi asked him

His face softened,”Sorry, you just always said that…you wouldn’t drink around the children…I just figured there was something wrong”he said as he gave her another hug.”If you don’t want to tell me that’s fine….I mean I am getting another bonus soon and I did buy you something”

“Are you blackmailing me? Theres nothing wrong. What did you get me?”Salomi asked, eyes and smile wide. Forgetting all about Darla.”Come on”

Gabriel smiled when he saw her get excited,maybe there wasn’t anything wrong. He couldn’t stand waiting either and took a box out of his pocket. Her eyes widened when she saw it,”Open it”

She opened the box and there was a diamond necklace with matching earrings. “Gabriel! Diamonds? You must have spent a fortune!”

“Yeah probably”Gabriel said with a shrug.”But I will be getting that and much more in the next few months don’t worry”

“Im not”Salomi said happily as she held it up, she then turned around so her back was facing him and handed it to him,”Put it on me?”she asked him. He smiled and moved her long dark hair out of the way, he pulled on it a little and she laughed,”Don’t pull my hair”

“You weren’t complaining when I did that last night”he said and she laughed and put her hair up for him, he put the necklace around her neck and latched it closed. She put the earrings in and ran to the bedroom, past Rita who was listening at the door. She was confused. Daddy pulled Mommy’s hair and she liked it? That just proved her whole Clayton idea wrong. Eeew. Then Dahlia screamed in delight and so did Salomi, but not as loud, as she saw how huge the diamonds were.

“Mommy’s a princess!”Dahlia said loudly

“Gabriel, they're huge!”she said

“I want to be a princess too!”Dahlia said loudly

“Dahlia not so loud”Salomi said to her

“Have no fear! Im going to spoil you children rotten!”he said as he gave toys to them. Rita got a doll that was dressed like a ballerina, Michael got his own baseball and Dahlia got ballet slippers.

Dahlia frowned,”I want a doll!”

“You should say thank you Dahlia”Salomi said to her, even though she gave a wondered look at Gabriel

“Im thinking that if we put Dahlia in ballet classes, she will be more disciplined”he said to her,”Just like you hoped”

Salomi smiled at him, she was touched that he was still thinking about that. “That’s a great idea”she said,”Thank you”

“I WANT A DOLL!”Dahlia said as she pointed to Rita’s

“Oh so I guess you don’t want this tutu that goes with it?”he asked her as he held up a leotard, tutu and tights.”I swore that you told me you wanted to be a princess or something or other”

“Oooh! GIVE ME!”Dahlia shouted

“Say Please Dahlia”Salomi said to her

“PLEASE!”she shouted and Gabriel gave it to her. Salomi shook her head as she helped Dahlia try on the tights, leotard and tutu and helped her with the slippers. Then Rita showed her how to rise on her tippy toes and spin around. Salomi couldn’t help but smile, Dahlia looked adorable. “I hope this idea of yours works”

“It will, she starts tomorrow with the other beginners”Gabriel said,”Once we get her settled I want Michael to take classes too”he said and winked at her

“You cant be serious”Salomi said with a laugh as she looked at Michael, playing with his trains.

“Hey, girls love men who dance. The male ballet dancers at the theater have many female fans”Gabriel said to her and she laughed. She forgot about the wild and crazy Darla and focused on the wild and crazy Dahlia.

*____________________________*

“I have to talk to you”Rita said to Kit when the class finished their lunch and went outside for recess. The two girls walked to a bench and sat down, instead of claiming the two swings first as usual. Kit knew it had to be something serious if she didn’t want to talk about it in front of people. She immediately got excited, she loved secrets!

“What is it?”she asked her

“I overheard my mommy and daddy talking last night…and you will never guess what they said-“

“I bet I can”Kit said as she tried to remember the daily conversations her parents had while she hid behind doors. “Your mommy is spending lots of money”

“No, she actually thinks my daddy is spending a fortune. He bought her a huge diamond necklace and earrings. It was so pretty, my mommy looked like a princess” Rita said with a smile. Her mommy looked so happy. When she grew up, she wanted to be happy with her husband too, have 10 children and a big wedding and a huge dress.

“Really? Wow”Kit said,”Can I see it?”

“Maybe…Im too scared to touch it”Rita said

“Ok so your mommy yelled at your daddy for buying her things? My mommy says my daddy doesn’t buy enough things for her”

“No, well she didn’t say that”Rita said.”I couldn’t hear all of it but…my mommy told my daddy not to pull her hair. Then he said that she didn’t complain when he did it last night…”

Kit gave her a weird look,”What does that mean? Why does he like to pull her hair?”

“I don’t know. But I know what it means for me!”Rita said

“What do you have to do with it?”

“Clayton pulls my hair! My daddy really loves my mommy, he says it to her everyday, and he also pulls her hair and I think she likes it!”

“So you think that Clayton is in love with you?”Kit asked, catching on

Rita nodded her head,”Booger Clayton loves me! What am I going to do!”

Kit laughed,”I don’t know, play with him after school?”

“We have dance class remember? Then homework,then dinner and then I have to listen to Annie…I don’t have time”Rita said,”But I don’t want to play with him! Hes Booger Clayton!”

“I knew he liked you but I didn’t know that he loved you.Do you think he will ask you to marry him?”

“NO!”Rita said,”And if he did, I wouldn’t say yes”

“So what are you going to do?”Kit asked her

“I don’t know….”Rita said with a sigh,”But I was so sure that he didn’t like me but…he must”

“I wonder if my daddy pulls my mommy’s hair”Kit wondered

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Hey Emily? You wanna watch me play ball?”Michael asked her

Emily was almost quick to say yes, but she felt the stares from Abigail, Sasha and the other girls. She didn’t want to be a stinky boy. She felt that she had to sit with them at lunch today so they wont say anything and she felt lonely without him. “Uh…I cant. I promised them that I would play hopscotch”she said

“Oh well I got a new baseball”Michael said excitedly as he pulled the baseball out of his pocket. It was brand new. Emily used to play ball with some of the boys on the neighboring farm.

“Its nice. Brand new”Emily said with a smile. Abigail rolled her eyes, what was so special about a stinky baseball? She hated baseball. Her father was a baseball player for the Yankees, but then he moved out and his mom divorced him. He still sent them a lot of money but never had time for her. Baseball was stupid.

“You sure you don’t want to?”Michael asked, hoping the new, shiny baseball would convince her. She had told him that she liked baseball and knew how to play.

Emily frowned,”No…Im sure I would rather play hopscotch”she said. Sasha smiled approvingly.

“Oh…alright”Michael said sadly

“MIKEY! BRING YOUR NEW BALL! JAMES WANTS TO SEE IT!”Nicky called out to him

Michael sighed,”I’ll see you later then?”he asked her

Emily wanted to say yes…but she felt the stares from the girls,”Maybe”she said

Michael didn’t like that answer either and just walked off. Why was Emily acting so different? Did he do something wrong?

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“I wish your father could see you”Salomi said to Dahlia as she fixed her hair. She was wearing her leotard, tights, a small skirt and her slippers. She was all ready for her first ballet lesson. Gabriel had all day rehearsals for the Roosevelt show.

“Am I pretty mommy?”Dahlia asked her

“Yes, you are very pretty”Salomi said as she put her jacket on her. “Now lets go we are going to be late”she said as she walked to the front door and got her purse and coat. “Rita! Michael! We are going to be late, hurry”she shouted to them

“Coming mommy”Rita said as she put on her jacket over her rehearsal clothes as well. Michael followed slowly behind, he was very slow and sluggish all day. Salomi wondered if he was sick. They all got in the car and she drove them toward the dance studio. Rita saw Kit going in and jumped out of the car first,”Bye mommy”she said as she kissed her cheek,”Have fun today Dahlia. Madame is really nice but you cant be so loud with her, she doesn’t like loud children”she warned her.

“IM NOT LOUD!”Dahlia said. Salomi couldn’t help but laugh at the contradiction.

“She’ll be fine”Salomi said to Rita,”Have a good class. I’ll be back later”she said to her and then Rita walked over to Kit and they went inside. She turned to the backseat where Michael was sitting quietly,”Lets go walk Dahlia in alright?”she asked him

“Alright”he said with a sigh. Salomi frowned, what was wrong with him? She helped them out of the car and felt Michael’s forehead.”What are you doing Mommy?”

“Im just checking to see if your sick, you have been awfully quiet”she said. His head didn’t feel warm

“Im not sick Mommy-“he started to say but then Dahlia started to scream. They both turned and she was halfway down the sidewalk chasing pigeons. Salomi ran after her and grabbed her hand, apologizing to a couple that Dahlia almost ran into.

“What did I tell you about running off? You know better than that”she said to her. “Lets go inside we are going to be late”she said as she grabbed Dahlia’s hand and led her and Michael inside. They went into the beginners classroom and she saw 10 other children with their parents in the room. There was Madame, with her stick and tightly pulled back bun. “Hello Madame”Salomi greeted her

“Oh Mrs. Brewster. I see you are bringing another child to us today?”Madame said as she looked at Dahlia

“Yes, Gabriel signed her up with you. This is Dahlia”she said to her, she turned to Dahlia,”Dahlia? This is Madame, she will be teaching you ballet”she said to her

“Whats that?”Dahlia asked as she pointed to the mole above Madame’s lip. Madame looked at her with surprise.

“Its nothing”Salomi said and mouthed ‘sorry’ to her.

“Vill the boy join us as vell?”Madame asked as she looked at Michael.

“Oh no, not today, but maybe later”Salomi said, even though she noticed three boys standing amongst the children.

“Ballet is for girls”Michael said

“Obviously not sveetheart”Madame said,”I have four boys enrolled in this class this year and one of the most famous ballet dancers in the world is a man. Diaghilev”she said, mentioning the famous ballet dancer in France and pointed to his picture that was hanging on the wall

“Whats THAT?”Dahlia asked Salomi again and she quickly hushed her

“You can stay and vatch if you like. Or you can come back…but you know the rules. After all I taught Rita 3 years ago”Madame said

“Well Im going to take little Michael back home. I think he is coming down with something”Salomi said, even though she was apprehensive with leaving Dahlia here.

“Oh yes, please take him home. I cant have my future ballerinas getting sick on their first day”Madame said

“Im not sick Mommy-“

“MOMMY! WHAT IS THAT!?”Dahlia demanded loudly as she pointed at Madame’s mole. Other parents stared at her in shock. Madame quickly swatted Dahlia’s hand with her stick and Dahlia stared at her in shock.

“Children should be seen and not heard. No shouting in my classroom. Understood?”Madame said to Dahlia. Salomi expected the worse, an all out screaming tantrum. But it didn’t happen. Dahlia only pouted and nodded obediently. “Thank you. Now go over to that corner with the other girls and no shouting”she said to her. Dahlia nodded and walked off.

Salomi looked at her with surprise. She could never get Dahlia to be quiet. She didn’t feel so apprehensive anymore. “You have a good evening Madame”she said to her with a huge thank you look on her face

“No vorries. I vill have her taken care of”Madame said and then greeted another parent. Salomi waved to Dahlia and Dahlia waved back and then they walked out of the classroom and to the car. She looked at Michael and he still looked miserable. “Are you sure that you are feeling alright sweetheart?”she asked him

Michael nodded sadly. Salomi wanted to believe him but said nothing and drove home in silence.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Dahlia was well behaved on her first day and Salomi was relieved that Gabriel was right. Ballet was a good disciplining tool for her two girls and even thought about enrolling Michael but he adamantly declined saying that ‘Ballet was for girls’.

Gabriel rehearsed all week for the Roosevelt show and by the end of that week; the show was to open on that Saturday night. Gabriel bought all of them new outfits. He bought Salomi a shimmering blue gown and a white fur wrap, she wore her new diamonds and had her hair up elegantly. He bought Rita and Dahlia expensive little dresses and Michael, his very own ‘penguin suit’ that was just his size. He looked very handsome. Gabriel even hired a driver for them and he picked them up and drove them to the theater. Rita loved it, she felt like a movie star. Dahlia loved the leather seats and proceeded to stand up and jump on them. Salomi scolded her and Dahlia cried and pouted the rest of the way.

The show was wonderful and the children cheered and shouted for their father as he took his bow. Salomi applauded with tears in her eyes, she loved him so much and he had come so far, doing what he loved. She remembered how he used to balance tables and chairs on his chin at Maisy’s.

They were introduced to the Roosevelt’s at the end of the show. Salomi smiled widely, feeling like she was meeting royalty. Roosevelt was a very intelligent person and so was his wife. She also adored Dahlia who was finally on her best behavior. They invited them out to the opera twice and had dinner with them as well. The day after they had dinner with the Roosevelt’s, Salomi was talked about in the paper, chronicling her every move like she was a star. But if you had dinner with the Governor and his wife, then you must be. Gabriel and Salomi were invited to more parties, dinners, benefits, balls and had to call on babysitters a lot for the evenings. Sometimes they would have to switch babysitters because Dahlia seemed to be too much for some of them.

Soon it was October and the weather got even colder. Rita and Dahlia were rehearsing a lot more for their Halloween recital at the end of the month and the two girls performed for Salomi and Michael whenever they could. Sometimes even for Gabriel when he was home. After performing for the Roosevelt’s he was always asked to be somewhere or perform for such and such. He was becoming quite the entertainer. He felt like he was on top of the world and he had a huge smile on his face everyday, thinking of more things he can spoil his wife and children with. But one day that all stopped. It seemed that Jules was right. He never got around to talking with his bank as Jules requested but he soon got worried when he noticed that his stocks weren’t doing so well. He had met John Rockefeller through the Roosevelts and decided to give him a call.

“Im sorry Mr. Brewster but Mr. Rockefeller is out of town. He will be in Chicago for the next few days”his secretary said to him. Gabriel sighed, he would have to wait. Every night he prayed that the stocks would do better.

However, 2 weeks later, Rockefeller was still out of town but Gabriel wasn’t in the mood to have lunch with anyone. His stocks were plummeting and he was truly scared. He bought a lot of them on credit and put all of their assets into the stock market earlier that year. He thought he could make the family fortune even bigger. But it looked like it would turn out wrong. He wanted to tell Salomi but didn’t know how, and he still tried to be optimistic. The stocks could turn around. He didn’t want to worry her or the children but he couldn’t help but be worried enough for all of them.

Salomi didn’t notice Gabriel’s worries. Dahlia was becoming a handful. She was an angel for the first few weeks in ballet class but she was slowly becoming a monster again. At first Madame would pull her aside after class and explain what Dahlia had done that day. Then she even started calling Salomi at home, demanding that she come back and remove Dahlia from class early. Then one day it was the last straw. Dahlia had stolen a fellow classmates sparkly hairclip and wouldn’t give it back. The two girls argued and Dahlia had slapped the girl and pushed her. The girl fell face first and lost a tooth, blood everywhere. Salomi apologized profusely to the parents and they looked grim, saying that she needed to learn how to raise her children which was a low blow for her. She thought that she was doing just fine. What the hell was wrong with her daughter? She even thought about taking her to some child psychologist.

“After this incident today Mrs. Brewster, I will have to request that Dahlia not come back to my classroom”Madame told her

Salomi stared at her in shock,”You…you are kicking her out?”

“Yes, shes very vild and I can not control her. This is the first time that I have not been able to control a child and the first time a child has been hurt in my classroom. I could lose that child as a client. The parents may not bring her back because of your daughters foolishness. I cant risk that, I cant lose clients. I have put my hard vork, blood, sveat and tears into this school, Im not going to lose it now. Not over some girl”she said sternly, though money wasn’t rolling in as it used to. “I have to you see. You understand”

Salomi nodded sadly,”Im sorry Madame”

Madame nodded and then wrote her a check,”Since Rita was one of my star students and since Gabriel is such a good friend and star himself, I will give you your money back. Lets just forget Dahlia’s dreams of a ballet dancer ever happened”she said as she handed it to her

“No Madame-“

“Please”Madame said to her and Salomi reluctantly took it.”Control that child?”she said to her

“Thanks for your time”Salomi said to her. She grabbed Dahlia’s hand and led her back to the car.

“Am I in trouble now?”Dahlia asked her

“Yes you are”Salomi said sternly,”You are not going back to ballet class and you are going straight to bed when we get home. You have been a very bad girl”she said and Dahlia started to cry but she didn’t want to hear it.When she got home, she was surprised to see that Gabriel was home early.”Is everything alright?”she asked him

”Im just tired and I don’t think Im feeling too well. Im exhausted.I think Im coming down with something”he said to her. Which wasn’t a total lie. Today everyone was in a panic and started getting rid and selling shares. He went to the stock market himself and wished he hadn’t gone. He felt like he would have a panic attack any moment now.

Salomi put Dahlia to bed and served Rita and Michael dinner. She then ran some bath water for Gabriel and made him some soup. He even requested a cigarette and she bought him some. She had stopped smoking once Rita was conceived. She washed him and he asked about her day, hoping her day was better than his and just needed something to take his mind off of everything. However, she told him about Dahlia being kicked out of Madame’s school and he wasn’t very pleased. What was wrong with his daughter? Once Salomi left him alone to tend to the children, he cried in the bathtub. He prayed again that everything would be fine.

Friday was much worse and Monday was a disaster. 16 million shares were dumped. The stock market closed that afternoon to prevent the selling of shares and it would be closed for the rest of the week. He walked all the way from the stock market back to the luxurious apartment, chain smoking the whole way, trying to clear his mind but he couldn’t. He walked in the house and Salomi knew that something was wrong.

“Sweetheart? What is it?”she asked him worriedly. He has been worrying her for the past few days. But he didn’t say anything, he just started to cry and the children looked at him in shock. They have never seen Daddy cry. Salomi held him as he did so and he felt so ashamed. He was ruined and he had lost everything they had.

*________________________________*

“Rita…take Michael and Dahlia into the parlor please. Daddy isn’t feeling too well”Salomi said to her calmly. Dahlia started to pout and sniffle and Michael and Rita stared at their father in plain shock. If Daddy was crying it had to be something bad. However, Rita nodded and took both of their hands and led them away. Gabriel had collapsed onto the floor in the hallway and she helped him up and led him into the bedroom, she helped him lie down and closed the door. She laid next to him and hugged him as he sobbed, stroking his face, his hair, she tried to stay calm but he was scaring her. Something awful happened, something awful must have happened if he was acting like this. Was there a death? Was he fired? Thousands of thoughts raced through her mind but she didn’t dare ask until he seemed to have calmed down. She helped him sit up a little and then asked the question she was dying to ask for days,”Gabe? Huney whats wrong?”she asked soothingly

His bloodshot eyes looked into hers and Salomi could feel her heart break. “I was foolish Lomi. We have lost everything”he said and then started to cry again but through his tears he tried to the best of his ability to explain all about the crash. Salomi listened with wide eyes, not sure if she understood…or wanted to. “Shit…how could I have been so foolish?! What are we going to do?”

“Do you think that we should wait it out for a couple weeks? Wait til everything is back to normal? Maybe it’s a slight recession?”she asked him

Gabriel wished it were so and when they saw Dorothy and Jules, he made that same assumption but it was too late. He heard of people skipping town, jumping out of windows. He cringed remembering seeing a body falling from the sky in the distance a few days ago. No, this was like the end of the world. “No Lomi….its not as easy as that…”

“Well then we’ll sell what we have. I’ll get a job, you can do more theatre and maybe find something else to do on the side. We’ll make it work”she said calmly

But her calm tone annoyed him,”Are you crazy? What do you think I can do? Drive a cab? We’re ruined! The children will starve!”he shouted at her. He then gasped for air. The children. He had seemed to forget about them for a second, oh God, he has ruined their lives!

“Gabriel, we have to be calm. We wont starve, we both will just work hard. Harder”she insisted. This wasn’t going to happen not again. “Gabe, we’ve been through worse. When Leon passed, we were left with almost nothing, but we pulled through and look what we have now. We went from living in Dorothy’s one bedroom to our own luxury apartment, dining with the Roosevelts”she said,”We know people, we have connections, we’ll get through this”she said

Gabriel only nodded. He didn’t believe her but he couldn’t get upset at her. She really didn’t know what was going on. “We’ll have to sell what we have, things that we don’t need….we may have to sell their toys…”he said as tears came to his eyes. The children adored the toys that he bought them,”….your jewels….”he said and decided not to think about it anymore, it hurt too much

Salomi nodded,”Whatever we have to do. We’ll get through this”she said as they both cried. For the first time in a very long time, she was scared. Very scared.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

And things didn’t get any better…

Even though Gabriel didn’t want her to, Salomi decided to tell the children. Since they were going to sell their toys, they should know why. She remembered her father finally being honest with her about his illegal counterfeiting and she felt like a grown up knowing and helping him.

But these days, children were different. Dahlia screamed and cried saying it wasn’t fair that they had to give her toys away. “I promise I’ll be better. I promise!”she shouted at her.

“Lia Im not punishing you for the ballet lessons”she said.Dahlia didn’t hear her and ran off,”We wont be able to afford those either”

“You mean? I cant dance anymore?”Rita asked.Salomi shook her head,”Why!? I have to mother! I need to practice! I have been working so hard on my recital, you cant take it! How am I going to be a good dancer like father without lessons?!”

“You can still practice. Your father knows ballet, he can teach you if he has time”she said,trying to comfort her but Rita sat there and cried. She sighed and looked at Michael, he hadn’t said a word. He has been very quiet lately, upset about something even before they heard about the stock market. Like he knew it was going to happen,”Michael? Huney? I am very sorry, are you alright?”she asked him, knowing he will miss his trains. He only nodded. Silent. She didn’t know what was worse, Dahlia’s screams, Rita’s sniffles or his silence….

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

…it seemed that things were going downhill…

Rita felt a little better after her mother broke the news to her. Kit said she couldn’t afford ballet classes either. She and her family even had to sell their apartment. They decided to make their own dancing school but no one was excited about the idea. No one was excited these days. Madame’s school ended up closing days before the big Halloween recital. Halloween was no fun either, no one could afford candy.

The schools were starting to empty out. Day by day there were fewer students showing up

“Do you know where Abigail is?”Emily asked around, no one knew. She asked Michael and he shrugged. He didn’t care about Abigail, she stole his new friend as far as he was concerned. Though he did wonder where Nicky went to. Finally Sasha walked in,”Sasha!? Wheres Abigail?”

“Her family moved because of the crash. I still don’t know what a crash is”Sasha said sadly

“Is she coming back?”Emily asked. Sasha shook her head as tears came to her eyes.

Rita was also crying, she felt hopeless without Kit. She didn’t show up to school either and she hoped that she was just sick. However, when she and Michael came home, they found their mother crying. It seemed like that was the case these days. Every day someone was crying. “Mother?”she asked her. Michael decided to walk away, he just didn’t want to hear anymore.

“Rita?”Salomi asked as she faked a smile,”How was school?”

“Alright….Kit was not there. I think she is sick, can I go visit her?”she asked and noticed her mother making a basket, it had fruit in it and she was tying a bow on it. “Whats that?”she asked

Salomi sighed.”Its for Kit’s mother actually. I am going to deliver it to her”

“Can I come?”Rita asked,”Is it her birthday?”she asked her

Salomi shook her head sadly,”No huney…Im going to be honest with you. Kit, her mother and Nicky aren’t feeling too good right now”

“Why?”Rita asked

Salomi sighed,she might as well tell her, but how much more could her baby take? She knelt down and faced her and took her little hands in hers,”They are not feeling so well because…Kit’s father…he…the angels from heaven…they took him to heaven yesterday…”she tried to explain. Actually Kit’s father jumped out of a window when he heard that his family had nothing, turns out that they were worse off than they, and that was saying quite a lot. The stress got to him. Now Salomi was worried because she didn’t have a clue where Gabriel was, if he heard, if he had done the same thing?

“Hes…dead?”Rita asked. Salomi nodded as tears filled her eyes,”Why? Why did the angels take him?”

“It was his time to go. Hes better now wouldn’t you say? Things have been crazy around here with the crash…hes away from all this. I want you to remember that. I want you to be strong for Kit, she may not understand. Poor things”she said,trying to convince herself it was a good thing. But now all she thought of him was a coward. He left Kit’s mother with all the stress. “Lets go”she said to her as Rita nodded sadly. She found Michael in the hall,”Hey Michael….”

“Is Father going to the angels too?”he asked as tears rolled down his cheeks

Salomi choked on a sob and hugged him close to her,”No baby hes not”

“Where is he?”he asked

She decided to be honest,”He went to look for jobs"she said. However, she didn’t know where he was and she was hoping he would come home.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

….nothing was looking up…

“He left me….he left me alone….how could he?”Mary Andrews cried as Salomi held her. She didn’t notice the basket and ever since they got there all she did was cry. She led her away from the children and walked her into the parlor and closed the door. “My dead husband is a coward!”

Salomi couldn’t help but agree but she wasn’t going to admit it,”Shhhh Mary, you do not mean that do you?”

Mary shook her head,”I don’t know.I don’t know what I mean, feel, I don’t know what Im saying sometimes. I don’t know what to do….we are penniless…do you understand?”she said to her,”He left us with nothing….I miss him so much….I cant do this alone….”

“You wont be Mary, we are all in the same boat together”Salomi assured her

“Your family is better off. Gabriel is a superstar. John was a goddamned car salesman”

“That doesn’t mean anything”Salomi said sternly, she didn’t know how bad things were for them but if they had to sell practically everything they owned, it wasn’t good either,”Just sell everything you don’t need. Keep essentials. Move out of this place and find something big enough for the three of you. Do you have relatives anywhere that aren’t affected by the crash?” She just shook her head,”You cant give up now. Do it for your children”she said, but Mary only cried and Salomi tried to comfort her as best as she could.

Rita wasn’t getting any luck from Kit, she didn’t even want to talk to her. She just sat on her bed and looked at the floor, sometimes the wall. After awhile, Rita could only sit next to her and stare too. And surprisingly, Dahlia stayed silent as well.

Nicky talked but he acted like nothing ever happened.”You wanna play catch?”he asked Michael

“Alright”Michael said with a shrug,he wanted to ask him if he was alright, what it felt like, he wanted to see his own father now. But Nicky didn’t talk about it, but never smiled….

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

…..its just a downward spiral….

By the time Salomi and the children came home, they were exhausted. The Andrews family tired them out. Salomi made dinner and they all sat down to eat.

“Where’s father?”Rita demanded. Michael and Dahlia looked at her anxiously as well, like they were wondering the same thing.

Salomi tried to stay calm, he went looking for jobs, but that was hours ago. She tried not to think about it,”He’ll be home soon”she reassured her

“Where is he?”Rita demanded again and Michael started to cry. Dahlia threw her fork and started crying too.

Before Salomi could answer, the door opened and Gabriel walked into the kitchen, looking even more tired than they. A gasp caught in Salomi’s throat and tears came to her eyes, he was alright…..oh thank God he was alright! The three children ran to him and hugged him and he smiled for the first time that day.

“Whats wrong?”Gabriel asked her

“We were just worried about you”Salomi said, blinking back the tears. “We visited the Andrews’ today, we are all…just scared Gabe….”she said

“Come here”he said and Salomi got up and hugged him tightly and gave him a long kiss. He then faked a smile,”Well the food smells good. Lets eat”he said, because who knew when they could have a delicious meal like this again, he thought. “Lets not be so melancholy”he said to the children, at least for their sake.

Dinner went fairly normal. Fake smiles, talked about subjects and topics that didn’t mean a thing. The two put the children to bed and then they walked into their bedroom. “So?”Salomi asked

Gabriel sighed,”No luck. I even went to Ford to see if I could sell cars again…he had to fire a lot of people. No one is hiring”he said as he put his head in his hands,”Im sorry Lomi, Ive been so inadequate-“

“Stop Gabriel please”Salomi said as she took his hand in hers,”I made lists of things we can sell, we will make it work”

“And who will we sell it to? The same people who have lost everything too?”he asked her. He recognized a mother of one of Rita’s classmates selling her furs in the lobby of a hotel. She looked pitiful. “Its all so worthless….”

“No its not”Salomi urged,”We have been through this before Gabe. We can get through this. Think of what others have lost, who we have lost…my father, Adam, Uncle Vernie, Leon, they could be brave in the face of what they went through…there is nothing we cant face….”she said but he only cried in her arms again.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

…..when will it ever end?.....

“What?”Dorothy asked Jules as she sat at the dinner table.

“I want us to take a trip…I want to go to London”he said matter of factly

Dorothy shook her head,”Jules….we are broke. We cant afford a trip”

“Actually we can. I reserved tickets on the ‘Olympic’….2nd class, yes… but its better than nothing”

“Why? Right now? Why do you want to take a trip to London right now?”

“Because New York isn’t doing so well….we have to leave, that’s the only way. Luckily I didn’t put everything into stocks and bonds, we can survive. I can get a job in the London film industry. I can get my company on its feet again…you can do Shakespeare huney. You said yourself that you wanted to get back into theatre since….”he stopped,”And Broadway isn’t doing so well, shows are being dropped, cancelled, actors, singers, dancers all of them fired….”

“You want us to move? Just pack everything up now?”Dorothy asked

“No, we’ll come back. We’ll look around for places. I put the house up for sale”he said

Dorothy gasped,”Your selling it? But we practically just bought it! Its supposed to go to Salomi and Gabriel-“

“None of us can afford it”he interrupted,”Look Dorothy things are hard right now. I know…but desperate times call for desperate measures”

“You promise we’ll come back?”she asked him

“Yes once we find a place, we can come back. Maybe we can find something for Gabe and Salomi as well”he said, knowing that would make her feel better. He could see by the look on her face that she felt guilty about leaving them.

“When do we leave?”Dorothy asked

“At eleven, the ship leaves at midnight…”

“Jules!”

“I just got the tickets today Dorothy please…”Jules said as he kissed her forehead,”I know its fast but this crash is happening faster and is pulling everyone under.We have to act fast”he said. Dorothy only nodded. After they ate, they packed up everything. Jules packed up the car,”You ready hun?”he asked her

“Wait…I have to call Salomi. I’ll be quick”she said, noticing the urgency in his expression. Like they had to leave NOW. He nodded, she was finally connected to Salomi. She told her everything. Salomi was very confused at first but was very understanding. “I don’t want to leave you all. Not now, but its best….we even thought about finding something for you all. Theater is great over there, but Gabriel already knows that”she said,”Just know that I love you Salomi, oh so very much…”she said as tears came to her eyes

“I love you too”Salomi said with a shaky voice. The line soon disconnected and she walked out to their black Rolls Royce. It was raining pretty heavily.

“You alright?”Jules asked her. She only nodded. “I love you Dorothy, you know that right?”he asked her. She only nodded but she whispered that she loved him too.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

……will it ever end?.....

“What are we going to do?!”she screamed at him as he drove,”We have nothing! Oh I could just die!”

“Me too”he said as the tears fell, they had nothing to live for now.The tears blinded his view but he could see the cliff,”Do you love me?”he asked her. She said yes in a weak voice,”Would you die for me?”he asked her

“Yes”she said. Then she gasped as he made a sharp turn into the next lane, they were going over the cliff! In the heavy rain, she could see a black Rolls Royce coming their way,”Wait, we’re gonna-“but she couldn’t say anymore. The two cars crashed into each other and went over the cliff, he was thrown out of the car and she felt herself being thrown somewhere, then everything went black….

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Salomi couldn’t sleep that night. She was very concerned about the fact that Jules and Dorothy decided to up and leave. London. That was so far away, and you would have to take a boat to get there. After the Titanic, she would never get one again, never. She confided to Gabriel about it and he thought it was a good idea. He thought Jules a smart man and if he had the money he would have done the same. He then described the London theatre scene the last time he was there, which was days before they both boarded the Titanic. 17 years ago. Even though he didn’t like Shakespeare, he said he would be willing to learn just so he could perform again. There was a flicker of happiness when he talked about the what if’s. What if they all moved to London? What if he did Shakespeare there? What if he was more famous there as Hamlet, instead of performing vaudeville here? Soon the what if’s died down and they were sad again.

