The Voyage (19 page)

Chapter 71

Although she was a nervous wreck and she wanted to rip the envelope open, Anna forced herself to go to the kitchen to get a knife to open the letter. She had manicured her nails that morning and wanted to keep them looking groomed for work the following day. Grace had made a point of telling her that since she was working in ladies dresses, it was important that her nails be manicured and her hair styled at all times.

Anna could hardly hold the letter straight to cut the envelope open, her hands were trembling so badly. 

As she carefully put the knife into the top of the envelope, there was a knock on the door. Since Anna almost never had visitors, she jumped. Was it the army, with bad news? She looked at the front of the envelope again. It was definitely not Alex’s handwriting; if not his, then whose? And why had someone else needed to write to her? Was Alex dead?

Breathe, she thought. Just breathe.

The knock came again.  Anna stood up. She straightened her skirt.  Then she opened the door, calmly.

“Anna Mittleman, right?” It was a woman. She looked to be close to Anna’s age, but unlike Anna’s, her clothing was old fashioned and her hair styled in a bun, like a grandmother. She was heavyset and had thick skin and a ruddy completion.

“Yes, I am Anna Mittleman.”

The woman pushed herself inside. “We are neighbors. I was wondering if perhaps you had some onions I could borrow.”

“No, I’m sorry; I don’t have any right now,” Anna said, looking at the strange woman with annoyance.

“I was cooking and I ran out.”

“Sorry I couldn’t help.” Anna still stood at the door holding it open, expecting this odd creature to leave.

Instead the heavy set woman sat down. “Do you have a cup of coffee?”

“Not prepared but I can brew a pot, if you would like.” Anna found the woman irksome and wished she would leave.

“Yes. I would love that. By the way, my name is Wera Krubinsky.  My husband was just shipped overseas, to somewhere in the Pacific. I got a letter today, but he said he couldn’t give me the exact location.  I’m really sorry to bother you, but I just needed someone to talk to. That’s why I came over. I don’t have no family here. My family is Europe, Poland. And now with my husband gone…”

Anna nodded feeling sorry for the woman. “My family is in Europe as well.” 

The coffee began to percolate and the smell filled the apartment. Anna looked over at the envelope. She wished this Wera woman would go and leave her alone so that she could see what the letter contained.

“I’m so worried. My Joey, he was shipped off yesterday. I’m beginning to wish we had never become citizens of this America. Maybe then he would not have felt like he had to go. What if he gets killed? What am I going to do without him? I can’t go back to Poland, not with Hitler there.”

The more Wera Krubinsky talked about her husband, the more Anna’s anxiety increased. Please, Wera Krubinsky, go home already, Anna thought. Any other time she would have welcomed the company. But now all she wanted was to be alone so she could open that letter.

“I’m sorry, Wera. I must get ready for school,” Anna said after a half hour had passed.

“Why don’t you come across the hall for coffee tomorrow?”

“I am starting a new job. I won’t be home until seven tomorrow night.”

“Then, I will make supper for the two of us. You’ll come?” Wera smiled. She seemed so happy to have a friend.

It would be good to share some time and a meal with a friend. Anna smiled and nodded. “Yes, I will come. Thank you for dropping by.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yes, tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry; just come over whenever you get home, even if you are late or early. I will be waiting.”

Anna nodded again. “I will.” She smiled and closed the door.

God bless that poor woman, Anna thought. She is lonely. She needs a friend. So do I.

Then Anna sat down and picked up the envelope; then with a deep sigh she opened the letter.

My dearest Anna,

I am dictating this to a fellow soldier because I am unable to hold a pen. I was bitten on the index finger of my right hand by a rattlesnake while out on a training mission. I must admit it hurt like hell, but the medic who was in the desert with us had a syringe with an anti-venom serum. So, I am fortunate to be alive, and for the most part, I am all right.

We train in the hot desert sun all day. It is exhausting. I have seen scorpions, tarantulas, and all varieties of snakes, including the one that bit me.

I think of you constantly, and I keep your picture in the breast pocket of my uniform, close to my heart. You are my one true love, Anna, my Anna. From the day I first saw you, I knew that we were meant to be together. I think of those days on the ship, and I think of Manny. He loved you too. He was the reason I held back in the beginning. But of course, you know all of this. I only repeat it because now that I am here without you, the past becomes clearer, the memories more tender and distinct, and I miss you so very much.

Know always that you have my love,

Your husband, Alex

A snakebite. She ran her hands through her hair.  Well, at least he was not going to be going into combat for a while.

