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Authors: Ayelet Waldman
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responsible. Ruby will love her; she’s got a stud in her tongue.”
“Oh, well, why didn’t you tell me that to begin with? Sure, no problem, as long as she’s heavy into self-mutilation. I mean, who would ever want a baby-sitter who couldn’t set off a metal detector or two?”
Peter sat up and lifted Isaac up over his head, zooming him around like an airplane.
“She’s a nice kid,” he said.
I gave up. “I’m sure she is. Ruby will love her.” I sighed. “Don’t get the baby all revved up. I’m trying to convince him that it’s bedtime.”
“Okay.” Peter brought Isaac in for a landing and handed him to me.
“Why was your day so bad?” he asked, finally.
I launched into the tale of Fraydle’s disappearance. I hadjust started telling him about my conversation with Yossi when I noticed that he’d fallen asleep.
“I love you, too,” I whispered. I looked over at Isaac, who smiled at me. At least
he
cared what I had to say. “C’mon, buddy. Let’s let Daddy get some rest.”
Seven
P ETER was gone by the time Isaac and I got home from driving Ruby to school the next morning. My darling husband had left a note on the kitchen table.
Sorry I crashed last night. I’ll be home early to get dressed for Mindy’s. Why don’t you go buy something fabulous to wear? It’ll make you feel better.
“Better? Why do I need to feel better? I feel just fine, thank you.” I muttered to myself as I crumpled the note. I had already decided to go by Mrs. Tannenbaum’s store. I wasn’t up to facing Fraydle’s father, but I wanted to find out if Fraydle had come home. Afterwards, if we had time, Isaac and I could hit the Beverly Center and try to find something to wear to Marvelous Mindy’s dinner party.
I drove the block and a half to the kosher grocery andparked in front of the store. It was open. Measuring the distance between my car and the shop at about ten feet, I decided it was safe to leave the baby in the car. I opened his window a crack, hopped out, and went to the door of the shop. Poking my head inside, I called out to Fraydle’s aunt. “Nettie? It’s Juliet Applebaum.”
She stood behind the register, ringing up the purchases of an elderly woman wearing a wig that appeared to be made out of molded plastic.
“Hello, darling. No word yet,” Nettie said, looking up at me and shaking her head.
“Nothing?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
I glanced out at Isaac, who sat, undisturbed, just as I’d left him. “I can’t stay,” I said. “Isaac is in the car. I was just hoping . . .” I let the sentence trail off.
“We’re all hoping.”
The customer looked up curiously. “What hoping?” she asked, in a thick Yiddish accent.
“Nothing, dear,” Nettie reassured her. She gave me a warning glance over the top of the woman’s head. I nodded and waited in the doorway, where I could watch Isaac. He was busy trying to fit both fists into his mouth.
In slow motion, the old woman packed her purchases into a net bag and crammed that into an incongruous, pink suitcase on wheels emblazoned with the words “Going to Grandmas.” Finally, after about twelve hours, she trundled past me and out the door. Nettie came out from behind the counter.
“Come, we’ll go stand next to your baby.
Chas v’shalom
someone should steal him out of the car.”
Suitably rebuked, I followed Nettie to the car. I leaned against the front passenger door, watching her as she madegoo-goo eyes at Isaac. She tickled him on his belly and spoke to him in Yiddish. The woman clearly had been born to be a grandmother. It seemed a cruel twist of fate that she’d been robbed of her chance to have children, let alone grandchildren.
“Nettie, has your brother called the police yet?”
She shook her head. “No. Baruch says we’ll find her ourselves.”
I shook my head, frustrated at the man’s obstinacy. “And Fraydle’s mother agrees with this? She’s willing to let days and days pass without going to the
“Oh, well, why didn’t you tell me that to begin with? Sure, no problem, as long as she’s heavy into self-mutilation. I mean, who would ever want a baby-sitter who couldn’t set off a metal detector or two?”
Peter sat up and lifted Isaac up over his head, zooming him around like an airplane.
“She’s a nice kid,” he said.
I gave up. “I’m sure she is. Ruby will love her.” I sighed. “Don’t get the baby all revved up. I’m trying to convince him that it’s bedtime.”
“Okay.” Peter brought Isaac in for a landing and handed him to me.
“Why was your day so bad?” he asked, finally.
I launched into the tale of Fraydle’s disappearance. I hadjust started telling him about my conversation with Yossi when I noticed that he’d fallen asleep.
“I love you, too,” I whispered. I looked over at Isaac, who smiled at me. At least
he
cared what I had to say. “C’mon, buddy. Let’s let Daddy get some rest.”
Seven
P ETER was gone by the time Isaac and I got home from driving Ruby to school the next morning. My darling husband had left a note on the kitchen table.
Sorry I crashed last night. I’ll be home early to get dressed for Mindy’s. Why don’t you go buy something fabulous to wear? It’ll make you feel better.
“Better? Why do I need to feel better? I feel just fine, thank you.” I muttered to myself as I crumpled the note. I had already decided to go by Mrs. Tannenbaum’s store. I wasn’t up to facing Fraydle’s father, but I wanted to find out if Fraydle had come home. Afterwards, if we had time, Isaac and I could hit the Beverly Center and try to find something to wear to Marvelous Mindy’s dinner party.
I drove the block and a half to the kosher grocery andparked in front of the store. It was open. Measuring the distance between my car and the shop at about ten feet, I decided it was safe to leave the baby in the car. I opened his window a crack, hopped out, and went to the door of the shop. Poking my head inside, I called out to Fraydle’s aunt. “Nettie? It’s Juliet Applebaum.”
She stood behind the register, ringing up the purchases of an elderly woman wearing a wig that appeared to be made out of molded plastic.
“Hello, darling. No word yet,” Nettie said, looking up at me and shaking her head.
“Nothing?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
I glanced out at Isaac, who sat, undisturbed, just as I’d left him. “I can’t stay,” I said. “Isaac is in the car. I was just hoping . . .” I let the sentence trail off.
“We’re all hoping.”
The customer looked up curiously. “What hoping?” she asked, in a thick Yiddish accent.
“Nothing, dear,” Nettie reassured her. She gave me a warning glance over the top of the woman’s head. I nodded and waited in the doorway, where I could watch Isaac. He was busy trying to fit both fists into his mouth.
In slow motion, the old woman packed her purchases into a net bag and crammed that into an incongruous, pink suitcase on wheels emblazoned with the words “Going to Grandmas.” Finally, after about twelve hours, she trundled past me and out the door. Nettie came out from behind the counter.
“Come, we’ll go stand next to your baby.
Chas v’shalom
someone should steal him out of the car.”
Suitably rebuked, I followed Nettie to the car. I leaned against the front passenger door, watching her as she madegoo-goo eyes at Isaac. She tickled him on his belly and spoke to him in Yiddish. The woman clearly had been born to be a grandmother. It seemed a cruel twist of fate that she’d been robbed of her chance to have children, let alone grandchildren.
“Nettie, has your brother called the police yet?”
She shook her head. “No. Baruch says we’ll find her ourselves.”
I shook my head, frustrated at the man’s obstinacy. “And Fraydle’s mother agrees with this? She’s willing to let days and days pass without going to the
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