“I hope they come back soon”Salomi said,”I hope they find something”

“I hope they can afford it”Gabriel said. They both laid there and stared at the ceiling. Restless, not being able to sleep but not having the strength to do anything else. Gabriel fell asleep before she did. She heard the first few morning birds chirping when she was swept away towards dream land. But that wasn’t any better. She had a dream she was back on the Titanic, the boat was sinking, but it wasn’t sinking into water. The boat was sinking into a pile of money. She woke up with a start and the sun had just finished rising. It was Sunday. She decided to make breakfast and even thought about going to church, at least to pray or maybe hear an uplifting sermon. The last time they all went to church was Easter, which was months ago. She washed up and put on her coat over her nightgown and went outside and got the morning paper. Not noticing the front headline. She put it on the kitchen table and proceeded to cook. She had just finished scrambling the last of their eggs when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

All she could hear was sniffles and sobs,”Mary?”Salomi asked. Mary sometimes called just to cry and talk and Salomi would listen.

“No Lomi, its Ruth”

“Ruth! How are you?...wait..whats wrong?”she asked her. She and Ruth fell out of touch a little. Salomi was always busy with the kids and Ruth was married and going to school and taking every class imaginable while helping Dorothy with Maisy’s. Since the crash, they both fell further out of touch. She wondered how she was doing.

“What do you mean? Whats wrong? I was calling to comfort you….you must not have seen the paper”

“No I haven’t”Salomi said as she turned to the kitchen table. Gabriel was sitting there looking at the front page, with a look of shock and horror. She didn’t notice him walk in. “What is it?”she asked Gabriel

“I don’t know if I want you to read it for yourself or if I should tell you…”Ruth answered

“Well one of you better tell me”Salomi said as she started to panic

“Lomi, Im so sorry….its Dorothy….”Ruth tried to explain and then started to sob

“Give me the paper”Salomi demanded. Gabriel shook his head, tears rolling down his cheeks, but she snatched the paper from him. She stared at the headline and couldn’t utter a sound, she couldn’t gasp, cry. She just read the sentence over and over again.

DOROTHY GIBSON & JULIAN BRULATOUR KILLED IN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT

It took her awhile to digest and both Gabriel and Ruth asked if she was alright. Then it hit her. She dropped the phone, then dropped to the floor and let out the loudest and most anguished scream known to man.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Abraham?”Dorothy asked in shock as she saw him standing there with a woman who looked exactly like little Salomi.

“You couldn’t stay away from me, could you?”Abraham said sadly as tears rolled down his cheeks

Dorothy started to cry. Jules stared at her in confusion. Salomi frowned sadly, knowing who she was and what happened. “Oh no, I used to dream….wish that I could see you again. But now, its too soon. Im not ready to see you right now….”

“I feel the same way”Abraham said sadly. “But we have no control over that do we?”

“I wasn’t supposed to leave yet….I promised I would take care of her….I promised you….I cant leave her….not now….not when the world is practically ending”she sobbed as Abraham held her. Jules slowly but surely came to understand what was going on and started to cry. If he never convinced Dorothy to leave, they wouldn’t be here.

“The world isn’t ending. Not for little Salomi anyway. Its going to be hard. But she’ll pull through. Shes a fighter like I was”Salomi said calmly.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Unfortunately, it was going to take a little longer for Salomi to pull through. She went back into the state of depression she was in when she and Gabriel lost their first child. She didn’t speak to anyone. Ruth and her husband came by more often to help with anything, especially taking care of the children. The funeral service didn’t help either. Dorothy and Jules’ bodies were burned very badly in the crash and they weren’t a sight to see. So it was a closed casket ceremony for the both of them. Many film stars from the new talkies and the silent films attended as well as many others. Salomi just smiled sadly as she greeted everyone and you could barely see her face under the black veil she had on. When the choir sang ‘Ave Maria’ she lost it and collapsed. Dorothy was like a mother to her, more of a mother than anyone and now she was gone.

Gabriel tried his best to comfort the children and tried to explain that Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Jules went to heaven. Rita, Michael and Dahlia didn’t understand. Michael cried as much as Salomi did. Dahlia seemed to act up more for no good reason and Rita was always afraid. She was thinking, who’s next?

However, Dorothy and Jules’ home was sold the day after the crash. A rich couple from Oklahoma wanted to be the ones who owned the house that the famous Dorothy Gibson lived in. They even had a room that had many photos and movie posters of Dorothy and many newspaper clippings about anything and everything about her. Everything from her first movie review, to the Titanic, to the clippings about her death, funeral and anything else they still wrote about. The house didn’t sell for much since the agent had told Dorothy and Jules to not expect much due to the economy. The money went to Salomi and Gabriel luckily, but unfortunately 80% of it went to pay their debts. The couple told them they could visit whenever they wanted but Salomi didn’t want to ever go back. It just hurt too much.

Dorothy and Jules’ will wasn’t much. Jules’ company went to trusted partners but that would soon close. Maisy’s was split up between Ruth, Gabriel and Salomi. But no one could afford to go out, Ruth couldn’t afford to pay performers and even though Dorothy’s art work sold, the original prices had to be dropped drastically. Maisy’s closed as well, which was very upsetting. That was Dorothy’s baby. Ruth’s as well.

Salomi stayed in bed mostly and Gabriel took over as “mother”. He was up every morning and took the children to school and then went to look for jobs but always came up with nothing. He thought about selling apples or any other fruit but it seemed that everyone was doing that. But he was forced to sell all their belongings- clothes, jewels and toys. School was depressing for Rita and Michael. Day by day, there were fewer students in class. Mrs. Honeycutt was laid off since she was married. All married teachers were laid off since their spouses had an income, so singles could work. It was fair but very unfortunate. Dahlia stayed home with Salomi, and Ruth came by and watched her. Ruth came over more often to help out. She had nothing to do really. Her husband, Robin, struggled at his job but at least he had one. She had to drop out of school and since Maisy’s was closed, she had nothing but cook for Robin and help Salomi any way she could. However, Dahlia always did something wrong. She lashed out at everyone and was angry that her mother just laid in bed and didn’t pay attention to her. She broke a lot of things and had a very bad anger management problem. She spent most of her time in time out.

Ruth sighed as she shut the door and locked it as Dahlia screamed and threw things, shouting that she hated her and everyone. Rita and Michael came in and Michael sighed and went to see his mother. He would lay next to her and hold her hand and tell her about his day. Sometimes she responded, some days she didn’t.

He grabbed Salomi’s hand and held it in both of his little hands. “I don’t like school anymore mother. Mrs. Honeycutt is gone and Ms. Lyubov has a weird name and talks funny. I don’t know what shes saying. Shes very mean and if we are bad, she hits us with a ruler. I haven’t been hit though mother, Ive been very good. All the kids are gone. Nicky and Kit have been gone for 3 days and Emily wasn’t there today either. I hope she comes back to school tomorrow. If she doesn’t, I wont have anymore friends. But she hasn’t been friends with me lately. Shes been acting silly too. When she became friends with Abby and Sasha, shes been ignoring me. She talks to me and is my friend when they aren’t around but when they are, she acts like she doesn’t know me”he sighed. “I hope shes alright. Last time I talked to her…she said she couldn’t dance anymore and she was very sad. I don’t like seeing her sad. I wish there was a way to make her happy. I want to make you happy more mother”

“You make me happy Michael”Salomi whispered and squeezed his hands.

“Thank you mother”he said to her and they both laid there in silence. That’s all he needed to hear.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

By Thanksgiving, Gabriel put their apartment up for sale and potential buyers were scouting it out but no offers as of yet. He sold everything and kept few essentials and the huge apartment felt so big and awkward without the many things they once owned. It didn’t feel like home any longer. Ruth made Thanksgiving dinner but the dinner consisted of just turkey and water. She was setting the table and Rita helped her.

“Are you our aunt too Ruth?”Rita asked her. Ruth looked at her and didn’t know how to answer and before she could, Rita continued. “I hope you aren’t”

“Why not?”Ruth asked

“Because, then you’ll die”Rita said,”Don’t be our aunt…please?”

Ruth stared at her, disturbed. “No Im not, Im just a friend”she assured her and that was enough for Rita.

Thanksgiving dinner was awkward. Good news was that Salomi got out of bed and joined everyone and looked a lot better. The bad news was that Robin lost his job and Gabriel still couldn’t find anything.

A week later, he felt that his luck changed. He finally found a cheap two room apartment that they could afford and bought it. But sobbed after he left, he would have to sell more things since the apartment was way too small. Someone took interest in their apartment and bought it. Also, a cheap bar was looking for a waiter and he had experience many years ago. He went to apply and filled out the paperwork but got distracted as a black man played the piano. He was playing “All I Care About Is Love”; the song that he and Leon used to sing when they prepared for their tour. He walked up to the piano man and tapped his foot and then closed his eyes and started to sing.

Give me two eyes of blue
Softly saying I need you
Let me see her standing there
And honest mister
Im a millionaire
I don’t care of any fine attire
Vanderbilt might admire
No no not me
All I care about is love
Show me long raven hair
Flowing down about to there
When I see her running free
Keep your money
That’s enough for me
I don’t care for driving Packard cars
Or smoking long fat cigars
No no not me
All I care about is doing the guy in
That’s picking on you
Twisting the wrist
That’s turning the screw
All I care about
Is, Is Love!

The piano man played the finale and Gabriel felt like the happiest man on earth, especially when he opened his eyes and saw a crowd gathered around him applauding. They all recognized him as the famous Gabriel Brewster. An obese fellow with grease stains on his white shirt came up to him and shook his hand. “I am honored to have THE Gabriel Brewster come by my bar”he said happily. “What brings you by? Would you like a drink? Scotch? Whiskey?”

“A shot of whiskey please”he said, feeling depressed again. For a second there while he sang that song, he was dancing next to Leon in their diamond studded tuxedo suits with their 12 chorus girls dancing around them, Grace included. But that was no more, Leon and Grace were gone and he was broke.

“Get Gabriel Brewster a whiskey…on the house!”the man commanded and someone rushed off and fetched it. He led Gabriel to a table and sat down. “My name is Paul Silverstein, I own the place. Its very nice to meet you”

“Nice to meet you as well Mr. Silverstein”he said as the shot was delivered to him and he quickly took it down. Oh it felt good.

“So what brings you by? Has one of your famous Broadway friends told you about my fantastic minstrel show? We are getting very popular. Since the crash a lot of people are willing to pay to watch our performers antics which is great for me as well for them”

“Really?”Gabriel asked. “I actually haven’t heard about your show. I came by for the waiter position”

“Oh that’s been filled”Paul said quickly.”I keep forgetting that sign is up. I need to take it down”

“Oh”Gabriel sighed,”Just my luck….well it was nice to meet you Mr. Silverstein”he said as he stood up

“Wait”Paul said,”You lookin’ for a job?”

Gabriel nodded,”As you know the crash has destroyed everything”

“Not everything, we are doing very well”Paul said excitedly,”You sing very well and….how about I let you perform here? We don’t pay much but it can help you and your beautiful wife”he said. He knew Salomi from the papers and thought she was very beautiful. Maybe Gabriel could convince her to perform, dance with his other female dancers. Or a double act? The dollar signs and many ideas swirled in his head. “How about it? I know you don’t want to be a waiter. Why serve food when you can do us service by pleasing the masses. Everyone will come to see Gabriel Brewster”

Gabriel smiled widely,”Yes Mr. Silverstein. I would gladly take it”

“Lets sign some contracts and get you another drink”Paul said as he patted Gabriel on the back. “Seems like things are looking up for the both of us”

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Gabriel signed the contract with a smile on his face. He wasn’t getting paid much, it was measly actually but better than nothing. And he got to do what he did best. He learned some new songs and bonded with the piano man, whose name was Sam, and his acting partner who sang with him in some scenes, Lucio. He was there all night. “We’ll give you your costume and makeup tomorrow”Paul said to him.

He came back to their apartment slightly tipsy but elated. Salomi had just taken a bath and Ruth was putting the children to bed when he walked in the bedroom. Salomi had just a towel wrapped around her and he ran over and took it off and kissed her on her neck as she gasped.

“Gabriel! What on earth!?”she said in surprise, she hasn’t seen him this happy ever. “Whats gotten into you?”she asked as she covered herself back up. She wasn’t in a good mood and had trouble sleeping.

“I have a job”he said happily. She gasped and hugged him tightly to her, not caring that the towel dropped.

“Oh sweetheart, Im so happy for you-!”she said

“Im performing too! I get to sing and dance again. It’s a cheap bar in Harlem, yes and the pay is lousy but Im getting paid. Its just a couple of blocks from our new place”he said

“Oh Gabe, this is perfect! You get to do what you love. When do you start?”she asked him

“Tomorrow. See, I went in there because I saw a sign saying that they needed a waiter. But the position was already filled. I go in there and Sam, the piano man, was playing ‘All I Care About Is Love’. So I just instinctively start singing. The owner comes up to me and we get to talking, hes a big fan, and offers me a performance job!”

“Oh huney! This is perfect, we are going to be fine. I just know it”Salomi said as she kissed him passionately.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The next day, they left their apartment and moved into their new one. One small room was their bedroom. Gabriel and Salomi shared a bed while the children shared a mattress that laid next to them. The other room was a kitchen and living area. But it was bare. The stove and water barely worked and they had a table, 5 chairs and a small sofa. They shared a bathroom with 10 other families, and it was at the end of the hall. Gabriel headed to work and walked in the back door. Paul greeted him and told him he would be performing at the top of every hour. He walked into the dressing room and gasped as he saw Lucio covering his white skin with black makeup. “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”Lucio turned to him. “This is our makeup and costumes”

“We’re….we’re doing blackface?”he asked him in shock. “Blackface” was a style of theatrical makeup. Shoe polish was used to darken the face and make the lips bigger. Some performers thought it was an important art form but Gabriel, and many others, thought it very racist and stereotyped the African American race.

Lucio nodded. “This is what we’ll be known for. We’ll be famous”Then the two got their 30 minute call and Gabriel reluctantly got dressed…

*____________________________*

Gabriel never knew that he could hate performing as much as he did that night. When he and Lucio walked onstage with their tuxedos, white gloves and cane, top hat and blackface makeup, the crowd applauded. They unfortunately loved it as they sang their songs and did their dance numbers. Gabriel wanted to throw up. He couldn’t believe that he had to resort to this to feed his family. He then thought of Salomi and her lovely caramel skin. Her mother had been half black and so was she, he felt like he was betraying her. What was worse was that he and Lucio performed the same routine 4 times that night. By the end of their last performance, the two made $3 each from coins thrown onstage by the audience. Gabriel didn’t hesitate to wash the blackface off, feeling disgusted for having put it on in the first place. Paul congratulated them and called them “the best minstrel performers, hell, the best actors that ‘blackface’ had to offer”. He paid them their nightly pay of $1.15 and they both went on their way, walking out into the freezing December weather.

Gabriel felt the $4.15 in his pocket and wanted to throw it, burn it. But he knew that he would need it to buy food and save it for rent. He threw up several times as he walked the few blocks home at 2 am. He let himself in and he saw his three children sleeping with Salomi. It was very cold in the apartment. Salomi woke up when she heard him walk in,”Hey”she said softly

“Hey….its cold”he said as he shivered

“Our water heater broke”she said sadly as she held the three children to her. He climbed into the small bed with her and held the four of them tight, hoping his body heat would warm them. “We’ll be able to fix it soon with your job at the bar”she said hopefully

“Yeah…maybe”he said sadly

“Im glad you found it. We are very lucky that you found it”she said. Even though he wasn’t looking forward to it, he hated his job and wanted to quit. But he couldn’t.

“I love you Salomi”he said

“I love you too Gabriel”she said and soon fell back asleep. However, he never did.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Mother! Why do we have to be poor now!?”Dahlia shouted at her,”I want my toys back mother!”

“You wont be getting anything but a spanking Dahlia, now cut it out!”Salomi shouted back at her. Dahlia continued to scream and cry and soon Salomi couldn’t take it anymore. She spanked Dahlia repeatedly and put her in the bedroom and the screams and yells continued. “You better quiet down in there! Or you’ll be getting another spanking Dahlia I mean it!”Salomi shouted at her through the door.

“NOOOOOO!”Dahlia shouted back

“If your not quiet by the time I count to three, Rita and Michael will be the only children in this house to get presents from Santa!”Salomi yelled, “1…!” But before she could reach 2, Dahlia shut herself up. Threatening her about Santa always seemed to do the job. Christmas was a few weeks away however, and they had no money for presents. Salomi sewed a dress for Rita, it was pink and Ruth was working on a ballerina pattern to put on it. She was in the middle of making a doll for Dahlia, but she had a feeling the ungrateful child would be well….ungrateful. It seemed that since Dorothy and Jules’ death, she seemed to get worse than she already was. Everyday she was in timeout and she didn’t know what to do. She hit the child more now and they both shouted at each other and that wasn’t right. “What should I do?”she asked Ruth

“She needs to be around other children. Everything has been taken from her and you have to admit that shes been very spoiled. But she doesn’t understand that. She feels like shes being punished and she acts out and in turn gets her more punishment. It’s a vicious cycle. The poor thing is only 4 years old. All she has ever known were expensive toys and a luxurious apartment”Ruth suggested. “Are there other children around?”

Salomi shrugged,”I never leave, its too cold. I haven’t met any neighbors. Its going to be hard getting used to this”she said as she gestured to the bare and freezing apartment. “How’s Robin?”

“Not good. We’re not going to be able to pay rent the way things are going”Ruth said sadly

“No one is able to pay rent the way things are going”Salomi said. “I wish something could be done. This is ridiculous. I mean this time last year we were….my neck was drowning in diamonds. Now I can barely afford a scarf-“

“Don’t think about it. Just knit new ones”Ruth said as she got out her kit and started working on a blanket that she had started on days before. Salomi proceeded to mash the one potato they had left. It wasn’t going to feed the four of them. The children would split it and she would have to starve…again.

Soon Rita and Michael walked in and Michael ran straight to Salomi and began to cry. Salomi hugged him close and beckoned Rita to come to her,”What happened?”she asked her

“He misses that Emily girl. She hasn’t been back to school in a long time. Neither has Kit or Nicky. We miss everyone and my class is packed full with all these kids. His barely has any”Rita said

Salomi nodded,”Emily is alright Michael. Shes not hurt or anything. She just cant afford to go to school. Her mother is probably doing all she can to help her. She’ll be alright. Do you want me to help you write a letter to her?”she said to him. He looked up at her and nodded yes. “Go get a pencil and paper”she said and he wiped his tears and went in search for one. She looked at Rita and hugged her close,”Thank you for taking care of him. Your growing up to be a very responsible girl”she said as she looked into Rita’s bright blue eyes and stroked her blonde hair. When she was pregnant with Rita, she had a feeling that she would turn everything around for them. And she did. She smiled at her,”I love you Rita”

“I love you too mother”Rita said sadly but didn’t return the smile

“Is something wrong?”Salomi asked her. “Would you like to write a letter to Kit?”

“No, they never answer. I think they moved again”Rita said

“Well I’ll make sure to look around when I have time”

“Thanks mother”Rita said sadly

“Well, what is it sweetheart?”she asked her as Michael found a scrap of paper and a pencil and came back over to them.

“I heard they might close our school mother. Is that true?”she asked. Why did everything have to close? Why did everyone have to die? Her ballet school closed and now she cant dance. Kit’s father died and now she cant even see them. Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Jules were dead too and she missed them very much. Why was everything bad happening to them?

“Where did you hear that from?”Salomi asked

“I heard teachers talking about it. They were very upset. They were saying very bad words and someone named Hoover isn’t helping us”

Salomi nodded. Many believed that President Hoover was responsible for this but who knew. However, she did agree that he wasn’t helping. But if teachers were talking about it, it could be true. Anything could be these days. Banks, businesses, even food stores were closing. “I honestly don’t know Rita. I hope not. But if it does happen, you’ll get more time with me”she said, trying to cheer her up but instantly regretted it. These days she didn’t know how to comfort her children. She couldn’t say no, because they very well could and she didn’t want to be seen as a liar. She couldn’t even lie to protect her children anymore.

“That would be nice”Michael said with a small smile as he held out a pencil and pen and Salomi sat down on the small uncomfortable loveseat with them. “Dear Emily”he said to himself as he wrote it and spelled it correctly.

“Very good”Salomi said with a smile. “Now what do you want to say?”she asked him as she held Rita close to her. Ruth smiled as she watched them and continued to knit.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Maybe I shouldn’t perform today”Gabriel suggested and then coughed some more. Normally he would never have suggested not performing because he was ill. He would still dance if he had a broken leg because he used to have a passion and a love for what he was doing. But he hated this. Now he wanted any excuse to get away.

“Out of the question”Paul said. “I hope those damn bitches didn’t give you the measles”he said.

“Who?”Gabriel asked

“The dancers. You know, the ones who shake their asses, wear nothing. Many of them stare at you, you know. I can tell. You didn’t catch the measles from getting too close to some of them have you?”

“No, I barely know any of them. Im happily married, Paul”

“I know, I would be too”Paul said. “I’ll get you some whiskey, that can clear you right up. You can at least sweat it out. When you get home, turn up the heat, take a bath”

“I cant….”Gabriel mumbled to himself, thinking he didn’t hear

“What do you mean, you cant?”

“I live in a shithole now Paul. Our water heater broke and I cant afford to fix it. I cant take a bath because my family and I share a bathtub with 10 other families…..”he explained and then coughed

Paul frowned,”I didn’t know that you were going through such dire straits…”he said, concerned

“Paul, somethings wrong with that new register again”someone said as they ran up to him

“Goddamn it. Can any of you do anything around here without me!?”he said,”Im coming”he told them and they ran off. He looked at Gabriel and then at his watch,”I’ll have someone bring you some shots of Jack. That does the trick”

“Thank you Paul”Gabriel said

“Oh and after your last performance, come find me alright? We’re going to need to talk”Paul said. Gabriel nodded and then reluctantly went into his dressing room and got dressed. He looked at the shoe polish and wanted to vomit. He didn’t know how he could put this stuff on and take it off every night over the last few weeks.

“Your shots of Jack sir”a black boy said as he knocked on the door. Lucio got up and opened the door before Gabriel could get to it.

“I didn’t order any fucking Jack, you nigger, now get! Im trying to get into character here!”Lucio shouted at him

“That’s enough Lucio!”Gabriel said to him sternly. “The Jack is mine”he said. Lucio just shook his head and sat down and continued to put on his makeup. Gabriel looked at the boy,”Thanks kid. Im sorry about him” But the kid only nodded. “Whats your name?”he asked him

“People call me Buck”he said shyly

“Thanks Buck”Gabriel said and gave him a penny,”For your trouble”he said. Buck smiled and left and Gabriel closed the door behind him.

“Why you making nice with the niggers?”Lucio asked

Gabriel took a deep breath and then took a shot,”Why not? Hes a human being, just like us” Lucio snorted in response and Gabriel resisted the urge to pummel him. “Can you not call them niggers…at least when Im around….it disturbs me. I cant get into character when you yell like that”he asked calmly, but strong and straight forward.

“I guess I can”Lucio grumbled, wondering why Gabriel was getting all soft now.

“Thank you”Gabriel replied. He finished his shots and he had to admit that he felt better….physically. But mentally, he thought he would go crazy if he had to step on that stage again. But he did. Shoe polish and all and again, they were showered in tips. At the rate he was going, he would have enough for rent at least. At least that was good. At the end of the night, he didn’t hesitate to take the shoe polish off his face and he hurried to see Paul. He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible,”You wanted to see me Paul?”he asked him

“How many children you got Gabe?”Paul asked as he smoked a cigar,”Oh great job by the way”he said as he handed him his nightly wage. “They love you”

“I have 3 children Paul. Rita’s going to be 7 in a few days, Michael is 5 and Dahlia is 4”he said, ignoring the compliment

“Damn, you didn’t waste any time with the wife huh?”Paul asked with a laugh

“Guess not, well I should get going, speaking of. I need to get home to them-“

“You know its such a shame whats going on right now. I cant believe that people like you have to resort to things like driving cabs, selling apples, shit that no one wants to do. I’d say you lucked out but…things could be better eh?”Paul asked him. Gabriel just nodded. This was also something on his ‘shit that no one wants to do’ list but he had to hold his tongue. “Follow me”he said as he went to his office and Gabriel obediently followed him. He walked in and Paul closed the door behind them. “I hate to see you struggle Gabe”

“Well Im trying my best Paul. That’s what we have to do”Gabriel said as Paul went behind his desk and picked up a bag and handed it to him. “Whats this?”he asked

“A blanket and some food. Sometimes I sleep here, sometimes I eat here. This place is home to me. And my wife don’t mind because shes sleeping with angels”Paul said sadly. “However, you need this more than I do”

“Oh no Paul-“

“Hey, it’s a fucking gift. Take it and say thank you. This is not a good time to have pride stand in your way”he said

Gabriel nodded,”Thank you Paul. But you didn’t have to”

“Don’t mention it”Paul said as he lit another cigar,”Now get out of here and get better goddamn it. We both will lose if you take a day off”

“I will. Thank you Paul, thank you”he said as he hugged Paul. This guy was a good man.

“Oh….and one more thing”Paul said as he released him,”Don’t mention any of this to the niggers alright? Lucio says you make nice with them, I don’t care if you do, but don’t tell em you got this from me alright? They’re a bunch of free loaders and they always beggin me for something”he grumbled.

Gabriel sighed and just nodded and then walked out of his office. He couldn’t believe that people could be so racist. He just didn’t understand it. It was almost 1930. Times are changing, maybe for the worst but they were changing. Why couldn’t people see that color didn’t give a damn anymore? He was confused at how Paul could be heaven sent as well as Satan. Gabriel held the bag close to him and hurried home in the freezing night air, throwing up along the way like he always did.

When he got home, Salomi was awake and Dahlia was asleep in her lap. She had a damp cloth on her head. “Hey baby”she said

“Hey…whats wrong?”he asked, seeing the worried look on her face.

“Dahlia’s got a fever. That could be the reason why shes been causing a ruckus”Salomi said but she knew that wasn’t the case. “I don’t know what to do, its getting worse. She finally cried herself to sleep”Salomi said

“Where are the other two?”Gabriel asked

“Asleep”she said as she nodded her head toward the bedroom. Gabriel peeked his head in and Rita and Michael were snuggled close together, both wearing their winter coats and clothes, even shoes. He kissed them both on their foreheads. “They just fell asleep too”Salomi said,”Its hard to sleep these days”she said

“Well maybe this will help”Gabriel said as he opened the bag and pulled out a blanket. It was huge and made of wool and very thick. He was surprised himself when he saw it

“Gabe!”Salomi whispered excitedly, trying not to wake Dahlia. “Where did you get that?”

“Paul gave it to me. Ive still got that cough and hes been worried about me. He thinks our situation very unfortunate and gave me this bag, he says he doesn’t need it”

Salomi carefully eased Dahlia off her lap and stood up and hugged Gabriel close,”Oh this new job of yours is heaven sent! It’s a miracle. Tell him thank you”she said as she wrapped Dahlia up in it. “Oh this could keep all three of them warm, its so big!”she said. Gabriel also pulled out a bottle of milk, bread, apples and two potatoes, “Oh this is a feast!”Salomi said with tears in her eyes and hugged Gabriel again,”I was so afraid, the children ate the last potato today”

“What about you?”

“I haven’t eaten since…Wednesday”Salomi said. Gabriel sighed, they both looked thinner. With him throwing up every night and her not eating at all, they lost a considerable amount of weight and their clothes seemed to hang on them now.

“That isn’t good. We need to be healthy for their sake”he said, indicating the children and he gave her an apple. “Eat”he said as he put the rest of the food away and then laid Dahlia in bed with Rita and Michael, applied a new rag to her forehead and covered them with the blanket. He sat next to Salomi as she hungrily ate. He wasn’t hungry, he never was anymore.

“Whats that on your face?”she asked him as she wiped some shoe polish off of it

“Its nothing”he said hurriedly

“Alright”she said as she laid her head on his shoulder,”I need to meet Paul. He’s a guardian angel” Gabriel only mumbled in reply, wishing it were true.

*__________________________*

For days, Salomi seemed to sing Paul’s praises. She told both Ruth and Robin about their good luck and they both congratulated Gabriel on finding a “boss who was an angel”. If they only knew. What was worse was that Paul kept giving him things. If he had the choice, he wouldn’t accept them, but he had a family to feed. He gave him medicine for Dahlia, he even gave Gabriel extra money to buy a birthday present for Rita and she was surprised to find some used tap shoes and a dress that Salomi and Ruth knitted for her. She smiled for the first time in days. She put on the dress and danced around in her new shoes as they all clapped along. Except for Dahlia.

“I want presents too!”Dahlia said angrily, jealous that Rita was getting all the attention.

“Hush, if you’re a good girl, Santa will bring you some for Christmas”Gabriel said sternly but lovingly as he pulled her into his lap and bounced her up and down on her knee. She forgot about her anger for awhile since Daddy was holding her. But he couldn’t take his eyes off of Rita. She still danced beautifully and did a perfect pirouette in her tap shoes. She was Daddy’s Girl alright.

Christmas was even better. On Christmas Eve, Paul gave both Lucio and Gabriel some Christmas turkey and red wine. On the way home, Gabriel witnessed a man throwing out a box of trash a block from his apartment and then speeding off in a car. He figured the man was running away from his debts and throwing out anything that would make the car too heavy for the trip to wherever they were going, which was very far away. Gabriel looked inside and it was a box of children’s toys. What luck! There was a train for Michael and dolls for Dahlia and Rita and a paint set. He took them back to the apartment.

“Merry Christmas baby”Salomi said as she greeted him. She had found a potted plant outside a hotel and discreetly took it as Ruth distracted the doorman, that was their Christmas tree. She made some scarves for the three children and Gabriel and was placing them under the “tree”. She gasped,”Paul….”she whispered

“The turkey is for dinner tomorrow…or well today. And I found presents in the trash”he said excitedly

“Oh Dahlia would love this doll!”she said,”I hope this doll will make her better behaved. She cut Michael today…I don’t know if we should give it to her”

“We cant punish her anymore….but I do have an idea….”he said,”But I wont tell you”

“What are you up to?”Salomi asked as he hid Dahlia’s doll in the cupboard,”What are you going to do?”

“Im going to act”Gabriel said,”This doll can be for Rita. This train set for Michael and I got a paint set. I guess all three could share it”

“Michael loves to write and draw”Salomi commented,”But they should share. They should all get the same amount of presents”

Gabriel sighed,”Wait…what about you?”he said sadly

“That turkey’s my present”

“Im serious Lomi. I want to give you diamonds like I did last year-“

“Shhhh…”she said as she put a finger to his lips.”Seeing my children happy on Christmas and seeing all of us fed is enough for me”she assured him,”And of course, you still loving me…”

“I’ll always love you”Gabriel said and kissed her passionately, almost dropping the turkey,”I want to show you how much I love you”he said as he put the turkey in the ice box and kissed her passionately and she didn’t complain as they laid there on the hard wooden floor and made love in front of the potted Christmas tree. They forgot about the broken water heater as they took off each others clothes, because they soon made heat of their own.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The next morning, the children were delighted to find toys. Rita was ecstatic because she was sure that Santa didn’t exist, but maybe he did, she thought as she hugged her doll tightly. Michael didn’t notice the train set and went over to the paint set and opened it. Salomi gave Gabriel a knowing look. She knew her son. Then Dahlia started a hissy fit.

“Gabriel, don’t torture her”Salomi whispered to him

“She needs to be tortured. But watch the master work”he said to her. “Whats wrong Dahlia?”he asked innocently

“I WANT PRESENTS TOO!”she said angrily as tears filled her eyes.

“Well remember what we said. We said bad girls don’t get presents”

“IM NOT BAD!”she said angrily

“Really? Because Santa told me that you gave that cut to Michael. And you yell at your mother and give her trouble”Gabriel said

“He did?”Dahlia asked with a pout. It was the same pout that broke Salomi’s heart and she looked away. Where was this going?

“I talked to Santa, when he brought the presents, early this morning while you were sleeping and that’s what he told me”Gabriel said and Dahlia started to cry

Michael looked at Gabriel in shock,”Santa really did that? He didn’t give Dahlia anything?”he asked. Hes never seen it actually happen before. Now he was sorry that he had told on her, but he was bleeding a lot, what was he supposed to do?

