Well Behaved Wives(71)

“You’re amazing,” Lillian said. “I had no idea.”

“It’s the right thing to do.” Shirley shrugged off the compliment. “We’ll do this on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. People will be too preoccupied with the holiday to pay any attention.”

At first it struck Lillian as odd that they would choose the holy days to make their move, but, as she thought about it, she realized there was no sacrilege here. The God they believed in would want Carrie to get away. To be free from harm.

“Someone will drive Carrie to the Greyhound station in either Easton or Scranton. Only the driver and I will know who took her and where. Carrie will leave Philadelphia and board a bus to her first destination when Eli is at services.”

Irene spoke up. “I don’t get it.”

“You know that during the evening minyan, the men gather for prayers. Eli will attend, won’t he?” She directed this at Carrie.

“He usually does.” Carrie looked even more anxious, if that were possible.

“The fact that we women aren’t counted in a minyan will work to our advantage. Eli will be expecting Carrie to be in the kitchen preparing the holiday meal.”

Except Carrie wouldn’t be there.

Carrie’s clothes and belongings would remain at their house, suggesting she was somewhere nearby, when in reality, she would have collected the provisions for her new life from Shirley’s house, where they would be stored until then. By the time Eli realized she was gone, she truly would be.

In time, they would have to hope that Eli would grant Carrie a get—a Jewish decree divorce—arranged through a liberal rabbi in Omaha. The choice of town was meant to throw Eli off the trail. Wherever Carrie landed, it would not be Omaha. Lillian reasoned that return addresses could be dangerous too and marveled at how well conceived Shirley’s plan was.

“That pretty much covers it,” Shirley said, and the rest of them set down their pencils.

Without a word, Lillian pushed away from the table and stood. She was ready to make up for not being able to help her mother.

“I’ll be right back,” she said, and scurried out the back door.

It took her less than ten minutes to rush home, get what she needed, and return to Shirley’s house. When she burst through the back door the other women looked at her, bewilderment plain in their faces.

“What are you staring at?” Lillian tapped her head and then tugged on her hem. “Is my slip showing?”

Shirley nodded at the Maxwell House can Lillian held in one arm. “Did you think we were out of coffee?”

Lillian shook the coffee can, which made a rattling sound of metal on metal. “Seven hundred and twelve dollars and change.”

Shirley shook her head as if she must have misheard. “Did you say—?”

“Yes. Seven hundred and twelve dollars and seventy-five cents, to be precise. Whatever you have in mind, money will help, right?” Money always helped. She set the can on the table.

“Where did you get it?” Irene asked.

Shirley raised an eyebrow. “It seems our Lillian is thrifty—and generous.” She laid a hand atop the can. “Are you sure?”

Carrie, who’d been staring at the coffee can, shifted her gaze to Lillian. “I can’t let you do that,” she said.

Lillian touched her heart. “Look, it’s my money, and I can decide what to do with it.”

“What’ll happen when Peter realizes it’s missing?” Ruth asked.

“Impossible.” Lillian smiled and set her hands on her hips in a Superman stance. “He doesn’t know it exists.” She sat on an empty chair, ready to do her part, whatever that was. “Now what did I miss?”





Chapter 26


RUTH

After Lillian surprised them all with a coffee can full of money, the women decided to move into the living room.

“Carrie looks exhausted. She’s had a difficult day so far, and you remember what it’s like in early pregnancy. The smell of all that food might not be the easiest thing to deal with right now. I know it made me feel queasy for the first three months.” Irene looked at Carrie as she said this. “It gets better as you go along,” she reassured her friend.

Ruth knew that, in a few years, that most likely would be her journey too, after she passed the bar exam and went to work. She helped Carrie put her feet up on the sofa while the rest of them perched on chairs.

Lillian got right down to business, repeating, “So, what did I miss?”

“Shirley was just about to explain how she’s done this before. Hidden girls from their dangerous husbands, I assume,” Ruth said. She couldn’t believe she was saying this about her mother-in-law.

“Or fiancés. Or boyfriends,” Shirley said.

“I’ve known you for more than ten years, and I never suspected. You never said . . .” Lillian trailed off.

“It wasn’t necessary for you to know. I’m only telling you today because Carrie needs our help. The fact is, I’m a member of a local group called the Secret Esther Society,” Shirley said.

Her mother-in-law! A member of a secret society. Ruth looked at Shirley anew—fascinated and impressed.

Shirley had kept many secrets. She suddenly felt that she didn’t know her mother-in-law at all. Maybe she’d be more sympathetic to Ruth’s desire for a career than Ruth had thought.