Chapter 72

From the first day, Anna loved her job. It was not easy, especially physically. She had to stand on her feet for ten hours wearing high heels. And for the most part, the wealthy customers could be snooty and demanding. However, the first week of her employment, Anna sold the most dresses on the floor. Women simply wanted to look like Anna, to share her sense of style, and to emulate the elegant way that clothing draped across her slender frame. 

There was no doubt that the other saleswomen in her department resented Anna, the new girl who had no problems making a sale. In fact, she made it all look too easy.

So when the girls in her own department shunned her, Anna made friends with two girls from other departments in the store. There was Alice, who worked in men’s clothing, and Bette, from perfumes. The three took lunch together every day. Alice was dating a customer, although it was strictly forbidden. And she told the others all about him.  He was a handsome man born in Texas, she said, and although he never said how he came by it, he had plenty of money to spend.  Bette, like Anna, was married to an enlisted man. His name was Paul, and according to Bette, he was terrible at writing letters. The last time she’d heard from him he was on a small island somewhere in the Pacific. He was not at liberty to tell her the name.  The three women shared their love of fashion and brought magazines to thumb through on their breaks.

Although, Anna saved a little of what  she earned, and all of what Alex sent her, she still managed to buy a few new dresses, a pair of black high heels, and a tube of creamy crimson lipstick. 

Often Wera and Anna had dinner together. Wera did not have a job, so she insisted upon cooking, and Anna insisted upon paying for most of the food. Although they rarely discussed it, they shared a common bond, a fear of what might be happening to their husbands far away from their homes.

In July, Gimbels had its annual summer picnic.  The company had barbeque grills up in Central Park, while the employees and management challenged each other to friendly games of softball and participated in a three-legged race. The employees voted, and prizes were awarded for outstanding behaviors. One of the men who sold shoes won a trophy and five dollars for being the best at telling jokes. Another woman who worked in cosmetics won for creating the prettiest displays. Anna received the prize for best dressed. She giggled like a schoolgirl as she was awarded a small trophy and a ten-dollar gift certificate to the store. 

Even though all seemed well at Gimbels, it wasn’t. Employees had begun to complain of long hours and insufficient pay, which enticed the unions to come pounding at the door.  They began by infiltrating the staff, meeting the employees at off hours, and promising a forty-hour workweek and two dollars additional pay. 

Alice was a staunch supporter of the union and she constantly tried to sway Bette and Anna.

“I work too hard to give my money up for union dues,” Bette said. “I need every penny. I just can’t spare anything right now.”

“Yes, you’re right we will have to pay union dues, but the extra money the union will get us when they bargain with the management will pay the dues, and then some. We will be much better off than we are now.”

“What if they fire all of us?” Anna asked.

“They won’t. They can’t. That’s why we have to make sure that everyone joins. If everyone joins, then they can’t fire any of us or we will all threaten to strike. Then they won’t have anybody to work. If we stand together, we have power. What you don’t realize is that they need us more than we need them. We do the work, we keep this place going.”

“They could hire outside people,” Bette said.

“And if they do, and those people cross our picket lines, we will make then sorry. The union calls people like that scabs.”

“It all sounds good, but I’d hate to lose my job,” Bette said.

Anna nodded in agreement.

“We won’t lose our jobs. I promise you that. Now, if it comes to the point where we are going to take a vote, you two have to vote yes for the union. Come on, promise me…”

Anna and Bette both nodded reluctantly.

At the end of the day, Anna walked to the subway. Her high heels hurt her feet after standing for ten hours with only a half-hour break for lunch. Perhaps, Alice was right. Maybe the employees did need to stand up for themselves.

. Even though the sun had gone down, it was still hot and sticky outside. Anna took some hair pins out of her handbag and quickly twisted her hair up into a bun. A nagging thought kept creeping into the back of her mind. She tried to push it away, but it came rushing back. It had been two weeks since she’d received a letter from Alex.

Chapter 73

“There’s a union meeting tonight,” Alice said the following morning. “You two have to attend. I’ll be there. It’s at eight o’clock. Here is the address.” Alice handed them both a small square of paper.

“I don’t know.” Anna shook her head. “The company really frowns on this…”

“Of course they do, look at the way they treat us. If we had a union, they couldn’t work us so damn hard. How many times have you been forced to work right through your lunch? And all day without a break? Ten hours…no break…no lunch…”

Bette nodded. “I have.”

“Come on, Anna, you know you have too.”

“Yes, of course I have. But I don’t want to end up unemployed. That would be worse.”

