oval. Elsewhere pockets of height broke through the endless stretches of thick, packed-down stone, all of it gray and drab. Goldah had seen the city burn at the cinema years ago, magnificent on the screen. This, he now saw, was what had come after.
Jesler was patting a towel on his neck as he stepped into the room.
“So,” he said, “we’ll meet back here at around seven? I’d take you with me but it’s going to be one store after another. You could walk to the campus from here. Take a look around. It’s very pleasant. Or you could catch a movie just across the street. I didn’t see what was playing. Then we’ll have some dinner and be up and ready for tomorrow. Sound like a plan?”
“It does.”
“Good. And look — I don’t want you to be worried about any of this government stuff. They like to keep it all very close to the chest but I’m sure it’s nothing. They’ll ask you a few questions. Probably just about how you’re getting on. So we’ll head down to the offices early, get it over with, and get back on the train.”
“I’m not worried.”
Jesler tossed the towel onto his bed. “No, I don’t imagine you are. Wish I could say the same.”
“It’ll be fine, I’m sure.”
Jesler pulled his collar up and reached for the tie. “You never seem to flap, do you? Always calm with things. Have you always been that way?”
Goldah knew he hadn’t. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“I guess you just have to be.” Jesler brought the tie to a knot, and Goldah watched as the skin around Jesler’s neck strained against the collar. Funny how some people took silence for calm. Jesler said, “Just take things as they come, I guess.” He nodded then put on the jacket and checked himself in the mirror. “You have money?”
“I do.”
Jesler pulled out his wallet and placed a five-dollar bill on the bureau. He turned back to himself in the mirror.
“Just in case,” he said. He straightened his hair. “And if you bring a girl back, leave a signal for me on the door. You know, shoes outside or a tie.” Goldah started to answer and Jesler smiled. “I know, Ike. Just don’t spend it all in one place.”
The door clicked shut and Goldah turned again to the window. He waited a few minutes until he saw Jesler step out onto the street. Jesler got into a cab, and Goldah watched as it pulled away.
The room was remarkably still. Goldah thought perhaps he had never known such quiet. Within minutes he was asleep.
“Hats, girdles, handbags … it’s all the same in the end, Abe, lucky for us. You see what I’m saying?”
Meyer Hirsch was small and very thin, and when he spoke, his words tumbled into each other, tied together by a nasal bridge, as if he was constantly humming. It made it difficult to get a word in. His desk was at the back of a vacuum repair shop, although Jesler guessed that Hirsch wouldn’t haveknown the difference between an Electrolux and a Hoover: The machines all stood on the shelves like undusted trophies.
Hirsch said, “So Mel Green tells me you’ve never done this sort of thing.”
Jesler was eager to move past Green. He said, “I can’t say I know exactly what you mean by ‘this sort of thing.’ ”
“Sure you do, Abe. Otherwise why would you be sitting in my shop talking about New York unions? You’re moving up, making an advantage for yourself. Nothing wrong with that. Just that maybe certain things are best done not out in the open. Fewer hands reaching out. You see what I’m saying?”
Jesler was wondering how many hands they would be talking about.
“There’s nothing illegal,” Hirsch went on. “At least not on my end. You say the Irish are handling the tax and import men, yes? Always important to have someone good handling the import people. Making sure they’re comfortable. Very comfortable. That way no tax notation. No tax notation, no import log. No import log — you see what I’m saying. Then it stays very private, very local, which is
Jesler was patting a towel on his neck as he stepped into the room.
“So,” he said, “we’ll meet back here at around seven? I’d take you with me but it’s going to be one store after another. You could walk to the campus from here. Take a look around. It’s very pleasant. Or you could catch a movie just across the street. I didn’t see what was playing. Then we’ll have some dinner and be up and ready for tomorrow. Sound like a plan?”
“It does.”
“Good. And look — I don’t want you to be worried about any of this government stuff. They like to keep it all very close to the chest but I’m sure it’s nothing. They’ll ask you a few questions. Probably just about how you’re getting on. So we’ll head down to the offices early, get it over with, and get back on the train.”
“I’m not worried.”
Jesler tossed the towel onto his bed. “No, I don’t imagine you are. Wish I could say the same.”
“It’ll be fine, I’m sure.”
Jesler pulled his collar up and reached for the tie. “You never seem to flap, do you? Always calm with things. Have you always been that way?”
Goldah knew he hadn’t. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“I guess you just have to be.” Jesler brought the tie to a knot, and Goldah watched as the skin around Jesler’s neck strained against the collar. Funny how some people took silence for calm. Jesler said, “Just take things as they come, I guess.” He nodded then put on the jacket and checked himself in the mirror. “You have money?”
“I do.”
Jesler pulled out his wallet and placed a five-dollar bill on the bureau. He turned back to himself in the mirror.
“Just in case,” he said. He straightened his hair. “And if you bring a girl back, leave a signal for me on the door. You know, shoes outside or a tie.” Goldah started to answer and Jesler smiled. “I know, Ike. Just don’t spend it all in one place.”
The door clicked shut and Goldah turned again to the window. He waited a few minutes until he saw Jesler step out onto the street. Jesler got into a cab, and Goldah watched as it pulled away.
The room was remarkably still. Goldah thought perhaps he had never known such quiet. Within minutes he was asleep.
“Hats, girdles, handbags … it’s all the same in the end, Abe, lucky for us. You see what I’m saying?”
Meyer Hirsch was small and very thin, and when he spoke, his words tumbled into each other, tied together by a nasal bridge, as if he was constantly humming. It made it difficult to get a word in. His desk was at the back of a vacuum repair shop, although Jesler guessed that Hirsch wouldn’t haveknown the difference between an Electrolux and a Hoover: The machines all stood on the shelves like undusted trophies.
Hirsch said, “So Mel Green tells me you’ve never done this sort of thing.”
Jesler was eager to move past Green. He said, “I can’t say I know exactly what you mean by ‘this sort of thing.’ ”
“Sure you do, Abe. Otherwise why would you be sitting in my shop talking about New York unions? You’re moving up, making an advantage for yourself. Nothing wrong with that. Just that maybe certain things are best done not out in the open. Fewer hands reaching out. You see what I’m saying?”
Jesler was wondering how many hands they would be talking about.
“There’s nothing illegal,” Hirsch went on. “At least not on my end. You say the Irish are handling the tax and import men, yes? Always important to have someone good handling the import people. Making sure they’re comfortable. Very comfortable. That way no tax notation. No tax notation, no import log. No import log — you see what I’m saying. Then it stays very private, very local, which is
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