Winners and Losers, book 2, chapter 5

     Saturday morning, Janet Silverman Jones awoke early, fixed some coffee, and began her morning procession of cigarettes.  Litttle Carrie had spent Friday night with a friend, and would be gone all day.  Janet was also off from work.

     When Bella entered the kitchen, she was unsure about Janet's mood, so she said nothing.

     The silence was broken when Janaet said, "I got a letter from Aunt Rose the other day.  I forgot to tell you."

     "You did?" replied Bella.  "I never hear from her any more."

     "She said everything is fine.  She and Uncle Leo might make it down here in September, but I doubt they will.  You know how they are about closing their store."

     "Yeah."

     "Mother, I have some plans about restoration of the temple.  I'm going to draw up some if Karl and Miriam and Joe and everyone would cooperate--do you think--"

     "Janet," Bella replied.  "Those plans are a waste of time! We'll do something some day, but I just don't think we have enough money to pay for a major restoration.  Meanwhile, let's shut up about it!"

     "I'll do just that, Mother!" Janet said.

     Later in the morning, Janet had forgotten what she said to her mother, and called on Miriam.

     As usual at that time of day, Miriam was back in the kitchen.  Heidi, attired in cut off blue jeans and a sweatshirt belonging to Rick Morris, entered.

     Miriam was sitting at the kitchen table working on some bookkeeping when her daughter entered.

     "Good morning," Heidi said.

     "Hi, baby," Miriam greeted, lighting a cigarette.  She got some coffee, and returned to her seat.  "Did you have a good time last night?"

     "Yes.  I'm going to the country club for a little while," Heidi said.  "Jean is coming to get me."

     "Aren't you going to eat any breakfast?" Miriam asked.

     "Later--I'll just get something at lunch."

     "Okay," a concerned Miriam mumbled.

     As Heidi walked out the back door, Janet walked in the other door, from the hall.

     "Hello," Miriam greeted.  "Grab a cup of coffee and have a seat!"

     The telephone rang.  It was, as usual, Lu.  A ten minute conversation followed.  In a humorous, albeit peculiar sign language Miriam relayed to Janet, Janet was instructed to go knock on the back door.

     "Yes," Miriam said over the telephone.  "Probably my grocery delivery.  Call me later,  Bye."

     "Why did you say, 'call me later'"? Janet asked.

     "Please don't ask me that!" Miriam laughed.

     There was a short pause, which was unusual when Janet and Miriam got together.

     Janet broke the silence.  "Do you think you could persuade Karl to appoint a committee to just discuss--just discuss--temple restoration?"

     "Don't get me into this!" Miriam laughed.  "I'm too busy already!"

     "The heck you say!" Janet replied.  "You're busy, but talented."

     "In other things!" Miriam said.  "I've never really been active in anything in the temple."

     "It could be such a beautiful place again," Janet sighed.

     They exchanged small talk for a short while longer, and, by the time she realized Miriam didn't have her heart in the same type of restoration Janet had in mind, Janet politely arose from the table and bade farewell to Miriam for the day.

     For the remainder of the day, the temple was the last thing on Miriam's mind.

     That afternoon, around a card table set up in the hall, Miriam and several friends played bridge and chatted local news.

     After the game, Janie Engle, one of the players, stayed for cocktails.  Though still sad about the loss of her best friend, Fifi, Janie was getting her color back, and getting out more often.

     Karl, Miriam, and Janie sat on the front porch, drank, and discussed, for the most part, the estate of Fifi  Ballinger.

     "It's quite a mess," Janie explained.  "It just doesn't seem like all this happened so short a time ago!"

     "They tell me Jim is the one in a mess!" Karl laughed.

     "Oh, don't kid yourself about Jim," Janie replied.  "I think he's already started to have a good time with the ladies in Natchez! I heard someone in the shop say they saw him with someone in a restaurant.  Seems he's found surveying work in Adams County.  Barlow McGee gave me his room telephone number a few days ago.  I called him, and a woman answered! I immediately hung up, of course!"

     "Lans a living!" Miriam gasped.  "What's going on, anyway?"

     "Goodness only knows!" Janie laughed.

     "I guess it reminds you of the Baker mess!" Thomas laughed.

     "Oh, Lord," Janie said.  "I think one of his children overheard me say something about it in the grocery store the other day."

     "Me, too," Miriam said.  "I should have had my tongue cut out when I was a baby!"

     "There's still time to slit it!" Joe, entering, laughed.

     "Hi," Janie said to Joe.  "How are things on the ole farm?"

     "Fine," Joe replied.  "I talked to Mark today.  He says his soybean crop looks pretty good this year!"

     "You're the one who should have had your tongue cut out when you were a baby!" Janie laughed.

Winners and Losers, book 2, chapter 4

     Friday evening, the scene in the Katz-Mayer home was the usual.  Miriam was cooking dinner.  Karl was in the den reading the newspaper and half listening to the television news.  Joe was lying on the sofa, half asleep, in dreams of the farm and his cows.

     The telephone rang, and Miriam answered it in the kitchen.

     "Hello."

     "Hi, Miriam," said Lu.  "What's the news?"

     The caller being Lu, Miriam patiently sat down, lit a cigarette, and kept an eye on the oven
timer, as the two ladies talked.

     "What are we going to do about the condition of the temple?" Lu asked.

     "Well," Miriam replied.  "You'd need to talk to Karl about that.  I think we're probably the smallest reformed congregation in the United States--about a doaen or so of us--and Karl's the president.  I'm sure we'll get around to doing major repairs some day, but wouldn't you agree our houses need work, too?"

     "Sure, I guess," Lu replied.

     After several more minutes of small talk, the timer on Miriam's oven saved her, and she ended the converstaion.

     "We'll talk again soon, dear, " Miriam said.  "Good evening."

     During dinner, the usual conversation went on around the table.

     "We need some rain mighty bad!" Joe said.

     "If our crops go down any more," Miriam said, :maybe we can close the store and I can become your secretary, Karl."

     "By the way," Joe asked, "How's that new boy you hired to help out at the store?--name of Sam something?"

     "Sam Masters," Miriam said.  "He's a good worker, but I think he's got a crush on Heidi."

     "Well," Karl said, "I thought she had a date with Rick Morris tonight."

     "She does," Miriam replied.  "That's where she is now."

     Meanwhile, the subject of boys and dating wasn't going so smoothly in the Back home.  Tippy and Pamela were upset over Jean's present choice for her boyfriend.

     "Smith's a damn bum!" said Tippy, referring to a handsome, tall, Gentile boy of nineteen who, in Tippy's book, had three strikes against him:  he was Gentile; his parents did not belong to the country club; instead of going to college, Ray Smith was working in a local car dealership.

     Actually, Ray was not unlike many of the youth of Cole.  He "ran wild," according to many, and smoked and drank at an early age.  Many in Cole had done it, and were doing it.

     One could only look at Miriam Katz Mayer to see what excitement it was to grow up in Cole.  But, of course, to Tippy, Miriam was now a responsible adult.  Tippy, a rather nervous, subdued person, could be outspoken about this "new generation," and he was letting off more steam than usual this particular night.  Tippy was talking in the present tense, and the present tense was now all about his daughter, Jean Back, and Ray Smith.

     "Baloney on what you say!" Pamela would break in.  "Just because Ray Smith is not Jewish, not a college student--must you cut him down for that?"

     "Smith--he should go to college--fill his empty head!" Tippy answered.

     "The point is," Pamela said, "Ray Smith is good to Jean, and I'm afraid the two are in love."