Read Online Things Could Be Worse by Lily Brett - Free Book Online Page B

that Rabbi Blatt had propositioned her at her son’s barmitzvah. She had also said that the rabbi who had handled her last divorce had wanted to handle her. Genia couldn’t believe that a rabbi would behave like that. ‘Rachel darling,’ she had said to her daughter, ‘I think you must have made a mistake. Rabbis are more concerned with the Torah than a nice-looking tuches.’
    With her striking curls and smooth skin and polished nails, Rachel looked full of life, but Genia knew that there was not a lot of joy in Rachel. Rachel was made happy by the transient things in life, and she had to keep getting more and more of them. Esther, Genia thought, had more lifeforce in her, more spirituality, more balance. Yet to most people, Genia thought, Rachel appeared alive, and Esther appeared mad.
    â€˜Esther is fine,’ Genia said to Renia.
    â€˜It’s lucky that she’s got a good husband like Stan,’ said Renia. ‘Someone like Esther is not always appreciated. What do people appreciate?’ continued Renia. ‘They appreciate the things that are not so important. Do you remember what Rabbi Bloom said when he married Stan and Esther? He said Esther had a good heart. Usually Rabbi Bloom says that the bride is beautiful. If he can’t say that she is beautiful, he says she is clever. If he can’t say clever or beautiful, he says how rich the parents are. He doesn’t say rich, he says successful, but everyone understands what he is saying. And if he can’t say one of those things, Rabbi Bloom says that the bride has got a good heart. When Rabbi Bloom said Esther had a good heart, I did nearly cry, Genia.’
    Genia thought that this was a good time to say goodbye to Renia. She could feel herself starting to feel gloomy.
    â€˜Genia darling, before you hang up,’ said Renia, ‘please let me make an appointment to the hairdressers for you. Ada Small rang me this morning to say that she heard Malka Spiel and Fela Brot in the chicken shop saying that it was shocking that a woman of your age has such long hair. Genia, I am telling you this for your own good. Do you want people to talk more about you?’
    Genia had been growing her hair for four years. It had almost reached her waist. She wore it in a single plait.
    â€˜Don’t listen to them,’ Izak had said when Genia had told him about Renia and Ada nagging her to have her hair cut. ‘If it makes you happy to have long hair, then have long hair,’ Izak had said.
    â€˜Renia darling,’ said Genia, ‘I know that you tell me these things for my own good, but it is me that people are talking about, and I don’t mind. At least I am giving people something to talk about. I have to go now, Renia. I will speak to you tomorrow. Goodbye.’
    Genia felt unsettled now. She should take the phone off the hook when she wanted to practise her ballet. She had tried to take the phone off the hook many times, but she was always overcome with the worry that Izak or Rachel or Esther might want to get through to her and not be able to.
    She really had to make sure that she could practise uninterrupted, Genia thought. She would never progress if her practice was constantly interrupted. She would take the phone off the hook. She would do it today, Genia decided. She took the phone off the hook, and walked back to Rachel’s old bedroom, which was now Genia’s rehearsal room.
    Last night Josl Bensky had gently asked Genia why she drove herself so hard to dance. ‘I feel happy when I am dancing,’ she had replied. ‘When I’m dancing, Josl, I feel very happy, and it takes my mind off things.’
    Josl understood about taking your mind off things. Josl read three or four detective novels a week. They had titles like Cold Blooded Revenge and From Death To Death and Who Killed The Boss? and The Crippled Snout. When Josl read his detective novels, he was utterly immersed in them.