The Two-Family House: A Novel (30 page)

When she finally spoke, her voice was unclear and murmured. It sounded like she was apologizing, but Abe stopped her before she could go on.

“
You
don’t need to be sorry. I’m the one who did a belly flop on the hotel carpet right in the middle of the wedding.”

“Do you remember anything?”

“Only a little bit. Natalie came into the ballroom—it looked like she’d been crying. She said you were by the coatroom talking to Rose, so I went to get you.”

“And after that?”

“The last thing I remember is Rose yelling at you.”

“Do you remember what she said?”

“Just yelling, her dress, your dress, Natalie’s dress—who knows. She always has something to yell about.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s it.”

“Oh Abe, I’m so sorry.” Helen’s voice cracked and she broke down. “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault that this happened. If I hadn’t confronted Rose, we wouldn’t have been arguing and you wouldn’t have had the heart attack.…”

“Shh. It’s not your fault. Listen to me. You had nothing to do with it. It would have happened anyway.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Listen for a minute. I didn’t want to tell you but I wasn’t feeling so great on Friday, the day before the wedding. I couldn’t breathe so well at work and I had a couple of pains.”

“Pains?”

“Chest pains, and running down my arm, just a little bit.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to make a fuss right before the wedding. I was gonna go to the doctor on Monday. I guess it wasn’t such a good plan.”

Abe expected her to scold him, to tell him how stubborn and foolish he had been for neglecting his health. Instead, Helen threw her arms around him and held him close. He shut his eyes and felt the gentle rhythm of her breath against his cheek. In a few minutes, he fell back asleep.

Chapter 59

ROSE

Rose was disappointed that her aunt Faye hadn’t been able to come to New York for Mimi’s wedding. Faye’s husband, Stuart, had died a few years earlier, and after that Faye had stopped coming north for visits. Faye called the week before the wedding to wish Rose
mazel tov,
but Rose didn’t like the way she sounded. “Can you believe I caught a cold in Florida
in May
?” she coughed. It was the last thing Rose ever heard her say.

When the lawyer called the Monday after the wedding, Rose couldn’t believe that Faye was gone. At that point she hadn’t seen her aunt in more than two years.

The lawyer had a lot of information to go over with her. “I’ll be sending you the details in the mail, but your aunt’s will is very clear. She left her house and her entire residuary estate to you.”

“I’m not familiar with the legal terms. What does that mean?”

“Well, aside from some charitable bequests and specific bequests of tangible property—jewelry and other mementos—Faye left you the rest of everything she owned, including her house, bank accounts and stock portfolios.”

“What about my cousins in California? Her will must mention them?”

“The will lists all other possible heirs by name, including your cousins, but it states clearly that you are the only one to inherit the bulk of the estate.”

Rose had almost no contact with her cousins. None of them had flown to New York for the wedding, and none of them had sent Mimi a gift. Still, she wondered what they would think of her getting all of Aunt Faye’s money. She doubted they would be happy for her. “Did Faye say why?”

“The will states that you were the niece who took the most interest in her, and the only one with whom she had regular contact. However, your aunt also left a handwritten letter on file with us, giving more explicit reasons. She referenced the loss of your son several years ago and her hope that this money might bring you some measure of happiness.”

Rose couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Well, thank you very much for your time.”

“There is one additional matter. Faye made a personal bequest to one of your relatives.” Rose could hear the shuffling of papers in the background. “Here it is. Your niece, I believe. Natalie. I was hoping you could provide me with an address and phone number for her.”

“Natalie?” Rose was stunned.

“It seems Faye met her at your home and was quite taken with her.”

“What did she give her?”

“I’ll read it to you: ‘To Natalie Berman, the niece of my niece Rose Berman, I hereby give and bequeath my Cartier platinum and diamond earrings. I hope she will enjoy them and keep them to remember me by.’”

“Diamond earrings?”

“Yes.”

“You realize Natalie is only thirteen years old?”

“I’m sure the girl’s parents will keep them for her until—”

Rose cut him off. “Thank you for your time.”