“He did….but….he told me something else Lia, you wanna hear it?”Gabriel said as he knelt in front of her. Her sobs getting bigger. “He did bring you a doll”he said and she instantly stopped. “But you have to say sorry to your mother and promise to not be such a ragamuffin and apologize to your brother and sister for terrorizing them”

“Im sorry mother, I wont do it again, I promise”Dahlia said and hugged her tight. “I love you mother”

“I love you too baby”Salomi replied

“Im sorry Michael for cutting you and Im sorry Rita for pulling your hair and yelling and being bad”she said and they forgave her. Dahlia then turned back to her father,”Im sorry father”

“I forgive you”Gabriel said and then he said,”Ok now Santa said that like magic, your gift will appear under the tree”he said and they all stared at the plant. But nothing happened and Dahlia started to cry,”Wait….he told me….he said….”then he stopped,”Wait…did you hear that?” Dahlia stopped crying and only sniffled as she shook her head no. “You cant hear it?”he asked as the three children stared at him. He got up and went to the closet,”Its coming from in here don’t you think?”he asked Dahlia and he beckoned her to come to him. Salomi smiled relief, finally realizing where this was going. Gabriel opened the closet door and Dahlia screamed with delight, very loudly and Rita and Michael ran up to her and she showed them her doll. Hugging it close to her. “It seems Santa played a trick on you. You’ll be a good girl?”Gabriel asked her

“Yes I will father”she said angelically. She never put the doll down and she behaved herself surprisingly as she played with it.

“You're so bad”Salomi whispered to Gabriel and he smiled and kissed her

“What did Santa give you mother?”Michael asked her

“He gave me a big fat turkey to make for all of us to eat tonight!”she said excitedly

Their Christmas feast included milk, turkey and bread. Ruth and Robin brought over some homemade gravy. The adults drank wine while the children drank the milk and they were all very happy and had a great time eating. It was the most that any of them have eaten in months. And Dahlia told Ruth and Robin about ‘Santa’s trick’ and all the adults knew it was Gabriel’s doing. Ruth made a quilt for Salomi and Salomi made her a scarf as well. “Im sorry, that’s all I know how to make in such a short time”Salomi apologized to her

“It’s the thought that counts”Ruth said

The men cleaned up and threw out the trash in the dumpsters. “You lucked out when you found them toys”Robin said as he pretended to scavenge for something in the trash and then laughed,”I haven’t had any luck besides this cigarette”he said as he took one out of his pocket,”Wanna?”

“No Im fine”Gabriel said and they stood outside in the cold air and Robin sighed,”What is it?”he asked him

“Ruth and I cant make the rent….I gotta find a new place. Theres nothing. They’ll be evicting us by the end of the week”he said angrily. “I cant…I cant live in one of those Hoovervilles….”he said sadly. Hoovervilles were shacks that the recent homeless made out of wood and whatever they could find. Seemed that the crash was his fault or the fact that it was getting worse,”I was thinking, just a couple of months of this and everything will be back to normal….but this isn’t going to end…not for a long time….”

“Stay with us”Gabriel said without hesitation,”Your like family. We are all we have left and I owe Ruth. Salomi and I drove her crazy back in the day”

“I know, she told me the story about finding you two in bed together when Salomi was only ‘a child’ as she put it”he said with a laugh, but he looked at Gabriel with tears in his eyes,”You mean it? We wont intrude?”

“No, if anything you two will give us more heat. The way Ruth and Salomi chat it up, the place will be so hot we wont need a water heater”he joked,”Seriously, stay with us. Til you get back on your feet. You would do that for us”he said and Robin hugged him. “Merry Christmas”he said as Robin cried into his shoulder. They broke the news to Salomi and Ruth and Ruth cried as well. Salomi thought it a good idea and said the two could have the children’s mattress until they could find something. The children were excited as well. The more the merrier.

Gabriel hated to leave them as he put on his coat and got ready for work. He hated to end such a good day on a bad note. He wished they didn’t have a holiday minstrel show.

“Can I come with you?”Salomi asked him

“What? Why?”he asked her

“I want to hear you sing. I haven’t in so long and I want to meet Paul. I cant thank him enough-“

“Not tonight Salomi. You need to stay with the children, its Christmas”he said, and he knew that if she saw what he did, she would surely kill him. He kissed her on her forehead,”I love you Salomi, never forget that”

“I wont”Salomi said, even though she was a little bothered by the tone in his voice. Like she wouldn’t see him again or something,”You alright?”

“I just hate to leave now, that’s all”he said honestly. She nodded.

“Rita, Michael, Dahlia, say goodbye to your father”she said as the three came over and hugged him. He kissed all their foreheads,”Now behave you little chickens”he said to them

“Im no chicken”Dahlia said with a smile as she held her doll. He hugged Robin and Ruth and then reluctantly descended down the 5 stories of stairs and walked outside into the freezing night air.

“Wait!”he heard Salomi call after him and she wrapped the scarf she made him around his neck and kissed him,”I should hang you for forgetting your present”she said playfully. He hugged her tightly and didn’t want to let go.

“Thank you, now get your pretty ass inside”he said and gave her one last kiss and went on his way. Salomi stood there and watched him walk until he disappeared. She turned to go inside when she heard moans. She paused, was someone hurt? Then she saw a man and a woman walk out of the alley. The man non-discreetly tossed money at the woman and she knelt on the ground and picked it up.

“Motherfucker”she grumbled

Salomi gasped,”Mary?”she said in surprise.

Mary looked at her and groaned, great another person she knew, saw what she had been doing,”Merry Christmas”she said sarcastically as she put the money into her pocket.

“Mary”Salomi said as she hugged her,”I…Ive been worried about you”

“Me too”Mary said

“Tell me you haven’t…..you didn’t resort to this”Salomi said

“Sorry Salomi but sucking a guy off is paying for my children’s Christmas presents and putting food into their mouths. No one will hire a desperate widow with no experience. I fortunately have experience in this”she said as she wiped her mouth

“You don’t have to do this-“

“Yes I do”Mary said defiantly,”All of us have resorted to doing things that we don’t want to do for our families. I can tell you of many women that we know that have resorted to prostitution-“

Salomi shook her head, not believing her friend had to resort to this. “You can visit me anytime. I live here”she said gesturing to the rundown building,”Im on the 5th floor, room 510…please say you’ll come by. Michael and Rita miss Kit and Nicky terribly”

Mary nodded as tears came to her eyes as a man walked up to them,”How much for the both of you’s?”he asked

“Go away”Salomi snapped at him

“Leave her alone, shes just a friend. How much you got?”she asked, not believing the luck. Men usually didn’t walk up to her like that, she usually hung around barely wearing anything and approached them. She then looked at Salomi,”I’ll visit when I can. Now go”she said to her as she and the man walked off.

Salomi ran inside and walked slowly up the many stairs. She cried as 2 cats ran past her and passed the usual place on the ascent up that smelled of piss. She thought about how many women used their bodies to make money, and she was grateful that she didn’t have to. She felt sorry for Mary and was worried for her and Kit and Nicky and hoped she would come by. She was thankful that Gabriel was doing something he loved…..

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“I'm astonished at you, Why, the idea of a man of your mental caliber talking about such sordid matters, right after listening to such a beautiful song! Have you no sentiment left?”Lucio asked as he smiled at the audience

Gabriel faked a smile, did a step and then shrugged as he pulled his pockets inside out, indicated that they were empty,”No, I haven't got a cent left”he said and the crowd laughed loudly, getting the joke. Sam began to play a song on the piano and Lucio beckoned the audience to clap along as Gabriel started to sing “Gimme Ma Money”:

“Last night I did go to a big Crap game,
How dem coons did gamble wuz a sin and a shame...
I'm gambling for my Sadie,
Cause she's my lady,
I'm a hustling coon, ... dat's just what I am…..”

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Salomi confided to Ruth about Mary’s situation. She admitted that for a second she had thought about it too. She explained that many people were going to great lengths for money. Some people wanting to be the rich debutantes that they used to be. Salomi again mentioned Gabriel and how lucky he was to be doing something he loved, performing. She always wished she could see him and wondered why Gabriel would come up with excuses for her not to go. Ruth didn’t have an answer for that. But she knew that Gabriel wasn’t happy. Gabriel wasn’t the type of actor who would reluctantly go to work, wouldn’t show them one routine from the show and come home drunk, sometimes waking her. But the truth was Gabriel was too ashamed. He never wanted Salomi to see him. He was too ashamed to sing songs to his children. He didn’t want them to ever grow up into people who agreed that “All Coons Look Alike To Me”, the title of Lucio’s most popular song, which was entirely untrue. He sometimes got drunk because Paul always gave them alcohol on the house and he just wanted to forget the pain.

But soon Salomi couldn’t take it, especially when Gabriel brought home another bottle of wine, courtesy of Paul. They all toasted to the new year, knowing that 1930 would arrive in a matter of hours. Gabriel reluctantly left again and Salomi got dressed.

“You aren’t going are you?”Ruth asked her

“I am. Its New Years Eve, I want to ring it in by supporting Gabriel”

“Your not supporting him, your spying on him!”Ruth said,”Please Lomi, theres a reason why he doesn’t want you to go”

“Its only one night. If he feels the same, I’ll never go back. Watch them please?”she said, ‘them’ meaning the children. Ruth reluctantly nodded. Salomi thanked her and said goodbye to the children, explaining to them that she was going to surprise their father and then headed to the bar. She arrived and discreetly sat in the back as half naked girls danced onstage. This was too risqué for the children to see, but what was wrong with her watching this? She was a grown woman.

Then Gabriel and Lucio were introduced and she was pleased that the crowd practically screamed with delight as she got closer to the stage. But then her blood ran cold when she saw him, not believing it was him.

“Dis gul name Lucy Long, I trade her off foh bean soup”Gabriel said as he danced onstage

Lucio laughs,”Well, you is hungryest nigger eber I saw. You'r neber satisfied widout your tinken bout bean soup all de time” he said as the crowd roared with laughter. He began to sing the song but when he turned to sing with Gabriel, he was gone. He smiled widely and played it off, he wouldn’t let Gabriel ruin this. No. He can be the star for once.

*________________________________*

The moment Salomi saw Gabriel walk onstage with the blackface makeup, she got up and left. But she still heard the word ‘nigger’ thrown around like it was the same as talking about the weather. She ran out of the club and down the street. Why was he doing this? Then a hand grabbed her arm and she knew it was him,”GET AWAY FROM ME!”she shouted at him as tears poured down her cheeks

But he was doing the same, the shoe polish was strong but it was starting to run. “Lomi, please let me explain-“

“Is that what you think!?”she yelled at him. “That we ‘niggers’ just care about food and we sell women for bean soup, like we are just objects….commodities?! HUH!? IS THAT WHAT I AM!? AM I JUST AN OBJECT TO BE SOLD OFF FOR SOME FUCKING WATERMELON!? HUH? CUZ YOU KNOW THAT’S ALL WE EAT!”she screamed at him as she tried to think of every black stereotype known to man. But what hurt the most was that he did this every night and got paid for it.

“STOP IT!”he yelled back at her,”That’s not what I think and you know it! Stop saying shit like that or you are no better than they are”he said pointing towards the club

“IM BETTER THAN YOU!”she shouted at him,”I CANT BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO THIS!? WHY?!?”

“BECAUSE I HAVE A FUCKING FAMILY TO FEED LOMI?! WHAT ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO!?”

“I’D RATHER STARVE THAN HAVE YOU DO THIS, BUT YOU MUST NOT CARE! THERE ARE OTHER THINGS OUT THERE GABRIEL-”

“WHAT!? WHERE LOMI? WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE?! LOMI I HAVE LOOKED ALL OVER MANHATTAN AND I HAVENT FOUND A THING! YOU KNOW THIS! I WAS ON THE VERGE OF GIVING UP, WE BOTH WERE, UNTIL I FOUND THIS PLACE”

“OH SO THIS NIGGER HOPPING SONG AND DANCE HAS SAVED OUR LIVES HUH? I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL? I SHOULD BE HAPPY THAT WHILE YOUR BEING RACIST AND STEREOTYPICAL, FOOD IS STILL BEING SET ON THE TABLE!?”

“THAT ISNT IT LOMI AND YOU KNOW IT!”he shouted at her and then started coughing. They were both screaming at each other at the top of their lungs in the freezing cold. “Lomi I swear I didn’t know-“

“I didn’t know either. I didn’t know that you could be capable of THIS!”she said her voice rising again

Gabriel grabbed both of her shoulders and shook her,”I’ll never be capable of this! I didn’t know! When I realized that I would be doing this, it was my opening night….my first night! I was going to quit right there….but I have to feed you and the children and myself. There are sacrifices that we have to make! In the past month I have thrown up over 40 times because I know that you would hate me for it. But it paid for our rent and then some! I couldn’t leave…then Paul gave the gifts….you were singing his praises….I know this may sound like a crock of bull to you but I did this because I love you Lomi. I do. I love you so much that I would do something this stupid to make sure that your alright, that the children are alright. That wasn’t me up there Lomi, understand. Up there was a lonely man who hated his life, who hated performing for those people, who despises minstrelsy, racism and any other stereotype for any race….you know this! I know your upset and I didn’t tell you because I was ashamed. I have to admit that I started getting used to it. I would drink myself into an oblivion and perform and when I wake up its all a blur…sometimes I don’t even remember. But…Im just so tired of all that we are going through. I don’t want to live like this. I just wanted things to be back the way they were. I wanted to perform and to provide for you and for you and the children to be happy”he said as he started to cry and he sank to his knees,”Believe me that everyday and every night, I hate who I am because of this. Resorting to this so we can get….one loaf of bread….”he said as he sobbed, he wrapped his arms around her waist and cried as his head rested on her stomach

This was all a shock. She couldn’t believe that this was the truth. Everything felt like a façade. For awhile they were happy getting the gifts from Paul, having extra money to buy necessities, for a while there it almost felt like things were back to normal, before the crash. Before they lost everything they had. But then she thought of Mary and what she had said.

“All of us have resorted to doing things that we don’t want to do for our families”she had said. And Salomi remembered thinking that Gabriel was lucky, but he wasn’t, he was just like her. His decisions weren’t true, but last resorts.

She started to cry and they both held each other as they knelt in the alley behind the bar. Then they heard screams, shouts, noisemakers and people saying ‘Happy New Year’. A new decade had begun. It was now 1930 and it seemed that the Roaring 20’s came to a rough and abrupt end but everyone hoped that things would be the way they used to be.

“I’ll always love you Salomi. Until the end of time, no matter what happens”

“I love you too Gabriel. Happy New Year”she said, wanting to kiss him, but the blackface made her want to throw up. He got a rag from out of his pocket and started to wipe the shoe polish off. He almost looked like his normal self again when the rag turned black and he couldn’t use it anymore,”You can wash it off when you get home”she said to him

“Then lets get to it”Gabriel said as he started walking. Salomi stopped him

“So your quitting?”she asked him

He nodded,”I cant do this. You know that. I don’t know how I did it for so long, maybe it’s the fact that you didn’t know. Everyone made it such a fantasy that it almost sounded appealing, but they didn’t even know. You all just knew that I was performing like I always wanted. But Im glad you came tonight Lomi, even though I never wanted you to, because if you didn’t come tonight. I wouldn’t have had the courage to leave”he said as they walked down the street. The streets were now filled people wishing a Happy New Year, but this year and the coming years would be a struggle for all of those who have lost so much.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

When they got home, they explained the situation to Ruth and Robin over a bottle of wine. The two agreed that he was a strong person for enduring what he did and it was disgusting that people could be so racist. The next day, Gabriel sat all three children down and decided to teach them the importance of race. He explained that whatever race you are, you are an equal and to not let anyone tell them any different.

“Your mother is Native American and Black and Im….well white, some people think that’s wrong”Gabriel explained to them

“Mother’s not black”Dahlia said in shock,”Shes brown?”

“Shes lighter yes. See, blacks come in all colors, shapes and sizes. Some Hispanics are as dark as blacks are….but they are a totally different race. Its like God mixed the colors together”he said. But the children stared at him confusingly

Salomi sighed,”Your confusing them dear”she said as she got out the paint set. “Lets say that this piece of paper is me. Its white, yes…but think of it as a clean slate, its just a blank page. Now my father was mostly Irish and Portuguese. The Irish are from Ireland and are considered white”she said as she added white paint to the paper. “Portuguese are a group of people from the country called Portugal. They speak their own language, but they are considered Hispanic. They are darker than the Irish”she said as she added a light brown color to the white

“Its getting darker”Michael said

“Now, my mother was Native American and Black. Native Americans were the original people in this country. They also had their own language, culture. Most Native Americans have 'red' skin tone”she said as she added red to the white and brown,”Now we add Black, the blacks come from Africa and their skin is said to be the darkest”she said as she added a dark color and started to mixed it all together,“Now my mother was Native American and Black. She got punished because she fell in love with my father, who would be your grandfather-“

“Why?”Rita asked

“My mothers parents didn’t like the fact that your grandfather-“

“Abraham?”Michael asked

“Yes…Abraham….my mother…whose name was Salomi as well was punished for falling in love with Abraham. He didn’t have enough money, and they wanted her to marry someone that had the same color skin as hers. But she didn’t listen, she loved Abraham. They got married and then they had me. As a result I have Abraham’s and Salomi’s skin color but mixed together”she said as she held up the paper. It was a now a great mixture of red and brown, looking almost like Salomi’s skin color. “Its not exactly the same but you all understand?”she asked them

“So…do you think that when God makes people, he uses a paint set?”Rita asked with a laugh, not knowing if she wanted to believe her own conclusion

“Who knows”Salomi said with a smile

“Its like Math”Michael said

“How so?”Salomi asked him as Gabriel watched intently

“You added Grandfather Abraham with Nana Salomi and we get mother”he said

“That’s one way of putting it, yes”Salomi said excitedly, she was excited that they were understanding.

“So when we add you and you together?”Rita asked as she pointed to Salomi and Gabriel,”You get me?”she asked

“Yes and Michael-“

“AND ME!”Dahlia said excitedly and they all laughed,”So….Im brown?”she asked, confusingly

“That’s a little more difficult to explain. You all are very different. Michael is a little darker than you Dahlia because he gets that from me. But you have dark hair and brown eyes from me too. Rita here gets her hair,eyes and lighter skin from your father”she said,”It all depends on how its split…but that’s harder to explain. You’ll learn that in Chemistry…years from now”she said

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Once Gabriel quit working at Paul’s club, they were all in dire straits again. But somehow they seemed to pull through. Ruth found a job waitressing at a restaurant. Since she had “Maisy’s” on her resume and the restaurant owner was a fan of Dorothy’s, she was hired on the spot. She asked Salomi to join her but she was intent on being home with the children, especially Dahlia, unless she felt it was necessary. Both Robin and Gabriel worked odd jobs. Some days they would shine shoes, or load piles of coal onto trains, or help out at the fish market. They endured long lines in the morning and sometimes they weren’t picked out of the crowd, one of them would or if they were lucky, both. In the meantime, they all had just enough to eat. But sometimes it was barely anything. That winter seemed colder than any other winter but that was due to the fact that they could never afford the water heater or a fireplace. Salomi knitted many blankets and cooked for everyone and cleaned. But she was content, because everyone was fine. She wasn’t ever going to resort to doing something she wouldn’t be caught dead doing like Gabriel or Mary. She still worried about Mary, she promised she would come by…but she hasn’t yet. Thankfully it started to get warmer but it seemed that things were getting worse. The predictions that Rita and Michael’s teachers made were correct and their school was closed down. This depressed Salomi deeply. Rita and Michael cried because they both loved going there and they felt that they would never see their friends again.

“Things will be alright soon. I promise. Its hard….but in the meantime I’ll teach you”Salomi said. She tried her best juggling their work and Dahlia learned as well. Poor thing was only 4, who knew if she will ever get to go to school. But Salomi taught them as she was taught, at home, at their own pace and rewarded them. It seemed a nice arrangement. But days were hard, she wasn’t a trained teacher after all.

“I still don’t understand mother”Rita said as she started to cry. She felt as if her work was the hardest of all and she hated math. There were days when Dahlia gave up cooperating and had no desire to learn. Michael didn’t have any problems, however, he would ask many questions that Salomi honestly couldn’t remember and he would get frustrated with her.

“Fine….get a glass of water and take a break, wipe your face”Salomi told her and Rita did so as someone knocked on the door.

Salomi sighed, was it the landlord again? What else could she say to her? She opened the door and smiled and hugged Mary tightly to her. “Oh thank God, I was so worried”she then looked at Kit and Nicky. They looked depressed, thin and destitute but they were there and that’s all that mattered. “RITA! MICHAEL!”she shouted to them,”Say hello to Kit and Nicky”she said and the two women looked on happily as they were all reunited. They sat down and talked about the economy, the school closing, the depression. Mary admitted that she was going to stop selling her body when she found a real job. Salomi told her about Gabriel and his ordeal at the club. “If you ever need help with them, just bring them by while your looking. Its hard to look when you have two children straggling along”

“Well that was my idea actually”Mary said to her. “Ive been trying to find a job but its hard with them around. They get tired and walking all over the city with them slows me down-“

“You don’t have to say anymore. I understand”Salomi said,”Bring them over anytime”she assured her

And the next morning, she did. Mary dropped them off and Salomi ended up teaching the five of them. The day was much better. Rita seemed to learn better with Kit there. Michael helped out Nicky and Dahlia was just fine with more kids in the house. “Alright, why don’t you all go out and play for a little while?”she told them. “You all have done very well”she said.

“Wow you still have this?”Nicky asked Michael as they went outside and played with his baseball

“I hid it. We had to sell all our toys”Michael admitted. Salomi did find it but he begged her to not sell it and she agreed to keep it secret. Gabriel was too distracted with other things to look for it and forgot.

“Lucky, I should have done that”Nicky said as they started to toss the ball around while Kit and Rita danced and taught Dahlia how to play hopscotch. They were tossing the ball when someone caught his eye. Was it? It was! Then the ball hit him in the forehead

“Ow!”

“What were you looking at?”Nicky asked and then turned around. “Oh”he said

“EMILY!”Michael shouted and Emily turned around. She saw Michael and waved, looked around and ran over. “Hi”he said as she came up to them.

“Hi. How are you Mikey? Nicky?”she asked them

“Ok”Nicky said nonchalantly as he tossed the ball

“Im fine. I was worried about you”Michael said. Nicky gave him a look, what for?

“Really?”

“Yes, you never came back to school and then we couldn’t go back anymore either. Its been a long time”

“Yes, my mommy said we had to stop going. We got another new home. Its way smaller and colder”she said

“Us too”Michael said,”We live here”he mentioned as he pointed to the building

“You do?”she asked,”Looks better than mine”she said,”But we live kind of close. What do you do all day?”she asked him,”Im always bored. I miss school” Nicky rolled his eyes. He was just fine without school

“Me too. My mom teaches us”

“Really? She has her own school or something?”

“Yeah something like that”Michael said.

“Emily!”they heard a voice and a tall woman ran over to her,”What did I tell you about running off?”

“Sorry Mother. They used to be in my class. Michael and Nicky. Michael’s mommy started her own school. She teaches them. Didn’t you want to find me another school mother?”Emily asked excitedly

“Your mother?”she asked Michael

“Yes, my mothers smart”Michael said proudly

Salomi had glasses of milk set out for the children when there was a knock at the door. She went to answer it and it was a woman, looking confused,”May I help you?”she asked her

“Are you Mrs. Brewster? Michael’s mother?”she asked

“Yes….is he alright?”she asked hurriedly. A lot of children played in the streets since schools were closing. It was dangerous with New York’s traffic at times.

“Oh hes fine. Hes talking with Emily now. Im sorry…my name is Emile Hubbard. Im Emily’s mother”she introduced herself

Salomi shook her hand,”Very nice to meet you. Would you like to come in?”she asked her and Emile nodded and walked in. Salomi saw the books and toys on the floor and hurried to pick them up. “Ive heard a lot about Emily from Michael. They are very good friends”

“Yes I hear a lot about Michael as well”Emile said,”They seem to have gotten very close. The city was a great shock and I was afraid she wouldn’t make friends, we are originally from a small town outside of Philadelphia. We lived on a farm there with my mother.We were passing through when she ran into Michael and he told us that you have your own school?”

*______________________________*

Salomi chuckled when Emile Hubbard asked her if she had her own school.”You can sort of say that. I teach them during the day since the school has closed. It’s a real shame. I have three children and two of them went to school with Emily. My youngest hasn’t even had the chance and who knows when she ever will. Im also teaching two of their friends while their mother searches for a job. So I have 5 kids to teach….”she explained

“That’s a good idea. Its hard to find jobs these days and then trying to find a school on top of it…its been tough”she said,”Its been tough for us. I had to pull her out even before the school closed. I had to choose. Should Emily eat or go to school? It was cheaper to find something to eat. Even that’s hard. I lost my job, we have moved 3 times in the past two months…..we were living in my car for awhile. Then I sold it for $200 and bought an apartment….”

“Im sorry Emile”Salomi said

“I just want Emily to be alright, to have a normal childhood. Its good what your doing for these children, its like reliving the past almost for them before everything, that’s very nice of you….”

Salomi nodded, sensing what Emile wanted to ask,”Emily can come by, if you would like her to. Im sure Michael would love it”

“Are you sure?”she asked with a huge smile on her face,”That’s six children-“

“Whats one more? Believe me, my four year old seems to have the energy of 5 children alone so….Im used to it”

“Do you have a schedule of some sort?”Emile asked

“Not really. I usually start out with the harder subjects which is math and science and we work until I feel they cant anymore and then we move on. I let them play outside when its warm, just so they can get some energy and a break so they can come back and learn another subject. Only for a few hours though. Its not a 7 hour day like actual schools”

Emile nodded,”These books? You use them?”she asked as she picked them up

“Yes I go to the library and pick them up. Thank God books are still free”she said,”And just to let you know Im very gifted at math. My high school diploma can prove it. I was doing accounting at age 14”she said. She couldn’t show her a teaching degree. Could this woman trust her?

“I trust you Mrs. Brewster”Emile said with a smile,”Accounting at 14 is a huge feat”she agreed,”So I can bring her by around what time?”

“We start at 9…sometimes a little later, they can be easily distracted”she admitted

“What children aren’t?”Emile smiled,”Well thank you Mrs. Brewster. You don’t know how much easier this makes me. Its easier to look for jobs when the children are occupied”

“I understand”Salomi said,”And call me Salomi”she said. They shook hands and Emile left after.

And the next morning, Emily was dropped off with Nicky and Kit. Michael was ecstatic to have his best friend around and Salomi could see the same look in his eyes that she had for Gabriel when they first met. Puppy love. But of course Michael was too young to know what it was or why he was feeling that way. It scared her that he had feelings for a girl already but it also made her smile. However, Nicky got bored quickly since Michael and Emily spent more time together and were more eager to learn and asked questions. He just observed quietly. He sometimes played ball by himself while Michael played hopscotch with Emily. Why was Michael acting like a girl? He was bored and when he saw some of his friends on the street he told them about the “school”.

A few mornings later, the five children were starting on their math lesson when four children accompanied by their parents stood at the door. Salomi was shocked that they had heard as well and sang her praises. She didn’t have the heart to say no. Now there were 9 children in her apartment.

Ruth came home a little earlier and was surprised to see so many children. “Whats going on?”

“What are you doing home so early?”Salomi asked her. Ruth was the only one amongst the four adults who had a steady paycheck. If she lost her job, they would be in big trouble.

“It was slow. Lunch is always slow. And no one eats out anymore. Im trying to get the night shift. Theres more money to be made there”she said,”But why are there 10 children running around?”

“They aren’t running and theres nine of them”Salomi said. Ruth just stared at her and she told her the story.”I think they are telling on me, parents are desperate. Its hard to look for jobs with the children. It slows them down. And some of these kids have been out of school since October. That’s a long time without learning anything”

“Well be careful. If word gets out, this place is going to be filled with children”Ruth warned her.

However, it didn’t happen and when summer arrived, Salomi decided to take a break and the parents understood. But they asked if she was going to start up in September and she hesitated.

“I have a job now. I could give you money for it”Emile said. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have found it”

“No, keep your money. Education should be free”Salomi said

“Just take a little something then, please”Emile asked. Salomi agreed. And when September came around, the same nine children were back. Dahlia had just turned 5 years old and this would have been her first day of school. Salomi felt very angry about the fact that her daughter was missing out on something so important. Over the summer, Dahlia made some friends and she told them about “her mothers school” as well. A few days later some parents from the next building were at her front door with their five children, two of them were friends of Dahlia’s. Again, Salomi couldn’t say no. Every child needed an education but now there were 14 children between the ages of 8 and 5 sitting on their living room floor. It was louder and they were harder to control and they ended up having their break early.

Salomi sighed,”Im in trouble”she said to herself.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Gabriel and Robin sat on the side of the pier as they looked out at the Hudson. Robin shook his head,”How long can we do this Gabe?”

“Do what?”

“Odd jobs like this. Catching fish one day, shining shoes another….I need stability. We all need stability”

“I agree, BUT we are going through an economic crisis. We need stability but we have to do what we can, we have to be patient. I want stability too. I had stability at the club in Harlem. But I’d rather be doing this”

“But how long can we survive Gabriel? The lines are getting longer. More people are broke, theres more competition for jobs than ever before. Its getting worse”

But Gabriel shook his head, always optimistic,”We’ll be fine. We’re regulars over here. Why would they pick people they don’t know over us?”

But Robin was right. By the next week, there was a much larger group of men waiting at the fish market and they weren’t picked, the next day the same thing, and the next day. “HEY! JAY! COME ON!”

“Sorry fellas”Jay said as he let the few men in and closed the gates. There was almost a riot but most of them gave up and went looking for someone else.

“Regulars huh?”Robin asked angrily as they walked. It was getting cold again and they couldn’t afford to freeze

“Hey, you two’s looking for jobs?”a man asked them

“Yeah, isn’t everybody?”Robin said back

“Unfortunately. Im Alvin Heather. I work for the IASA”

“IASA?”Gabriel asked

“International Apple Shippers Association. We are in need of workers. Jay is a friend of mine. Ive seen you two hard at work here”

“What do we need to do?”Gabriel asked

“Sell apples for us”

“That’s it? Whats the catch?”Robin asked

“No catch, you wont have to wait in line”he said as he gave them his card. “You come to the warehouse. You buy a crate of apples for 1.75, sell our apples for 5 cents each. A whole crate of apples sell for 1.85….good deal huh?”

“And what if we don’t have the $1.75?”Robin asked

“Well…come by when you do. It’s a good profit”Alvin said. “I hope I’ll be seeing you”

Gabriel and Robin talked about it and they decided to give it a try with Gabriel’s encouragement. They each bought a crate and sold apples for 5 cents each. Magically they sold like hot cakes. They had to go back and buy more. At the end of the day they had some change in their pocket. “See you’s tomorrow”Alvin said to them

“Remember you said that we needed something stable Robin?”Gabriel asked him

“Yeah”

“He wants to see us tomorrow”he said with a smile

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Are you serious? 16 children? Lomi…how could you let it get this far?”Ruth asked her

“I cant say no to them. These kids need an education and for some of them its been a year since they have had any. These kids are a year behind maybe more. I cant deny them from learning”

“I know this but what happens when word spreads and theres 30 children. That’s over capacity. The landlord will have our heads for this”Ruth said

“I just need help”Salomi said honestly,”Theres too many of them now. I cant seem to get their attention at the same time. Some learn slower, than others. They get impatient if someone isn’t fast enough. They want to play all day, some of them are always hungry”

“Some of the parents are paying you?”Ruth asked

“Yes….I get about 20 cents a day”

“We’re going to need more than that”Ruth said

“Some of them don’t have jobs”Salomi said

“What do you teach?”

“Math, science, reading, writing”Salomi said

“How about we split….I’ll teach reading and writing. You math and science”

“No Im not asking you to quit-“

“Im not. I have night shift starting next week. I was going to look for another job. But…Gabriel and Robin are doing really good with this apple business. And I have a feeling more children are coming”

“Oh thank you Ruth, thank you”Salomi said as she gave her a hug.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Sure enough, by next week there were 18 children. Ruth and Salomi made a system. They switched off. The younger children learned reading and writing first, while the elder kids learned math and science. They had breaks at different times, just so it would look like only 8 or so children were at the apartment. They had to be very discreet and quiet.

