Read Online No One Must Know by Eva Wiseman - Free Book Online

pumpkin,” Mr. Pearlman said. “Let Alex sit beside Jacob. Come, sit next to me.”
    “But I always –” She broke off mid-sentence at a stern look from her mother and threw herself down on the chair beside her father. “Jake has a girlfriend … Jake has a girlfriend,” she muttered under her breath.
    Jacob’s face turned crimson. “Why, I’ll –”
    “Enough, Jacob!” Mrs. Pearlman said. “Marnie, do you want to spend Shabbos in your room?”
    The girl gave the table leg a swift kick but kept quiet.
    Satisfied, Mrs. Pearlman turned away to cover her head with a silk scarf. Jacob and his father put on black skullcaps, then Mr. Pearlman poured a glass of red wine into a small silver cup and pronounced a few sentences in a language I couldn’t understand. He passed the cup around the table, and we all drank from it. Next, he said a few more sentences in the same language over a braided loaf of bread that sat in front of him on the table. He broke off several small pieces, dipped them in salt, and passed a piece to each person around the table. I noticed that everybody was eating their bread, so I ate my piece too. When all of us had finished, Mrs. Pearlman stood up.
    “I’ll bring in dinner,” she said.
    “Let me help you,” I said.
    “Thank you, dear. Marnie will help too.”
    The table was soon overflowing with bowls and platters. Chicken soup and salad were followed by something Mrs. Pearlman called brisket, which turned out to be the same kind of roast Mom made. We ate potato knishes, homemade pickles, and even a fancy green-bean casserole with onion rings arranged on top. For dessert we had dry cookies that were delicious. Mrs. Pearlmancalled them komish. We ate and ate until I was so stuffed that I couldn’t have eaten another mouthful. Finally, Mr. Pearlman leaned back in his chair.
    “It’s so nice to have our family together to welcome Shabbos,” he said. “And it’s also nice to have a guest joining us in our new home. Do you live far from here, Alex?”
    “Five minutes away, on Ash Street.”
    “Jacob tells me that you’re in some of his classes,” he said.
    I nodded. “Social studies and music.”
    “We’ve been told that your school is the best high school in the city,” he said.
    “My school too, Daddy?”
    “Yes, Marnie. Your school is very good too.” He poured himself a glass of wine before turning back to me. “We’re fortunate that our apartment is so close by. It’s important to us that Jacob attend a school with such a good reputation.”
    “You mean it’s important to you, Nathan,” Mrs. Pearlman said. She shot her husband a quick glance, then turned to me. “Are there many Jewish kids in your school, Alexandra?”
    I had to think for a moment before answering, for I had never considered it before. “I guess not. Most of the Jewish people live in the North End, and their kids go toschool there. Even the Jewish kids who live around here go to the parochial school in the North End.”
    “I told you it doesn’t matter, Mother!” Jacob cried. “Why do you have to keep harping on the subject?” He cracked his knuckles. I was learning that this meant he was nervous.
    “It matters to me,” Mrs. Pearlman said. “Marnie is too young, but you should join the B’Nai B’rith Youth Organization as soon as possible. I’m sure they’re active in this town too.”
    “They are,” I said. “Last year, my Sunday school class had a bowling team. We bowled against several BBYO teams at the annual city-wide roll-off. They were pretty good.”
    “I like bowling,” Jacob said. “We should go sometime.”
    Mrs. Pearlman stared at me solemnly. I noticed that her smile had slipped. “So you go to Sunday school,” she said. “When you mentioned your grandmother’s candlesticks, I was quite certain that you were …” Her voice trailed off.
    “Mother, stop it!” Jacob cried.
    She shrugged her shoulders. “Fine,” she said before turning back to me. “Which