Music ends. Stage lights slowly come back up.
Myer and Esther are resting on the couch. Sasha has nodded off in the easy chair. Sammy is hiding in the bedroom. Felix comes shivering in through the front door and hangs up his coat.
FELIX
It’s morning.
SASHA
It’s so quiet.
ESTHER
(to Felix)
What? What is it?
FELIX
Nothing. Just a check. Look at this. Look what I found.
Felix pulls two eggs from his pocket. Esther goes to him.
ESTHER
Give them here.
MYER
Son, since you’re up, would you fetch me a glass of water?
FELIX
Sure, Poppa.
ESTHER
(moves toward the bedroom door)
I’m letting him out.
MYER
(to Felix)
Use that nice cup.
Esther exits to the bedroom.
MYER (cont’d)
Felix, listen, I’ve decided something. Come, sit. Sasha, you, too. I’m going to make you a full partner. As of today, you and Sasha have half ownership … of everything.
FELIX
Poppa, what are you talking about?
MYER
The business.
FELIX
There is no business.
MYER
Maybe not now. But soon, we’ll be back. For now, the idea stays alive. The customers who knows me, they will return. Always they come back. When the Germans go, you’ll see. They’ll seek me out like never before.
FELIX
Okay…
MYER
I’m getting long in the tooth. Even the eye tooth. I want to do this for you and Sasha. You’ve learned everything what I have to teach you. You’re a good boy. A master tailor, like your Poppa.
FELIX
Sasha, how do you like that?
SASHA
(glumly)
It’s wonderful.
MYER
My father, your Zadie, God rest his soul, he did the same for me. I was partner when I was younger even than you.
SASHA
Now we have everything. Everything we wanted. A business—
MYER
A partnership, Sasha. Only a partnership. You will own the business when you have to leave me outside with the corpses.
SASHA
There is no business, you fool! What are you talking about? (to Felix) Why are you acting like this? You think next year you’ll be working in the store? (sobs) You think I’ll be pregnant with our first child? You’re living in a dream. It’s like … it’s like … God is dangling it in front of me, everything I dreamed, everything I wanted … teasing me. It’s all right there, but it’s out of my reach. I want to grab it and hold it … but I CAN’T GET IT! I can’t get it! It’s too far away. It’s a cruel God who would do this, a cruel God!
FELIX
Sasha, please. You don’t know what you’re saying.
SASHA
Oh, I do!
MYER
To say such things. (gazes heavenward) It is He who we live for, always. What happens here, in this world, He controls it. There is a reason for everything, Sasha, that we, with our dull minds cannot fathom. Even this.
FELIX
Poppa, she doesn’t mean it. She’s upset.
MYER
When Job was stricken by unspeakable tragedy, it was difficult, yes, but he met the challenge. He kept the faith. And Abraham. Look at him. The harder the test, the harder we work. We adapt to His demands always, no matter what. Without Him we are like children lost in the desert of this world.
Esther and Sammy enter.
ESTHER
That’s right, Poppa. “The harder the test, the harder we must work.”
Myer stares at Sammy.
MYER
So. The prodigal son has returned. To what do we owe this good fortune?
ESTHER
He was in Warsaw—
SAMMY
Prodigal son? You threw me out.
ESTHER
Please, don’t argue.
MYER
You gave me no choice.
SAMMY
Oh, you had a choice.
MYER
Yes, of course. Like I have a choice to move the moon and stars behind the sun. (to Esther) He spits in the face of everything that is sacred. Our faith. The Torah. The Law!
FELIX
Sasha isn’t well.
ESTHER
Oh, darling. Put her in the bed.
SASHA
No. I’m fine.
SAMMY
What is so wrong with living your life guided by your own principles? What is wrong with doing what your heart tells you to do?
MYER
You’re a child.
SAMMY
All right! I’m the worst person that ever lived. I married the woman I loved. She wasn’t what you expected. She wasn’t what you wanted.