It seemed to go off without a hitch for about a month, until another set of parents heard and they were up to 20 children by Halloween. The landlord suspected and knocked on the door and asked many questions. They said it was a birthday party. She said keep it down.

They tried to take the children out more often. They went to libraries a lot and it was easier to learn there if they were very quiet. When the children were angels, which were rare, they took them to the movie theatre. The movie theatre showed all day shows for a nickel each. When Rita saw Shirley Temple on the big screen for the first time, she fell in love with her. She saw her tap dancing in a beautiful dress and curls. She longed to dance again. But she knew that she had to practice. Shirley was good and Rita was very rusty. With her mother’s school and Rita sometimes helping out, she never had time to practice for too long.

The children were of good use as well. There was a small yard behind their apartment building and they all taught the children how to plant and water food. The children were ecstatic when the vegetables grew and they were ready to be eaten. They also learned how to recycle and the girls learned how to sew.

However, nothing changed. More people were unemployed and most of the parents had no luck at all. Some lost jobs and found new ones. Mary was having no luck at all. But she still persisted and Salomi was proud of her. They all ate at a soup kitchen that was run by the Red Cross and they gave out bread and milk. Even though there were a lot of charities, people lost hope in the government and President Hoover. He seemed to not care and that businesses will be able to correct themselves if they were just left alone.

Due to more unemployment, the IASA had thousands working for them. It would have been an advantage for any other business in another time. But the apples ran out and so did the jobs and again thousands were unemployed, including Gabriel and Robin.

“Shit!”Robin said as he threw down his hat,”Shit! What are we going to do?! We cant just live off of Ruth’s paycheck. We wont be able to survive”he said

“We’ll find something Robin”Gabriel said,”We have money saved, we just have to be careful until then. We’ll rely on charities and Salomi’s garden for food. We’ll save the money for rent and anything else but in the mean time we will find something”

“Its getting worse Gabriel. Its like no one is working anymore”

“I know. But there has to be something”Gabriel said as they walked down the street, then he saw a familiar face. “Governor Roosevelt?”he asked

The man turned to him and smiled,”Gabriel? How are you?”he asked as Robin looked at them with shock

“Ive seen better days”Gabriel admitted

“We all have”he said with a frown,”How have you been holding up?”

“Not good….lost another job”Gabriel said

He looked at him.”Performing?”

“No I haven’t performed since last year. Been selling apples, catching fish, oddball shit since then”Gabriel said

“Im sorry Gabriel. Im trying my best to make this better. It’s a huge problem”he said,”Stop by my office tomorrow”he said,”We can talk about this”he said as his wife and other men walked out of the building and into a few parked Packard cars. “Good day to the both of you and God bless”he said

“Good day to you Gov.”Gabriel said

“You know the Gov.?”Robin asked

“I performed for him when he first got into office. I hear he’s trying to run for president”

“I hope he does, anyone would be better than that Hoover fucker”Robin said

“But I believe that he can help us. He is governor after all and he must know where the good jobs are. We’ll go there tomorrow morning, bright and early and learn everything we can about whats going on. He may know how long it will last, he can give us advice on what to do til it ends. I know he has ideas, I know how he thinks. He’s very wise and intelligent I have had dinner with him a couple times. His wife too. I believe if he wanted to be president, that he can really make a difference”

“Fine we’ll go, but we cant go looking like this”Robin said, pointing to his dirty shirt and corduroys with holes in them,”We look and smell like shit”

“Hey, it doesn’t matter. He wouldn’t have invited us if we looked and smelled like shit”he said.

They got home and told Ruth and Salomi. Salomi had the same views as Gabriel, she was happy that Roosevelt was running for president and that he could make a difference since Hoover wasn’t doing a damn thing. She said that Hoover wanted the rich to stay rich. She and Ruth offered to wash their clothes while the men waited in line down the hall to use the restroom to shower. The adults talked about politics until very late into the night and Gabriel was too excited to sleep. He felt that Roosevelt could really help them and turn everything around and he wondered why he didn’t think of this before.The next morning the men were up bright and early, washed and cleaned. They waited in the waiting room and soon they were escorted into Roosevelt’s office.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“I hope it wasn’t too much trouble for you to meet me”Roosevelt said as he gestured them to sit down in the two chairs in front of his desk

“No believe me, this couldn’t have come at a better time. As you know, all of us are desperate right now and who better than to talk to you?”Gabriel asked him with a smile. Robin nodded eagerly, not believing that he was in Roosevelt’s office

“How’s Mrs. Brewster?”Roosevelt asked him.”Eleanor asked about her last night”

“Shes good under the circumstances”Gabriel said nodding.”Shes taking care of the children and she accidentally has her own school, shes teaching about 15 children”

“20”Robin corrected him

“20?”Gabriel and Roosevelt asked. “Where does she teach?”Roosevelt asked

“In our living room. Our children’s school closed last year and she began teaching them, then a friend asked her to take care of them while she looked for jobs. Then more followed and now she has 20”

Roosevelt shook his head,”I admire your wife. Just hope she doesn’t get in trouble”

“Oh she wont. It gives her something to do, problem is, she cant say no. Robin’s wife helps out as well as being a waitress at night. But shes the only steady paycheck we have and with 3 children and 4 adults in a two room apartment….well we are in dire straits”Gabriel explained

“How about you…Robin is it? Whats your last name?”

“Vanderbilt…but no relation to the rich ones”he said and they laughed,”Unfortunately”

“I knew Gabriel when I first came into office. He was so kind to perform for me several times and entertaining my wife and I for business dinners, balls, luncheons…but where were you before the crash?”he asked him

“I was a student at NYU…studying psychology. I just love the way the mind works. I met Ruth who happened to be a friend of Salomi and Gabriel, got married a few years ago and she went to school as well. I worked at a supermarket whenever I wasn’t studying and when the crash happened I was laid off, then I couldn’t afford school, now Im living with Gabe and Lomi due to our eviction. Odd end jobs here and there just to give her food. Now she wanted to have a child….but neither has happened yet”he said sadly

“Im sorry to hear that”Roosevelt said sadly,”If I had room in my office here, I would give you the jobs, no questions asked..experience or not…but I cant….but I do know of someone who needs two men like you”

Gabriel and Robin leaned forward in anticipation.

“Now the great thing is, you wont be laid off after a few weeks. He can afford to keep you on as long as he needs you, more stable”

“That’s exactly what we need”Robin said

“He’s in the farming industry. He would need help with every sort of thing out there”

“Farming? Northern New York?”Gabriel asked, unless there was a farm in Manhattan

“No, its not in New York at all which is the catch and if you two need time to think about it or decline its fine. The job is in Kansas actually, outside of the capital. Now I know your wife has 3 children…sometimes 23 but this can take care of them. You’ll make $30 a month and you can send some of that home to her. That can make a huge difference. Once you start sending and saving up, it will be safe to come back, yes? It wont take too long”he said but he noticed Gabriel’s expression change. “Yes its like moving out of the house and no I wont know when things will be normal again but when Im president, things will be as soon as possible”he said confidently

“So let me get this straight. This job is in Kansas. I would have to move there?”Gabriel asked. “When does he need us?”

“As soon as possible. He needed someone yesterday”

Robin smiled eagerly,”Sounds great”he said but then looked at Gabriel,”What?”

“I have a wife and three children. I don’t want to leave them here during all of this”he said,”I wouldn’t be able to bring them would I? No that’s a stupid question”he said answering it for him. “We are going to need some time to think about it”he said. Salomi would be very upset, he knew he was. He didn’t know how long he would be gone for. What if he left and some rich man snatched her up? He didn’t want to think about that.

“Just come back when you have made up your mind”Roosevelt said as he stood up. “I wish there was something closer, but I assure you, there is money to be made but not here, not anymore. But one day you’ll come back and everything will be as it used to be”Roosevelt assured them

“Thank you Governor”Robin said and they said their goodbyes and then they were in the lobby. “Can I talk to you for a second?”he said to Gabriel and pulled him into the mens restroom. “What do you mean we need to think about this? What is there to think about? $30 a month!? Between the both of us that’s $60 a month that they can live on, do you know how much food that is? That could fix that damn heater”

“I know…but…I don’t want to leave them”

“I know you don’t, and I don’t want to leave Ruth either but hes right. This city is a mess. We gotta leave and send money back. Don’t be selfish. We have to sacrifice. Look, in no time there will be money saved up and we can come back and find jobs. He assured us that everything will be fine. I mean come on Gabe, what other choice do we have?”he asked him

They debated about it for a few more minutes and then Gabriel unfortunately agreed. This was the only way. He sighed and they went back to Roosevelt’s office. He was surprised to see them.

“We changed our minds, we would like the address please”Gabriel said

Roosevelt nodded and wrote it down,”I know its hard. But desperate times call for desperate measures. This will be good for you in the long run”he said,”I’ll keep in touch and you can come back when more jobs open up and the economy is more smoother”he said as he handed him the slip of paper,”Take care of yourselves”he said to them,”Let me know when you arrive”he said

“We will, thank you Governor”Robin said as he led them to the door. Robin walked out with a smile on his face

“Oh and Gabriel?”Roosevelt asked and then slipped another piece of folded paper in his hand,”You need this more than I do. Good luck”he said and then shut the door behind them. Gabriel opened his hand and there was a 20 dollar bill in his hand, then he unfolded all of them and then he realized there were $100 worth of 20’s in his hand

“God bless him”Robin said with a smile

“This will help us to get there. Trains aint cheap”Gabriel said

“Who needs a train?”Robin said,”When we can ride the rails for free?”he asked him

“Look I did the whole stowing away thing before. I’d rather not go back to that”Gabriel said as remembered he and his childhood friend, Adam, stowing away on the infamous Titanic. “Its dangerous”

“If you don’t know what your doing”Robin said,”The girls need that money more than we do, prices are higher since no one is traveling, its better for us”he said

Gabriel unfortunately had to agree and they bought groceries at the nearest store. They talked about when they should leave. Robin said tonight but Gabriel needed more time. Friday would be the big day. They came home at around noon with bags filled with food. The younger children were outside playing on their break and he kissed Dahlia on the forehead. “You behaving yourself you little chicken you?”he asked her

“Yes Father”she said innocently,”Whats that?”she asked, pointing to the bags

“Food, lots of it”he said and she smiled. She then threw the rock and went back to playing hopscotch. He watched her as she played with her friends. How long would it take? Would it take so long that by the time he got back, Dahlia was old enough to get married herself? He shook his head at the thought and followed Robin upstairs. Ruth and Salomi were teaching the older set of children their subjects and they looked shocked when they came in with bags of food.

“Roosevelt is an angel in disguise”Salomi said with tears in her eyes. “This could feed us all for weeks”she said as she looked at all the food

“Or it can feed you all for months”he said, knowing the women and children ate in smaller portions

“What do you mean?”she asked. But he shook his head. He didn’t want to disrupt the children’s learning. But the idea of leaving plagued him and he took a walk as he smoked a cigarette. How long was it going to take for them to get back on track?

After the last child left the house, Salomi and Ruth made dinner and soon they were soon seated. They were all very happy to have “real food” and to not eat at the soup kitchen.

“Im sick to death of soup!”Dahlia had said dramatically

Soon the children were put to bed and Robin and Gabriel gave each other the nod. It was time to tell them. “Lets go for a walk Ruthie”Robin said to her and she smiled and put on her coat. They knew that while walking they could air out and talk about anything. Gabriel silently thanked him and he sat down on the small couch and patted the spot next to him.

“So….what did Roosevelt say, besides buy every last piece of food at the market?”she asked him with a smile

“Well I have a job….I’ll be doing some farming….in Kansas”he said bluntly.

“Kansas?”Salomi asked, shocked and hurt. “Wait…you have to go to Kansas? Where?”

“A few miles outside of the capital…he has a friend who needs help. He needs it now. I can make $30 a month. I can send you $25 of it. I wont need much money there anyways since we’ll eat and sleep there. Everythings covered. Between the both of you, $50 a month is pretty good. You can turn that damn heater back on”

“I don’t want it back on. I don’t want you to go Kansas. I don’t want you to leave me…not now”Salomi said as she started to cry but she knew it was the only way. He told her that and she nodded,”How long?”

“As long as they need me. As long as it takes to get us back on our feet again. When I come back I expect us to be living comfortably, the children back in school with shoes on their feet and clothes on their backs, you too baby. You know Im doing this because I love you right? Im not seeing this as a way to escape. If I could I could bring all of you, but its not that kind of deal”

“I know”Salomi said as she cried as quietly as she could so as to not wake the children,”Im gonna miss you so”she said as he held her.

Ruth took the news fairly well. She stopped dead in her tracks and couldn’t move until it actually hit her that Robin would be gone for a long time. They were lucky that Roosevelt gave this job to them, they would starve on her paycheck. She cried as well and she requested to walk some more and they shared a beer at a local pub, knowing that Salomi and Gabriel would need some time alone to get used to it. When they got back, Salomi had cried herself to sleep in Gabriel’s arms. He had carried her back to bed and laid beside her and soon fell asleep. Ruth and Robin made their bed up and laid in each others arms and reminisced about the days when they first met in psychology class at NYU until they fell asleep.

The apartment was dead silent and everyone was sleeping peacefully. Except for Rita. She let the tears roll down her cheeks as she laid closely to Michael and Dahlia. She heard every word. Father was leaving them and he didn’t know when he was coming back.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Rita was more confused when Gabriel took them out to a small restaurant and explained to them that he would be working on a farm in Kansas. He promised that he would write everyday and that he would be coming back but he had to do this so they could have some money, more food on the table and be able to afford to go back to school and wear descent clothes. Michael and Dahlia were sad but they understood, or tried to. Rita didn’t.

“I don’t need to go to school, Father. I don’t need fancy clothes and shoes and lots of food. You don’t have to go. You don’t have to”she said

“I do baby. I want whats best for you and whats best for you and all of us involved is for me to go away for a little while. I’ll be sending money. One day I can afford to get you into dance classes again Rita, I know how much you miss it. You’ll be better than Shirley”

“I don’t care. I don’t want you to leave”Rita said. But he didn’t back down and deep inside she hated him for it. But soon that melted away when Gabriel decided to take Rita out to see Shirley Temple that night. She was older and wiser than the other two but scared because she understood what could happen to him. He may not come back or he could come back with nothing and have to start over all over again. Who knew how long it would take. But he assured her that he loved her, to not be mad at him because this was the right thing to do. She finally agreed, but only because she loved him, too much.

“I love you Rita, my shining star”he said to her and it was snowing when they headed back home and they played in it for awhile. She was a child again and laughing and playing and when they came back she was so tired and worn out and cold that she went straight to sleep.

“Is she alright?”Salomi asked her

“She told me she didn’t like it, but she would deal with it because she loves me. And that I’d better come back and I’d better write everyday”he said

“You better”Salomi said and started to cry again.

Soon Friday morning came and Gabriel and Robin left at midnight. They were going to catch the train at the station and head to Kansas by hopping many other ones. Who knew how long it would take them. Salomi hated the idea but Gabriel said it would save money and they would be safe. The children cried as they hugged their father and Robin. They all said their “I love you”’s and then Robin and Gabriel were gone. Dahlia cried all night and Michael was just silent, but deeply hurt. Rita just stared off into space, saying a silent prayer.

‘Please come back, Father. Father, please, don’t die’

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

It took Gabriel and Robin a week to reach their destination. The two hopped from slow moving train to slow moving train all the way to Kansas. They made friends with the other “hoboes” as they were called as they all traveled. They all listened to each others stories as they tried to stay as quiet and discreet as possible. When they weren’t riding the rails, they slept in railway yards along with other hoboes. The group of hoboes called their temporary railway yard residencies “jungles” and they camped out and shared a pot of stew with each other.

“Do you all get offended? I mean we are hoboes, lowest of the low”Robin asked one of them. A man named Johnnie who had been riding the rails for almost two years now, shook his head.

“We’re not the lowest of the low. Hoboes look for work. That’s the difference between us and the tramps and trash that just lay around out here and not do a thing. We actually make something of ourselves and one day we all will strike it big and find something. We will. So don’t let anyone tell you any different”Johnnie told them wisely

A week later, they reached their destination and their boss, Mr. McNamara, greeted them. “Frank told me that you two were willing to do the job right. Thank you for traveling so far out of your way. How was the trip?”he asked them, figuring that they bought tickets.

“Long and tiring…but yet fun…but uncomfortable”Robin said and Gabriel smiled. That’s exactly what it was. Yet McNamara didn’t even know what they went through to get here and when he showed them the shack they would be living in, it was paradise to them, which surprised him

“Are things that bad in New York?”he asked them

They both nodded,”We take what we can get”Gabriel explained. McNamara showed them the animals, the crops, the whole land. It was dry, dusty and a little cold but not as cold as New York. They went up to the main house and showed them around and then they walked into the kitchen. There was a young woman in her mid twenties cooking. She had blonde hair and the bluest eyes ever.

“Beth meet our new helpers. Fellas, this is Beth. My favorite daughter”he said as he hugged her with pride as he presented her to them

“Im your only daughter”she said and smiled at them,”Nice to meet you both”she said shyly. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Gabriel. She heard that them big city men were fine but fast and nothing but trouble. She could see that he was very fine, maybe fast but didn’t see a hint of trouble. She forced herself to look away. “I made ya’ll some lunch”she said,”You two are just in time”she said in her sweet southern accent. She was surprised when the two men dug into the huge bowls of chili, cornbread and milk. They ate so fast and were so thankful that she had to make more. She felt sorry for them but didn’t understand how bad it was in New York. “You two are a god send, we need help ‘round here”she said

“I think it’s the other way around”Gabriel said as Robin nodded in agreement, mouth filled with the finest cornbread he had ever tasted

*________________________________*

Robin and Gabriel’s days consisted of being woken up by a rooster at the crack of dawn. The first morning they heard it, it scared them to death and then laughed without stopping, still shaking in their boots. They would wash up and get dressed and tend to everything the farm entailed. They did everything from planting, to plowing, to using horse manure as fertilizer. They worked from sun up to sun down and at first it was hard. They weren’t used to this kind of work. Gabriel had more experience on the stage, of course and Robin was a little weaker out of the two, skinnier too. His strength was in the books and philosophy. He was a school boy at heart, always wanting to learn, always wanting to find a way to move forward. The first few nights the two would suffer through what McNamara called “Charlie horses”. The pain was unbearable but soon they were used to the work, rising before the sun and laying their heads on the pillows well after the sun had set. The two were grateful for a job, they would do anything and they were glad that it was this. They got their first paycheck on the 1st of every month. Gabriel and Robin each sent $25 home to Salomi and Ruth and they patted themselves on the back as they put the envelopes of money in the mail box. They wished they could see the women’s faces when they opened it. They would probably open it, expecting another letter since the two devoted themselves to writing everyday.

“Even though we push around horse shit, this was a good idea, this is going to make us a great investment”Robin said as they walked back to the main house for dinner. The two had requested Beths famous chili and cornbread and she didn’t mind making it. McNamara didn’t care, as long as she was there and cooking. She worked hard as well, tending to the animals more than anything, but she was a hard worker. He was blessed to have her.

One night it was a little warmer than usual and Beth had made some lemonade and was sitting out on the porch, holding a very fat cat in her lap and stroking its tail as it purred. Robin was inside talking to McNamara about politics, but this time Gabriel didn’t want any part in the conversation. He just wanted Roosevelt to be president so he could go home. He felt that was his only ticket back. He sat next to Beth and she poured him a glass of lemonade. “Thanks..its warm out tonight”

She nodded,”I love it, it will be the first of many. The groundhog didn’t see his shadow….so you know what that means”

Gabriel stared at her with a blank face,”No…actually I don’t” It must be some small town Kansas tradition or something

“You don’t know about Groundhog Day?”she asked with a laugh,”Doesn’t everyone?”

“No”he said with a laugh, feeling a little foolish. “What does it mean? When the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow?”

“It means winter will soon end”she said,”If he does, it will be 6 weeks of more winter. Thank God he didn’t, it can get pretty cold out here”

“Oh I know”Gabriel said

“Im sorry you two have to stay out in that little shack-“

“Its fine. We make the best of it. Ive been colder…Ive been frozen before”he admitted

“Whats New York like?”she asked. Ever since the two came, she has been fascinated about the big city. She’s lived on this farm all her life.

“Like everyone says it is. Big, fast….I don’t know. Its hard to describe because Ive lived it since I was 17. There’s always something going on, theres always someone new to meet. It used to be fun….but now….”he said and stopped. New York was different now. New York seemed like the land of opportunity when he had gotten there after he found out his grandmother passed. And it was for about 15 years or so but now, it was like nothing was there for him. But he didn’t want to give up on her.

Beth sensed that he didn’t want to talk about New York, so she changed the subject,”You didn’t live there all your life? Where were you before you hit 17?”she asked him

“Im originally from Tennessee. Born in a small town outside of Memphis”he said, it was funny, its like he forgot about it. He forced himself to forget Tennessee since there was nothing there for him anymore. His parents, grandmother and Adam were all gone.

“Did you live on a farm?”she asked with a laugh

“No…but close to many. I used to help out on some of them but it was little things like picking strawberries and walking the dogs. I wasn’t interested”

“You were interested in the Big Apple?”she asked him

“No…I was interested in the circus”he admitted. She laughed,”Im serious. My friend and I, his name was Adam. We could do many tricks, we were such clowns, literally. He could juggle anything and do acrobatics. I have an uncanny talent for picking things up with my teeth”

Beth gasped,”My lord. Like what?”she asked

“Chairs, tables…furniture really”he said. “The circus came to town many times and we showed each troupe what we could do but at 15 we were finally discovered and we became Carnies-“

“Whats a Carnie?”she asked

“Oh that’s what they call circus folks. They spend all their time at the carnival…Carnie….”

“Oh I get it”she said with a smile,”Can you still do it?”she asked him. This man had a fascinating life!

He laughed,”I haven’t done it in a long time”he admitted but he got up and looked at the chair he was sitting in. He stared at it for a few seconds, guessing its weight in his head and where was the best place to pick it up, he got on his knees and bit onto the chair and slowly picked it up as Beth gasped. The cat that was in her lap, jumped off in fear. He put it back down quickly, a little disappointed,”Im not as good as I used to be”he said

“That’s good enough for me. That was great. How did you find out you had a talent like that?”she asked him as she clapped

“Bets from boys when I was little. I have strong teeth and it just went from there”he said

“So…you were discovered at 15…so you were a Carnie until you made it to New York?”she asked. He nodded and he told her about his travels around Europe, all the places he’s been to, the fun he had, the people he had met. He told her about the death of the circus master and how the troupe broke up and how he and Adam stowed away on the Titanic to get back home. “That boat sank. How did you survive?”

“Barely. Adam didn’t though. He was seasick the whole time, poor guy, he moved too slowly and he fell off the boat..”he said sadly,”I tried to help the best I could-“

“Im sure you did”Beth assured him as she reached and grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Gabriel smiled at her

“BETH! Its time for dessert! Wheres the ice cream maker?”her father called

Beth pulled away and got up,”Want some ice cream?”she asked him. Gabriel nodded and followed her inside.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

And Beth was right…well about the Groundhog. The days got warmer and every night after dinner, Beth and Gabriel would talk on the porch and then go back in for dessert. She would tell him about life on the farm, while he told her stories about life as a performer. He told her about Adam, Dorothy and Jules, his parents and his grandmother. All of them he has lost over the years. She told him about her mother, who died of cancer 2 years ago.

“I think that’s why my father is a little more overprotective of me. Im all he has. A lot of my friends…well they get to go out and have fun. My father lets me sometimes but hes always afraid something will happen to me. My friends fathers are all concerned about them finding husbands, having babies, settling down. My father is only concerned with me staying here and helping out”she admitted

“Do you like that?”he asked with a frown. Seemed like a boring life to lead. Love was so much more fun than working on a farm all your life. He thought of Salomi and how he missed her. And what would Beth do when her father was gone?

“I guess. It keeps a lot of pressure off of me. My best friend, Mary Ann, oh her parents are always hounding her about finding a husband. Shes introduced many men to them but it never seems to work out. Courtin’ seems like a lot of pressure to me”

“Well yeah of course, I mean if your pressured into it. But don’t look for love, let it find you and when you find it, it will be a place where you wouldn’t expect it”he said, thinking of Salomi and the Titanic. “I fell in love…truly…for the first time on the Titanic”

“Wow…you didn’t tell me that”

“Her name is Salomi. Beautiful name huh? Its Native American”he said proudly. Beth nodded. And he proceeded to tell her about how they first met, all the trouble they got into on the ship and her father forbidding her to see him. Beth was soon fascinated like with all his other stories.

“So you never saw her again?”she asked him

“Oh no, I did. I snuck her out of her room and we romped around the ship, that was the night we hit the iceberg. We were having so much fun in the boiler room, when we saw water…then we knew something was wrong-“

“Ice cream!”Robin came out with a shout, interrupting them again. Beth smiled and stood up and walked in the kitchen. He looked at Gabriel,”What do you two talk about all the time?”

“Just getting to know each other”Gabriel said with a shrug.”What do you and McNamara talk about?”

“Politics, philosophy, books….”Robin said with a shrug,”Hes a smart man”

“Yeah, Beth’s interesting too”he said and they walked inside for their nightly ritual of ice cream.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

However, the next night was different. After dinner, Beth excused herself from the table and put on a dress that had a blue checkerboard pattern, she had on blue heels and a blue bow in her hair. She looked younger than 25 but she looked just fine to her father. “You look beautiful huney….but do you have to go out with those girls tonight?”

“Daddy…you promised”Beth said as there was a knock on the door. “Its them, now be nice”she said as she went to the door and was greeted by two squealing women.

“Whats going on?”Robin asked

“Theres some dance at the town hall tonight. I promised her I would let her go but….”he said and shook his head,”The tall one, with brown hair, Mary Ann, shes a fast one, stay away from her”he whispered to them and they both laughed.”Im serious, she has a new fiancé every other month. I don’t know where she finds these men”

“Hello Mr. McNamara, how you doin’ this evening”Mary Ann asked him but saw Robin and Gabriel and smiled at them

“Im alright. You take care of my daughter now and stay out of trouble. Bring her back by 10”he said

“Now when have I ever disappointed you?”she asked him

He laughed,”Do you really want me to answer that?”

“Mary Ann? Sue? This is Gabriel and Robin, they are helping my father out with the farm. They are from New York”Beth said hurriedly before her father could list all of Mary Ann’s antics.

Gabriel and Robin both stood up and shook their hands,”Wow Big City men…in our little town, how lucky are we?”Mary Ann said excitedly in her southern drawl as they both shook their hands

“Well lets get goin’”Beth said as she ushered the two women out. “Bye Daddy, I’ll be fine, I promise”she said as she kissed him on the head and said goodbye to Robin and Gabriel and soon they were out the door.

“She was wearin’ a white dress”McNamara mumbled

“What?”Gabriel asked

“Mary Ann was wearing a white dress. Why? She aint pure and innocent?”he said and they laughed. Then he looked at them,”How about you two go on? Have yourselves a good time”

Robin considered it but Gabriel shook his head,”We should be getting to be bed”

“No go on. I need someone to watch Beth”McNamara said

“I don’t wanna go and watch your daughter”Gabriel said

“You two know just as well as I how naïve she is. You two know just as well as I how men are”he said.

Gabriel wanted to say no but McNamara really looked worried and his eyes were begging them to go,”We can stop by, right Robin?”

“Sure”Robin said excitedly. He was tired of the monotony, time for something fun.

“Take the truck”McNamara said as he handed them the keys,”If you see anything suspicious, bring her home”he said sternly

“Yes sir”they said

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The three young women laughed as they got into Mary Ann’s truck and drove away. “Im so glad your father let you come out with us tonight”she said to Beth,”Last one was a riot”

“I heard”Beth said as she couldn’t help but glance back at the house. For the first time, she actually wanted to stay home. She wanted to sit and hear more of Gabriel’s stories. She wondered about this Salomi girl that he mentioned. Did she die on the Titanic too?

“….I don’t know how you stand it”Mary Ann said and Beth realized she was talking to her

“Stand what?”Beth asked

“Having those two Greek Gods living in your house! Oh and that man with the dark hair….oh hes a sight for sore eyes. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him”

“Oh Lord. Now next thing you know, she wont be able to keep her hands off of him”Sue replied and Mary Ann swatted her.

“Now what kind of woman do you think I am?”Mary Ann asked innocently,”Im perfectly innocent. Just like my white dress”she said

“Now you know damn well you have done not so innocent things….in that dress….in this truck no less!”Sue replied and the three girls laughed. Mary Ann was the wildest out of the three. The town hall held the annual dance once a month and Mary Ann always found someone to get in trouble with. It was always an adventure.

They pulled up to the brick building and parked and then walked around back to the huge barn house that the dance was located and paid their admission fees and went inside. A lot more people attended the dances now because 20% of the profits went to families suffering from the Depression.

Mary Ann and the girls were soon surrounded by admirers. They were soon seated at a table with complimentary beers in front of them. They offered them cigarettes and lit them for them, well except Beth, she didn’t smoke. “Whats your name Sug?”she asked the man in a navy uniform. There was a whole group of them there that night which was great. They were all fine looking men too.

“Freddie. Whats your’s mama?”he asked her

“Mary Ann. This is Sue”she said as she pointed to the redhead,”And Beth”she said,”I love your uniform. I love men in uniform”she said. Sue and Beth rolled their eyes playfully as Mary Ann flirted.

“Oh don’t look now but here comes Bobby”Sue whispered to her

“Does he see me?”Beth asked in a panic.

“Yep unfortunately”Sue said.

“Good evenin’ Beth. Im sure glad you made it out here tonight”Bobby said with a shy smile as he chewed on a piece of straw. Bobby has had a crush on Beth since they were children. But Beth just wasn’t interested. Bobby was very shy and very sweet but he was very clumsy and…he still seemed like a teenager to them.

“Good evenin’ Bobby. Im sure glad I came too”Beth said in a hurry as she stood up. “Sue, would you mind coming with me to the ladies room. I need to powder my nose?”she asked her. Sue nodded and they quickly walked away from him. “My God! Great, he is gonna be followin’ me all night now! Why cant he get the hint? Im just not interested”

“Then just tell him. You are way too nice to him. Just set him straight. Straight forward. Bobby, stop wasting your time. Im not interested. And he’ll surely back off”

“That’s a little harsh”she said

“You have to be cruel to be kind, sweetie”Sue said and then stopped Beth by grabbing her arm,”Guess who decided to join us?”she asked her. Beth looked around and couldn’t help but smile when she saw Gabriel and Robin walk through the door. “Tonight’s gonna be interestin’. Wait til Mary Ann sees him”she said as they rushed off to the bathroom.

*__________________________________*

Gabriel and Robin walked in and looked around. They caught sight of Beth’s dress, following her redheaded friend to the ladies room. “I saw her, she went to the bathroom. We cant follow her there. I cant believe we agreed to do this. Shes 25, she can take care of herself”

“She will be fine. I bet she wont have any trouble at all. I have total faith in her, even though she is very naïve and very young minded for her age. But what can happen in this little town? I mean, we are in a fucking barn”Robin said,”Lets have fun and order a beer. And don’t say we don’t have the money. Because I know we haven’t spent any of our savings since we got here”

The two walked over to the makeshift bar and ordered a beer, which was all they had. They found a table in the back of the barn, away from the live band and dance floor. “We just need to stay secluded. She wont even know we are here”Robin said

“Well good evenin’ fellas”Beth said to them excitedly as she and her friend walked up to them.

Gabriel gave Robin a look and he only laughed as he sipped his beer. “Good evening Beth, you having a good time so far?”

“Sure am. Im glad you two decided to come. What changed your minds?”she asked them sweetly

“No reason. Just wanted to see what this big dance is all about”Gabriel replied

“Well why don’t ya’ll sit with us?”Beth asked them,”We have great seats right up front near the dance floor and the band”

“Sure why not?”Robin said as he stood up and walked with them

“Ya’ll remember Sue right?”Beth asked, introducing her to them again. They nodded.