“Well, who does? I need this job too. In fact, I probably need it more than you two gals. Your husbands send you money. I’m not married. I’m on my own, but why should we be treated like animals just because we need the work? We do a good job and we are human beings. We deserve respect,” Alice said.

Anna shot a glance at Bette. Bette shrugged.

“All right, I’ll be there,” Anna said.

“Me too,” Bette answered.

The meeting was in the apartment of one of the employees whom none of the three girls had met. He worked loading merchandise at the dock, and his name was Fred. He welcomed everyone at the door, and even set out a plate of cookies, and coffee.

Anna’s eyes darted around the small room; perhaps one of these people had come as a spy for Gimbels. They could be taking down the names of the employees who showed union support.” 

“Okay, order, everyone… Come on, take your seats,” Fred said as he stood in front of the crowd. He was a big man, with thick red eyebrows, and a bush of matching hair. A sprinkling of brown freckles covered his face. “Come on, these fellas can’t stand around here all night.”

Card chairs had been set up in rows, and everyone took their seats. Anna sat beside Bette, with Alice on Bette’s other side.

“I’d like to thank you all for taking the time to come tonight. I know how busy everyone is, and I sure am glad we have such a good turnout,” Fred said. “I’m not going to stand up here and talk. I’ll get right to the point.” He smiled. “I’d like you all to meet a friend of ours, a friend of the working man. He is a real important fellow, the National President of the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Unions. For those of you who don’t know him yet, his name is Samuel Wolchok. Let’s give him a real warm welcome.”

Fred began clapping, and the others joined in. Mr. Wolchok walked up and raised his hands to silence the crowd.

“Thank you.,” he said. “I’m here to help you form a union. But first let me answer a question everyone has been asking me tonight. What is a union? What is a union, you ask…? It’s when the labor force all bands together and becomes one powerful force. Because every single worker is part of this whole, the owners of these big companies can’t treat their employees any way they to want to anymore. When the workers unite, they have power. They can demand fair wages, reasonable hours, and humane treatment.  You are the workers. It is the sweat of your labor that makes the owners of these big stores rich. Why shouldn’t you be treated better? You bring in lots of revenue, but how many of you can afford to shop in Gimbels? I’ll bet you can’t. I’ll bet you shop at Kleins or Ohrbah’s. Not that there is anything wrong with those stores, but you spend your ten hour days catering to the rich clients who demand that you kiss their asses so that Gimbel can live in his big, fancy house. Do you have a big fancy house?” The crowd grunted. “Hmm…  I thought not.  Well, if you decide to form a union of the workers here at Gimbels you’ll become powerful. Your bosses will be forced to pay you better, because if they don’t they won’t be able to keep their store open. Why, you ask? Because if the entire labor force goes on strike, there will be nobody here, and they sure as hell don’t know how to do our work, couldn’t do it if they tried, right?” 

“Yeah!” the employees cried out in unison.

“Then they are going to have to listen to us,” Wolchok said.

The crowd of workers cheered and stood up, clapping.

“So, let’s get going. I got some of my best boys here to help you get started signing up for that union.”

“What about dues?” one of the men from the back of the room asked, “Union dues?”

“The dues are a very small percentage of your pay, and with the raise the union will get you, you won’t even notice the dues.”

A few others asked questions, but Anna could see that the group was all fired up, and no matter what the questions or answers, Gimbels would have a union very soon.

Lines formed in front of the three organizers who had come to sign the workers up as new union members.

Alice took Bette’s and Anna’s arms and led them into one of the lines.

When they got to the front, the union organizer at the table handed each of them a form. He looked up and his royal-blue eyes caught Anna’s glance. He nodded to her and smiled as his long, raven-black hair fell over his forehead.

Anna thought he looked a great deal like Clark Gable.

“Hello… I’m Benny,” the man said directly to Anna. The fire in his eyes and the passion he exuded for the workers cause gave Anna a tingle up her spine.

“I’m Anna.”

“Come on…let’s go. I can’t stand in this line all day.” a short, chubby man with slender little hands standing behind Anna said.

“People are waiting,” Anna said.

“I don’t care.” Benny smiled.

“Come on,” the little fat man said again.

“All right, all right,” Benny said. “Can we talk after I get done here?”

Anna shook her head. “Sorry, I’m married,” she said.

“I didn’t ask you about your marital status. I just wanted to talk to you,” Benny said.

Anna was suddenly embarrassed. Perhaps she was attracted to Benny and he just wanted to plug the union.

“I don’t know what made me say that. Of course we can talk.” Anna’s face felt hot and she knew she was turning bright red.

“Jeez, come on…” the little fat man stomped his foot.

