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Ezra Rosenstein is a businessman at heart, who does not S28
seem to appreciate Joshua even though he is smart and kind N29
01 and filled with goodness. I do not understand why Ezra can
02 not look at him and see the wonderful man that I do, and for
03 this reason, I hate Ezra, even though he’ll be the one keeping
04 Bryda Korzynski away.
05 After Shelby takes Ezra’s schedule into his office, I walk
06 to the break room, pour Joshua a cup of coffee, black with
07 two sugars, and bring it to his office.
08 “Oh, Margie,” he says, taking the cup and having a sip.
09 “You always know just what to do, don’t you?” He smiles and
10 runs his hand through his curls.
11 I nod and turn to leave, shining a bit with his compliment
12 and keeping my hands taut at my side, but then Joshua invites
13 me to have a seat across from his desk, so I do.
14 He doesn’t say anything for a moment, so I say, “The Zim
15 merman verdict came back?”
16 He nods, then shrugs. “You can’t win them all.” He is in a
17 black suit today, with a white shirt and straight black tie, and
18 somehow, as I am sitting closer to him now, he appears smaller
19 than when I watch him through the glass. Is it that the suit is
20 too big, and he is like a boy trying on his father’s clothes, or
21 that Ezra’s harsh words have somehow shrunk him?
22 “I’m sorry,” I tell him.
23 He shakes his head, opens his mouth to say something,
24 and then, as if he has thought better of it, he takes a sip of his
25 coffee. “Margie,” he says, when he is finished. “Can I ask you
26 something?”
27 “Of course.” I nod.
28S “What did you think of Miss Korzynski yesterday?”
29N
    “Me?” I fix my eyes on the bronze placard at the front of 01
his large oak desk that reads Joshua S. Rosenstein, Esquire. 02
The S stands for Samuel, I know, who was Ezra’s father, Josh 03
ua’s grandfather, one of the original founders of this firm. For 04
some reason, I think of Samuel in the Bible, the great uniter 05
against the Philistines. But wasn’t it Joshua, in the Bible, 06
who led the Israelites into the Promised Land? Or was that 07
Peter? No, I remember. Peter was the fisherman, who for a 08
moment walked on water, until he lost his faith and he began 09
to sink. 10
“Yes,” Joshua is saying now. “I’d like your opinion.” 11
I don’t know why Joshua is suddenly so keen to have my 12
opinion, but it could be because he knows I will not yell at 13
him as his father just did. “Well,” I say, choosing my words 14
very carefully. “Her story was very sad . . .” I have a but. But, 15
there are many people with sad stories, I would say. And they 16
cannot all be helped . My sister knew this about me, used to 17
tease me about it even. There is always a but with you, Mar- 18
gola! Joshua doesn’t know me well enough to ask, or if he 19
does, he doesn’t actually want to hear it. 20
“Yes,” he says. “It was very sad, wasn’t it? I should help her, 21
shouldn’t I? I mean, I owe her something, don’t I?” He seems 22
to be talking more to himself than to me. 23
“Why is that?” I ask. 24
“Because,” he says, but I know what he really means is 25
because he is also a Jew but he hasn’t suffered for it, not the 26
way that she has, or the way Margot had. Also, Joshua likes 27
to help people. “Anyway.” He clears his throat. “Bring my S28
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    01 schedule in for the day, will you?” I nod, and as I turn to walk
02 out, I hear the sound of Joshua’s giant sigh, floating past me.
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05 As I reach my desk, I sigh, too.
06 Bryda Korzynski, I think, she is just like that night in the
07 annex, that burglar. For a moment Peter held on to the knife,
08 tracing a circle in the air with his voice. And then the moment
09 passed. And once again we were safe.
10 At least, for a little while longer.
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