The Day the Flowers Died (3 page)

The day passed in typical fashion for the both of them until
they found their way back to their apartment building just before
the sun set.  The next day was almost as un-notable until
Rebecca found an envelope underneath her door after work. 
Eli? She thought to herself, and with innocent and unbridled
enthusiasm, she tore open the envelope to read the letter.

Dear Rebecca,

If you are not otherwise engaged tonight, I would be very happy
if you would accompany me to dinner.  I will be waiting for
you outside our apartment building at five. Looking forward to
seeing you,

Eli

A sure smile spread across Rebecca’s face as she read and then
placed it on her coffee table. After showering, she changed into a
long white and pink dress with a flower print. Raised in an
affluent part of town, Rebecca had grown in the habit of washing
regularly to appease her mother. Something the lower class did not.
Gazing out the window, she saw Eli waiting below with his hands to
his face, blowing in them to keep warm.  She pulled on a
marshmallow colored sweater and skipped down the steps to meet
him.

“Eli!”

He turned around, not expecting her so soon.

“Rebecca!” He walked to her and wrapped his arm around her waist
to usher her into his 1923 dark blue Audi parked against the curb.
They drove to a radiant restaurant, a mix of French and German
cusine, its elegance caused from high lighting and extended windows
let Rebecca know this dinner would be expensive.  Eli parked
and escorted her, with his hand over hers, into the posh dining
facility.

The hostess glared  at them under the façade of an elegant
smile and walked them to their table, careful not to linger too
long.  Wrapped up in each other’s glances and emotions,
neither Eli nor Rebecca noticed the discourtesy.

Eli brought his hands up to his chin as if in prayer.  “I
must confess something.” He whispered loud enough for only her to
hear.

Rebecca moved in closer, leaning over the table, stretching one
hand out to his.  “What?” The light from the high ceiling
reflected in her eyes.  Her pinky ran across her lips in an
unconscious invitation to a kiss.

“I have had my eye on you for some time and have been trying
desperately to find a way to talk with you.”  He couldn’t look
away from her playful little finger.

“I’m flattered.” Her eyes squinted, “but what kept you away so
long?”

“Humility? Fear? Work? Take your pick.”

Rebecca laughed at his jest, picked up the menu and read over
the items.  “Eli coq au vin.” The waiter noticed Rebecca
across the room preparing to order and, before she could ask for
him, he stood beside her.  “I would like to order this,” she
pointed with her forefinger “and this to drink.” She moved her
finger to the water with lemon.  The waiter jotted the order
down and walked beside Eli. He cleared his throat while waiting for
Eli to decide. Rebecca noticed the waiter’s impatience and flipped
her menu open facing Eli. “How about this?” She pointed to the
German sausages with sauerkraut.

“No, I can’t eat that,” he said mostly to himself.  The
waiter flinched at his remark.  Rebecca looked at him,
confused.  “Pork,” he clarified.  “I’ll just take this.”
He pointed to the sautéed chicken with vegetables and then moved
his finger up to his favorite white wine.  “A bottle with two
glasses, please.” The waiter moved away to fulfill his orders.

“You don’t like pork?” Rebecca asked.

“I try to keep kosher.  My father would kill me if I
didn’t.”

Rebecca smiled in childlike form.  “Do you mind if I eat my
pork in front of you?”

“Go ahead. Enjoy.  This is your night.” Eli touched her
hands resting close to him.  An elderly couple at the next
table stared at the two of them in their unfettered mingling and
then the look of disgust appeared just before they turned away and
whispered.

The sommelier set the wine in the center of the table with two
glasses beside the bottle.  The chef served the food on
expensive white porcelain plates.  Placing the chicken before
Eli, the waiter winked at Rebecca when he set her dinner before her
with his back to Eli.

“Will there be anything else?” The waiter asked with folded
hands, his eyes focused on Rebecca.

“No, thank you.  That will be all,” Eli confirmed his
departure and the waiter left.

“This looks delectable.” Rebecca began eating and Eli smiled,
watching her enjoy each bite.

“I’m glad you like it.”

The room filled with sounds of muted chatter in French and
German, glasses clicking and soft music. Eyes circled around the
room, over at them and then away again: eyes curious, eyes
confused, eyes of distain.

