yesterday.” It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn’t spoken to Fraydle’s family all afternoon. For all I knew, she was back home safe and sound.
“At least, she hadn’t come home as of this morning,” I continued.
Either Yossi was an accomplished actor or he was genuinely surprised at what I’d said. He pulled a chair over from another table and sat down between Ruby and me.
“Hey!” my daughter cried. “This is our table!”
“Ruby, this is Yossi. Mama just has to talk to him for a minute. Eat your felafel.”
Ruby listened to me for once and turned back to her dinner. At that moment, Isaac gave a belch and I switched him to the other side. Yossi studiously avoided looking at my exposed breast.
“You said Fraydle is not home?” he asked.
I recounted to him how she’d failed to show up for work and my subsequent experiences with her father. “Not the most easygoing of men,” I said.
“I have not met him. Your name is Juliet?”
“Yes.”
“Juliet, this is not good. This is not like Fraydle to go away. She is not, how do you say, sophisticate?”
“Sophisticated.”
“Yes, sophisticated. She is not. She has not spent a night away from her parents in her life. She would not just go away.”
“And you have no idea where she is?” I was suspicious. After all, the first thing this guy had done was proclaim his innocence. And that was before I’d told him there might be something for him to be guilty of.
“I? Is that what you think? That she is maybe with me? That is crazy. I know this girl only a little bit.”
“So you said. But you do know her enough to know she isn’t sophisticated. Right?” He didn’t answer. “Yossi,” I said, “is Fraydle your girlfriend?”
“No! No! Nothing like that. I know her from the neighborhood. I told you this!” He shook his head angrily. “None of this is important. Where is she, that is what is important. You said you did not speak to them, to her family, this evening?”
“No. I haven’t.”
“So maybe she is at home.” With that, he got up to leave.
“Wait. Yossi. Please wait. Let me just call her mother and see if she’s home. If she is, fine. I won’t bother you anymore. If not, then don’t you think we should try to figure out where she might be?”
He looked at me for a moment, and then, shrugging his shoulders, sat back down at the table.
Ruby mumbled something incomprehensible from around a mouthful of fries.
“Just a minute, peach. Mama’s got to make a phone call,” I told her.
Reaching around Isaac’s head, I dug in my purse for my cell phone and the scrap of paper with the Finkelsteins’ phone number. I punched in the numbers. The phone rang only once.
“Hello? Fraydle?” a voice shouted into the phone. She wasn’t home yet.
“No, this is Juliet Applebaum. Is this Rabbi Finkelstein?”
“Mrs. Applebaum. Yes. You have news of my daughter?” I could tell that I was not high on the rabbi’s list of desirable conversation partners. I could also tell that he was desperate for news of his child.
“No, no, I’m terribly sorry, Rabbi. I was just calling to find out if she’d come home.”
“No.” And he hung up.
I stared dumbly into the phone receiver. “He hung up on me!” I announced.
Yossi didn’t look surprised. “She is not home,” he said, rather than asked.
“No.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I don’t know where she is.”
“Exactly what are you and Fraydle to each other?” He didn’t answer. “I know that you don’t think this is any of my business, but maybe we can work together to figure out where Fraydle has gone.” He remained silent. “Is it that you’re afraid I’ll tell her parents about you two? Is that it?” Silence.
“Hey, mister! My mama asked you something!”
“Shh! Ruby!”
Yossi looked at me for a moment and then, his face pale, he stood up again. “I cannot help you. I know her only a little bit. From the neighborhood,” he repeated and made
“At least, she hadn’t come home as of this morning,” I continued.
Either Yossi was an accomplished actor or he was genuinely surprised at what I’d said. He pulled a chair over from another table and sat down between Ruby and me.
“Hey!” my daughter cried. “This is our table!”
“Ruby, this is Yossi. Mama just has to talk to him for a minute. Eat your felafel.”
Ruby listened to me for once and turned back to her dinner. At that moment, Isaac gave a belch and I switched him to the other side. Yossi studiously avoided looking at my exposed breast.
“You said Fraydle is not home?” he asked.
I recounted to him how she’d failed to show up for work and my subsequent experiences with her father. “Not the most easygoing of men,” I said.
“I have not met him. Your name is Juliet?”
“Yes.”
“Juliet, this is not good. This is not like Fraydle to go away. She is not, how do you say, sophisticate?”
“Sophisticated.”
“Yes, sophisticated. She is not. She has not spent a night away from her parents in her life. She would not just go away.”
“And you have no idea where she is?” I was suspicious. After all, the first thing this guy had done was proclaim his innocence. And that was before I’d told him there might be something for him to be guilty of.
“I? Is that what you think? That she is maybe with me? That is crazy. I know this girl only a little bit.”
“So you said. But you do know her enough to know she isn’t sophisticated. Right?” He didn’t answer. “Yossi,” I said, “is Fraydle your girlfriend?”
“No! No! Nothing like that. I know her from the neighborhood. I told you this!” He shook his head angrily. “None of this is important. Where is she, that is what is important. You said you did not speak to them, to her family, this evening?”
“No. I haven’t.”
“So maybe she is at home.” With that, he got up to leave.
“Wait. Yossi. Please wait. Let me just call her mother and see if she’s home. If she is, fine. I won’t bother you anymore. If not, then don’t you think we should try to figure out where she might be?”
He looked at me for a moment, and then, shrugging his shoulders, sat back down at the table.
Ruby mumbled something incomprehensible from around a mouthful of fries.
“Just a minute, peach. Mama’s got to make a phone call,” I told her.
Reaching around Isaac’s head, I dug in my purse for my cell phone and the scrap of paper with the Finkelsteins’ phone number. I punched in the numbers. The phone rang only once.
“Hello? Fraydle?” a voice shouted into the phone. She wasn’t home yet.
“No, this is Juliet Applebaum. Is this Rabbi Finkelstein?”
“Mrs. Applebaum. Yes. You have news of my daughter?” I could tell that I was not high on the rabbi’s list of desirable conversation partners. I could also tell that he was desperate for news of his child.
“No, no, I’m terribly sorry, Rabbi. I was just calling to find out if she’d come home.”
“No.” And he hung up.
I stared dumbly into the phone receiver. “He hung up on me!” I announced.
Yossi didn’t look surprised. “She is not home,” he said, rather than asked.
“No.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I don’t know where she is.”
“Exactly what are you and Fraydle to each other?” He didn’t answer. “I know that you don’t think this is any of my business, but maybe we can work together to figure out where Fraydle has gone.” He remained silent. “Is it that you’re afraid I’ll tell her parents about you two? Is that it?” Silence.
“Hey, mister! My mama asked you something!”
“Shh! Ruby!”
Yossi looked at me for a moment and then, his face pale, he stood up again. “I cannot help you. I know her only a little bit. From the neighborhood,” he repeated and made
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