Raisins and almonds - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)

Raisins and Almonds
suddenly so afraid, what had we done, leaving our own place
and coming to this new country, and then someone yelled from
the shore, “Shalom aleichem!” out loud, like that, so that anyone
could hear and know it was a Jew speaking, and I was so relieved
that I cried anyway, nu, where was I? Please, Mr. Abrahams and
lady, have some more tea.’
‘What happened then?’ asked Phryne, sipping more hot,
thin, refreshing tea.
‘We were safe then. Yossel spoke to Mr. Abrahams, and he
took charge of the trunk and paid us the full gold price for it,
and we bought this house, and then just when we were settled
and we all had jobs and we were happy, my Yossel he took
tuberculosis and died, ai, ai, he lasted long enough to see his
son, and then he was gone. My Yosselah, alav ha-sholom. God
rest his soul, he was a good man.’ Mrs. Grossman wiped her eyes
with her apron. ‘But we are doing well. I keep a boarding house
and Mrs. Hallenstein sends me some of the new ones from the
boats, so I have a household to feed and they have a good kosher
home. My daughter Helen makes buttons and my daughter
Fanny works in an office and my son Philo—who would have
thought he would grow so tall?—he has his own shop in the
Eastern Market, a picture frame maker. And my Saul is a son
of the Book. And we are all happy except that Yossi brings me
distinguished visitors without any warning.’
Phryne took Mrs. Grossman’s hand and said, ‘We are very
glad to be here and your house could not be any tidier or
cleaner if you had ten years’ notice. I like this tea. Do you buy
it locally?’
‘King and Godfreys,’ said Mrs. Grossman promptly. ‘But
maybe you can come again, and we will make you perhaps
some French coffee, and my seed cake which I make better than
any woman in Faraday Street, though I say it myself; it was my
mother’s recipe. Now I will not intrude any more on this business
of the death, a terrible thing, such a young man.’
She collected her daughters and bustled away. Yossi
Liebermann and Phillip sat down at the table, pushing aside the