Read Online DISOWNED by Gabriella Murray - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gabriella Murray
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it, you're stuck here with me now."
Then out of nowhere Devorah is finished. She gets up, turns her back and sadly walks up the cold, stone stairs.
CHAPTER 7
So, for now, Rivkah follows her grandmother's footsteps. She tries hard very hard to do as she is instructed. She wants to love her grandmother and have her grandmother love her, although strange feelings are stirring within. Feelings she tells no one about either, not even herself.
Naturally, Henry doesn't approve of what's happening. He doesn't like to see Rivkah so much at Devorah's side.
"You're with her more than usual, Bekkie."
"What can I do about it?"
"What can you do? We'll see about that."
Henry starts to follow Rivkah downstairs to her grandmother's kitchen. Devorah quickly shuts the door in Henry's face.
He stands outside and bangs hard on it. "Open it up!"
Devorah quickly turns the latch, locking both her and Rivkah inside.
He only bangs harder.
Devorah leans her whole body against the door. A human barricade against temptation. "There's no reason, Henry, why you should come inside."
"She's My daughter. Open up."
"We're doing what's right here. You go back upstairs where you belong."
But he just keeps banging and calling out. "Right and wrong. Wrong and right. With you everything's so simple."
But even if Henry stands there and knocks forever, Devorah will never let him in.
Later at night, when Rivkah goes upstairs to sleep, Henry comes into her room and sits down at the edge of her bed. Rivkah pretends to be sleeping, but he starts talking anyway.
"This can't go on forever," Henry says/
Rivkah opens her eyes. "I want to go to sleep."
"You have to listen to me. I am your father."
"So?"
"So? So, I am your father," he repeats solemnly. The sound of his voice alerts her to danger. "And I am going to take you out of Yeshiva and make you just like the other girls and boys."
Rivkah can't even really listen. "What other girls and boys?" The world outside is a strange
haze to her.
"When I take you out of Yeshiva and put you into a public school you won't have to be so different from everybody."
"But I am different from everybody."
"You'll go where boys and girls play together."
She looks at him like he's crazy.
"And you won't have to wear long skirts, long sleeves and those ugly shoes."
"My shoes aren't ugly."
"Very ugly. And in this new world, you'll learn other things too. Things you never even imagined possible".
"I don't want it daddy."
"How do you know? You never had a chance to know. You can't make a choice if you don't know. You're smart too. It's wasted here. Wasted."
Rivkah puts both hands over her ears.
"Take your hands down, Bekkie. There are things to learn!"
"But do they matter, daddy?"
The words of her grandmother come to her vividly. "Or, will they make me rotten and sick, just like the other daughters?"
"What?"
"Will they make me twisted?"
Henry bolts up straighter, amazed. "Your grandma told you that? She is the one who is twisted."
"She isn't."
Despite themselves, a link has grown between Rivkah and her grandmother, a link forged from the centuries, and from hours together in her white kitchen.
"Grandma's other daughters are rotten and sick. They've forgotten everything."
"Brainwashed," he murmurs.
"Daddy, daddy," Rivkah cries out, with a sudden force that stuns them both, "if you take me out of Yeshiva, who is going to hold the entire Jewish people up?"
At that he gets up from her bedside. “They’re not getting you. Not you. Believe me. Over my dead body! You're My daughter, Bekkie. You belong to me. There's got to be someone in this family who is on my side. Just one!"
"And what side is that, exactly?"
He stops and looks into the distance. "What side? I despise them all."
Rivkah can see worlds flicker back and forth in front of her
Then out of nowhere Devorah is finished. She gets up, turns her back and sadly walks up the cold, stone stairs.
CHAPTER 7
So, for now, Rivkah follows her grandmother's footsteps. She tries hard very hard to do as she is instructed. She wants to love her grandmother and have her grandmother love her, although strange feelings are stirring within. Feelings she tells no one about either, not even herself.
Naturally, Henry doesn't approve of what's happening. He doesn't like to see Rivkah so much at Devorah's side.
"You're with her more than usual, Bekkie."
"What can I do about it?"
"What can you do? We'll see about that."
Henry starts to follow Rivkah downstairs to her grandmother's kitchen. Devorah quickly shuts the door in Henry's face.
He stands outside and bangs hard on it. "Open it up!"
Devorah quickly turns the latch, locking both her and Rivkah inside.
He only bangs harder.
Devorah leans her whole body against the door. A human barricade against temptation. "There's no reason, Henry, why you should come inside."
"She's My daughter. Open up."
"We're doing what's right here. You go back upstairs where you belong."
But he just keeps banging and calling out. "Right and wrong. Wrong and right. With you everything's so simple."
But even if Henry stands there and knocks forever, Devorah will never let him in.
Later at night, when Rivkah goes upstairs to sleep, Henry comes into her room and sits down at the edge of her bed. Rivkah pretends to be sleeping, but he starts talking anyway.
"This can't go on forever," Henry says/
Rivkah opens her eyes. "I want to go to sleep."
"You have to listen to me. I am your father."
"So?"
"So? So, I am your father," he repeats solemnly. The sound of his voice alerts her to danger. "And I am going to take you out of Yeshiva and make you just like the other girls and boys."
Rivkah can't even really listen. "What other girls and boys?" The world outside is a strange
haze to her.
"When I take you out of Yeshiva and put you into a public school you won't have to be so different from everybody."
"But I am different from everybody."
"You'll go where boys and girls play together."
She looks at him like he's crazy.
"And you won't have to wear long skirts, long sleeves and those ugly shoes."
"My shoes aren't ugly."
"Very ugly. And in this new world, you'll learn other things too. Things you never even imagined possible".
"I don't want it daddy."
"How do you know? You never had a chance to know. You can't make a choice if you don't know. You're smart too. It's wasted here. Wasted."
Rivkah puts both hands over her ears.
"Take your hands down, Bekkie. There are things to learn!"
"But do they matter, daddy?"
The words of her grandmother come to her vividly. "Or, will they make me rotten and sick, just like the other daughters?"
"What?"
"Will they make me twisted?"
Henry bolts up straighter, amazed. "Your grandma told you that? She is the one who is twisted."
"She isn't."
Despite themselves, a link has grown between Rivkah and her grandmother, a link forged from the centuries, and from hours together in her white kitchen.
"Grandma's other daughters are rotten and sick. They've forgotten everything."
"Brainwashed," he murmurs.
"Daddy, daddy," Rivkah cries out, with a sudden force that stuns them both, "if you take me out of Yeshiva, who is going to hold the entire Jewish people up?"
At that he gets up from her bedside. “They’re not getting you. Not you. Believe me. Over my dead body! You're My daughter, Bekkie. You belong to me. There's got to be someone in this family who is on my side. Just one!"
"And what side is that, exactly?"
He stops and looks into the distance. "What side? I despise them all."
Rivkah can see worlds flicker back and forth in front of her
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