“He sent ya’ll here didn’t he?”Sue said to Robin as they followed Beth to their table

“What do you mean?”he asked innocently

“Her father sent you two to watch her didn’t you? Why cant you two just let her have fun for once?”Sue asked

“We are”Gabriel assured her. “We didn’t want to, but he convinced us. We wont spoil your night, we promise”he said as they approached the table. Robin almost laughed at the sight. Mary Ann was surrounded by three men in navy uniforms. Maybe McNamara was right.

“Guess who decided to join us”Sue said and Mary Ann turned around and smiled widely.

“Oh the city boys are here”Mary Ann said happily. “Come on and sit down”she said as she grabbed some more chairs for them,”Lets make room for them fellas. These are close friends of my friend Beth here”she said as she plopped Robin down right beside her. Now she was sandwiched between him and three navy boys. Next to Robin was Sue, then Beth, then Gabriel.

The two men kept their promise to Sue and didn’t interfere too much. They really didn’t have to. Any man who asked Beth to dance, she turned down. “Your not dancing tonight?”Gabriel asked as he lit a cigarette. He needed one. “It’s a dance”

“Im just not interested”Beth said with a shrug. Gabriel shrugged too.

Then the band played a song that seemed to be the town’s favorite. They played the opening chords and everyone went wild. Mary Ann had been dancing all night and she came back to the table and grabbed Robin’s hand. “Dance with me?”she asked but he couldn’t say no since she dragged him out on the floor. Beth seemed to be dancing in her seat and she wanted Gabriel to ask her but he seemed content with his cigarette. She didn’t know that he smoked. He made smoking look so…sophisticated.

“May I have this dance Beth?”Bobby asked her, appearing out of nowhere.

Beth groaned but Bobby didn’t hear it but Gabriel did. Sue gave Beth a look and mouthed,”Tell him”

“Well Bobby….ugh…..thats very nice of you to ask me…..but….”she struggled to say,”But….I……”

“I already asked her”Gabriel said as he put out his cigarette and stood up, offering her his hand. He winked at her and she smiled.

She took his hand and smiled apologetically at Bobby,”Yes. He did. Sorry!”she said as Gabriel led her out on the floor.

Sue smiled, maybe the city boys had good intentions after all. “Ugh….Sue? How about you-?”

Sue quickly stood up and grabbed the arm of one of the navy boys that Mary Ann dropped off,”Sorry not interested Bobby”she said as she sympathetically patted his shoulder and ran out on the dance floor.

“Thanks for saving me back there”Beth said as she shouted over the music and cheers from the crowd as they sang along

“No problem. Does that Bobby guy give you problems?”Gabriel asked her

“No….he’s just very annoying. He’s been chasing me since grade school. He cant take the hint”

“Well you haven’t given him one. Let him down gently. Don’t lead him on any longer”Gabriel said

Beth nodded,”Yeah your right”she said and continued to dance with him. The band ended the song and they all cheered. Robin’s face was all red from the heat and the fact that Mary Ann was grinding on him, dancing very close. He smiled at Gabriel across the dance floor as the band played another song. “Can you be my wing man? I don’t have the heart to tell him tonight”she pleaded

“Sure, fine”Gabriel said with a smile and he stayed by her side all night. Basically, he just danced with her. But she seemed looser than she had ever been, not as uptight. She even shared a cigarette with Sue and drank beer. She never did either.

Sue quickly figured it out as she and Mary Ann watched her dance with Gabriel,”Seems our Bethie has a crush”

“Its about damn time”Mary Ann said,”The way things are goin’ shes gonn’ be an old maid”she said as she grabbed Robin and pulled him back out on the dance floor.

Beth and Gabriel danced to several songs and Beth was more giggly than usual. Gabriel sensed that she had drank too much and nonchalantly took the beer from her. She didn’t notice and kept dancing as the band played ‘The Devil Went Down To Georgia’, another town favorite. The floor got even more packed and Gabriel smiled as he danced with Beth. He always loved this song and he hadn’t heard it since….then he remembered….the night on the Titanic….Salomi looking beautiful in her expensive evening gown….partying with him in 3rd class, not having a care in the world or the fact that most everyone in 3rd class stared at her and didn’t want her there. He remembered teaching her the dance that he learned…and later their first kiss. It seemed like yesterday but also so long ago. He stopped dancing, he missed her so much. Too much. “Are you alright?”Beth asked him but he didn’t say a word and walked out.

He bummed a cigarette off of someone and they lit it for him as he walked outside. He couldn’t deal anymore. Salomi was everywhere. Everything reminded him of her.

“Gabriel! Gabriel! Whats wrong?”Beth asked him as she ran after him, almost tripping over the loose gravel and rocks. “What happened in there?”

“Its nothing. It got too hot, that’s all”he said

“You sure? You sick or something?”she asked him

“No Im not, just go back inside Beth. Im fine”Gabriel said

“Don’t tell me what to do. Your not my father”Beth snapped at him and he looked at her with surprise. Her eyes were bloodshot and she kept swaying from side to side. Shit, she was drunk.

“Seems like your not ok. You need some water”he said

“I don’t need water. I….I….I need another beer”she said as he led her to a water pump. He started pumping the water for her and she drank some. “That’s nice”she said with a laugh, falling to the ground

Gabriel helped her up and she clung to him and then she kissed him. He pushed her away and she almost fell again and he caught her. “What the hell are you doing Beth?”

“Didn’t ya wanna do this?”Beth asked him. “You like me don’t ya? Isnt that why you tell me all those stories? I wanna know what happened to that Salami girl? I love your stories Gabriel”she said as she tried to kiss him but he backed away

Gabriel sighed, great she wanted him. She had a crush on him? McNamara couldn’t know about this. He could lose his job. He didn’t trust any man around her, but he did trust them. And he didn’t want to lose that privilege. “Her name is Salomi and I married her. Im married Beth. I like you but just as a friend and Im sorry that you saw something different”he said as he held up his ring finger.

Beth gasped, she never noticed. Well, she did but she never put the two together. Or maybe she didn’t want to. “Your married to her? Your fucking married?”she asked him

“Please don’t get mad Beth, just calm down, you have had too much to drink”he said to her but she ran back inside. “Shit”he said to himself. He needed another cigarette and now he missed Salomi more than ever.

“What happened. Beth’s crying. What did you do?”Robin asked as he ran out to him

“I think we should be going. Im the one that caused trouble”Gabriel said

“No we cant drive right now. We’ve been drinking too much. Im not crashing McNamara’s truck….what the hell did you do?”

“You know what? I didn’t do anything! I didn’t think I was doing anything!”he said

“What?”

“Beth likes me. She kissed me. She thought I had the same feelings”

“Shit”

“I thought she knew I was married”

“Did you tell her?”

“I told her about Salomi….I don’t think I told her I was married but I have a ring on…I mean…..”

“You know how she is. Beth is naïve”

“Beth isn’t that naïve, we need to treat her like an adult. Its not fair”he said,”Shit…I don’t want to lose this job”

“You aren’t”

“Beth likes me. She kissed me. She thought that I liked her. Now shes crying her eyes out, she probably hates me. What if she tells McNamara?”

“Shes not going to tell”Robin said as people started to leave the barn. “Hey what time is it?”he asked a group of people.

“Almost midnight”one of them said

“SHIT!”they both exclaimed. Beth was supposed to be back by ten. They both ran towards the barn when Mary Ann’s car approached them.

“Shes fine, shes sleepin’ we got her covered!”Mary Ann said and drove off in a flash. She had lots to drink and the two ran to McNamara’s car and got in and drove closely behind. The last thing they needed was Beth to be passed out in a car while Mary Ann crashes it. They were already past curfew. Luckily they made it to the house safely and Mary Ann and Sue gave Beth to Gabriel. “No hard feelin’s. We figured she knew you were married and maybe you two had been foolin around or something”

“No, haven’t touched her”Gabriel said sternly as he held the sleeping Beth

“Take good care of her now”Mary Ann said with a giggle.”Bye cutie”she said to Robin and she and Sue sped out of the driveway and headed home.

Gabriel and Robin sighed, now they had to deal with McNamara. They quietly carried Beth’s passed out body through the dark house. McNamara had gone to bed which means they would have to deal with him in the morning. They laid her in her bed and wondered if they should dress her in her night clothes. They decided against it, took off her heels and tucked her in and ran back to the shack. Unfortunately, neither could sleep.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The rooster woke them all up. All of them had different things on their minds. Beth was confused, tired and had quite a headache. How did she get here? Gabriel and Robin were wondering how McNamara would react.

However, McNamara was in a great mood. He knocked on Beth’s door. “Slow rising this morning Bethie?”he asked her

“Ugh…..yes Daddy”she said

“You alright?”he asked her

“Yes, just fine. Tired but fine”

“I’ll start the grits”he said and walked away. He was at the stove making grits when Gabriel and Robin walked in. “Mornin’ fellas”

“Morning”they both said as they sat down. They were surprised that he was cooking and so nice to them. Maybe he was going to yell when they were all together. Beth finally came downstairs wearing a shirt and her favorite overalls, but looking very pale and tired. McNamara set a plate of eggs and grits in front of her with some orange juice.

“What time did you all get back last night?”McNamara asked

Beth looked at Gabriel and then looked away. She remembered everything that happened and was so ashamed that she acted like that. That would be something Mary Ann would do. Maybe Daddy was right. Mary Ann could rub off on her! Werent you supposed to not remember a thing when you got drunk? At least that’s what happened to everyone else….of course not her. However, she didn’t remember getting home or what time. Robin looked at Gabriel and he was about to answer when McNamara continued.

“I know ya’ll got home after 10. I know I went to bed at round 10:30”he said and then ate his grits.

The three of them stared at him with wide eyes. Then they all started talking at once.

“Daddy, Im so sorry. I was having so much fun. I forgot to bring your pocket watch with me”Beth said
“We lost track of time, ugh, time flies when you have fun”Robin said too, not able to think of an excuse
“When I realized what time it was, we brought her home right away. Im so sorry sir, we made a huge mistake”Gabriel said along with them

McNamara laughed. “No need. I trusted you all. As long as you all had a great time and didn’t get into trouble?”he asked

“No trouble, we had a great time”they replied

“Then that’s all that matters. And you didn’t sleep through the rooster. Just hope your work doesn’t suffer from all the partying”he said as he finished his plate. “Lets get to work”he said

The three of them stared at him in shock and looked at each other with the same expression. They cleaned off their plates and did their usual morning duties.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Beth was glad that her father wasn’t upset. She remembered Mary Ann cursing and apologizing and saying that it was midnight. Her father would have usually thrown a fit. What changed him? Maybe he came around. She did keep her distance from Gabriel. She didn’t know what to say besides sorry. But she figured he wanted nothing to do with her now. Why would he? He was married. Damn it, he was married. She kept her distance for a few days. One night after dinner, she was petting Angel, one of their many cats, when she saw Gabriel go to the mailbox. He walked back to the house and up the porch and was about to walk inside when she said,”Writin’ the misses?”she asked him

He nodded,”Yep and sending her some money too. They are going to need it”

“They?”she asked

“Im sorry I wasn’t honest with you. I thought that I had told you or you knew”he said as he sat next to her and pulled a photo out of his back pocket. It was a picture of Gabriel and a woman with dark eyes, dark hair, with very exotic features. Salomi. She was also surprised to see three children in the picture with them. One child looked just like Gabriel with blonde hair and blue eyes, the other boy and girl looked like their mother.

“One big happy family huh?”she asked him. Trying not to sound disappointed.

“Sure am”he said proudly,”That’s Salomi….thats Rita, my little star. Shes going to be a great performer one day, just like her Father. That’s Michael, very shy and is a real mama’s boy. That’s Dahlia, the youngest, loudest….she could be like Mary Ann when she gets older”he said with a laugh

“Wild huh?”she asked him and he nodded. She listened to his stories about them, but couldn’t help but hold back the tears.

*________________________________*

Gabriel was glad that he and Beth were on good speaking terms again. Talking to her was almost like talking to Salomi. But it still wasn’t the same and he ached for her all the time. Some nights he cried himself to sleep because he missed her and the children so much. But she wrote religiously talking about how life was in New York, the economy, how the good times gave them hope and how the bad times plummeted them back down again. In every letter she told him that she was proud of him and loved him, that the money was really helping. The children wrote as well. Rita wrote about how she was still teaching herself how to dance, how their new school was so crowded and how much she missed him. She always asked when he was coming back and he always replied with an ‘I don’t know’. Michael wrote about how much he missed him. His writing was impeccable for someone his age. He sometimes wrote rhymes and riddles and he would smile and reply back with answers to his riddles and a rhyme or lyric from his favorite songs. Dahlia’s writing and spelling was horrible but she never wrote much. She always drew messy pictures of their stick figure family, hearts, I love you’s. He sighed as he read the letters. Rita was about to be 10, Michael 8 and Dahlia 7.



    Good news came when Franklin Roosevelt was elected as the democratic primary for the presidential election. Robin and Gabriel cheered when they heard the news. McNamara said that Roosevelt would do a fine job. Gabriel couldn’t wait to vote. He remembered the promises he made in his office when he offered them this very job. He could go home soon. Hold his wife, play with his children. Be a family again. Beth sat there as the men talked about politics. She soon got bored with it and went out to the stables. Faye, another tabby cat of theirs, was pregnant and she was getting quite huge. She fed all 10 cats, probably soon to be almost 20 when Faye delivered and walked back to the house. Gabriel was standing in the cold, smoking a cigarette. He had a great smile on his face and was staring at the stars.



    “Beautiful huh? I bet the buildings are too high for you to see this in New York City”she replied as she stood next to him. She pointed,”Theres the Big Dipper….and theres the baby”she said



    “Yeah, your right. We usually don’t see stars in the city…unless their actors or something”he said with a smile. “I cant wait to go back. I don’t care if I see a star again”



    “Go back? But you said you didn’t know when you’ll be able to go back”Beth said. It was wrong of her but knowing that made her hope that maybe he would come around. Fall out of love with Salomi, fall in love with her, marry her and she would have a litter of his babies.



    “It may be sooner than we think”he said with a huge smile. “Now that Roosevelt is the primary….he promised great things for us suffering through the depression….and I believe him….he was my ticket here and he’s my ticket out”



    “If he’s president you mean?”Beth asked and he nodded,”What if he aint?”



    “He will”Gabriel said sternly, he put out the cigarette and walked back into the house



    “Who’s running against him?”Beth shouted out to him



    Gabriel groaned, not turning back,”Hoover”



    Beth nodded, having a feeling on who she should vote for.



                *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



    McNamara hired two more men which worried Robin and Gabriel but he assured them that they would be fine. The two new men, Isaiah from Chicago and Frank from New Jersey took the shack and Robin and Gabriel had the attic above the stables which was more spacious. The four men became fast friends. Beth was the envy among many women in town since the four men were the “men sent from the beauty greek gods” as Mary Ann would say. But Beth didn’t feel a thing but love for Gabriel that he didn’t return. Sometimes she’d rather him just go to another farm, it was easy to deal with him that way.



    Now with four men in the house, McNamara was easy on Beth, he let her go out more and as usual, the four men always seemed to show up. But Beth never put the two together. She was just happy to get away from the house. Sometimes seeing Gabriel would either darken her moods or send her to cloud nine. Her emotions were like one of those wooden roller coasters that Gabriel told her about. “Maybe I’ll take you to ride one of them” he had said to her



    Yeah…..right……



    “Oh my lord. I don’t know which one to flirt with tonight”Mary Ann said. She flirted with Isaiah, Frank and Robin several times. She never went near Gabriel because she knew how much Beth was in love with him. “How about I take Gabriel off your hands, dear? Theres many fish in the sea…..many handsome fish”she said as she looked around the crowded barn.



    “No”Beth said sternly,”Pick someone else”



    Mary Ann shrugged and gave Sue a look,”Suit yourself”she said and grabbed Robin’s hand,”You know what time it is lover boy”she said and led him out on the dance floor.



    “Sue, you mind?”Frank asked her. He loved red heads but kept his cool around her. He didn’t want to seem too desperate like that Bobby character that followed Beth around.



    “No I don’t”Sue said and took his hand.



    Isaiah wasn’t much of a dancer. He had a cool, Al Capone type of swagger to him. He never got excited about these dances. Unless a blonde bombshell showed up or if some guy was eyeing Beth too much. He was always looking for a buxom blonde or a brawl. Both in one night made it a great one.



    Gabriel smiled at Beth,”You wanna dance Beth?”he asked her. He felt comfortable with dancing with her now. He told her she was married and she never really tried anything since, she was probably over it. Good, so was he. Back to being friends.



    “No….Im just going to sit here”Beth said. She was going to try her best not to dance with him. That seemed to make things worse.



    “Suit yourself”he said and Beth was already sick of the phrase. People used it a lot lately. What the hell did it mean anyway? She got up and went to the bathroom. Isaiah slyly got up and followed her, eyeing every blonde in the room on his way but keeping close eye on Beth. He was good at it without her noticing but she never really noticed anything.



    After lots of dancing, drinking and jokes, it was soon time to go but there were two people who couldn’t be found. Robin and Mary Ann. “Her car’s gone….shit”Sue said,”She probably ran out of cigarettes again and went to the store”



    “Get in the truck. Robin’s taking care of her”Isaiah said and they all got in. Unfortunately, Beth was squeezed between Sue and Gabriel. Her leg was touching his and she almost thought she would explode right there.



    “Open the window Isaiah, please”Beth said. “Its really hot in here”she said. Sue just laughed, and couldn’t stop. “Stop it….you drunk”she said under her breath. But Gabriel didn’t notice. Sue thought he was as naïve as Beth was. But she didn’t need to add anything to Beth’s “All The Things I Have In Common With Gabriel” List.



    They dropped Sue off at her house and Frank walked her to the door. They stood on the porch for a few minutes while Isaiah smoked his cigar. His precious cigars that he took from Chicago. All he had was a pair of pants, two shirts, a pair of shoes, one pair of socks and a box of cigars. That’s all he had, all he needed. No one knew about the gun but who needed to know? People were lucky he didn’t use it yet,”Come on Frank!”Isaiah said impatiently. No brawls, no blondes. The night was a waste. Beth watched and saw Frank kiss Sue and then he walked back to the truck, calm and collected but smiling. “Fuckin’ rascal!”Isaiah said with a laugh as they sped off.



    They arrived at the farm and was surprised to see Mary Ann’s car. “How long has she been here?”Beth asked,”She may be in the house or in my room. She was very drunk tonight. I’ll see ya’ll in the morning”she said as she hurried to get out of the truck and went in the house. She went upstairs to her room. No Mary Ann, she looked all over, no sign of her. Where could she be?



                *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



    Gabriel climbed the ladder up to the attic and thought he heard a noise. He took the knife out of his boot and crept up slowly. He peeked and was shocked at what he saw. Mary Ann was bent over clutching the small table as Robin held up her red dress as he thrust in and out of her from behind, moonlight shining on them from the only window they had. They both were drunk but enjoying it. Gabriel watched and debated whether to stop it or be quiet. But then Robin let out a loud groan and Mary Ann shouted, making the horses stir, they stood there out of breath, whispering things to each other. Gabriel quickly climbed down the stairs and hid with the horses. Soon Robin helped Mary Ann down the ladder, he then slapped her ass and she giggled and left and he climbed back up.



    Gabriel got angry. How could he do this to Ruth? How could Mary Ann keep making a fool of herself? She knew they were both married. Why didn’t she pick someone else? Then his thoughts led to a place he didn’t want it to go. Was Ruth up to no good too? Was a man chasing after Salomi? It always happened. Did Salomi ever give in? Its been almost 2 years since he left, who knew when he would be back. The urges were great but he was strong. Apparently Robin wasn’t. Was Ruth? Salomi? No, he shook his head. Salomi would never, ever do that. But he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He went outside and smoked another cigarette and then went to bed. Robin was fast asleep, probably spent after what he had done.



    That night Gabriel had a dream he was at a party in a barn. Salomi was there and some man was trying to get to her. He grabbed her, kissed her. Salomi tried to get away. Gabriel tried to get to her. Mary Ann got in the way, Beth got in the way, Robin got in the way, Frank, Isaiah, McNamara,Bobby, all of them. Gabriel finally ran up to Salomi but she shook her head and stopped him. “I cant wait any longer”she said sadly, kissed the man and left with him.



    Gabriel woke up in a cold sweat before the rooster crowed.



                *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



    Gabriel was cranky because he didn’t get any sleep that night. Cranky about what Robin was doing and was crankier when he saw Mary Ann at the breakfast table with them. She somehow snuck into Beth’s room. Mary Ann couldn’t keep her eyes off of Robin. She licked her spoon seductively, winked at him and tried to be nonchalant when she played with the locket that rested on her supple breasts. Robin couldn’t help but smile at her. Gabriel couldn’t watch anymore, he lost his appetite and got to work early. He ignored Robin for the rest of the day and he was tired, hungry and just plain upset. He hated feeling so insecure.



    He barely said a word at dinner, but ate many plates. He didn’t even sit with Beth or talk to anyone, he went back up to the attic and started to write many letters to Salomi but ended up throwing them away.



    “My Lovely Lomi,

        I miss you more each day. How are things? Any new friends? Male friends?.....”



    “Dearest Salomi,

        How’s Ruth? I hope shes well. I don’t want to tell you this in a letter….”



    “Salomi,

        You love me right? I love you. I just wanted to tell you that. I want to tell you that I would never hurt you. Look at another…”



    “Lomi,

        If you ever leave me, I will kill myself….”



    “Whats wrong with you?”Robin asked him, interrupting his already frazzled thoughts



    “Nothing”Gabriel said as he crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it on the floor.



    “Something is, you have been avoiding me all day. You didn’t speak to anyone actually”Robin said,”Don’t make our room into a pigsty”



    ‘You already have’, Gabriel thought. “Im just tired”he said in reply



    “Late night last night?”Robin said with a smile as he sat on the bed and took off his shoes. “I know you got here long after I fell asleep”


    
    “I know”



    “What did you do?”



    “Nothing. Dance ended, we came back here. Simple as that. Where did you and Mary Ann go? You all disappeared”Gabriel said looking at him. This would be a good time to confess. To admit that he was wrong, weak, whatever and promise to never do it again.



    “She ran out of cigarettes, we went to the store. She dropped me off here. Simple as that”Robin said as he laid on his mattress, arms behind his head, smiling….



    “Simple as that? Nothing else?”Gabriel asked



    “Nada”Robin said, quoting Isaiah. He said that word a lot.



    “You’re a fucking liar!”Gabriel yelled as he knocked over the chair he was sitting in.



    “Whoa! Fuck-“



    “I saw you and Mary Ann fucking like a couple of horny dogs last night so don’t lie to me!”Gabriel shouted. “How could you do this to Ruth? Huh? HUH? Your fucking married”



    “I was drunk Gabe-“



    “No excuse”



    “She was all over me….”



    “No excuse”



    “She kissed me first!”



    “NO EXCUSES!”Gabriel shouted at him



    “FINE! What do you want me to say Gabriel!?”Robin said as he threw his hands up in the air,”Fine. You wanna hear it? Yeah I liked it. I was drunk and I haven’t fucked anything in almost 2 years and I couldn’t take it anymore. Mary Ann has been waving her breasts at me since we got here and Ive been trying my best but I CANT ANYMORE! ALRIGHT! IM ONLY A MAN GABRIEL! IM SORRY IM NOT A PERFECT HUSBAND LIKE YOU”Robin said and then punched the wall. They both stood there in silence. Both angry with the other. “Why do you care huh? Its none of your business-“



    “It is my business-“



    “Why?”



    “Ruth is like a sister to me”Gabriel said,”You cant just give up. You cant. You give guys like me no hope”



    Robin scoffed,”Your afraid your gonna be like me? Your gonna end up doing it like I did?” Gabriel nodded. “You don’t have it in you. You don’t need to. You have three beautiful children running around. You completed your mission. I cant. I never will”



    “What do you mean?”Gabriel asked



    “Ruth cant have children”Robin said angrily and punched the wall again and started to cry.



                *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



    The two men calmed down after that. Robin admitted it was wrong. But something came over him. Ruth told him in a letter, she found out a few months after they had left but just wrote to him about it a week ago. They planned on having many children. Now they couldn’t. He could barely take care of her. He admitted that he was mad at her for awhile, that maybe she did something, was punishing him. He thought maybe God was punishing him. Sometimes he felt that it wasn’t worth it. The news made him into a very weak and angry person. He said that Mary Ann was just a tool. A way to get back at Ruth but that was stupid. It wasn’t her fault. He felt deeply ashamed and cried about it. Gabriel promised not to speak of it to anyone, not even Salomi, even though she probably already knew. He promised not to tell anyone about him and Mary Ann. However, Mary Ann told Sue and Beth.



    “Marriage is just an excuse. It aint real”Mary Ann said with a sigh,”If he really loved her, he wouldn’t have been with me. But time takes a toll on a man, in love or not. You just gotta know the right time to strike”she said looking at Beth



    “Why are you looking at me like that?”Beth asked



    “She means that you should do the same to Gabriel. Catch him in a weak moment and just open your legs for him”Sue said sarcastically. “Don’t”she said



    “I cant….hes married and he has no interest in me-“



    “Im sure as hell know that Robin aint interested in me. But he needed someone to take care of him and I was there. Men need that. If you offer to take care of them, they will take it-“



    “I think I do. I cook for em, I clean after em, wash their clothes-“



    “That’s bein’ a maid. You have to take care of em. Like a woman”Mary Ann said, “The dance is tonight. I’ll bet my ass that he’ll be there”



    “I bet you would”Sue said sarcastically



    “Don’t think that your Saint Susan because you happened to pick up a single man”Mary Ann teased her, mentioning Frank



    “It just makes life easier is all”Sue said



    “Gabriel will be there. And he may need to be taken care of. That’s where you come in”Mary Ann said with a smile, turning back to Beth.



                *_______________________________*

So they picked up Beth early, made sure to tell the men they were going to the dance. Then they took Beth to Mary Ann’s place. They gave her a tighter dress, curled her hair, applied more makeup, stuffed her bra, plucked her eyebrows. Beth looked very different. “Damn Im good. You look like Greta Garbo!”

Beth looked in the mirror and she was indeed a different person. She wasnt just plain old farmer Beth, she looked like a movie star. Gabriel hung around a lot of movie and theatre stars. Hell, Salomi looked like one. “I look perfect”

“You do”Mary Ann said and clapped and squealed. Glad that her little project had gotten the A+ it deserved. “Lets get goin’ then”she said.

And when they got there, men were falling all over themselves to get a second glance at Beth. Many were taking double takes, one tripped over his own feet, one even ran into a wall. The girls just laughed, it seemed like the three of them floated into the room and all eyes were on them. And all eyes were on them.

“Who is that?”Isaiah asked. A buxom blonde!? One he hasn’t screwed yet in this little shit town?

“I don’t know”Gabriel said

“Its Beth!”Robin said in shock,”Shes with Mary Ann and Sue, who else could it be?”

“That’s not Beth. Beth doesn’t look like that”Gabriel said and turned around again and Beth was right in front of him

“Why cant I look like this?”she asked innocently, but it had a twist of a sensually seductive tone to it. She then took the cigarette out of his mouth and smoked it. “Thanks”she said. Mary Ann gave her an inhaling lesson in the car. She looked very graceful with the cigarette. She was coughing and wheezing in the car.

“I mean you can….you just don’t normally….”Gabriel tried to explain, but he was more shocked that Beth was smoking. She was wearing higher heels, she had on a tighter dress, her hair was done beautifully, she had curves, she had on red lipstick with polish on her toes and fingernails to match. Where did all this come from? Then a small group of men from the navy approached the girls. Most of them wanting to talk to Beth. Isaiah eyed each of them over. He couldn’t sleep with this buxom blonde because he couldn’t believe that it was Beth. The Beth that milked cows and planted tomatoes. Gabriel was right, she wasn’t supposed to look like THAT.

“Sure you can get me a beer, how kind of you”Beth said to one. “I love your uniform it brings out your eyes”she said to the other,”I just love to travel. You must have seen many places”she said to another in rapid succession as she talked to the three of them. Mary Ann looking on approvingly

“Did you have anything to do with this?”Robin asked

“It was her idea”Mary Ann lied,”Dance with me”she said as she took Robin’s hand. Gabriel didn’t like the look of it. Mary Ann already smelled like vodka, because she kept a bottle on her at all times.

“Beth sure looks different”Frank commented

“Don’t get any ideas. She aint a redhead”Sue said with a smile and led him out on the dance floor.

Gabriel and Isaiah watched as the three men talked to Beth. One lit every cigarette she had for her, one got her any drink she wanted, the other just did anything else the other two didn’t take care of, which wasn’t much. “Should we be worried?”Gabriel asked him

“I don’t know”Isaiah said,”I don’t like the looks of it. That dress is so tight, we know her cup size and where every curve leads to. Men do stupid things when they see too much. They start wanting too much”he said and then patted Gabriel on the back,”Don’t worry though. I got her covered. You have fun”

“You know my idea of having fun is sitting here with my beer”

“I know but just in case you get bored”Isaiah said. But soon he didn’t like what he was seeing. None of the men were too forward with Beth though, which was a surprise. Surprisingly the three navy boys were very polite. Beth was the one touching them, teasing them, being too forward. Many times Isaiah wanted to interfere but the guys weren’t doing anything wrong. He also thought that maybe Beth caught on, because she would glance their way. Did she finally catch on to them? The reason they only came…well in the first place, was to appease McNamara. Now Frank and Robin came here to get some action. But she always glanced their way every few minutes and Isaiah tried his best to be cool, calm and collected as he smoked his cigar.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Oh I just love conversation, don’t you?”Beth cooed,”I just love meeting new people. Especially people who have been to exotic places like Florida”she said as she touched Ben’s or Dan’s….or Dusty’s chest. She glanced at Gabriel but he didn’t notice. What did she have to do to get him to notice?!

“I wouldn’t think that Florida is exotic but it sure is nice”Dusty replied. Then one of the town favorites started to play and soon the floor was packed with people.

“I love to dance too”Beth said as she put out her cigarette and drank the last of her beer and hopped off the stool. “Lets go”she said as she led Dusty on the floor and Ben and Dan groaned, both hoping to be the first. Beth danced close to Dusty and even lifted up her dress to show more leg which he loved but she looked over at Gabriel and he wasn’t watching. Isaiah seemed to be watching her more than he was! What did she have to do to get through to him?!

Then she remembered what Mary Ann said: “But time takes a toll on a man, in love or not. You just gotta know the right time to strike…. Gabriel will be there. And he may need to be taken care of. That’s where you come in”

But it seemed that time wasn’t on her side. Gabriel was there alright but he didn’t need to be taken care of. There was nowhere for her to go, no way for her to step in. So she had to do everything in reverse. Gabriel was there, yes. But maybe it was her that needed to be taken care of. Maybe he needed the perfect time to strike. She saw Isaiah whisper to Gabriel and walk away. Gabriel glanced at her and she used that small moment to make her move. She kissed Dusty and he didn’t hesitate to kiss her back, then she pushed him away.

“NO!”she said loudly

“What?”Dusty asked her

“What do you take me for? A whore or something? You think Im just going to sleep with you?-“

“Is there a problem?”Gabriel asked as he walked up to them, giving Dusty a look over.

“No there aint, if there was, its none of your business-“

“It is my business-“

“Nothing’s wrong, except for the fact that this bitch is crazy”Dusty said and started to walk away

Beth gasped, no one ever called her that to her face. And it hurt. It hurt Gabriel too and he got upset and he grabbed Dusty,”She aint no bitch and she aint crazy”

“Now you’re the crazy one with your hands on me!”Dusty said and pushed Gabriel away,”Get off me”he said and his two navy friends came over. Gabriel pushed him back and they started to fight. Isaiah came out of nowhere and helped Gabriel as people ran off and started to scream.

Beth backed up as Frank and Robin ran toward them to help. Wait, this wasn’t supposed to happen! “Nice move”Mary Ann said to her, she was really drunk. Sue too.

“Huh?”

“I thought you weren’t going to get anywhere. Gabriel wasn’t paying attention to you at all. Now the attention is on you”

“What do I do now?”Beth asked

“Get him alone, hes gonna need some comforting”Mary Ann said just as Dusty punched Gabriel in the face. Isaiah pushed Dusty away and Beth grabbed Gabriel.

