trustworthiness—or just plain worthiness about him. And he appeared to enjoy all stripes of their talk—both their deep discussions and their girlish silliness. At least, he tolerated the latter.
As for Rose, she had felt an implicit kinship with Bear from the first moment she saw him—or so she claimed. She didn’t discount her sister’s occasional doubts about his character, but she found them much less threatening than Blanche did.
“Well, beggars can’t be choosers,” she would say when Blanche cautioned her. “You’ve got to admit that Bear is about the closest thing to the only friend we have in this city.”
Which didn’t make Blanche feel much better, even though it was true.
One Friday night a few weeks later when Bear came by, he looked a bit more mysterious than usual. “An odd thing happened on my way over here,” he said. “I was passing by the theater on the way to the subway, and this frustrated guy pointed to me and said, ‘Hey, do you want these tickets? I’m ready to give them away!’ He would have just thrown them at me, but I gave him some money for them.”
“Tickets to what?” Blanche wondered.
Bear flushed again. “Standing-room-only tickets at the Met. They’re doing The Marriage of Figaro tonight and I was wondering if you all wanted to go.”
“Oh!” Rose had jumped to her feet, eyes shining. “Oh, Mom, may we?”
“My, my,” Mother said with a smile. “That’s a pretty upscale show, Bear.”
“There are three tickets, so you all can go.”
“Why don’t you just take the girls, Bear? They’d love the show, and I’m a bit too tired tonight. It’ll be a rare treat for them,” Mother said. “They’ve never been to the Met.”
“Would you want to?” Bear asked the girls.
“Sure thing! Oh boy, should we wear gowns?” Rose danced around, all in a tizzy.
“Not for standing-room seats. Just wear what you have on,” Mother advised.
“Oh, but that would be too ordinary! Can’t I just go change, Bear?” Rose begged. “One doesn’t go to the opera every day!”
“Yeah, but hurry! The show starts in a half hour, and it’ll take us twenty minutes to get there on the train,” Bear urged.
Rose raced up the stairs and Blanche followed her.
Blanche put on her favorite royal blue sweater and brushed her hair back into a loose ponytail while her sister wildly threw clothes out of the closet onto the bed. “Oh, if only I had a black dress!” Rose lamented. “That would be so appropriate! How does this look?” She whipped out a purple dress and hung it in front of herself. “Too fancy? Okay, how about this one?”
“Rose, there’s no time for going through your whole closet,” Blanche insisted. “Here, just wear your black sweater.”
“Yes! With a pink turtleneck and my grey silk skirt and black hose! Perfect! I knew I kept you around for some reason.” Rose started changing at a lightning pace, then stopped and moaned. “Oh! Rob Tirsch said he’d call me tonight!”
“Well, too bad. Mom’ll tell him. Hurry up and get dressed!”
It was amazing that they managed to get downstairs and into their coats within the next five minutes. They hurried out the door with Bear, Rose issuing a stream of orders all the time to Mother about what to tell Rob. Blanche was thankful when they at last got outside into the cold and dark. Heavy white flakes were sifting down from the sky, and even though Christmas was long over, there was holiday in the air.
They had to run to keep up with Bear’s long stride. “There should be a train leaving in about a minute. It’ll be close—do you have tokens?” he said over his shoulder.
Blanche held up two tokens in her mittened hand. “Yes. Do you?”
“Yes! We’re set, then. Be ready to run when we get down the subway. Follow me!”
He pounded down the steps, avoiding all the people coming up, and took off running for the train.
“Augh! He didn’t tell us he would run so fast!” Rose wailed,
As for Rose, she had felt an implicit kinship with Bear from the first moment she saw him—or so she claimed. She didn’t discount her sister’s occasional doubts about his character, but she found them much less threatening than Blanche did.
“Well, beggars can’t be choosers,” she would say when Blanche cautioned her. “You’ve got to admit that Bear is about the closest thing to the only friend we have in this city.”
Which didn’t make Blanche feel much better, even though it was true.
One Friday night a few weeks later when Bear came by, he looked a bit more mysterious than usual. “An odd thing happened on my way over here,” he said. “I was passing by the theater on the way to the subway, and this frustrated guy pointed to me and said, ‘Hey, do you want these tickets? I’m ready to give them away!’ He would have just thrown them at me, but I gave him some money for them.”
“Tickets to what?” Blanche wondered.
Bear flushed again. “Standing-room-only tickets at the Met. They’re doing The Marriage of Figaro tonight and I was wondering if you all wanted to go.”
“Oh!” Rose had jumped to her feet, eyes shining. “Oh, Mom, may we?”
“My, my,” Mother said with a smile. “That’s a pretty upscale show, Bear.”
“There are three tickets, so you all can go.”
“Why don’t you just take the girls, Bear? They’d love the show, and I’m a bit too tired tonight. It’ll be a rare treat for them,” Mother said. “They’ve never been to the Met.”
“Would you want to?” Bear asked the girls.
“Sure thing! Oh boy, should we wear gowns?” Rose danced around, all in a tizzy.
“Not for standing-room seats. Just wear what you have on,” Mother advised.
“Oh, but that would be too ordinary! Can’t I just go change, Bear?” Rose begged. “One doesn’t go to the opera every day!”
“Yeah, but hurry! The show starts in a half hour, and it’ll take us twenty minutes to get there on the train,” Bear urged.
Rose raced up the stairs and Blanche followed her.
Blanche put on her favorite royal blue sweater and brushed her hair back into a loose ponytail while her sister wildly threw clothes out of the closet onto the bed. “Oh, if only I had a black dress!” Rose lamented. “That would be so appropriate! How does this look?” She whipped out a purple dress and hung it in front of herself. “Too fancy? Okay, how about this one?”
“Rose, there’s no time for going through your whole closet,” Blanche insisted. “Here, just wear your black sweater.”
“Yes! With a pink turtleneck and my grey silk skirt and black hose! Perfect! I knew I kept you around for some reason.” Rose started changing at a lightning pace, then stopped and moaned. “Oh! Rob Tirsch said he’d call me tonight!”
“Well, too bad. Mom’ll tell him. Hurry up and get dressed!”
It was amazing that they managed to get downstairs and into their coats within the next five minutes. They hurried out the door with Bear, Rose issuing a stream of orders all the time to Mother about what to tell Rob. Blanche was thankful when they at last got outside into the cold and dark. Heavy white flakes were sifting down from the sky, and even though Christmas was long over, there was holiday in the air.
They had to run to keep up with Bear’s long stride. “There should be a train leaving in about a minute. It’ll be close—do you have tokens?” he said over his shoulder.
Blanche held up two tokens in her mittened hand. “Yes. Do you?”
“Yes! We’re set, then. Be ready to run when we get down the subway. Follow me!”
He pounded down the steps, avoiding all the people coming up, and took off running for the train.
“Augh! He didn’t tell us he would run so fast!” Rose wailed,
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