MYER
No, it was more than that. Marrying a goy, bad enough. Letting go of our faith, again, not good. But that wasn’t sufficient punishment for us, was it? You had to go further, like always. You should have just torn out our hearts. You married a Nazi!
SASHA
What?
SAMMY
That’s absurd! How can you think such things? I’ll tell you why: You hate me. You’ve always had enthusiasm for that.
MYER
Tell me, Lord, what did I do to deserve this?
ESTHER
Poppa. Stop it!
MYER
Death is out there, lurking in the shadows, it’s searching for me. And here is his messenger, in my own home! (looks at Esther, points to Sammy) There is the harbinger. Not your idiotic dybbuk. Uh, my heart! My heart is going to burst. Get out of here, leave now!
SAMMY
That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said.
Sammy starts for the door.
FELIX
Sam, wait.
MYER
Be quiet, Felix.
FELIX
I can speak my mind. I’m not a tree, standing here.
MYER
All right, quickly!
Felix approaches Sammy.
FELIX
Sam, there’s something I want to tell you. I know about the resistance. It’s good. It’s the right thing, for you. We haven’t always been close. We may … It’s just, I know how precious life is… What I’m saying … I can’t do what you’re doing, even if I wanted to. But I’m glad … you’re fighting. I know you’re doing it for all of us. I’m proud of you.
MYER
Proud!
SAMMY
Felix. Felix. I’m sorry.
FELIX
For what?
SAMMY
The way I treated you. I was a bully. I wish I could take it back, what I did. I so regret it.
MYER
He regrets something!
FELIX
You didn’t do anything. It was easy for me. I was the “good” son. I saw your strength. I followed you in ways you’ll never know. I’m glad you’re here.
ESTHER
Poppa, think! Here is a chance! Do I have to chisel it on your forehead? Your son is here.
MYER
(gestures to Felix)
That is my son. This one, he rejects everything we taught him to live with the Nazis! Is your memory so full of holes? Look! The great Nazi benefactor. The Nazi husband!
ESTHER
That’s nonsense and you know it. Rose’s father is the Nazi. Not Rose. Not Sammy’s wife.
MYER
Believe whatever you want.
SASHA
I don’t understand.
SAMMY
Poor Sasha.
SASHA
Tell me, please.
SAMMY
My wife Rose … Her father is an SS officer. But not until he left the family. He didn’t get along with Rose’s mother. He left. He moved to Germany. He remarried. Rose and her mother had no contact with him. She hardly knew him.
MYER
It doesn’t matter. Your wife is the daughter of a murdering SS captain.
SAMMY
That’s not what’s really troubling you, is it?
MYER
You have all the answers, don’t you, smart guy. Mr. Big Macher.
SAMMY
The world you live in! How do you do it? Everything in pure black and white. Your scriptures lay down the law but they ignore every shade of gray. The world is nothing but gray!
MYER
That’s why we need the scriptures. If we accept things at face value and follow our impulses, life is chaos, like in the olden times. We need God’s law to live by—
SAMMY
And suffocate by! Those rules were written for a different world. A primitive, lawless world.
MYER
It is the world outside this door!
SAMMY
Your commandments have one message and one message only: No. No, no, no! It only says what we don’t do. Fine, I agree, we don’t lie, we don’t kill. But where is the yes?
MYER
The law is the law. It’s why we are here. It’s why we survived thousands of years with a knife or a gun at our back. Yet we outlast them! We live on, while their civilizations turn to dust. Why is that? I’ll tell you why. It’s because of the scriptures! Have they not served us? There is no other reason we’re having this ridiculous conversation.
SAMMY
Do they mention the Gestapo, your holy books?
ESTHER
Sammy, please. The Torah is the rock beneath our feet.
MYER
You were always attacking. A jab here, a stab there. You understand nothing. I remember the time you ran through the temple, screaming like a lunatic, a certified crazy, my own son. You disrupted the service and shamed me so. Still it makes my blood boil. What was that? Respect?
SAMMY
That was the past. What do you want? You want me to open a vein for you?
