too personal, and start trying to probe into his feelings about his dad’s or his niece’s death.
“Were you born in Cincinnati?” Dina asked.
“Born and raised.”
“Me, too. Where did you go to school?”
“I went to elementary school at the Ida Malloy Academy, and Wyoming High School.”
“Oh,” Dina said.
“Have you got a problem with my alma mater?”
“No,” Dina said. “It’s just that my cousins went to the academy. My aunt and uncle have a lot of money, and wanted their daughters to have the best. That’s why we’ve never been very close to my dad’s side of the family. I don’t know too much about Wyoming High School except that my late husband went there for a year.” She looked like she was going to cry again when she mentioned her late husband, so Rafe decided to ask some questions.
“So where did you go to school?” Rafe asked.
“ Roselawn School, and Walnut Hills.”
“So you were a geek?”
“You think I’m a geek because I went to…”
The doorbell rang, interrupting Rafe’s line of questioning. He went to answer it, and returned to the kitchen with Ruthie Gordon, and Alec Stern, from Wellstone.
“Dina!” Ruthie exclaimed when she saw her. “I’m so glad to see you out and about. When Rafe said you were coming to dinner, I couldn’t believe it. You’re doing so well.”
“It feels good to finally get out,” Dina said. “I guess pretty soon I’ll be going to the grocery as long as Jay Galloway gives me a ride.” She cast a pointed glance Rafe’s way, and he tried to suck it up.
Other guests began to arrive, each bringing their contributions to the dinner. Rafe got hungry just looking at the appetizers, side dishes, and desserts and thinking about the main course, rack of lamb in honey garlic sauce that he’d prepared. Dina had brought one of the desserts, chocolate-chestnut brownies from Nutsie Nan’s Café.
As the other guests arrived and Rafe greeted them and Dina, she continued to ask questions as she walked around the house with her walker. “Did you go to Hebrew school?”
“I’m a proud alumnus of Shalom Israel Hebrew School. I had my Bar Mitzvah there and everything. What about you?”
“I went to Beth Abraham,” Dina said. “In the sixth grade, I stopped going because the kids from my elementary school were making fun of me, and I didn’t want a Bat Mitzvah because of that.”
“What a bunch of bullies!” Rafe said. “Why would anyone make fun of you?”
“According to them, I smelled. This went on for a while at Walnut Hills, too, until I got to the ninth grade. Then it stopped.”
Rafe leaned closer to her, and considered kissing her to make up for her awful classmates. It’s too soon, he decided. Slow down. It was only their first date and he was definitely not ready for anything serious. He took her hand and looked into her eyes. “Dina,” he said. “I’m sure lots of people have told you this, but you don’t smell. Not only that, you seem like a very giving, loving person. How many people go out of their way to sing the praises of their cab driver every chance they get?”
“Well, Jay’s a friend, too,” Dina said. “And he’s like the brother I never had.”
“I know, but still, not everybody would do that, even for a friend. ” Rafe didn’t know what to say when she told him Jay was like the brother she never had. He had a brother, but they’d never been very close, especially now that his niece had passed away.
“When somebody does something good for me then I remember. Thanks for all the nice words. One thing that helped me get through those times in elementary school is that I always had cats for pets. I could tell my problems to Stormy, and she’d sit there, at the bottom of my bed, and listen. I never told my parents about what the kids said until later in my life, but I could tell everything to my Stormy.”
“She must have been a wonderful cat.”
“She was,” Dina said. “She was black and
“Were you born in Cincinnati?” Dina asked.
“Born and raised.”
“Me, too. Where did you go to school?”
“I went to elementary school at the Ida Malloy Academy, and Wyoming High School.”
“Oh,” Dina said.
“Have you got a problem with my alma mater?”
“No,” Dina said. “It’s just that my cousins went to the academy. My aunt and uncle have a lot of money, and wanted their daughters to have the best. That’s why we’ve never been very close to my dad’s side of the family. I don’t know too much about Wyoming High School except that my late husband went there for a year.” She looked like she was going to cry again when she mentioned her late husband, so Rafe decided to ask some questions.
“So where did you go to school?” Rafe asked.
“ Roselawn School, and Walnut Hills.”
“So you were a geek?”
“You think I’m a geek because I went to…”
The doorbell rang, interrupting Rafe’s line of questioning. He went to answer it, and returned to the kitchen with Ruthie Gordon, and Alec Stern, from Wellstone.
“Dina!” Ruthie exclaimed when she saw her. “I’m so glad to see you out and about. When Rafe said you were coming to dinner, I couldn’t believe it. You’re doing so well.”
“It feels good to finally get out,” Dina said. “I guess pretty soon I’ll be going to the grocery as long as Jay Galloway gives me a ride.” She cast a pointed glance Rafe’s way, and he tried to suck it up.
Other guests began to arrive, each bringing their contributions to the dinner. Rafe got hungry just looking at the appetizers, side dishes, and desserts and thinking about the main course, rack of lamb in honey garlic sauce that he’d prepared. Dina had brought one of the desserts, chocolate-chestnut brownies from Nutsie Nan’s Café.
As the other guests arrived and Rafe greeted them and Dina, she continued to ask questions as she walked around the house with her walker. “Did you go to Hebrew school?”
“I’m a proud alumnus of Shalom Israel Hebrew School. I had my Bar Mitzvah there and everything. What about you?”
“I went to Beth Abraham,” Dina said. “In the sixth grade, I stopped going because the kids from my elementary school were making fun of me, and I didn’t want a Bat Mitzvah because of that.”
“What a bunch of bullies!” Rafe said. “Why would anyone make fun of you?”
“According to them, I smelled. This went on for a while at Walnut Hills, too, until I got to the ninth grade. Then it stopped.”
Rafe leaned closer to her, and considered kissing her to make up for her awful classmates. It’s too soon, he decided. Slow down. It was only their first date and he was definitely not ready for anything serious. He took her hand and looked into her eyes. “Dina,” he said. “I’m sure lots of people have told you this, but you don’t smell. Not only that, you seem like a very giving, loving person. How many people go out of their way to sing the praises of their cab driver every chance they get?”
“Well, Jay’s a friend, too,” Dina said. “And he’s like the brother I never had.”
“I know, but still, not everybody would do that, even for a friend. ” Rafe didn’t know what to say when she told him Jay was like the brother she never had. He had a brother, but they’d never been very close, especially now that his niece had passed away.
“When somebody does something good for me then I remember. Thanks for all the nice words. One thing that helped me get through those times in elementary school is that I always had cats for pets. I could tell my problems to Stormy, and she’d sit there, at the bottom of my bed, and listen. I never told my parents about what the kids said until later in my life, but I could tell everything to my Stormy.”
“She must have been a wonderful cat.”
“She was,” Dina said. “She was black and
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