“Lets get out of here”she said and she pulled Gabriel away, running as fast as her five inched heels could carry her. They ran out the back door and Beth sighed as she leaned against the wall. “I think we’re safe now”

“FUCK!”Gabriel shouted

“Shhhhh!”Beth said,”They’ll hear you”then she saw that his nose was bleeding,”Oh no”she said as he tilted his head back,”No…don’t tilt it back. You can choke on it, lean forward”she said as she got a hankie out of her purse and applied pressure to his nose

“Its not that bad”Gabriel said,”I just…..I cant believe the nerve of that guy, are you alright?”he asked her

Beth shook her head and pouted,”No…he was very…forward with me. He said mean things”she lied,”He was coming on to me”she said and Gabriel hugged her and it felt so good to be in his arms! “Thank you Gabriel. You saved me”she said

“No problem. That’s why Im here”he said. Literally…He tilted her face to his. “He didn’t touch you did he?”he asked. She shook her head. “Good”he said and then she kissed him. For a second, he almost lost himself but then he remembered who he was kissing. He pushed her away,”Fuck! Beth, what the fuck!?”

“Whats wrong with me Gabriel? Why cant you just give me a chance!? Robin gave Mary Ann a chance-“

“Shit, how did you know?”

“She tells me everything”

“It doesn’t make it right”

“WHY NOT!? Whats wrong with me! Im pretty damn good looking, did you see how many men were looking at me?”

“Then go after them! Why me? They are looking at you because your dressed just like a girl whos only looking for trouble. Your dressed just like Mary Ann, tight dresses and high heels-“

“WHATS WRONG WITH ME? WHY CANT YOU JUST SEE? YOU COULD FALL IN LOVE WITH ME?!”

“That’s not going to happen Beth. I love my wife. Understand? I have three children. Understand? I don’t cheat. Understand?”

“I hate you!”she shouted at him

“I hate you too!”Gabriel said.”I hate this person your pretending to be right now. Beth wouldn’t dress like that. Beth wouldn’t smoke or throw herself at men or start a fight at this dance. Beth wouldn’t try to convince me to cheat on my wife! Who are you?! I expected this from Mary Ann…but not you…”he shook his head,”I thought you were my friend”

“I cant be friends with you. I need something more”

“Then we cant be friends. I have nothing more to give”Gabriel said and walked off.

Beth stood there and started to cry as she sank to her knees. Her feet were killing her and she could barely breathe in this dress. She was probably going to get lung cancer from all the cigarettes she smoked, she was going to have such a hangover from all the beers. They had a connection, why couldn’t he see it?

“Beth?”she heard someone ask her. She looked up and saw Bobby. She didn’t even know he was here tonight. “Are you alright?”he asked as he knelt beside her and she hugged him close to her, not caring anymore. “Shhh….its alright”he said as he smoothed down her hair and even kissed her forehead. He was so soothing. She looked into his eyes and then pulled him toward her and kissed him. “Beth?”Bobby asked in surprise.

“Lets go somewhere, take me away from here”she said. The fight was still going on inside. She got up and took his hand and he led her to the car. Things were blurry after that. Then all of a sudden she was in a small room,”Where are we?”

“My place”he said.”Unless you want me to take yer home? You said it was alright. You said you didn’t want to go home”he said innocently to her. He just wanted to take care of her. He heard the fight she had with Gabriel. Gabriel was a fool for not giving her a chance. But he was married after all…. He just wished that she had that fight with him.

“No Im alright”she said as she looked around the dark room and he lit a candle. She stumbled a little and he was there to catch her,”Thank you. How is it that your always around?”

“I don’t know”he replied, not knowing how to answer a question like that. But then her lips were on his again. The kiss was great, wonderful, everything he ever dreamed when it came to kissing Beth and what it would be like. Well, except for the fact that she tasted like beer and cigarettes but that was alright with him. She was still perfect to him. Has been since grade school.

She then broke the kiss and backed away from him, smiling. What was really wrong with Bobby anyway? Besides the hygiene problem in school but he fixed that. He had really big ears and lots of freckles and loud, curly red hair. He always showed her affection. Was always around even when she didn’t want him to be. He loved her. She could fall in love with him. She really needed someone to hold her right now, someone to not be a big brother for once. She took off her heels, then she slowly took off her dress and she stood before him in a teddy and stockings.

“You sure you wanna do this Beth?”Bobby asked her

She nodded, sure why not? No one else loved her as much as he did. He was right here. She was right here. “Do you not want to?”she asked him

“No, no I do, you just had a lot to drink. I don’t want you to regret doing this with me. I know you don’t like me very much. I don’t want to take advantage of you”

Beth smiled and laughed a little,”Oh Bobby your so good to me. I know you wont take advantage of me. I know you. Im not drunk I was just a little upset before”she said. “I know what I want. I want to be loved. Love me?”she asked him as she took off her teddy and stood naked before him.

Bobby gasped as he saw her lithe naked body before him. That tight dress didn’t lie. She had great curves, breasts, he then looked lower and then looked away. Not wanting to be a pervert. He took off his shirt, pants and shoes. Beth was surprised to see that this skinny and lanky boy had a little bit of muscle on him. He started to kiss her gently and led her to his small, wooden bed. “I want this to be perfect for you Beth. We cant be too loud. My folks will hear”

“I’ll be quiet”Beth said getting impatient. Just make love to me already!, she wanted to shout.

“Ive never done this before Beth-“

“I haven’t either”she said quickly and honestly,”But how hard can it be?”she said as she pulled him down on top of her. He was so nervous that the moment he dreamed of was here. They had a little trouble at first finding each other but when they did Beth was surprised at the pain she felt and then the pleasure that came after. All inhibitions were gone and they went for a ride. Both of them got a little loud and forgot about his folks. They were only in the here and now. This was something they both wanted and no one was going to take it from them. And when it was over, she laid close to him and wrapped her arms around him as he laid the quilt his mother made on top of them.

“I love you Beth. I always have”Bobby said to her. But she was already fast asleep.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“She was with who?”Mary Ann asked in shock as she looked at Gabriel

“I saw her leave with Bobby”Gabriel grumbled

“Why did you let her leave with him?”she asked with a look of disdain

“Well she sure as hell aint leaving with me, I’ll tell you that”he said angrily

“What did you say to her?”Mary Ann accused him,”She must have been out of her mind crazy and confused if she left with Bobby”

“What did I say to her? What did you do to her Mary Ann! She was already acting wild and crazy, trying to convince me to give her a chance when Im married. Stop giving her reasons to come on to me, Mary Ann, because its never going to happen”he said and then he looked at Robin,”This is all your fault. I told you this was going to happen”he said as he walked away from them

“Gabe! Gabriel, come on man, where you going? We gotta find Beth”Robin called after him

“Then go find her, but Im not helping. Shes not who I thought she was. She aint innocent, pure, a good friend. Go and look for her. I have a feeling she doesn’t want to be found and I don’t give a damn”he said to them and walked off. He walked off for about half a mile when a truck pulled over and asked if he needed a ride.”Im at the McNamara farm”he explained to him and the man nodded. Everyone knew McNamara. Everyone knew everybody round here.

By the time he got to the farm he could see several cars. McNamara’s truck, Mary Ann’s car and Bobby’s. He could see Bobby, Mary Ann and Sue helping Beth into the house and Bobby leaving shortly after. He snuck past him and walked into the barn, stepping carefully so to not wake the horses. He climbed the ladder and went toward his bed and laid down. He took off his boots and wrapped himself in the quilt that Salomi had made him. The smell of her was fading and it made him sad. He took their wedding picture out of his wallet and kissed it. “Im sorry Salomi”he said to her. He put the picture back in his pocket and soon fell asleep.

*________________________________*

Gabriel and Beth gave each other the silent treatment. Gabriel was disappointed in Beth and didn’t even look at her, however, he only talked to her when McNamara was in the same room. He couldn’t find out what happened, he could lose this job for sure. Beth was content in not having her father know. It was embarassing anyway, being turned down again. She made her own routine so she could forget that Gabriel even existed. She worked hard on the farm, went out with Mary Ann and Sue but spent most of her free time with Bobby. At first she did so because she started to feel comfortable around him, she felt she could tell him anything. Then things got deeper than just conversation. She loved him much to Mary Ann’s dismay. Gabriel threw himself into his work as well but he also threw himself into the election. It was fast approaching and he was counting on Roosevelt to win so he can go home and hold Salomi again, to get away from this dull town, to chase his children around the house. They were so grown up now. Despite their letters, he was afraid that they might have forgotten about him.

This led to very passionate discussions about the upcoming election at the dinner table. Gabriel, Robin and McNamara were all avid supporters for Roosevelt. Beth never listened. She didn’t really understand politics. She was only going to vote for Hoover because she heard from Gabriel that he was the reason why they were here in the first place. She didn’t give a damn until Bobby enlightened her. “Now Roosevelt is a good man but his legislation's on our agriculture just shocks me”

“How do you mean?”

“He thinks that if we farmers sell parts of our land, land that has been in our families for years, that it would help the economy. Now that would be well and dandy if he asked the rich to give up some of their vacation homes in Cape Cod or wherever but oh no, because of course, he has one probably two”

“So you think that if he is elected that Daddy would have to give up some of our land?”she asked in shock, the same land that her mother loved very much.

“Yes, he said so himself in one of his campaigns, and not only that, he thinks that with smaller crops we would also need less animals under our care. So hes paying us to sell our crops but hes also paying us to kill our four legged friends”Bobby shook his head,”That I don’t like so much”

“Me either, Bobby, me either”Beth said and she said so during one of Gabriel’s “praise sessions”, as she called them. “Roosevelt isnt God, you know”she said to him

Gabriel barely looked at her,”Your right, but what do you know, Beth?”he said to her, as nonchalantly as possible so McNamara wouldn’t catch on that he didn’t give a shit about what Beth thought.

“I love this land too much. I grew up on this land and I am not giving it up so the rich can get richer”Beth said. Robin and McNamara raised their eyebrows.

“Well a lot of us have to make sacrifices so that we can all survive. Consider yourself lucky Beth, yes maybe you will have to give up a few crops but that’s better than having to give up everything”Gabriel said. “We need change. I lost my job, my home and my family are miles away because of this. Giving up a little is a blessing, especially when everything has been taken from you”

“I would agree with you if everything wasn’t a double standard. I don’t see any of the rich having to give up some of their vacation homes. I bet Roosevelt himself has a few”

“Your looking at one. I had to sell a beautiful penthouse for a broken down apartment with two rooms. You might want to check your sources”Gabriel said as he stood up,”Excuse me”he said and went out to smoke a cigarette.

“Wow, huney, I didn’t know you were so passionate about politics”McNamara said with slight admiration. “But women shouldn’t talk of such things with men, its not lady like”

Beth stared at her father in shock,”Excuse me”she said and left in a huff.

“What? What did I say?”McNamara asked Robin as he chuckled. Ruth was outspoken herself and if she heard McNamara say such things, she would do the same.

Beth left the house and passed Gabriel without saying a word and walked to Bobby’s. He was the only one who understood.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The election got heated up indeed and the big day came and all of America went to the polls. Beth didn’t care if Gabriel left or not, she wanted to be right. She did not want Roosevelt to win, she wanted to keep her land. Later that night, all of America were sitting next to a radio anxiously waiting for the results. Roosevelt won with 57% of the votes. Robin and McNamara danced around the room as Gabriel cried tears of joy. Beth and Bobby frowned when they heard the news. “Turn that off”she said. Bobby did. “Make love to me”she asked. And he did.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Back in New York, Salomi cried tears of joy as well as she watched people dancing in the streets below. It was like it was a new year and it felt very much so. Roosevelt was all about change and moving forward. She and Ruth held hands as they watched the celebration and listened to Roosevelt’s acceptance speech: “Throughout the nation men and women, forgotten in the political philosophy of the Government, look to us here for guidance and for more equitable opportunity to share in the distribution of national wealth... I pledge you, I pledge myself to a new deal for the American people... This is more than a political campaign. It is a call to arms”

Salomi sighed,"Should I feel wrong for being scared?"she asked Ruth

"Scared? No, you feel how you feel. But what are you scared of?"

"Of putting all of my hopes on one person. I am happy that Roosevelt won but I am scared. He has so much work on his plate and he himself promised us that he will send Gabe and Robin home. What if that doesnt happen?"

"Roosevelt knows what he signed up for. Its admirable of him and if he helps us through this Depression, he will be the best president since Lincoln. I have a good feeling that he will do what he has set out to do. However, we have to remember that change wont happen overnight. They wont walk in that door tomorrow. It may be another two years"Ruth said with a sigh.

"I know. I just miss him so much"Salomi said as she looked around their apartment. The money they sent was a blessing and they were able to fix everything as well as decorate the place and stock the cupboards and icebox. Ruth nodded sadly, feeling the same way. "Whats wrong?"she asked her,"Has he written back yet?"

Ruth shook her head sadly. "I havent heard from him since I told him the truth. Do you think hes upset with me? Has Gabriel said anything?"

Salomi shook her head,"Maybe they are just busy. Gabriel did mention that. Maybe Robin doesnt know what to say. Maybe he is upset"

"What if there's someone else?"

"No, dont go down that route. It will drive you crazy"Salomi insisted. She knew all too well. She bet the girls were swooning all over Gabriel's muscular body complete with blue eyes and charming personality. "Robin has no right to be mad at you. Its not your fault. Maybe you two can keep trying when he comes back, doctors dont know shit nowadays. Keep writing, dont give up"

"Robin has always wanted a son. Someone to carry on his name"

"Adopt. Dorothy and Jules were thinking of doing the same thing before they...."

Ruth nodded,"Its not the same. Blood is thicker than water and all that"

Salomi grabbed Ruth's hand,"You and Robin and Dorothy have proved to me that sometimes blood doesnt mean anything"she said,"Dont give up. Its a time of change, maybe something can happen"

"Is daddy coming home now?"a little voice interrupted them. The two women turned and saw Rita standing in the doorway that separated the only bedroom from the living area. "Daddy said when Roosevelt is president, he can come home"she said. Salomi smiled at her and beckoned the young girl to come to them.

"We are hoping so. Roosevelt got him that job in Kansas and he promised that he will work hard at getting him back here and making the economy better. He wont be coming home now, but he will soon"Salomi said to her as she stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. The three of them sat in silence as they listened to the radio. They all had smiles on their faces as they listened to the celebration outdoors. Their hope for a better future was alive and strong and it was going to stay that way for Gabriel and Robin's sake.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

It seemed that President Roosevelt's team hit the ground running and developed programs that were specifically for the Great Depression. These series of programs were all apart of The New Deal. These programs had three main ideas in mind: relief for the unemployed and poor, recovery of the economy and reform the financial system so that another Depression would never happen again. These programs were granted during his first 100 days in office. On March 9th, 1933, he closed all banks in the country and kept them closed until he could pass a new legislation. That legislation was called the Emergency Banking Act, which was an act that would close down all banks and then reorganize and reopen the banks that were strong enough to survive. Within three days, three quarters of all banks were reopened. Money was flowing back into them. Smaller banks didnt disappear, but merged with bigger banks. The Economy Act was passed on March 14, 1933 which set out to balance the non emergency budget by cutting salaries of government employees and pensions of veterans by 15%. It saved $500 million that year.

The New Deal also helped artists. Federal One, gave jobs to writers, musicians, artists, and theater personnel. Under the Federal Writer’s Project, writers such as Zora Neale Hurston were paid to document folklore. Other women interviewed elderly ex-slaves and recorded their stories. In each state, writers created state guidebooks. Under the Federal Theater Project, actresses and actors, technicians, writers, and directors put on stage productions. The tickets were inexpensive or sometimes free, making theater available to audiences unaccustomed to attending plays. One Federal Art Project paid 162 trained woman artists, selected by anonymous competition, to paint murals or create statues for newly built post offices and courthouses.

Roosevelt was interested in the farming aspect and believed that if farming and agriculture wasnt up to par, that the New Deal would be all for naught. He created the Farm Security Act which raised farm incomes by raising the prices farmers received. The Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) was created in May 1933. The AAA paid landowners to leave some of their crops idle. The idea was the less produced, the higher the price and the higher the income for the farmers.

There were also programs that addressed poverty such as the Resettlement Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority and rural welfare projects that included providing school lunches, built new schools, opening roads in remote areas, reforestation and purchasing land to enlarge forests.

One of the laws that was passed that a lot of Americans felt was more significant was the repeal of Prohibition. On March 13, 1933, he signed a bill to legalize the sale and manufacturing of alcohol. Many went out to local stores and bars to celebrate. Salomi and Ruth made sure to pop open a bottle of champagne as they celebrated in New York while Gabriel and the men shared a few beers. It was great to not sneak around just to get a drink anymore!

Segregation was still a huge problem and blacks still had to deal with that as well as the Depression, discrimination and racism. However, Eleanor Roosevelt worked hard to ensure that blacks could receive welfare and the President appointed blacks to second level positions in his administration. Relief programs also gave blacks a small percentage for relief efforts. Still there was a long way to go. Blacks had no rights in the South and it seemed no better in the North. Gabriel's skin color and status made Salomi and the children invincible but now even they got turned away from certain businesses.

However, with all the new laws being signed and passed, there was still a lot of work to do and still a lot of people who thought that the new President wasnt doing a good enough job. It seemed like he did nothing right to some people. Beth didnt like anything that the President did and Gabriel couldnt wrap his head around it. He thought she was just upset that her "guy" lost. She hated leaving their crops barren and letting dust settle. She hated having to kill many pigs and other small animals so that there was less product produced. However, even Gabriel got antsy, when could they go home? It was now a year after Roosevelt won the election and they were still here. More men from out of town came to work on neighboring farms. When could he go home and hold his wife and children again?

Gabriel sighed as he sat down at the kitchen table with McNamara. He was reading a newspaper with a serious expression on his face. "What's wrong?"he asked him.

McNamara handed him the newspaper,"Dust Storms. They seem to be getting worse. A real strong one went through South Dakota a few days ago. Completely desecrated. Farms are gone, people dead and homeless"

"Dont worry Daddy"Beth said as she put some fresh rolls of bread on the table just as Isaiah sat down. He immediately put one in his mouth. "Maybe it wont even come here"

"Theres a very good chance. We need to figure out how to prevent this"McNamara said to Gabriel and Isaiah.

"Its mother nature. You cant prevent a storm from happening"she said as she stirred the concoction she made in the pot. "Thats like trying to stop God. Bobby says if we didnt leave all of those crops barren we wouldnt have this problem"

The men looked at her as Robin and Frank walked in and sat down. "Who the hell is Bobby?"McNamara asked her

"Bobby McFerrin, daddy. I only grew up with the boy"Beth said with a surprise laugh

'And fucked him', Gabriel thought to himself.

"What are you doing listening to him?"McNamara asked her with an eyebrow raised. The men looked at her. They all knew she was fooling around with him but they didnt know McNamara was still in the dark about it.

Beth was silent and then she pulled herself together. She shrugged,"We are just friends daddy, we talk.....politics and things"

"I bet"Isaiah said and Frank swatted him as Robin held in a small laugh unsuccessfully. Beth glared at them and put down the bowl.

McNamara ignored them. He was focused on Beth. "You shouldnt be talking about such things especially with a boy like him"

"A boy like him? You dont even know what hes like!"

"I was a boy once and I know what he's like. We all were, werent we?"he asked the other men. They all nodded adamantly.

"Yeah and this boy is hungry"Isaiah said. Frank swatted him again. Beth stopped cooking and he was ready to eat that entire bowl of bread.

"Im going to regret saying this but you need to be hanging out with your little girlfriends of yours. Dont be hanging out with that Bobby. He only wants one thing"

Beth held her tongue. She picked up the bowl of chilli and set it down hard on the table. "Fine, I have a headache. Im gonna lay down"she said and stomped upstairs to her room. Isaiah immediately picked up the bowl and filled his plate.

"I hope shes not upset with me. I mean Im her father....does she have something going on with Bobby?"he asked and looked at Gabriel.

Gabriel sighed, he wasnt helping out Beth anymore. "You have to ask her, McNamara, she doesnt tell me anything"

"You think.....do you think that....."

"Look, Beth is 25 years old. Thats marriage and mama age. Beth is a grown woman and she should be able to sit down and tell you whats going on with her. She should be honest with you. Beth's a good girl"Robin said to McNamara

That seemed to calm him down. "Your right, theres probably nothing going on. If there were, she'd tell me, now pass that chilli. Its getting cold out again and we need something warm in us"he said with a smile just as Beth snuck out of her bedroom window and ran to Bobby's.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Winter came and went and the men spent another holiday season without their families. Gabriel knew that change couldnt happen overnight but he was still anxious. Rita had just turned 11 and he wanted to be there to see it. All the children were growing up too fast. The New Year came and went and the weather tried its best to get a little warmer and that lifted their spirits….some.

Sadly, Gabriel will get his wish but not how he expected.

It was the beginning of May and the weather was very hot but very windy which made it hard to get any work done. Everyone in the area was confused because it was too early for tornado season. On May 9th, the men woke up later than usual because the rooster did not crow. Robin ran to the window and all he could see was a light brown heavy fog. “Whats going on? What is that?”Frank asked them.

Gabriel’s heart sank in his chest. He was reading up all about this for months now, but now it was here? It was coming for them? “It’s a dust storm”he said and then panicked,”McNamara! Beth! Their in the house, we have to-“but before he could finish his sentence, the one window they had seemed to explode and they all moved out the way. “We gotta get underground! We gotta get to the cellar!”he shouted as the shack seemed to shake under the pressure. It looked like it would collapse at any moment.

“We cant go out there! We’ll die!”Frank said

“We gotta get underground!”Gabriel said and then a part of the roof fell down near them. “We’ll die in here!”he said as he threw the door to the shack open. It was very windy and the dust was so thick that they could only see up to a couple feet in front of them. They all closed their eyes and crawled across the yard. Luckily, the cellar was straight shot from the shack, they just had to make it there. Gabriel’s mind and heart was racing. They had to get to the cellar….they all had to survive….they all had to go back to their families in one piece……are McNamara and Beth alright?

Then Gabriel felt something hit him in his head. He winced at the pain but he heard a shout, he turned around and gasped…..

*__________________________*

Gabriel didn’t even have to see 100% to know what happened. He turned around and practically ran to the spot where he heard the shout. There was Robin, lying on the ground with something on his chest. Gabriel grabbed for it, thinking that it was only laying on top of him but Isaiah stopped him. “What!? We don’t have time-“

“Are you crazy!? We cant move that branch, its stuck inside him, you’ll do more damage than good trying to get that thing out of there!”Isaiah shouted over the wind.

Gabriel gasped and looked back at Robin,”No, Im not leaving you. We are getting out of this together”he said as he squeezed Robin’s hand. “Fine we’ll move him, help me get him up-“

“Go Gabe….just go….tell Ruth I love her”

“Shut up! Don’t give up on me, damn it!”Gabriel shouted at him

“Just tell her I love her….I always will….”he said and then all they could hear was the wind blowing, trees falling down, houses and farms being destroyed.

“WE GOTTA GET TO THE CELLAR NOW!”Frank shouted as he pulled them away from Robin’s body.

“HELLO!? BETH!? HELLO!? BETH, WHERE ARE YOU!? GABE!? ROB!? ISAIAH, FRANK!”they heard McNamara call. They followed the voice and saw him struggling to get the cellar open. “Oh thank God! I don’t know where Beth is! Here, you all open this while I find her-“

“Not a good idea old man”Isaiah said as he surprised everyone by opening the cellar and basically dropped McNamara down there himself. The men scrambled in after him and closed the door and locked it tight. “Its not good out there trust me”he said as he attempted to wipe the dust off his face and out of his eyes.

“Wait…..where’s Robin? Where’s Bethie!? Where are they!?”McNamara freaked out. He started to cry. Beth was all he had left and if he was going to lose his precious daughter to this storm, he wouldn’t know how to live with himself. “Where are they?!”

Frank luckily found some wine. He broke the bottle open and gave it to him. “We should stay quiet. Lets not think about that right now, lets just hope they are…alright”he said. Luckily, there were more bottles. “Geez Mac….you got a winery down here?”

“Brenda never liked Prohibition and loved wine, she hid it all here. Hell if I know where she got it from”he said, thinking of his late wife. He started to cry. Was Beth with her now?

Frank gave Isaiah a bottle and he reluctantly took it. He’d rather have whiskey or scotch or beer. Not this uppity wine shit. He drank it down anyway. If he died, he didn’t want to be sober. He handed one to Gabe but he just sat there silently. Numb. He refused to take it. Many thoughts were racing through his mind. What stuck out was why he couldn’t keep a friend around. All of his best friends, his ‘brothers from another mother’, always had to leave him when he wasn’t ready. He closed his eyes and saw Adam falling off the Titanic to his death, he was only 15 then, both of them were. He saw Leon wearing an expensive tuxedo, comforting a friend and then out of nowhere they were both killed by Darla’s gun which was fueled by misunderstanding and jealousy. Now Robin, his confidante, his best friend, his partner who worked with him and his family to make their lives better during this Depression….gone in an instant. He felt guilty just leaving him out there. What if he was still alive? If he was, will he make it once the storm does pass? Was Beth in the same predicament? Now he felt that their feud was so childish and stupid. Why should he be mad at her anymore? She was obviously in love with Bobby. She hadn’t come on to him, let alone spoken to him like a normal human being in a year. She was no longer a threat. She never really was. What if she was gone? That means he would never have a chance to say that he was sorry, that he forgave her, that he wanted to be friends again. What if it was too late?

They all sat there in silence, drinking, crying, listening to the destruction that was happening above ground. Gabriel didn’t even realize that he went to sleep until Frank shook him awake. “Its over”he said to him. Gabriel jumped up and followed Isaiah up the ladder without even so much thinking about wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

“BETH!”McNamara said as he engulfed his daughter in a huge hug. She was the one knocking on the cellar door and told them the storm was finally over. “I thought you were dead! Where were you!?”

“I was safe Daddy”Beth said as she wiped his tears.

“Where were you?!”McNamara said and finally noticed a man standing a couple of feet away from them. “And who are you?”

“That’s Bobby McFerrin, Daddy. I was with him, he kept me safe”Beth said. “Ive been with him a lot, Daddy. We have been courtin’ for some time now and I was at his place when the storm started yesterday morning. He and his parents kept me safe. And Im so glad you all are too”

“How dare you!? How dare you court and take my daughter away without asking my permission!!!”McNamara yelled at Bobby.

Bobby jumped and stepped back a little and then stepped forward, he was about to open his mouth when Beth interrupted,”He had my permission! Im going to be thirty soon! Don’t you want grandkids? Don’t you want me to be happy? I know your upset and Im sorry that I didn’t tell you before but I didn’t want you to yell like a banshee unless we knew we were right for each other. We are in love, Daddy. Im going to keep seeing him”

McNamara was shaking in his boots,”I apologize too sir. But I didn’t let you know until Beth was ready and shes ready now. I looked after her yesterday and made sure she was safe because like you, I love Beth, and I want to keep taking care of her. Our farm is destroyed and what we really need to focus on is getting our lives back on track”Bobby said as he nodded to what was once McNamara’s land. McNamara looked around and realized he didn’t pay attention to the devastation the storm caused. He was focused on Beth and Bobby. Crops were buried in dust, animals dead, the shack, stables and their farmhouse was destroyed. They now had nothing. Bobby patted McNamara on the back. “I will make it up to you. We will all come together as a community and help each other get out of this mess” McNamara nodded, he had to forgive him. There were more important things to take care of.

Beth hugged Frank and Isaiah close to her,”Im so glad you all are alright. I was so worried”she said as she looked around,”Where’s Gabe and Robin?”she asked as Frank and Isaiah hung their heads sadly. She then saw Gabriel across the yard and ran to him. She had so much to say to him. Life was too short to hold a grudge. Her mother always said that but she lost sight of it. She gasped when she reached Gabriel and saw that he was crying over Robin’s body which was covered in dust and dirt with a huge branch impaled into his chest. She started to cry and knelt down next to Gabriel and held her close to him as he cried. “Im sorry. Im so very sorry”she said, for so many reasons.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The week after the dust storm the small town came together to help their neighbors in the community. Many helped with cleaning up various farms and fixing up the ones that were still there. Many funerals were held for the many people who lost their lives including Robin. Beth bent over and laid a white rose on Robin’s grave. He was buried on the McNamara farm right next to Beth’s mother. They stood there in silence just looking at the grave and then McNamara broke the silence. “I guess we should all part ways”he said sadly. Like most families in the area and like other families in other states in the same situation, he and Beth were traveling west to start a new life. The storm basically ruined the land around them and it was now to the point of no return. This meant that Gabriel, Frank and Isaiah all had to go home. They all dreamed of this but they didn’t want to leave like this. Especially without Robin.

They all hugged each other and said their goodbyes. Gabriel hugged McNamara close to him,”You’re a lifesaver. I will never forget you”he said to him.

“Take care of yourself, Gabe. You’re a good man. You’ll be alright, Im sure of it”he said to him.

He nodded and turned to Beth. She smiled shyly. “Take care of yourself, Beth”he said as he opened his arms to her. She smiled and hugged him close. To think she used to dream about this. It was different now, but still felt good. What felt better was that Gabriel would get to hug Salomi and his children again and that made her happy. “Take care of her, she’s a good woman”he said to Bobby as he shook his hand.

“I will”Bobby said as Beth stared at Gabriel in shock. No one has ever called her a ‘woman’ before. It was always ‘good kid’ or ‘good girl’. That felt good.

“Make sure to keep in touch”Beth said. “Kiss your wife and kids for me”she said

“I will, let me know when you get to California. Go to the beach. It does wonders”he said to them. He smiled through his tears and then they finally parted ways. Gabriel sighed as he got on the train and sat down. He thought about riding the rails like he and Robin had done but he wanted to get home as soon as possible and he could actually afford it. He sat down and ordered some tea as he looked out the window. Kansas. He was here for 3 years and now he was going back home to New York City. He was going back home to his children. He was going back home to his best friend, Ruth. He was going back home to his beautiful wife, Salomi. It was the happiest day of his life but leaving Robin behind was bittersweet.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Gabriel stood in the middle of Grand Central Station in shock as he watched the hustle and bustle around him. He watched tourists stare in awe just as he was as they traveled in groups, he saw businessmen rushing to their next destinations and families greeting loved ones. His own family was not here because he couldn’t write them. The postal service in Kansas was shut down due to the storm and he would have beaten the letter getting here anyway. A surprise was in store for them! He finally walked outside and smiled as he breathed in the smell of New York, which was exhaust, hot dogs and peanuts but it smelled great to him. He bought a hot dog and relished in the taste as he walked along the sidewalk. However, he noticed black stuff in the air and looked up in wonder. How could this be? It was May!

“Excuse me?”he asked someone,”Whats this stuff in the air?”

“Black snow”the person said hurriedly,”The worlds ending I tell you!”

He then noticed a headline and bought a newspaper:

MIDWEST DUST STORM CAUSES BLACK SNOW TO FALL IN THE NORTHEAST

He read the article and sure enough, the storm that hit Kansas also blew black dust to Chicago, Boston, Buffalo, New York City and Washington, DC. He sighed and instantly thought of Beth, Bobby and McNamara. He hoped they were alright. He was again reminded of Robin and how hard it was going to be to tell Ruth the news.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Michael tapped his pencil on the small kitchen table as he tried to do his arithmetic assignment. He sighed, it seemed the older he got, the more he didn’t understand it! He sighed and put it away, he would wait for Ma to get home and she was always good at arithmetic’s. He got out one of his writing notebooks and continued to write a poem for Emily. He would be 10 in a couple of weeks but he wrote poems at a high school level. Emily was a princess who was trapped and in a deep depression and Michael would be the man to save her. He smiled and then heard a shout. He sighed. Not again.

“Dahlia! If you go outside, I swear to God-!”12 year old Rita said as she followed a very determined 8 year old to the front door.

“Im bored! I want to go outside and play!”Dahlia said as she reached up for the door handle

“Ma said we cant go outside while shes at work, Lia, you know that”Michael said glumly. Everyday it was the same thing. When Lia got bored, she screamed and caused trouble. Why couldn’t she sit down and write poems like normal kids?