“About that address—”

Rose hung up the phone before the lawyer could finish. Let him find the address from someone else. She was furious.
Natalie again!
What made her so damned special? Rose flung the phone across the room.

“What was that?” Judith called down the stairs when she heard the noise. She was home for a few more weeks before she returned to Boston for her summer research position.

“Nothing,” Rose answered, trying to sound undisturbed. “I dropped the phone.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Everything’s fine.”

Rose was distraught over Faye’s passing, but her anger over the bequest to Natalie superseded her grief. What had Faye been thinking? She hadn’t left gifts for the other girls. Why Natalie? What set her apart? And why was everyone always so taken with her?

Rose was up late that night, waiting for Mort to return from the hospital. She was anxious for news, and she wanted to know what Abe remembered from the wedding. She certainly wasn’t about to call Helen to find out.

“Abe woke up tonight,” Mort told her as he removed his tie.

Rose’s heart was pounding. “That’s good news … isn’t it?”

“Yes, very.”

“Did he … say anything?”

“Not much. I was the only one there at first. Helen was at home getting some clean clothes, but she came later. He was a little woozy still, mumbling about eating too many lamb chops.”

“Well, did you see him at the reception? He was shoveling them in like he hadn’t eaten in a week.”

“Rose, please. He’s in the hospital.”

“Well, maybe he wouldn’t be in the hospital if he hadn’t made such a pig of himself.”

“Enough!” She had gone too far. Mort looked like he was about to explode. “My brother had a
heart attack
! He could have
died
and all you can do is criticize his eating habits? What’s wrong with you?”

She was unprepared for his outburst, but he wasn’t done. “I
forbid you
from saying one more word against my brother. Do you hear me?” Mort’s voice grew more hostile and ragged. “Or against Helen either! That woman has done nothing but try to help you for as long as she’s known you. Do you remember how she used to come downstairs and take care of Teddy when he was a baby? Or how she came with me to the hospital when he got hurt? When Teddy died, Helen was here every night cooking and cleaning. So
what
is so terrible about her? What did she ever do to make you hate her so much?”

The way Mort looked at her then was something she would never forget: like she was a monster from a nightmare and he couldn’t wake up. It was awful, but she would have been able to get past it if he hadn’t thrown all of Helen’s good deeds in her face. If he hadn’t held Helen up like some kind of saint against her own awful wickedness. She might even have apologized for the lamb chop comment if Mort just hadn’t said what he said to her next.

“Do you know what you’re going to do tomorrow?” Mort asked, his voice hard with resolve. “You’re going to the hospital to visit my brother, the way you should have two days ago. And when you see Helen there, you’re going to tell her you’re sorry. Whatever this feud is about, it’s gone on long enough. Tomorrow you’re going to end it.”

Rose’s heart was racing. She couldn’t do what Mort demanded. The thought of walking into the hospital, of facing Helen at Abe’s bedside, made her physically ill. She would not let Mort dictate the terms of her forgiveness.

“I can’t go tomorrow. I have to go to the travel agent and book my airline ticket. Then I have to pack. I think I’ll bring Dinah with me.” She was nonchalant.

Mort thought she had gone crazy. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“My aunt Faye died yesterday,” she said.

“What?”

“Faye. She died yesterday of pneumonia. Her lawyer called this afternoon.”

She had caught him off guard. “I’m sorry, Rose. I … I didn’t know.”

“How could you know?” Her voice was detached, thoroughly indifferent. “Faye left everything to me: the house, her bank accounts, everything she owned. I need to meet with the lawyer to sort it all out. I’m sure it will take a few weeks at least. So I won’t have time to go to the hospital tomorrow. I’ll be leaving for Florida as soon as I can arrange the trip.”

Chapter 60

ROSE

She wasn’t coming back. She wouldn’t say that to Mort, of course. She wouldn’t say it to anyone. But she knew it to be true. As soon as she recognized it, it became more real than anything else. A calmness settled over her, and she was able to focus her energies with an efficiency she didn’t know she possessed. Her anxiety faded into the background, and for the next several nights, she slept better than she had in decades.

