The House of Eve (44)

Just the fact that he had even considered what I said touched me. The care in his voice pried me open, and as we slurped down our soup, I felt larger cracks split my protective shell. It did not take long before we had slipped into an easy rhythm, catching up on the parts of each other’s life that we had missed.

“What happened with your mom?”

A lump formed in my throat at the thought of Inez. “I saw her over the holidays but that’s all. I think it’s fair to assume that Aunt Marie’s is my home until I leave for college.”

I had been practicing saying that out loud. When I go away to college. I had figured if I kept thinking it and saying it, it had to come true.

Shimmy unwrapped a chocolate-covered pretzel and handed it to me. “I know chocolate is your weakness.”

I took a small bite and thanked him with my smile. “So good. Can’t get these from the corner store.”

“I brought a little radio,” he said, as he reached up onto the shelf and fiddled with the stations until a song that I didn’t know came on. Shimmy cleared away the makeshift table just as the song shifted to “Rock and Roll” by Wild Bill Moore. It was the song he had played on the jukebox for me on my first visit to Greenwald’s.

“Wanna dance?”

“Right here?” I looked around the small storage space.

“Come on.” He reached for my hand and lifted me to my feet.


Mama, oh Mama

I want to rock and roll.



Shimmy put his hands on my waist as we twisted our hips and bobbed our heads. The lyrics of the song spilled from both of our mouths. In that moment, I realized that I had been bottled up inside myself since he had been gone. All my time had been spent studying, throwing myself into We Rise, helping care for Nene, but I hadn’t really been myself. This was the most fun I’d had in as far back as I could remember, and I felt free. We danced for so long my straightened bangs drew up on my forehead from the sweat, but for once I didn’t care.

“What did you have to tell me?” Out of breath, I had remembered the reason I was there.

“Oh, that I’ll be home every weekend now to help out Ma.”

“What about school?”

“I’ve arranged my classes for the week to end on Thursday morning.” His eyes lit up, and I could tell from the sloppy grin on his face that he had assumed that I’d be a part of his weekend package. As much fun as I was having, I still didn’t think it was wise to go back. But before I could say as much, Shimmy’s hands were on my hips, guiding me closer to him, and then he was leaning down and pushing my hair behind my ear, leaving a hot trail down the side of my neck.

I shuddered.

“Ruby.” Shimmy had a way of saying my name that made me feel precious. “I missed you.”

“Really? Even with all those sophisticated college girls?”

“None as smart or as beautiful as you.”

“I bet the pretty little Jewish girls are pining for your attention like crazy.”

“But I want you.” He looked deeply into my eyes.

“Ain’t nothing changed around here but the weather. While you were off broadening your horizons in Brooklyn, North Philly’s still the same.”

“Try with me.” He brought me so close that all I smelled was him.

“When I saw you sitting on the steps today, it was like no time had passed. You are still right here.” He pointed to his chest.

Even though I wasn’t ready to admit it, I felt the same way. I had tried to entertain a boy or two at school in the time that Shimmy and I were apart, but I hadn’t found any that were remotely as interesting as Shimmy.

Our eyes met, and I watched as his hunger for me settled between his brows. Ten long months apart, and I had not stopped loving Shimmy.

“You are under my skin,” he whispered in my ear, and my knees buckled.

I had been so lonely before his note. And then we were kissing. It was the sweetest, most luscious kiss we had ever shared, but then ugly Leap flashed across my lids. I could feel his rough hands groping my breasts and him pushing his manhood against my thigh. I wrenched away.

“Sorry,” Shimmy said. “I didn’t mean…”

But I didn’t let him finish, before crushing my lips against his. This time I put my hands in his soft, silky hair as proof. Shimmy not Leap.

Shimmy, Shimmy, Shimmy.



* * *



From that evening on, our time together went like this: on Friday afternoons, while Aunt Marie was at Nene’s cooking her food for the weekend, I snuck Shimmy into our apartment. His father still drank with Mr. Leroy upstairs, so waiting on him was Shimmy’s cover. Most weeks, Shimmy had to wrestle his father out of the apartment so that they were not late for Shabbat.

On Saturday evenings, while Aunt Marie was working at Kiki’s, we took long drives in his father’s car to a place where people couldn’t see us. We talked for hours about everything.

Shimmy’s dad was drinking more, and his mother had threatened to put him out on the street, but the kids begged her to let him stay. We touched each other for so long that every cell in my body was alive with longing, and we listened to music and had song battles to see who knew all the lyrics by heart. On the nights when Shimmy thought it was safe, we’d sneak into the candy store and hang out in the storage room.