Too Jewish by Patty Friedmann

glad I was the last one going counterclockwise, or I wouldn't have had a clue if she had come up to me and shoved that food in my face. The food was strange. Beans with meat in one part, rice in another. I followed the others' lead, with rice first, then beans on top of that, scooping some meat in with the beans. I'd watch how Letty ate it. We hadn't had this combination in the mess hall.
    I put down my fork before I touched my food. Letty wasn't even being subtle. This girl was remarkable but she was frightening me.
    "You have a business proposition or Bernard here has a business proposition?" her father said. Ber-
nard.
    "Bernie had no idea that I was going to bring this up," Letty said.
    I hoped I looked stricken enough that they believed me, but they weren't looking at me.
    "Listen," Letty said. "I haven't told Bernie any of this. It's all my idea, so please shush."
    "Letty, I don't want to send you away from the table in front of company," her mother said. She sounded as if she were speaking to a small child.
    Letty looked a little subdued by being on the wrong side of her mother, but she kept on talking to her father. "Okay, I talked this over with Shirley, who's actually taking this class at Tulane in the business school." She looked at me and said, "Don't worry, I didn't betray any confidences. I just gave her vague facts. She doesn't know who's involved." I tried to look relieved, but I couldn't help being amused that she was protecting me from Shirley, whom I'd never see again anyway, and not at all from her parents, who were sitting right in front of me, judging me.
    "By all means, rely on Shirley," Mrs. Adler said.
    "So, here's what you've got to do," Letty said to her father.
    "Got to do, huh," her father said.
    "Pretty much. It's important. See, you put up the capital—are you impressed?—and Bernie will have the money he needs, and then he can pay you back when he sells the merchandise. And you'll be in a partnership with earnings off his business."
    Her mother said, "And by merchandise are you talking about that, um, gift he gave me?"
    Letty nodded eagerly. She liked my line of novelties. I'd have given her a gift if it hadn't carried too much meaning.
    I didn't want to get into the discussion and show I cared. But I couldn't stop myself. "They sell very well in New York. If I have a partner here who knows business, I'm sure they would sell very quickly."
    Her parents looked at each other. I couldn't tell what was passing between them. I hoped to learn more about reading people as I got more experience as a salesman. But I had a sense they were not trying to listen. Mr. Adler said, "Just for the sake of argument, what kind of capital are we talking about?"
    "A hundred sixty dollars," Letty said.
    "What in hell is
that
for?" Mrs. Adler said.
    "Could we please drop the subject?" I said.
    Letty ignored me. "You want to know what the hell that's for? I'll tell you what the hell that's for. Bernie's mother's trapped in Germany, and for 160 dollars he can get her out. She's trapped. Do you hear me? Trapped."
    Mr. Adler had been eating all through this conversation, and he didn't stop now. Brown bean gravy dribbled out of the corner of his mouth as he tried to keep his voice even. "Letty, sweetie, how long have you known this boy? Maybe two weeks? How do you know he's not saying this to every girl he meets? That accent can charm the knickers off anybody."
    "He got a letter from his mother last week!" Letty said.
    "Have you seen the letter?" Mrs. Adler said.
    "No."
    I didn't mention that I'd received the most frightening letter of all that morning. I knew the worst passage by heart. I wasn't going to defend myself with those people.
    Mina is no longer here. I don't know why she didn't tell us she was leaving, but maybe she had to be very secretive. I hope that is the reason. I can't let myself think she has disappeared. As you know, she lives very close to me.
    "Look, Bernard," Mr. Adler said. "You're probably not a