Nearing the end of dinner, Eli looked at his watch and pursed
his eyebrows.

“Are you alright?” Rebecca asked.

“I’m sorry, but I’m heading to my mama’s Sukkos feast tonight
and I can’t miss it.  She will be especially upset with me if
I’m late, since I missed last year’s.”

“Oh.” Rebecca’s blue eyes clouded and she shaped her plump lips
into a pout.

“My mama makes a big deal of it every year and my relatives are
expecting me to be there, too.”

“Maybe we should get going then?” Rebecca recognized the gravity
of distress on Eli’s face.  “We can finish up.  I’m just
about done and then you can drop me off and head to your parents
for the evening.”

“You don’t mind? It’s so rude of me to be departing early.”

“I don’t mind.  I’m getting tired anyway.  We can go
out again when you have more time.” Rebecca slid out of her chair,
eager to encourage Eli to honor his parental expectations and he
plodded dutifully with his arm slid around her waist, drawing her
close.  He smiled when she rested her head on his shoulder as
they walked to his dark blue car.

Saturday, October 17, 1931

The light of day radiated through Munich and, for Eli and
Rebecca, in an inconspicuous way, it somehow shone brighter over
their apartment building. Rebecca awoke to the daylight shining
through the drawn curtains. She opened the framed glass and smelled
the fresh air blowing into her room. “Munich in the fall.” She
smiled and loved how she felt at this moment.

 After clipping the orange Marsh Marigolds she bought at
the flower shop on the street corner, she arranged them in her
crystal vase. Marsh Marigolds reminded her of Buttercups, another
favorite flower. Expecting Eli early, she then hastened to clean
the mess on the kitchen counter and coffee table,. Saturdays gave
them more time to spend together than the busy weekdays.

She tossed the dirty plates into the sink and let them soak
while she luxuriated in a bath scented with fresh orange
soaps.  The white satin dress she chose for the day
unapologetically emphasized her womanly shape.

Eli skipped steps to his cheerful whistle on his way from his
apartment to hers.  He wore a blue shirt that buttoned to the
top, but decided against a tie. A brown belt accessorized his brown
slacks, and his dependable trench coat covered all.  He
knocked, calling her name.

Rebecca opened the door and, for a moment the sunlight from the
kitchen window shone through the white satin dress, settling over
her delicate female silhouette underneath which became visible to
Eli for the first time. Eli blushed, the sunlight vanished, and his
gaze jerked upward. Rebecca walked into the hall, clasping her arm
around his, and turned to lock the door. Eli held his other arm
behind his back and, before Rebecca could get her key in the lock,
he revealed a single bright blue Cornflower.

Her eyes widened in surprise and, when he stroked the velvet
petals once down her cheek, she closed them for a moment. “It’s
beautiful.” She made sure her hand touched his to take the flower.
With an alluring smile, she stepped backwards into her apartment
and, after adding it to her other flowers, Rebecca came back to
Eli.  “Thank you.”

“I noticed you loved them.”

“I do; my second favorite flower next to Gerber Daisies.”

“I’ll have to get you one of those next time.”

Colder than previous Octobers, their breath fogged in front of
them when they reached the sidewalk. Rebecca tightened the black
scarf around her neck and Eli blew into his hands and rubbed them
for warmth while they walked up the street.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” he told her, trying to keep a secret he
desperately wanted to share.  “How was your week?”

“Busy, but I’m almost done with school.  I’ll be able to
concentrate on nursing full time soon.” Eli noticed her shivering
and took her hand into his..  “And you?”

“Always a long work week with clients.” Eli shook his head.

“Have you ever worked on a big case, an important one?” Her blue
eyes widened.

“Every client believes his case is the big, important one.” Eli
laughed, “So I guess I have.” They strolled a few more blocks until
reaching a park filled with kids. The youngsters, bundled in heavy
winter coats and knit wool hats, played under their mothers’
watchful eye.

“It’s beautiful here. I’ve never been to this park.” Rebecca
scanned the greenery.

“I thought you’d like it. You said you never have enough time to
smell the roses.  So, I thought I’d take you to them.”