MYER
Look what they’re doing now. My business, gone. Soldiers living in our home. The house I made. History repeats itself. Make no mistake, it has been going on since—
SAMMY
(impatiently)
The time of Moses.
MYER
And do you want to know how we survived?
SAMMY
By sticking together.
MYER
Under one temple. One roof. And you’re going to do better? You think you’re smarter than everyone. You think you’re smarter than God. You think you can make your own law. Such chutzpah. Well, I have some information for you, big shot. It’s too late. The rules are already written. They were written long ago. (beat) All I ever wanted was respect. A father deserves respect. Is that such a terrible thing to ask?
ESTHER
Poppa. He’s trying.
SAMMY
Do you want to know why? Because I’m here. My feet brought me here. I’ve seen things no one should have to see.
ESTHER
What did you see?
The family waits, rapt, terrified.
ESTHER
What?
SAMMY
Yesterday, I was in a house. People I didn’t know. In Lodz.
SASHA
You were in Lodz?
SAMMY
Outside the city.
SASHA
How is it there?
SAMMY
Same as here.
ESTHER
No.
SAMMY
Soldiers were there. In this house. One of them was beating this boy. I had to watch. I wanted to kill that guy. I could have. But there were five of them. My anger was so great, almost greater than my fear… Almost. He took that child by the legs and swung him around and around, banging his little head against the walls. The boy… He was a limp rag. That guy’s face, his expression, he was … smiling.
SASHA
… horrible …
SAMMY
But the mother. She had to watch. I’ll never forget it, this woman and her dull, lifeless eyes. No expression. It was her son! Yet she didn’t move. She’d become a thing, with but a single purpose: survive. Even at such a cost. That was all that was left of her. Her humanity was gone. Somehow, I got out of there. (beat) I’m leaving. Goodbye.
Sammy starts for the door.
ESTHER
No! Please, Sammy, listen to me. You’re a good boy. My son. My wonderful, brave son. Don’t go. (to Myer) Poppa! Have you lost your mind?
Sammy goes to the boarded-up window and peers out of the slit.
SAMMY
It’s light already.
FELIX
Sammy, how do you fight them? You have guns?
SAMMY
We don’t fight. That’s suicide. We disrupt.
ESTHER
Disrupt? What is that?
SAMMY
You fight, they retaliate. They burn neighborhoods — to instruct us. Those boys in the square? They fought. We cause accidents. We loosen a railroad bolt, a train “accidentally” goes off the tracks. An ammunition car blows up “by accident.” That’s how we fight. (looks at Myer) But maybe these are bad ideas. Maybe I should leave the fighting to the Germans. What do you think, Myer? I have an idea. How about this: I’ll do whatever you say. You decide. You tell me what to do. That’s what you’ve always wanted.
MYER
I want only for you to do what’s right.
SAMMY
Right? For who?
MYER
Go ahead, get yourself killed. (beat) No, no, no, no, I don’t mean that.
SAMMY
Don’t you?
MYER
I would like to take you back. I can’t.
SAMMY
“No return damaged clothing.” Isn’t that your policy?
MYER
You must atone.
SAMMY
Atone? For what?
MYER
For your sins.
SAMMY
What sins?
MYER
God help me, I can forgive you for so much. I want to. For years I endured your headstrong behavior. You’re my flesh and blood. But how can I forgive you for that woman!
SAMMY
You cruel, bitter old man. You know nothing of Rose.
MYER
I know what she is.
SAMMY
And what is that? What is that, father? Tell me. Come on, tell me. What is Rose?
MYER
What you could never be—a Gentile!
SAMMY
What!?
MYER
Admit it! All your life you wanted to be one of them.
SAMMY
No. I just didn’t want to be like you.
MYER
Go! Get out! I can’t bear to look at you. Back to your Nazi wife!
SAMMY
I can’t!
MYER
Yes you can!
SAMMY
No, I can’t! She’s dead!!
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Copyright © 2003-2018 Warren Goldie
17-Dec.-18