Anna took the union form and pencil, and walked back to her seat.

Everyone walked around for the rest of the meeting, talking, and sharing cookies and coffee. The organizers made their way through the small crowds, trying to spend time with each group.  Benny did not approach Anna. And the more he seemed to be ignoring her, the more she wanted him to come over and chat with her and her friends. She stood on the side of the room with Bette and Alice, trying not to glance over at Benny as he spoke to the others, his smile friendly, but his voice strong, echoing through the room, filled with conviction.

At ten-thirty, people began leaving. They all had to be up in the morning to be at work by seven. Everyone said their goodbyes and headed out into the night.

Outside the building, Anna, Bette, and Alice separated, each headed in a different direction. Anna tried to avoid the subway at night, so she decided to spend the extra cash and flag a taxi. As she stood at the side of the road waiting for a cab, Benny walked over to her.

“Sorry, it seemed like everyone wanted to ask questions tonight. I meant to get back over to you, but I just didn’t get the chance.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I was talking with my friends,” Anna said, keeping her eyes on the street as if finding an open cab were the most important thing in the world to her.

“Have you eaten?”

She hadn’t. In fact, she realized that she was hungry. “No, actually I forgot to eat.”

“Why don’t we go and grab something and I can tell you a little more about the union.”

“I don’t think so,” Anna said, “Thank you anyway.”

“Please, I hate to eat alone. You aren’t going to make me eat alone are you?”

She looked at him. He gave her a silly expression, and she couldn’t help laughing.

“Oh, why not? Yes, let’s go and get something to eat,” she said.

“Do you like Chinese food?” Benny asked.

“I’ve never had it.”

“Well, my dear girl, you are in for quite a treat,” Benny said. “Come with me. No need to fear the subway at night when you have a Knight of the Shining Union with you.”

She laughed.

They took the train to Chinatown.

“I know the best place for Chinese food.”

“I’ll just have to trust you…”

The restaurant was small, only five tables, but it was late so they got a booth in the corner immediately.

“Shall I order for you?”

“I guess you’re going to have to. I have no idea what to have.”

“Then leave it to me,” he said.

“I should tell you that I don’t eat pork or shell fish.”

“Me either. I am a Jew,” he said.

“Really?” Anna looked at him, surprised. “I thought with that black hair and your blue eyes that you might be Irish.”

“Nope, I’m a full blooded Hebe.”

“Hebe?”

“It’s slang for a Jew.” He smiled. “Would you like a drink? They have a wine called plum wine that’s delicious.”

“No thanks.”

“I’m still in shock that you’re Jewish. I can usually tell other Jews,” she said.

“I can tell you’re Jewish.  I knew it when I first saw you.”

“Really, how? Do you think I’m stereotypical?”

“Nothing about you is stereotypical. You, Miss Anna, are one of a kind. Maybe it’s just that I have a sixth sense.”

“Is your name really Benny, or is that just a name you use for the union. I’ve heard that some of the organizers didn’t use their real names.”

“Where did you hear that? Not true, not true at all. My real is name is Benjamin. But I like Benny ‘cause it’s sort like Benny Goodman, you know?”

“Sure I know Benny Goodman. I love his music.”

“Do you dance?” Benny asked.

It had been a long time since Alex had taken Anna dancing. In fact, they had not gone since they left Cuba. She hadn’t given it much thought until now that Benny brought it to her attention.

“I do dance. In fact, I love to dance.” She’d forgotten how much she loved it.

“So your husband must take you dancing all the time?”

“No, he’s in the service.”

“Overseas?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t heard from him in a couple of weeks. The last I heard he was in California.”

“California is beautiful, one of my favorite places.”

“You’ve been there?”

“Yeah, I’ve been all over the place.”

“I’d love to travel.” Anna said as she watched the cars outside the window.

“You should join the union organizers.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. From what I have heard, it is dangerous.”

“Yeah, I suppose it is. We get ourselves into some serious trouble sometimes. We make a lot of friends and we help a lot of people, but in turn we make some serious enemies, too.”

“How long are you staying in New York?”

“That depends…” A sexy smile broke over his face.

“On what?” she asked. She couldn’t help being drawn to his magnetic eyes and alluring smile.

“On you...” Benny said.

She looked away from him. Twice in one night he had made her blush. Alex, think of Alex, she told herself.

After dinner, Benny escorted Anna back to her apartment. 

“Thanks for having dinner with me.”

“Thanks for all the information about the union,” she said.

“See you soon, I hope…”

“Thanks again, for dinner and everything,” she answered, and walked up the stairs to her apartment.