“Yea, Mikey’s right, so come on”Rita said as she tapped her foot impatiently. Unfortunately, she was wearing her tap shoes and the tapping was extra loud. She had a recital in a couple of weeks and she needed to be perfect but she wasn’t going to be if Dahlia decided to raise hell every hour of every day!

“Just for 5 minutes! Gee whiz!!!!”Dahlia screamed at them

“No Lia! Because then 5 will turn into 30 and I will get in trouble because of you again!”Rita said

“I don’t care. Im going!”Dahlia said as she pulled the door open as Michael sighed. He couldn’t write with all this ruckus. He picked up his pencil and notebook and stood up.

“NO! THERE’S BLACK SNOW FALLING OUTSIDE AND MA SAID IT WAS DANGEROUS! SO STAY INSIDE!”Rita yelled.

Dahlia stuck her tongue out at her as she stood in the doorway. “Your such a crybaby, Rita! You cry all the time when daddy went to that farm!”

“Move one more step or so help me-“

“Crybaby, crybaby, Rita is a crybaby. Nah nah nah nah nah”Dahlia said as she stuck out her tongue and wiggled her little butt as she put her hands on her hips. Rita and Michael stared at her with wide eyes, Rita gasped and Michael dropped his book and pencil. “Nah nah nah nah nah. Nah nah nah nah nah”she kept tormenting. She then realized that they weren’t looking at her and turned around and looked up. Her mouth hung open. “Daddy?”she said

It was him, even though he looked really different. He seemed taller, thicker, darker and he had a lot of hair on his face and his clothes were dirty. But it was him. He was back! “Now whats all the commotion here!? I thought I was going to come back to good children”he said with a little laugh. The three children just stared at him and did not move, they were in absolute shock. “Well, do I get a hug or is Lia here going to torment me as well?”he asked as he opened his arms. The three of them ran to him attached their little bodies to his like magnets. They all started to cry and they all said their “Im glad your back’s”, “I missed you’s” and “never go away again”. He looked at each of them and kissed them on their little foreheads. They couldn’t afford to take family pictures anymore and he could see now that they had grown up so much. Rita was taller, her hair a very dark blonde like his and her eyes even bluer. She even had little breasts. Shit! Little Michael wasn’t so little. He was almost as tall as Rita with darker features. Dahlia looked the same however, but she was taller and had a little more attitude to go with her wild and crazy ways. But her eyes were beautiful dark pools of brown, just like her mother’s. “Where’s your mother?”he asked them.

“At work”they all said in unison. “She’ll be back when it gets dark”Rita added. “Yea she tutors those rich kids”Dahlia groaned, she obviously didn’t like that.

“What about….Ruth?”

“She always works late at night at the bar”Rita said,”She comes home real late”

“Well that gives us a couple of hours”Gabriel said as he set his bag down by the door. “Get your shoes, we are going to get your mother a present!”

“But daddy, the black snow-“Rita tried to say

“Daddy can do what he wants RITA!”Dahlia yelled at her. She then quickly shut up and turned to Gabriel with quivering lips. Great, a spanking.

“Apologize to Rita now”Gabriel said sternly and she did. “Now that Daddy’s back”, wow it felt so good to say that!,”there will be no more yelling at each other, you hear?” They nodded eagerly. “Now, we’ll be fine. Ive seen worse. Ma wont mind when we bring her back something special. If you all are good, I will get you ice cream”he said. They all cheered and put on their shoes and followed him out the door.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Salomi sighed with relief when she realized that she only had one more block to go. It was a long walk to the Tudor’s, Waldorf’s and the Bass’s. Those three families were close friends to Eleanor Roosevelt. Once the school’s opened back up, Salomi was left with nothing to do with all the children gone. She felt guilty sitting around while Ruth worked long night shifts at the pub and while Gabriel and Robin worked their asses off thousands of miles away. She got in touch with Eleanor and she set her up with tutoring the rich family’s children. It was great pay and the children were all well behaved, too proper and stiff for her taste, but they were a far cry from Dahlia’s antics. However, these families lived nearly 25 blocks from her neighborhood and it was a long walk for her. As she walked, she would always daydream. She would daydream about when she and Gabe first met, she would daydream about them living in the penthouse, or vacationing on an exotic beach. She missed him so much, more and more everyday. Even with Roosevelt in office, the world still seemed chaotic. Black snow? What would come next?! She smiled as she stood in front of their run down apartment building. She was very thankful for this place. She took a deep breath and carried herself up 5 stories. “5……4……..3…….2……..1…….”she said as she climbed higher. She approached the door and was surprised to hear that it was quiet. Every night when she would come home one of the children was yelling at the other.

“Im home”she said as she opened the door and dropped her purse and bag in shock. There was a feast set on the dinner table which was on top of a nice red table cloth with one candle burning and a bouquet of red roses. There was jazz music playing on the radio and the three children were dressed and cleaned up and smiling widely. Salomi got choked up. “Oh my word! This is so sweet! How did you all pull this off!?”she asked as she hugged each of them. Dahlia giggled and covered her mouth with both hands. Rita and Michael shot her a glance. “What are you three hiding??”Salomi asked, they were always up to something. Then Dahlia pointed toward the bedroom door excitedly. Salomi turned and there was Gabriel, in the flesh, leaning against the door frame.

“Welcome home, babe”he said to her with a smile as she jumped into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in it as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He laughed as he helped hold her up as she kissed his neck, cheek and lips numerous times. The children awkwardly looked away and sat down at the table as she started to cry.

“Im so happy you’re here! I dream about this all day, every day!”she cried. “Please don’t go away again, please!”she said,”I love you Gabe”

“I love you too”he said as he cried tears of joy. They stood there for awhile and then he whispered.”Come on, I know you have been working hard all day, lets sit down and eat. I even got you your favorite wine”he said to her. She nodded and got down and held his hand tight in hers.

“Ruth’s gonna die when she sees Robin! Where is he?”then she gasps,”Hes on his way to surprise her too isn’t he?”she asked him with a huge smile.

Gabriel didn’t want to tell her like this, she was way too happy, but she was going to figure it out. “Well-“

“No Lia!”Rita shouted at Dahlia as the little girl held her own neck with two hands like she was choking. Gabriel and Salomi rushed over to them,”Ma! She drank the big people drink!”Rita said. Salomi sighed, ‘big people drink’ was a codeword for wine. Dahlia stuck out her tongue like it was the most disgusting thing she ever tasted.

“Ok lets behave and welcome Daddy back home”Salomi said as they all sat down for dinner. She grabbed Gabriel’s hand in hers and smiled. This will be one of the most memorable nights of her life.

*_____________________________*

Salomi was all smiles as the children excitedly updated their father about everything that has happened since they last wrote to him and they even reminded him about the things he already knew. Dahlia got her first good behavior award which shocked Salomi, but hey, miracles happen. She also showed off her little eagle “tattoo”. The eagle was the mascot of the WPA, another program that Roosevelt implemented which gave many of the unemployed people jobs. Lately, movie stars were tanning the eagle on their backs to show their support for the program and the President. Dahlia begged Salomi to give her one too and Salomi finally gave in for her headaches sake. Rita was a star dance student again and was taking tap and jazz classes. She could also sing very well and sang the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ and told him about her lead role in the school play earlier that semester. Michael was an honor student and he had medals and certificates from all of his classes that proved it. They all talked up a storm until they all realized it was past their bedtime. Dahlia soon fell asleep at the table.

They both tucked the kids in and Salomi poured another glass of wine. “I missed you so much”she said as she sat close to him.

“I missed you too. I thought about you everyday”

“Im a little tiffed that you and Robin didn’t write to tell us you were coming home but Im glad you didn’t”Salomi said with a smile. Gabriel sighed. He had to tell her…or should he wait for Ruth to come home and tell her first? “Whats wrong?”she asked him. “McNamara didn’t let you go for good behavior did he?....there was more to it than that huh?”she asked him. Did he quit? Was he fired?

Gabriel sighed, she knew him too well, he couldn’t keep much from her. “You heard about the Dust Storms in Kansas?”he asked her

“Yes and I prayed that they weren’t in the area you were in….”she said and then gasped,”Oh no Gabe-“

“Well Im fine, Lomi. But the storm was pretty bad. McNamara’s farm was destroyed. They migrated west to California and we all had to go home”

“Oh my. That’s terrible. Are they alright?”

“I told them to write us once they get settled”

“Well….what about us? I paid a lot for summer clothes for the kids. Rita’s getting a body and Michael’s feet get bigger everyday….”

“Im going to talk to Roosevelt if he has time. He’s the President now though, I cant just go downtown to see him anymore. I’ll have to make do like before. We all will”

“Im just glad you two are alright”she said

“Well….when does Ruth get home?”

“Usually around 2 in the morning…”she said,”Whats wrong…..is it Robin?”she asked. He nodded sadly. “Tell me….he didn’t come back did he? Theres someone else?”

Gabriel stared at her in shock. Did they know about Robin’s affair with Mary Ann? “What do you mean?”

“Ruth didn’t hear from Robin much after she admitted to him about her not being able to have a baby. He did write back eventually but its been on her mind. Did he stay….did he not come back because hes not in love with her anymore?”

“No...”Gabriel said, realizing with relief that they didn’t know. And they didn’t need to know. It wasn’t his place and it was too late anyway. “Robin didn’t make it. He died during the storm”he said. Salomi gasped in shock and they both sat there and cried.

“No! Poor Ruth! Its not fair!”Salomi cried.

They cried for a long time and comforted each other. “You go and lie down. Im going to wait up for her”he told her. She had a long day and he felt that he should tell her alone. She agreed and kissed him passionately. “I love you”he said to her and she said the same and went into the bedroom. Gabriel got a glass of water and waited for Ruth to come home. He was nodding off on the small couch Ruth slept on when he heard the locks on the front door turn. She walked in and was shocked to see him there.

“Holy shit! Gabe!!!!”she whispered out loud as she closed the door and ran to him and hugged him close. She didn’t want to wake the children. “Does Salomi know you’re here?”

“Oh of course. I got home this afternoon. Surprised the kids, took them out for ice cream and surprised Lomi with a feast. We saved you a plate”he said

“Oh thank god. Im starving”Ruth said,”I cant eat anymore Pub food”she said,”Where’s Robin?”she asked him,”Did he stay?”

Gabriel gulped. He thought telling Salomi would make it better but it didn’t. “Uh..Ruth…you should sit down….”

Ruth’s smile quickly faded. “No….I don’t want to sit down….just give me the bad news”she said.

“Im here because McNamara’s farm got destroyed in the Dust Storm a little over a week ago. Robin didn’t make it. He’s gone, Ruth”he said,”But as he was lying there, he told me to tell you that he loves you and always will”

Tears ran down Ruth’s cheeks. “How did he….how…..?”

“I’d rather not say, its-“

“Tell me!”Ruth said firmly

“A branch, we couldn’t see it because the dust was so thick. It hit me first and flew right into Robin’s chest”he said. Ruth gasped as she looked down at her wedding ring. “He’s buried in Kansas….I couldn’t write because the post office was destroyed and it would be better to hear it in person”he said as he held her and she cried in his arms. He comforted her and cried as well.

“So he didn’t leave me…”

“No….why would you say that?”

“He told me about Maryann. He confessed that he was sleeping with her and would stop and would never do it again”she said,”For a second there, I thought he left me for her….but shit, this is much worse….”

“Im sorry, Ruth. Im glad he was honest with you….I was very upset with him but he knew what he did was wrong….”he said. She nodded,”Would you like me to warm up your food?”

Ruth shook her head. “I no longer have an appetite. I just want to lay down”she said as she went over to the couch and sat down and took off her shoes. “Good night, Gabe”

Gabriel nodded,”He did love you, Ruth. He loved only you”he said

Ruth nodded,”Thanks Gabe”she said and he went into the bedroom. She laid down and closed her eyes but all she could see was Robin. She sobbed into her pillow so she wouldn’t wake them and soon cried herself to sleep.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Ruth wore all black while mourning Robin, she also turned into a bitter workaholic. She couldn’t stand to be around Salomi and Gabriel and their happy family anymore. She loved them dearly but that’s what she wanted as well. She wanted to have Robin’s children. She wanted him to be alive and living the American dream while raising a family. She decided that she needed her own place but that wouldn’t be possible with her wages. She worked more. She left early in the morning and came back very late at night or sometimes not at all. Salomi was worried about her of course. “You should rest Ruth. You look like you haven’t slept”

“Sleeping is harder than it looks”Ruth said sadly. She refused to listen to Salomi and Gabriel, she didn’t want advice from the happy couple. They didn’t know how it felt to lose their other half because they were still together.

Gabriel performed odd end jobs while he looked for something permanent. He worked with the CCC to help restore national parks and forests in northern New York, Long Island and New Jersey. He also was employed with the Federal Theatre Project, which was another New Deal program that funded theatres as well as unemployed actors, playwrights and stage hands. He enjoyed performing in variety shows as well as the “Living Newspapers” which were plays that were written off of current events. He also spent as much time with Rita, Michael and Dahlia. He had to make up for lost time. Michael celebrated his eleventh birthday and Gabriel took him and his best friend, Nicky, to see their first Yankees baseball game. He also took Dahlia to the movies to see Shirley Temple, she released two films that year, “Curly Top” and “Littlest Rebel” and she even won an Academy Award that year. Rita grew out of Shirley Temple but she loved to watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in “Top Hat”.

Rita soon got lucky. President Roosevelt was coming to New York and he personally asked Gabriel to perform for him again. She begged her father if she could perform too. They were a good team and came up with a routine called “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and "I'm Following You"

The big night came and the family was picked up in a very fancy Packard car. Salomi was in shock, she hadn’t ridden in a Packard in over 6 years. They dressed their best and headed to the theatre. It was a huge variety show that showcased artists performing their appreciation for the President which included the Ziegfield Follies, Bing Crosby and even Fred Astaire himself. Tears formed in her eyes when Gabriel and Rita took the stage and started to dance and sing together. She was so proud of the both of them.

(Gabriel & Rita)
Together at last!
Together for ever!
We're tying a knot,
They never can sever!

(Rita)
I don't need sunshine now,
To turn my skies to blue --

(Gabriel & Rita)
I don't need anything but you!

(Gabriel)
You've wrapped me around
That cute little finger.
You've made life a song .....
You've made me the singer!

(Rita)
And what's the bathtub tune
You always "Bu-Bu-Boo?"

(Gabriel)
Bu-Bu-Bu
Anything but you

(Gabriel & Rita)
Yesterday was plain awful
You can say that again
Yesterday was plain awful
But that's
Not now
That's then!

(Rita)
I'm poor as a mouse,

(Gabriel)
I'm richer than Midas.

(Gabriel & Rita)
But nothing on earth
Could ever divide us!
And if tomorrow, I
'm an apple seller, too--
I don't need anything but you!.....

Their routine was flawless and Salomi knew that both Rita and her husband were going places. She had a good feeling. Michael sang along as he watched them, he knew the words by heart now since it was all Rita would sing for weeks. Dahlia sat there filled with jealousy, arms crossed, she wanted to be up there too. “Mommy”she tapped her again on her arm,”I wanna play up there with Rita and Daddy too”

“Shhh Lia, they aren’t playing. They are performing. Be a good girl and watch”Salomi said not taking her eyes off of them. They ended their performance with a bang, meaning Rita went down into a split, and the applause was loud and chaotic. Salomi and Michael stood up and clapped while Dahlia pouted.

There was a reception after the show and Gabriel and Rita were given many bouquets of flowers and ‘job well done’s’. Roosevelt and Eleanor were delighted to see the family together again. “This is a short trip but when we come back, you must have dinner with us”Eleanor gushed to Salomi.

“Of course. I will always make time for you”Salomi said with a wide smile.

“Excuse me, ma’am. You are Mrs. Brewster, yes?”a woman asked her

“Yes I am”

“You have a beautiful family”the woman said,”My name is Ariel Ailey and I have opened a performing arts school on the Upper East Side….Upper East Side Performing Arts School, you probably heard of it….”Ariel said hurriedly. Salomi only nodded even though she didn’t hear of the school. “Anyway, I cant believe that Rita here isn’t enrolled. She is the perfect fit”

“Well Im afraid we cant afford fancy performing arts schools anymore. Rita takes free lessons from the community center in Harlem”Salomi said.

“Oh dear. Well we have to do something about that. How about I give you some information so she can audition for us, Im sure she’ll make it, and if she does, she can get a scholarship. Hmmm? Free for you and fun for her”Ariel said.

“That sounds wonderful”Salomi said

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“…..so it seems that you have conquered the world of theatre, even though there is a Depression…..whats next for you? Film?”the man asked Gabriel as they chatted over wine. Salomi walked over and gave him the its-getting-late eye.

“You know? I never cared for performing in film. I love to see them but I need a live audience”Gabriel said to him politely and introduced Salomi.

“Nice to meet you”the man said to her,”One more question, how about radio? You have a live audience but they aren’t right in front of you”

“Radio would be interesting. I cant say anything about it besides the fact that I love to listen to it”

“Imagine you being on the radio, Gabriel, millions of listeners hearing you….”

“Sounds nice”Gabriel said, wondering what he was getting at.

“I think you would make a great fit for the cast of ‘The Legacy’. Have you heard of us? It’s a drama that comes on every Sunday after Bob Hope’s Revue”

“I didn’t listen to the radio much while in Kansas, and now that Im back, Im never home enough to even sit down and listen to it”

“Oh Gabe, its one of my favorite shows”Salomi gushed

“Well shes heard of us then. How about you come out and audition for us and see if you like it. Don’t do it for me, do it for the misses”he said

“He’ll audition for you. Just give us the information”Salomi said excitedly and hurriedly. Dahlia was causing a ruckus right now outside the theatre and she needed to be tucked in immediately but she also wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass him by. They exchanged information and they said goodbye to everyone and soon left.

“Did I hire you as my manager without realizing?”Gabriel asked her with a laugh

“’The Legacy’ is a very famous show. No singing or dancing but its very entertaining. Very suspenseful. Next week we will find out if Greta will marry Bert or Hill”she said,”It would be fantastic if you joined in on the cast and I can hear your voice when your not at home”she said. “I know that your life will change for the better, Rita as well. Ariel Ailey approached me about Rita auditioning for the performing arts school on the Upper East Side!”

“Ariel Ailey? Really?”

“Yes, and Rita’s going to audition and you are auditioning for the radio show. I believe the two of you will go so far”Salomi said as she and Gabriel stopped in front of the car.

“Thanks huney. I will contact them first thing in the morning”he said and kissed her just as Dahlia let out a scream. He opened the door,”What is going on in here!”

“MIKEY HIT ME!”Dahlia screamed as the two got in the car.

“She pinched me because I wouldn’t let her out of the car”Michael defended himself.

“No hitting, both of you. I don’t care who did what. Spankings for both of you when we get home”Gabriel said to them sternly and the two were silent. Rita just sat there in her dress, a few bouquets in her lap, staring out the window and smiling. Oblivious to the chaos her siblings were causing. “Earth to Rita”he said with a laugh and she looked at him. “When you are done with school tomorrow, remind me to help you with your audition materials for that new school. Congratulations”

“Thank you Father, Ive always wanted to go there. Kit used to go there but she left…the school is so swell!”Rita said with a huge smile. “I hope I get in”

“You will”Gabriel said. He couldn’t stop staring at his daughter sometimes. She was so grown up and talented and beautiful. She was becoming a woman. And he had to prepare himself for the boys that would be breaking their door down to give her flowers like the ones she was holding now. It was scaring him. Where did the time go? Gabriel sighed when the Packard car arrived in their poor neighborhood in Harlem. The cream colored vehicle stood out against the dirty streets and run down brick buildings. It pulled over to the side of the road and they all got out. He thanked the driver and tipped him even though the ride was paid for already. Salomi took the children inside and he sighed as he stood outside and smoked a cigarette in his rented tuxedo and watched the car drive away. He remembered when he used to have a car like that, performing every night for the rich and famous, owning several tuxedos instead of renting them. He missed that life. Losing everything made him appreciate what they did have but made him miss what they lost and he was determined to get it back. If Rita wanted to go to that performing arts school, they were going to make it work.

He walked inside and took off his tux and laid down next to Salomi and held her close. She was already asleep. “Im going to keep making us happy, don’t you worry”he whispered in her ear.

*____________________________*

October 1935

Rita stood center stage and belted out the last note of her song. Her silver dress sparkled in the stage lights. Then the song ended and the audience stood up and applauded and she bowed as the curtain closed. The rest of the cast joined her and then the curtain opened again and the audience continued to applaud as the whole cast took their bows. Rita smiled as Michael threw her a bouquet of roses and she caught them and blew her family a kiss and they blew some back, all except for Dahlia who stood there jealously. She wanted to play dress up too and of course she couldn’t.

Rita auditioned and was accepted into the Upper East Side School for Performing Arts on a scholarship in May and she started her first semester a month and a half earlier. She has been busy ever since with her acting, singing and dancing classes as well as their special “Howloscream” show, which was dedicated to Halloween. Rita played a fairy who was obsessed with magic, in good ways.

Gabriel shook his head in disbelief as he clapped and whistled for his daughter. It seemed like she looked older every time he saw her. “Where did she get those breasts from?”he asked Salomi

She laughed,”Gabe! Why you are even thinking about that now is the real question!?”

“She’s only 12! Look at her! She looks like a grown woman!”

“She’ll be 13 in a month and a half. What do you expect?”she asked him. “You met me when I was 12…. I was well endowed in some parts”

Gabriel nodded, remembering their rendezvous on the Titanic and being shocked that she was only 12 because she acted and looked like his age, which at the time was 15. He used to tease her and he would ask who she stole her breasts from. “Oh so its your fault”he said

“I guess it is. But she gets those blue eyes from you”Salomi said as Rita came over to them and hugged them all. “Congratulations, sweetie. You were great up there”she said to her

“Your voice is stronger. I can tell. Those voice lessons make you sound better than before”Gabriel said as he hugged her close. “Come on Mikey, Lia. Give your sister a hug”

“You were great, Rita”Mikey said proudly. Dahlia gave her a half hug and pouted.

“Can we get ice cream now?”Dahlia asked. Since she couldn’t get dressed up and she couldn’t get all the attention, could she at least have that?!

Gabriel looked at his pocket watch. “Oh we should hurry. I got to be at the station in an hour”he said to them. He spoke with Ariel and the other heads of the school and let Rita congratulate her friends and then he rushed them to a soda shop and got everyone their favorite cones. Rita getting a double scoop, which pissed off Dahlia. “Don’t pout so much, Lia. Behave”he said to her. What was wrong with her? “I gotta go you all. I’ll see you when I get home”he said as he kissed each child on the head and kissed Salomi on the lips.

“Break a leg huney”she said to him. “Are we going to find out if Greta is having twins? If Hawthorne killed Carla?”

“I’ll never tell”he said,”You’ll have to find out just like everyone else”he said and winked. “Love you”he said to them and then rushed out the shop. He hopped onto a trolley and traveled downtown to Manhattan and walked into the RFK Radio Station.

Gabriel auditioned for the dramatic radio soap opera, “The Legacy”, this past June and got the part of “Randall”. He was a man who worked in an apothecary to make ends meet but even though he was poor, he still had a heart of gold. Lack of money didn’t stop the women of the fictional town of “Pleasantville” to pass him by. It seemed he had a new affair every month. Gabriel was truly happy where he was. Theatre was still desperate to stay relevant and even though many people did see it, no one could make a living off of it due to the economy. Everyone had a radio these days and you can ask any female about “The Legacy” and a squeal would always be a part of their reply. It was the second most popular soap opera drama on the radio right now and Gabriel was happy to be a part of the cast. It wasn’t Broadway but it was just as good…and it paid great too!

“Gabe! There you are”one of the assistants said as they approached him as he walked into the green room. “Changes to the script. You got 30 minutes”she said as she handed him a new script.

He smiled, there were always changes to the script. At least he had 30 minutes this time, last time he had 5. Soon it was show time.

“In a town called Pleasantville are families who live not so pleasant lives. Lives filled with drama, tragedy and passion. Ones actions affect another and will go down in history. This is “The Legacy”the radio announcer said. The theme music started to play. “Tonight’s story begins at the apothecary…”

Gabriel stood behind one microphone and his fellow cast member, Mary, stood at a microphone next to his. The director cued her and she walked in place wearing really loud high heels to let the audience know that she was walking. An assistant counted her steps and then opened a door and shut it to let the audience know that she walked inside and then closed the door. Mary walked a few steps and then Gabriel performed his line. “Good afternoon Clara-“

“Oh Randall, did you hear!? The trial is today. We will finally know who killed my poor sister!”Mary said dramatically. “Please give me some aspirin! I don’t know how I can deal with this pain!”

Someone moves around jars and shakes pills as Gabriel performed his next line. “Now, Mary, I told you that all your answers do not lie in these prescription bottles. You need plenty of rest-“

“Your right, Randall”

“I am?”

“Yes, what I don’t need is in those bottles. I need you”Mary read dramatically and then romantic music was cued to let the audience know that Randall and Clara were sharing a passionate kiss.

Salomi, Rita and Dahlia gasped as they listened to the radio in the living room, surprised at the new romantic turn in the storyline. Salomi covered Dahlia’s ears, the kissing wasn't appropriate for her, and she squirmed in her seat and sat next to Michael on the floor. He smiled triumphantly,”I knew she liked him”. It was a game that he kind of played with himself, it was satisfying that he could figure out the plot before his older sister and mother could. By the end of the show, the audience found out that Carla's death was by suicide and Hawthorne was set free. No one was expecting that. Not even Michael.

Salomi smiled, she was proud of Gabriel. The writer’s on the show were great and they really knew how to make a storyline interesting and it was all the more greater that Gabriel was a part of it. The phone rang. “Hello? Did you hear?”

“My God, Lomi, yes I did”Ruth said. “I cant believe Carla killed herself. I mean why? She had everything!”she said. Ruth no longer lived with them. She moved out a couple of months ago and was living in a small housing development with some other psychology majors from NYU. She needed space after Robin died. She worked at the Pub still but she was taking a few classes during the day. She was slowly getting her life back after months of lonely nights and overworked and bitter days. She was also a fan of “The Legacy”. She became a fan since Salomi made her listen to it and after awhile she was sucked into the story. Now that she moved out, she always called her to discuss what happened. She didn’t want to lose Lomi as a friend and that was one of the things that they could talk about that reminded her of months past without making her cry. “You have to ask Gabe”

“You know how Gabe is. He doesn’t give me any special treatment. Im just an audience member to him”Salomi said with a dramatic sigh. She then signaled Rita to help Michael and Dahlia wash up and go to bed. “But I’ll ask”

“One day he’ll cave. Ask while you’re on top of him”Ruth suggested

Salomi laughed out loud,”Harlet! Not a bad idea”she said with a laugh,”What do you think about Clara and Randall getting together?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing”Ruth said

“I don’t care. She’s not after Gabriel, that’s the man I'm in love with. Randall is nothing like him. He’s got a different woman every episode. I bet you 5 cents that he will move on to another girl three episodes from now. Exactly”

“That’s not fair. He probably already told you!”

“I told you, he doesn’t tell me anything!”

“That’s what you want me to believe!”Ruth said with a laugh. “Fine, I’ll raise you another 5 and I bet it's going to be Victoria three episodes from now”

“It’s a bet”Salomi said. Then Dahlia started to cry. Salomi sighed, her little moment as a gossiping housewife was over. Back to motherhood. “That’s my cue. I have to go”

“Discipline that child, Lomi. She’s gonna get control over you and it will be too late to parent her”Ruth said, her playful voice turned into serious psychological mode.

“Alright, good night, Ruth”Salomi said cheerfully and hung up. Ruth was still the same sometimes. She was the same girl that freaked out because she walked in on her losing her virginity at 14. “Alright what is it?”she asked as she walked to the bathroom.

“Lia isn’t listening to me as usual”Rita said with a sigh as she washed her face. Salomi saw that her breasts were getting too big for the brassiere she bought her.

“I don’t want to go to bed”Dahlia said

“Well if you’re not in bed by the time your father gets home, you’ll get a spanking. If you don’t wash up, you have to go to bed now”she said to her. Dahlia sighed and decided to wash herself slowly so she wouldn’t have to go to bed just yet. Salomi sighed. Rita did as well. She remembered what Gabriel said to her at her performance today and it now hit her. She lost her virginity at 14. Rita wasn’t too far off from that age… “Rita? Remind me to take you to the department store on Saturday, you’re going to need a new brassiere”she told her.

Rita blushed. “I know. I figured it just shrunk in the wash pan”

“No, you’re growing up….”Salomi said as she handed Rita some blankets. Rita had the living room now that Ruth was gone. “…into a beautiful young woman, I might add. Your performance was wonderful today. That school is doing you wonders”

“Thank you Ma”Rita said with a smile as she laid down on the couch and settled in

“So, any boyfriends I should know about?”she asked her

Rita laughed. “I have no time, Ma”

“There’s always time for love, sweetie. It may hit you at the busiest of times”

“I get up and help you get Mikey and Lia ready. I'm at school all day until 2 and then I'm at Upper East Side until 6. We always eat dinner at 7 so Pop can eat with us and then I do homework and listen to ‘The Legacy’ with you until its time for bed at….”she glanced at the clock,”10:00”she said. “I don’t have time, Ma”

“I see”Salomi said with a smile. Nothing to worry about, for now. “Well when you do, I want to meet him”she said to her

Rita rolled her eyes playfully and rolled over on her side,”Good night Ma”she said to her

Salomi kissed her on her head,”Night sweetie. I love you”

“Love you too”she replied.

Michael and Dahlia continued to fight and it was almost 11:00 when they finally fell asleep. Salomi laid down in bed and soon drifted off to sleep by the time Gabriel came back home from the station. He smiled as he kissed his paycheck and put it on the nightstand. He was going to deposit it first thing in the morning. He laid down next to Salomi and kissed her cheek. She smiled in her sleep. He snuggled close to her and turned the light off. “I love you, Lomi”he said,”I told you we’d be ok”he said,”We are going to be alright”he said with a happy sigh and soon drifted off to sleep.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

October 1939

“Daddy? How can Hitler be good and evil?”17 year old, Rita, asked her father randomly as they drove home after her rehearsals at Upper East Side.

Gabriel paused as he tried to digest why she would ask such a question after they were talking about her triple pirouettes and also how to answer it. “Can you be more specific sweetheart?”

“Well were talking about it in class today. Mrs. Combes wanted us to learn about Hitler as a person so we can further understand why he’s at war with the rest of Europe. She said that when he was elected he was only doing everything to help his people get out of a recession, which is what Roosevelt is doing…but now she says he has gone power crazy. He was good at first, now he’s not…how?”

“Everyone has good things about them and bad things, but its all perspective”Gabriel said uncomfortably. He didn’t like talking about Hitler without a cigarette but he promised Lomi that he would give it up. “Helping your country out of a recession is a good thing but its your duty as president or Frau or whatever they call them over there. However, its another thing to persecute your own people for being different. I believe he is evil, Rita. Just like the people that wont let you and your mother eat at the same restaurants as whites. No one has that right. He needs to protect all of his people and instead he is putting them all in danger”

Rita nodded, she hated how people treated her mother and then looking at them with pity because she was related to her. “Yes there’s nothing good about that”

“Whats with all the Hitler talk?”Gabriel asked, more to himself than her.

“This war is making everyone crazy”Rita said,”Do you think we will get involved?”

“Roosevelt has been firm in his decision to keep out of it, we can only hope so”he said as he continued to drive.

A lot has happened over the past 4 years. The family finally saved some money and moved out of the two room apartment they had been living in and moved into a nicer apartment in Harlem with 2 bedrooms and its own bathroom. They didn’t have to share the bathroom with 6 other families anymore. Gabriel was still playing Randall on “The Legacy” and Rita was still on scholarship at the Upper East Side. She was a senior and was set to graduate and she was still trying to figure out if she wanted to go to college or pursue performing full time. They soon arrived at home and walked in to the usual. Salomi was making the finishing touches on dinner while scolding Dahlia while she in turn yelled or whined about why she was justified about doing whatever she did. However, the conversation was more heated than usual. “Keep talking like that and you will go to bed with no dinner tonight!”Salomi said

“I cant believe that you would believe them over me! I'm your daughter!”14 year old, Dahlia, screamed at her mother

“Hey! What’s going on here?”Gabriel said with wide eyes as he and Rita walked in. Rita did her usual. She put away her things and started setting the table as she listened to whatever drama was going on today.