Preparations for the trip took up most of her time. Dinah would be joining her at first—she had just graduated from high school and had no summer plans. They would be staying at Faye’s house. It belonged to Rose, after all, and she decided that the easiest thing would be to live there. The lawyer had given her the phone number of Faye’s longtime housekeeper, and Rose had arranged for the house to be cleaned and groceries to be purchased before they arrived. She had even arranged for Faye’s car to be serviced (Faye hadn’t driven it for years). “I have it all worked out,” she told Mort. “We’ll leave next Wednesday.”

For the most part, Mort let her be. He didn’t bother her with questions about the house or Faye’s property. He didn’t offer advice about how to deal with the lawyer or the tax implications. There was nothing he could say to change her mind about the trip.

There was one thing he wanted her to do, however. “I’d like you to visit my brother in the hospital before you leave.”

She pretended to be busy arranging her toiletries in her suitcase. “I’ll visit him when I get back.”

“You’re staying for two weeks. With any luck, he’ll be out of the hospital by then.”

“Then I’ll see him at the house. I have to pack.”

He pointed to the suitcase. “You’re finished packing. You’ve taken care of everything and you don’t leave for two days yet. You have plenty of time to see him tomorrow.”

Rose had no more excuses. She would visit Abe the next day.

*   *   *

When she arrived at the hospital, she could see Abe through the half-open door to his room. He was propped up in bed, reading the newspaper, and he was alone.
Thank God
. Maybe she’d get lucky and miss Helen altogether.

“Hello, Abe,” she said, knocking on the door.

He was surprised to see her. “Rose! Come in, come in.” Abe folded the paper and put it on the table next to the bed. He looked better than she expected. Helen must have brought him some clothes, because he was in pajamas instead of a hospital gown. He was freshly shaven but pale.

Rose sat down on the chair farthest from the bed. “How are you feeling?” She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Good. The doctors say I should be out of here next week.” He smiled and looked down at his hands. It occurred to her that he probably couldn’t think of anything to say either. She wondered how long she was obligated to stay. Was twenty minutes long enough? If only he had been sleeping when she arrived! She could have just left the gift and written a note.…

“I almost forgot. I brought you a gift.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” He winked at her. “But if it’s something from that deli down the block, I won’t turn it away. The doctor put me on some low-fat diet, and I haven’t had a decent sandwich since I got here.”

“It’s not food.” The disappointed look on his face made her want to punch him. Instead, she handed him a rectangular package wrapped in paper from a local bookstore.

“I hope you enjoy it,” she managed to say. “It was on the bestseller list for most of last year and some of this year too—it’s called
Hawaii
.”

“Oh?” It was obvious he hadn’t heard of it, but it had given them something to talk about, for a few minutes, at least. “If you don’t like it, I’m sure Helen can return it for you.”

“No!” he insisted. “It’s gotta be terrific if it was on the best-seller list for that long! Geez. I’ll start it first thing tomorrow.”

“Good.” She paused. “Well, I should let you get some rest.” She got up from the chair, but before she could leave, Abe reached his hand out. “Wait!”

“Are you all right? Should I call the doctor?”

“No, nothing like that. I just wanted to say thanks for coming to see me. I know you’ve got a lot to do, so thanks for taking the time.”

It occurred to Rose that this might be the last time she would ever see Abe, and that thought, coupled with the vulnerability of his condition, compelled her to take his outstretched hand. In truth, she cared very little about what happened to him once she was gone, but a tiny part of her was glad for Mort that he had a brother like Abe to keep him company. There had never been a man with as little guile and as much forgiveness in him as Abe.

“You’re welcome.” She held his hand, just for an instant, before she let it fall.

Chapter 61

HELEN

Helen couldn’t believe it when she saw Rose leaving Abe’s room. What had she said to him? Of course, Rose must have been prepared for the possibility of the two of them running into each other. But Helen was flustered.