Rebecca pulled her hand from his and lifted it to caress his
shaven jaw.  Watching his eyes focus on her lips, she
recognized the longing on his face, certain hers mirrored it. Her
mouth rose up to his ear and breathed a whisper, 

“I love this dimple in your chin.” She played in it with her
pinky finger.

“Maybe we should conceal this moment for only us.” His eyes
searched the mothers’ faces of the park, but the twinkle in his eye
belied his frown.

“That would probably be wise.” She slid her hands up his chest,
pulled his coat lapels down and placed a tender kiss on his bottom
lip.  Before she could move to the top one, he wrapped his
arms around her waist and pressed her close, returning her kiss,
deepening it.

“Well, now I guess we broke our rules,” he said when he finished
the kiss.

“I guess so.” She stood in his embrace, unable to concentrate on
anything but the smell of his cologne, the strength of his arms,
and the taste of his lips.  Then, stepping away, she twirled
like a pinwheel, arms outstretched, into the park.  She
reminded Eli of a dancer, until she settled on an empty wooden
bench where he quickened to sit next to her.

He crossed his legs and she crossed her ankles, both turning to
face the other.  Their hands interlaced on top of their legs,
making it difficult to tell which set of hands belonged to
whom.  Eli took one hand to brush his dark hair back and then
placed his hand over Rebecca’s delicate fingers.  Gallivanting
children’s laughter permeated the park and nothing but their
innocent sounds intruded the quiet morning.

“How did I get along in life before meeting you?” Eli asked half
in jest and half seriously.  They moved closer with each
breath they took as if touch alone could make them warmer in this
cold weather.

Eli lifted his pinky finger to Rebecca to brush a few hairs
dangling over her mouth, and nestled them behind her ear.

Rebecca inspected his chin with her eyes and then her
forefinger.  “Ah…I think I’ve found a hair you’ve missed this
morning.” She left her finger on his chin.

“Really?”

“A stowaway,” she said, convincing him.

He raised his hand to feel the hair when a knit hat flew across
the grass, getting caught beneath the bench.  One of the
children without his bonnet ran up and bent to grab it.  Eli
picked it up for him, handing it with a childlike gesture.

“Here you go.” The child nodded, grabbed it and ran off.

“No thank you?” Rebecca remarked with a grin.

“Never mind.  He’s just a kid.”

“Who’ll grow up to be an uncouth adult!”

“We’ll hope for better,” Eli said with a hint of humor. 
They watched the child of six or seven return to his friends. 
He tugged on his knit hat while his mother’s eyes peered at the
bench, then returned to her son.  Eli drew away from Rebecca
in the most minuscule of measurements, so much so that even he
didn’t know he’d done it.

“If my father knew I was here in the park on Shabbos instead of
synagogue, I think he’d come here himself and drag me there.”

“He doesn’t attend Munich’s Synagogue?”

“No, he lives nearly outside of Munich. He takes the family to a
smaller synagogue closer to his home.”

“He is traditional?”

“You could say that,” Eli said, implying his strictness stemmed
from more than mere tradition.  Rebecca giggled.  “Maybe
he is not that bad, but he could give me a little more room to
breathe, to spread my wings and live my own life.”

“He is your father; fathers only want what’s best for their
sons.  I’m sure he means well.”

“He does.  That’s what makes it all the more awful.” Eli
smiled in his words and, unnoticed to himself, moved closer to
Rebecca.

“Do you have to work later today?” Rebecca asked, hoping the
answer to be no.

“My father closes the business every Shabbos, from Friday
evening to Saturday evening.”

“Then I get you all to myself.” Rebecca reached to his chin and,
with more bravery than usual, brushed her soft forefinger up his
jaw line and over his lips.

Eli blinked, forgetting himself in public, and leaned in to kiss
her.  Catching himself, he lifted the side of his trench coat
to cover them from the mothers in the distance, as if his coat
somehow secluded them from the rest of the world.  Rebecca
laughed, forgetting to cover her mouth and Eli enjoyed seeing her
sizable, white teeth.

The early morning approached noon and Eli accompanied Rebecca up
the street for lunch. A panhandler squatted outside the diner,
holding a small pan in his dirty hands, and wearing ripped black
trousers, probably his only pair.  Eli reached into his
pockets and pulled out loose change, tossing it into his dish
before opening the door for Rebecca.