Salomi looked at Gabriel with relief. “An anonymous source told the principal at school that Dahlia was smoking in the girls restroom”she said. Gabriel glared at Dahlia in shock

Dahlia got defensive, she always did when Daddy gave her that look. “Its not anonymous! It was Bernice who told on me, I just know it! She only said that because I called her a self centered bitch, she’s trying to get back at me!”

“Watch your language!”Salomi said

“Your not even listening to me!”Dahlia said

Gabriel sighed. Dahlia was always getting in trouble these days and it was never her fault. It seemed that every student didn’t like her or she was actually doing these things. “Go to your room. You will be eating there tonight. Calm down and I will be up there with your plate soon”he said to her firmly. She scoffed and stomped to her and Rita’s room and slammed the door…twice. He shook his head,”Everyday its something new”he said. Salomi nodded in agreement. Gabriel made a plate for himself and then made Dahlia’s. “Where’s Mikey?”he asked and they all stood there surprised. He was always on time…

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Michael, I have to go”15 year old Emily Hubbard said breathlessly to Michael between kisses. “Ma will surely kill me”she said. “What time is it?”

“Shit, it’s a little past 7”Michael said as he looked at his new watch that Pop gave him. He was late for dinner. He grabbed Emily and kissed her again. “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow”he said and kissed her hand.

Emily looked at him confused, she didn’t know what that meant! “Ok see you tomorrow, Mikey”she said with a smile and then ran off down the street.

“I love you!”Michael called after her but she just waved back. He smiled as he ran home. Emily made him want to quote “Romeo and Juliet” endlessly. Emily made him want to write love poems for her, spend his small allowance on roses and candy. He was in love and he couldn’t stop showing his love for her. He ran all the way home, high off the energy her kisses gave him and threw open the door. “Im home!”he said with a smile

“We were getting worried about you, your never late”Salomi said to him. “Make yourself a plate, how was your meeting?”she asked him

Michael smiled, he’d rather talk about Emily but she didn’t want anyone to know. Maybe someday he can tell the world.
*______________________________*

Rita yawned as she walked out of her classroom. It was the end of the school day but her day felt like it was just beginning. She still had 3 hours worth of rehearsals and homework to do. She walked out of the school and rounded the corner to find her best friend, Kitty Andrews, smoking behind the school. She ducked her head around the brick wall and smiled at her. “I have something to tell you!”she whispered

“You don’t have to whisper you know. Im right here”Rita said with a smile. “And why are you smoking those? Those are bad for you”she said indicating the cigarette.

“I don’t want anyone to know I’m here by a dumpster smoking, that’s why I am whispering and I smoke because I like it. I am 17. I will be 18 in a couple of months. I am basically an adult. I can do what I want”she replied curtly and then inhaled, exhaled and then smiled. “Now don’t interrupt me. I have something to tell you”

“What is so important now?”Rita asked her. She didn’t want to be late for rehearsals for her senior recitals.

“You’ll never guess who moved back to town!”Kitty exclaimed

Rita sighed a little. With Kitty, you never got gossip by her just telling you like a normal person. You had to play a guessing game or try to read her mind first. Sometimes it was exhausting. “No idea”

“Ugh, you’re no fun!”Kitty said,”Ok…..remember Booger Clayton? He had a crush on you when were in….the 2nd grade I think? He’s back!”

Rita wrinkled her nose. Booger Clayton was so annoying. He lived up to his name well when they were little, he never cleaned his nose, and it was disgusting. He used to pull Rita’s hair and call her names and then turn back around and write her love notes that were grammatically incorrect. Then during the Crash, like half of their other classmates, he seemed to have disappeared or moved elsewhere to make ends meet. They never heard from him again and Rita didn’t care, good riddance. Now he was back and Rita still couldn’t have cared less. “He looks the same doesn’t he? Boogers and all”

“No!”Kitty said wide-eyed as she shook her head quickly. “He is dreamy, Rita. And he is rich!!!!”she squealed. Rita laughed at her excitement. Kitty was just like her mother, she swooned when it came to rich men, at least that’s what Ma said.

“So you saw him?”

“Yes! I saw a boy get out of a cream colored Packard, one of the brand new special edition ones you know, the kind that Oscar has”Kitty explained. Oscar was her step-father. “So I investigate because no one else gets dropped off in a car like that except for me and Nicky and Bernice told me that Pauline told her that it was Clayton Millner, he’s back in town and sure enough…its him. He looks the same but his nose is smaller and he’s so much taller. He is a dream!”Kitty said. “I even spoke to him, it was short but he asked if you still went here and I said yes and he said and I quote,’Tell her that I want to see her. I bet she still looks beautiful’!”

“Ew”Rita said. All she could see was the kid with the big snotty nose. Not a dream. “No thanks”

“Why not give him a chance? He is soooooooo cute!”

“Then you go after him then”Rita said,”I don’t have time for boyfriends, I have to head to UES right now anyway”

“Don’t be so hasty. You haven’t even seen him yet”Kitty said as she put her cigarette out and walked with her. Kitty walked with her to the school since she lived on that same side of town. Then she squealed and turned Rita around so quick that it scared her. “There he is! CLAYTON! HELLO!”she shouted to a tall boy who was being escorted to a car by a man dressed all in black.

Clayton heard Kitty and smiled at her and waved. He looked at Rita and winked at her and then got in the car and it soon drove away. She didn’t want to but she blushed. Kitty was right. He was dreamy. “That cant be Clayton. He never looked like that”

“Well his daddy is rich. He works for some rich family in Miami and they moved back here for some reason. Maybe they paid for a new face but that’s him alright”Kitty said,”Are you blushing!? You’re blushing!”

“I am not!”Rita lied. “Come on, I am going to be late”she said as she pulled Kitty down the street.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Nicky Andrews laughed out loud as Michael approached him with a rose. He had his arm around his girlfriend of the week’s shoulders. “Mikey, I love you like a brother….but not like that”

“Its not for you, idiot. Its for Em”Michael said as he looked around for her. It was odd that she was late. He was running a little late but that’s because he had to walk a couple of blocks to get the rose and come back. It was their tradition. He, Nicky, whoever his girlfriend was (they changed often) and Emily would hang out in front of the school before he went to his various club meetings. “Have you seen her?”

Nicky shook his head,”Nope, haven’t all day”he said. The girl he was holding nudged him in his side and he sighed,”Oh and this is Rosie”he said. She nudged him again and he sighed,”my um….my girlfriend”he said as he coughed.

Michael quickly caught on to this charade and smiled,”What was that? I didn’t hear you. Do you have a cold?”

“Rosie is my girlfriend, Mikey, geez, grow up”Nicky snapped at him. Rosie smiled approvingly now that he said it out loud. Michael just laughed. “Well I got practice”he said. “Will you be here when I’m done?”

“Of course Nicky, anything for you”Rosie said and then gave him a big kiss and walked off.

“Of course Nicky, anything for you”Michael mocked her as he made a dramatic gesture. “I don’t know how you do it”

“Yes you do, you just haven’t done it yet”Nicky said. “It’s a mystery to virgins-“

“Ok don’t broadcast it to the whole world-“

“Why haven’t you and Emily done it yet?”Nicky asked,”We have known her for the past 10 years”

“Im in love with her”Michael said.

Nicky laughed,”That’s all the more reason-“

“I love her too much for her to be just another lay-“

“She wont be, just lay her, not other girls. Even though that’s a fate worse than death”

“I show her I love her in other ways and she isn’t ready for that-“

“What isn’t she ready about?! She has known you since kindergarten, what else is there to know about you? What is she waiting for?”

“I don’t know, maybe marriage…we haven’t talked about it yet”

Nicky whistled,”Whoooo, you two are a piece of work”he said. “See you later”he said as he rushed off to practice.

Michael shook his head. People like Nicky wouldn’t understand the love that he and Emily shared. It was timeless, classic, deep, and mature like the ones in the novels or the Shakespeare plays…well not as tragic. It was a love that was destined for a happy ending. He smiled at the thought of her but then looked for his pocket watch. Where was she? He was going to be late for his Newspaper meeting. He was a reporter for the newspaper and he specialized in keeping all the students up to date about the war. He had a slight obsession with it and he wanted everyone to know what was going on so maybe someone would open their eyes and stop the madness that was Adolf Hitler.

He waited for a few more minutes and then went inside to his meeting but he couldn’t concentrate. Where was she?

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Dahlia was in a bad mood that day in school. Her punishment for smoking in the bathroom was helping the janitor clean it and then she was suspended from school for a day. Ma made her do a lot of chores while she was at home and she couldn’t even sleep in. Today was her first day back and everyone was talking about her. She saw Bernice talking to a couple of girls and then headed into the bathroom as she waved goodbye to them. Dahlia walked in. She smiled and then locked the door and waited. When Bernice walked out of the stall, Dahlia practically pounced on her and pushed her against the sea foam green tiled wall. “Hey!”Bernice exclaimed

“You are a jealous bitch with a big mouth!”Dahlia hissed at her as she grabbed the collar of Bernice’s dress. “Tell on me again and you’ll be sorry!”

“I didn’t-“

“Say it! Say your sorry!”

“I didn’t! I didn’t! Someone else did!”

“Who!?”

“I heard from Eugenia that Mr. Harrison submitted the report-“

“How!? How the hell does she know!?”

“Eugenia works in the principal’s office, Dahlia. Where have you been the past year!? You know the principal is her aunt, she is her assistant”

Dahlia pushed her away. “Fine…but we still aren’t friends”

“Why!? I didn’t do a thing-“

“I don’t trust you”Dahlia said to her,”Now get out of my sight”

Bernice picked up her things and then ran to the door. She unlocked it and left in a frenzy. Dahlia stood there, fuming. She then ran to the sink and splashed water on her face. Mr. Harrison!? Her science teacher? Why would he tell on her!? She was crushed. She has been in love with him since the beginning of the school year but he never noticed her. And now, of course, he notices her when she is smoking in the bathroom and tells on her!? She had to take things into her own hands. She had to talk to him. She picked up her books and walked to his office but his door was locked. He was gone for the day. Damn. She had to confront him tomorrow.

Ma picked her up and on the way home, she told her about the additional chores she had to do after she finished her homework. “Just because the school only gave you a warning does not mean I will do the same. You are still punished until I say otherwise”

‘What else is new’, she thought. It was like Ma’s joy in life was making her miserable. They got home and she went to her room and attempted to do her homework, but she couldn’t concentrate. What was she going to say to Mr. Harrison? She thought about her plan as she did some of her assignments, helped wash clothes and fold them and set the table. She thought about it during dinner, not talking at all.

“You alright, Lia?”Rita asked her as they ate. Dahlia just shrugged.

“….something needs to be done, Pop”Michael continued. The one thing that Dahlia loved about her brother was that he made such convincing arguments about everything that no one talked at the dinner table. Dinnertime was his soap box and she was just fine with that. He was Ma’s favorite anyway and that took the attention off the fact that she wasn’t. “How would you feel if Roosevelt threw all of us in some camp because we are black? Like animals….and you cant do anything about it!?”

“That wont happen, Michael”Pop assured him

It wasn’t enough. “But what if it does, Pop? What would YOU DO!?”

“Michael, calm down now, we are eating dinner. This isn’t a conversation for the dinner table”Ma said to Michael as she put her hand over his. He was shaking and she saw that Gabriel was getting uncomfortable with the conversation. “Michael, you seem upset. Tell me whats wrong”

Michael sighed. Emily never showed up. No one even saw her. He bought a rose for her instead of saving it for lunch tomorrow and she didn’t even bother to show up. “Nothing”he said. And he couldn’t tell Ma that because Emily didn’t want anyone to know that they were together. “We were discussing the same thing in a meeting today and it seems like all of America doesn’t care”

“Why?”Salomi asked. She knew that asking questions of her own, calmly, calmed Michael down from his soap box when he got too crazy.

“Its like this country thinks we are invincible because we are thousands of miles away. But this could happen to us. Actually, it is but they aren’t locking us up in camps….yet. I know how much you support Roosevelt because he’s an old family friend but I don’t agree with this whole neutral thing. We need to do something”

“So what do you suggest that we do?”Salomi asked him calmly.

Michael sighed. “We need to be allies. We need to fight-“

“Why? Why should we put our innocent men on the front lines to clean up another country’s mess?”

“Because not only is Hitler ruining his own people, he is destroying everyone else. He wants to be God, he thinks he is God! And he’s going to come after us! We would want help if Hitler was here doing this to us. Its our duty as allies”Michael said seriously

Salomi smiled and Gabriel nodded. “You make very good points, Michael. You are so smart, I am so proud of you”

“Your right, son”Gabriel said,”We should do something, but I don’t have the power”

“You do. It’s a democracy right?”Michael said. Gabriel nodded again.

“Well, Michael, as long as you write about it, someone will read it. It takes a long time for big decisions like this to take place”Salomi said before Michael got upset again. “Rita? Lia? You two alright?”she asked them. They were quiet as usual but that wasn’t a surprise.

Rita shrugged. “Just tired, Ma. I just want to graduate”she said

“Its just around the corner, babe”Gabriel said to her

“Lia? You alright, huney? You are barely touching your food?”Salomi asked. Dahlia only rolled her eyes and grunted. Salomi raised an eyebrow,”Im sorry. What was that?”

“Nothing, Ma”

“You watch that attitude, Dahlia. I am not going to say it again. Eat your vegetables”

“So, Mikey gets to yell about Hitler for a half an hour and that’s alright but if I eat my vegetables too slow its considered a crime?”

“I have nothing to do with you”Michael said as he raised his eyebrows at her. What was her problem?

“Yes, Michael has nothing to do with you. He is keeping us up to date on current events. You on the other hand are giving your mother an attitude and I will not tolerate it either”Pop said to her and gave her that look that she hated. “I will not even hesitate in sending you to your room-“

“Fine, can I take my food?”Dahlia asked as she stood up. She didn’t have to take this.

“No, I would say you have had enough. Go on now”Pop said. Dahlia scoffed and went upstairs and slammed the door. This was all Mr. Harrison’s fault and she had to fix this now.

An hour later, Pop left to go to the radio station and Dahlia sulked. “The Legacy” was now her favorite radio show and her favorite character was Angela, the sexy socialite. She didn't want to miss it. Dahlia stared at her assignment, not able to concentrate as Rita laid in her bed and diligently did her homework. “The show’s coming on”Michael said as he peeked his head in and went into the parlor.

“Oh”Rita said as she stood up.

“Am I allowed to listen too?”Dahlia asked her.

“I don’t know. Ma and Pop are really mad at you”Rita said. “Whats wrong?”

“People lie about me and they believe them”Dahlia sulked.

“Come on and ask”Rita said. They went into the parlor.

“You can listen but I don’t want to hear a peep out of you”Ma said to her. Dahlia nodded. She sat on the floor next to Michael and listened intently. She was soon silent and wrapped up in the story as she stared at the radio and imagined Angela with long dark curls, like hers, wearing an elegant red evening gown, made of silk. She would stand next to Kenneth, the man she was running away with, and declare her love for him.

“Kenneth is my soul mate! He will do anything for me. He would get in trouble for me…hell he would die for me. That is why I am running away with him. He loves me and I love him!”Angela proclaimed through the radio. “This is my life and I will do whatever I want with it, damn it!”she said

Dahlia smiled as she heard Angela say that. She was her new heroine. “This is my life and I will do whatever I want with it, damn it”. Hearing her say that gave her inspiration. This was her life. Yes, Ma and Pop thought she was still a child but she could make decisions and fix things. She can do whatever she wants, damn it. No one should stop her. Rita wanted to be a Broadway star. No one was stopping her. Michael wanted to debate until the sun came up. No one stopped him. She just wanted respect. She wanted to be treated fairly. She wanted to be Mrs. Harrison. She can do whatever she wanted and she was going to do things just like Angela would. She smiled wider as a new plan popped into her head. She knew how she could kill two birds with one stone. She had to do it right. The music flourished and Angela and Kenneth ran off to get married and it was a shock to everyone. But not a shock to Dahlia. It was romantic. It was their right to be in love. She wanted that too. She wanted a man to love her. Not some 13 year old boy. She was done. She was going to take her life into her own hands.

*__________________________________*

Emily Hubbard rushed down the street and bumped right into someone. “Excuse me”she said

“It's ok, Em, it's me”Nicky said to her. “Your in a rush to get somewhere”

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow”she said but he grabbed her hand gently. She turned back to look at him.

“Call Mikey”he said. She sighed and he wondered why she thought that was such a chore? “He was upset because he hasn’t seen you all day-“

“I’ve been busy. I have a life outside of him you know-“

“Alright, alright. Tell him that. He’s getting paranoid and dramatic…you know how he gets, well you know him better than me….so…..call him and calm him down”he warned her. She only nodded.

“I’ll talk to him”she promised and walked away quickly.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“This is Clayton Millner from Miami, Florida. He is a new addition to our class so make sure to make him feel welcome”their teacher told them. “How about you have that seat over there next to Miss Brewster”

Rita froze as Clayton walked toward her. He was cuter than he used to be. Then Kitty, who was sitting behind her, kicked her in the leg. “Stop!”she whispered to her. Kitty just smiled and kept gesturing towards Clayton. Rita turned around just as he sat down next to her.

“Hey Rita. It's been a long time”he said to her

“Yes, about 10 years”she said with a nod, trying to sound disinterested as possible. She didn’t want to be a tease.

“Yes, it has been that long”he said with a nod. “And you look better with age I see”he said and winked at her. Kitty heard this and kicked her again.

Rita winced but covered it up with a smile. “Thanks Clayton. That’s sweet of you to say”

“My pleasure”he said,”I'm just being honest”he said. “Oh and while I'm still being honest….I would love to take you out sometime”

Kitty kicks her again but misses her leg and kicks the wooden leg of her chair. Kitty winces in pain. “Thank you for the offer, Clayton, but….I'm so busy with rehearsals. I will have to pass on that”

Clayton nodded,”Your still dancing?”he asked her. She nodded. “I bet you are the best and most beautiful one there”he said. Then the teacher told them to partner up with someone on an assignment. Before he could ask her, she turned to Kitty. He gave up and partnered up with someone else.

“Have you heard of subtlety?” Rita hissed at Kitty

Kitty laughed and then stopped. “Wait…..what?”

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Michael was in a bad mood for most of the day. Emily was still nowhere to be found. It was like she was avoiding him. Nicky told him that he talked to her yesterday and told her to call. She never did. He stayed up late and made sure and was scolded by Pop when he woke up to get a glass of water. Why did his best friend have to remind his girlfriend to call him? What was going on? He shuffled along slowly down the hall to his next class when he saw her. He brightened up and ran to her. “Emily!”

She stopped and looked at him with a shocked expression. “Oh hey Mikey”

“Where have you been? I have been looking all over for you-“

“I have been really busy Mikey-“

“Too busy to call?”

“Look don’t get paranoid ok?”

“I'm not-“

“I have 3 tests to take today. I have been studying-“

“Ok that’s fine I didn’t know that”

“Ok, I’ll see you later”she said and rushed into class. Mikey scratched his head. Was it him or did she just run away from him? He wasn’t paranoid before, but he certainly was now.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Dahlia couldn’t concentrate on any of her classes. The day went by slowly because it must have known that her plan couldn’t be hatched until school let out. She wanted to pull her curls out in anticipation as she stared at the clock. Then finally the bell rang and she literally ran out of class. She went into the girls bathroom and sprayed Ma’s favorite perfume on her and applied Ma’s favorite ruby red lipstick. She took it from her room this morning, she probably wouldn’t notice. She waited for the bathroom to empty a little and then fluffed her hair so it would have more volume and unbuttoned the front buttons of her shirt so her cleavage would show. Unfortunately, she didn’t have breasts like Ma and Rita did. Sometimes she thinks it was intentional that she was left out of the “beautiful boobs” department. She took a deep breath and looked at the clock, she didn’t have much time. Ma picked her up from school now and took her straight home. She didn’t even trust her to be by herself anymore. She walked out of the bathroom and headed straight to Mr. Harrison’s classroom. He was about to leave. “Mr. Harrison! Can I speak with you?”she asked sweetly.

He stared at her for a second too long and she took that as a good sign. “Sure”he said as he walked back into the classroom. “Have a seat. How can I help?"

Dahlia sat down and mustered up some tears. Rita had to take acting classes on how to do this but she was a natural. Why she wasn't at a fancy acting school was beyond her. "How do I say this? I feel.....lost and I need a grown up I can talk to. A grown up I can trust"

Mr. Harrison put his bag down and sat on the edge of his desk. He now wasn't in a rush to go since this may have some severity. "Well I am glad you came to me but my question is....why not go to your parents?"he asked her. He met her parents many times since he taught both Michael and Rita and the fact that Dahlia got into a lot of trouble. They were very hands on parents.

"I can't tell them a thing! I admit that I may have done some bad things in the past, gotten into a lot of trouble, but it's now to a point.....of no return"Dahlia said as a tear fell down her cheek. Inside, she was screaming, yes you got him in the palm of your hand! Keep crying! "They don't believe a thing that I say...even when I'm telling the truth. I'm not good enough for them. Rita is a triple threat. Michael is the scholar. Then there's me. I don't fit in with my own family. I feel so......so lost. I have tried talking to my parents. That is why I came to you"

"Well-"

"I know it was you"she said as she uncrossed her legs. She made sure to hike her skirt up so that it was extra short. She may not have boobs but she got the legs from Ma. "I know that you told on me...about the whole smoking thing"

"Well, Dahlia..."he said as he cleared his throat as he forced himself to stare at her face only.

"I'm not mad. It was your duty as a teacher or whatever. I just felt that if you got to know the real me, you wouldn't be so judgmental. You would believe in me"

"Well Dahlia-"

"You wanna know why I was smoking? That would help you understand"she said as she leaned forward on the small desk hoping he would get a good glimpse of her cleavage. She noticed him look down a little and she realized that he must have a nice view. "Pop used to smoke. Ma didn't like it so she made him quit. He explained that it was a stress reliever and I didn't understand what that was but....now I do. I have been stressed out and....Pop still has cigarettes stashed away....I guess for emergencies? I took one......ok fine....I took two"

"Well I'm glad that you are honest with me. But you can't take your fathers cigarettes. It's not allowed on school property, you are too young...."he said. "What you need to do is find another kind of stress reliever, one that wont cause you even more stress"Mr. Harrison advised gently. "Reading, knitting, riding bikes....listening to the radio....what relaxes you?"he asked her

She smiled. This was perfect. She slowly uncrossed her legs so he could another great view of her and turned in her seat so she could slowly stand. She smoothed down her short skirt and walked toward him. “What relaxes me?”she asked him. He nodded as he watched her. His face got red and…was that sweat on his brow? Was she making him hot? Literally? “Sex. Sex relaxes me”she said with a seductive smile as she took the small clip out of her hair so that the rest of her curls could cascade down her shoulders. “Do you like sex Mr. Harrison?”she said as she approached him and put her small hands on his thighs. “I bet you are good at it-“

“Dahlia-“he said as he got up quickly and ran behind his desk. “You are too young to talk in such a manner-“

“Scratch that, I bet you are great at it”she said not listening to him. Loving the chase. “I have to be honest…since we are being honest here. I'm in love with you, Mr. Harrison. I have been ever since I came to this school. I think you are stressing me out. I'm stressed because I can't have you. But I want you….oh I want you oh so bad and I see the way you have been looking at me just now. You want me too. You want something. I can give it to you. I may seem young. But I am a woman. I have had sex before. I am very experienced and I am done with boys. I want a real man and I want you. I want all of you”she said seductively as she literally chased him around his desk. “Now be honest with me. Tell me the truth. Tell me that you want to run away from here. That you would die for me, that you would do anything for me because I would do the same for you. I wont get you fired if that’s what you are afraid of”she said as she cornered him. “It will be our little secret”she said as she grabbed his dick and kissed him hard on the mouth. He struggled, then for a second he kissed her back and she knew she had him…until he pushed her away. “What-“

“Get out”he snarled. “I have tried to be nice, caring. I tried to listen but you wont. Get out, Dahlia before we do something we both will regret-“

“But I wont regret it and you wont either if you just believe-“

“GET OUT!”Mr. Harrison yelled at her. She jumped back in surprise. He scared her. She has never seen him this angry or yell so loud….and yelling was a real big turn off. That’s what Ma and Pop did all the time.

She didn’t say a word and ran out of the classroom and found the nearest bathroom. The lipstick was smeared on her face and she washed it off quickly. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. He was supposed to declare his love for her. Move them to Long Island or maybe as far as California. He could teach elsewhere, he was a wonderful teacher. Was… being the keyword. He was an asshole. He didn’t have to yell like that. Why did he lead her on? Why did he kiss her back if he didn’t want her around!? She looked at herself in the mirror. Her olive skin, dark eyes, long dark curly hair. She must be ugly to him. She could bet a thousand dollars that if Rita did the same thing with her boobs and blue eyes and newly dyed dark blonde hair he would run away with her in an instant. She hated how she looked. Everyone did. She wasn’t even allowed in some restaurants. She got angry and then she punched the mirror so hard that she cracked it. Unfortunately, she was still staring back at her. She ran out of the bathroom and down the hall. She then stopped when she saw Ma walk in. Shit.

“Dahlia Elizabeth Brewster, where have you been!? I have been waiting for 20 minutes!”Ma said as she marched up to her angrily and pulled her by the arm. “What did I say!? You meet me outside of school every day. You wait for me. Not the other way around”she scolded. A few students that were still lingering in the halls on the way to after school activities stopped to stare and whisper. Ma then sniffed her. “Is that my perfume? My Chanel perfume!?”she asked her. “Oh you are going to get it, Lia, just you wait”she said angrily as she yanked her by her arm all the way to the car and scolded her all the way home.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Dahlia’s punishment was extended for another eternity when Ma found her lipstick and Chanel perfume amongst her things. She would be a modern Cinderella until she was an old maid. No allowance. She got nada. She had to clean the bathroom and then she had to do every last assignment while Ma basically watched her like a hawk. Then it was time for dinner to be served and Dahlia helped Ma cook and clean up the kitchen. “Your father is going to be very disappointed when he hears about this”Ma said as they heard the doorknob jiggle. Then Rita and Pop walked in and Dahlia started to feel anxious, she knew her death was coming. Pop walked in and gave Ma a kiss. He then kissed Dahlia on the head. “How was your day?”he asked the both of them.

“Not good”Ma said. “We need to talk”

“What’s wrong?”Pop asked.

“Dahlia stole my lipstick and my Chanel perfume”Ma said. Pop sighed…..and then World War II Part 2 broke out.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Michael’s day was now a lot brighter now that Emily was around. She said she had been very busy with tests the past few days and he really didn’t care. He missed talking to her and having her around for those 24 hours. It felt like eternity without her. He decided to stop being paranoid. What did he have to worry about? They were now walking home from both of their club meetings. He had another Newspaper meeting and she had a Ballet class. “…..so I am going to make a petition because everyone on the newspaper and basically everyone that goes to our school, besides some of the teachers, are completely ignorant and incompetent-“

“Thanks”Emily said half disinterested, half offended.

“Not you of course”Michael said as he kissed her cheek. “I was hoping you would be the first to sign it. It’s a petition for the President to sign so that we can go to war and end this neutrality bullshit that he is on. It may be working for other countries but we can't just stand by. Emily, do you understand that we are one of the top 3 countries as far as economy and military intelligence and after all that recession bullshit that is saying something. We are too powerful to be ignored, we are too powerful to be stopped. We have to help Britain and France, be their allies. We have to go to war and stop Hitler-“

“Go to war?! Mikey, that is the most stupidest thing I have ever heard”Emily snapped

Michael stared at her in shock. “Wow, Em, that was rude-“

“You know what's rude!? The fact that I have to stand here and listen to you preach about Hitler this and Hitler that day in and day out and now you suggest we go to war!? Are you insane!? Killing innocent soldiers for someone else’s ignorance!? I can go on and on about how stupid of an idea that is but I won't because you are just going to make such a long winded argument that I’ll be bored to tears!”she yelled at him. “And that’s a huge problem, Mikey. You bore me. All you talk about is Hitler and not about anything I like. You are obsessed with him! If you like Hitler so much….go and fucking marry him!”

Michael stared at her in shock. Who was this person saying such rude and absurd things? She sounded just like the other students who opposed him. She didn’t sound like a loving girlfriend either. “Marry Hitler? Are you serious!? You are bored? I bore you?”he asked as he tried to wrap his head around such a fabrication

“Yes, you bore me. We don’t do anything fun, we just talk about Hitler and war and Roosevelt and Germany. Nothing I like. You do nothing for me!”

“I bought you flowers yesterday! Which you didn’t even bother to thank me for! I didn’t have lunch money because I wanted you to have flowers-“

“Oh so now it's my fault that you didn’t eat!-“

“NO! I'm saying that I do think about you! You barely talk to me anymore, Em, and I make conversation by talking about my day which leads to Hitler because that’s my job at the newspaper, reporting about the war. I can't help but talk about it….but fine…I wont talk about it with you-“

“You know what? You don’t even have to do that….”Emily sighed,”Just find someone else that is obsessed with that guy just like you are”

“Find someone else? Emily, stop”Michael said as he tried to get her stop walking but she kept on. “I'm not going to find someone else. I love you, only you”

“And I don’t love you! So….there, now go find someone that will actually love you back”

“You don’t mean that”he said as he chased after her. He grabbed her by her forearms and held her tight so she wouldn’t walk away. “You don’t mean that”

“I should have told you this a long time ago. I want to break up. I can't do this anymore. You smother me and bore me at the same time and I can't take it anymore. I want to break up”

“You don’t mean that. Em, just tell me what I need to do to make things right!? The way they used to be!”he said, not letting her go. She squirmed in his grasp. “EM! JUST TALK TO ME!”he shouted at her

“LET ME GO!”she shouted but he wouldn’t let her go. She then spit in his face and he let go out of pure shock. She spat on him. She spat on him like he was dirt. Like he was just some black boy who wasn’t supposed to be around. She ran off down the street and he didn’t run after her. She was gone. She didn’t want to be with him anymore. She didn’t love him. He felt his world crashing down. His life revolved around her. All he had was her, all he thought about was her and all he wanted was her. Why didn’t he see this coming? Why did he ignore the paranoia? He could have prevented this!

“I'm so stupid”he said as he hit his head against the building he was leaning against. “Stupid, stupid, stupid”he repeated as he kept hitting his head against the brick wall. Harder and harder as blood rolled down his face. And he didn’t stop.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Nicky opened his door and was shocked to find Michael standing there. He always ate dinner at home because it was a family tradition of his….and the fact that his head was bleeding. “Mikey! What happened!?”he said as he ushered him inside

“Quick, hide me. Don’t tell your Mom, or Kitty”Michael said,”I don’t want them to tell”he said. Nicky took him upstairs to his bathroom and helped clean him up while Michael told him what happened. “Everything’s my fault. I'm bleeding right now because it's my fault”

“Something isn’t right and it isn’t you. It's Em. She did this to you. The bitch. She fell out of love with you. Something's up. No one is that busy unless they are seeing someone else-“

“No, no, no, no….I don’t wanna hear it”Michael said. They had only been broken up for 30 minutes, he didn’t want to hear that yet

“Look, man. I get bored with chicks all the time. I make a huge fight with them so they would break up with me so I can call this other girl that I have been talking to. Rosie isn’t the only one…she thinks she is. Emily is sick…just like me. The difference between us is that I'm honest and I say that I found someone else. She put the blame all on you. She’s a whore. I never liked her you know”

“Your just saying that”Michael said. “She’s your best friend”

“No I'm not and she certainly is not. I only became her friend because you loved her so much. You’re my best friend, Mikey. You were there when Dad died…you were there for me a lot….You are my brother and if anyone hurts you. They are dead to me. Emily is dead to us and it's time we moved on”

*_____________________________________*