Slim Novel 15 - http://adventuresofkimi.blogspot.com - See Homepage
26. A Home Wedding ----
---- is what Eddie and Nina desire. Nina has no close relative and she relies on Eddie for family. She defers to Eddie's Jewish atheism; however, she has a feeling for tradition so she is happy when he says Sister Barbara will be at the wedding. And she even meets Barbara and agrees that Sister should bring the young Father Don, who officiated at Brenda and Stan's wedding and, though not so radical as Barbara, Father Don shares her beliefs that the True Faith should discard male domination and conservatism, and accord with younger values.
Eddie's father and mother are Jewish first generation from immigrants and - although they have adhered to Jewish tradition, observing high holy days, doing passover at home in Hebrew and having Eddie go to Hebrew school and get bar mitvah - they are, practically, atheist like so many Jews, because the European experience left the impression that religion is corrupt. And since Eddie insists Nina not be converted to Judaism - as she would have willingly - there is no religious ceremony. So it will be a Home Wedding! The liberal young rabbi, Moyshe, is invited to share the ceremony with Father Don & Sister Barbara, and Professor Edwardes will do the atheist side.
It will be catered by Schweller's Kosher Delicatessen, Luigi's Pizza Pasta and the corner Cafeteria. And the Jerome Avenue couturier Hedy Goldberg will supply the wedding garb.
27. The Wedding---
---is on an afternoon with guests arriving between 1 and 2 PM, ceremony 2:30 to 3 and eats, drinks and talk till 5. Eddie's family's someday Negro maid, Epsie, is in a cocktail servant black dress with frilly hem and white collar & mob cap. Additionally, Brenda and Lorna volunteer to help Eddie's mother, greeting, meeting and seating, and, later, doing dishes. Even Nina will help at start. She is dressed simply at first in plain brown dress and will get into a traditional white wedding gown rented for the ceremony. Eddie rents a tuxedo; for most of the reception he is in corduroy sports jacket & pants. Eddie's mother is in her usual black dress while his father is in a nice black suit.
At 1 PM comes the first guest, Professor Edwardes. Epsie takes his wedding gift, a basket of fresh oranges, apples, blackberries, strawberries and mangoes, and after washing them, places the fruits in a bowl. Edwardes goes into the living room to his left from entrance foyer and greets Mr & Mrs Steinowitz and uncharacteristically embraces Eddie and characteristically shakes Nina's hand.
"Edward! Edward!" he prefers to his usual "My boy!" in the presence of Eddie's parents.
Epsie comes by with the bowl of fruits, saying "Wontcha take one?"
Next, Dr Stan and Brenda and Joe Pro arrive - as usual menage a trois. And between them one gift: a slightly larger than hand, battery-operated, hundred-year calendar/timepiece with digital second-hand. It can be set for successive centuries to tell day of week for calendar date, and timepiece easily reset to the exact second. They spend the next few minutes explaining it to Eddie and Nina. It is one of those rare, useful wedding presents. Eddie, from reading Professor Edwardes' copy of Physician's Notebooks, can mentally figure out day for date any year, any century but the timepiece will be useful, he guesses, because its face has the 24 time-zones that by finger-press can tell what time it is any place.
The bell rings again, Epsie opens the door and Sister Barbara enters in nun's black garb, and, on her left, Father Don, who looks like the actor Jack La Rue as the young Italian Army priest in the 1932 Hollywood movie, A Farewell to Arms. They carry between them Father Don's painting of Michelangelo's Moses, and, after introductions to the parents and an astounded Epsie, Sister Barbara says in her Irish brogue, "Heerre is a picturr of yourr esteemed Hebrrew law giverr whom we of the trrue faith also rreveerr. Yourrs is a marrriage Fatherr Don and I admirre much as the brride is a sisterr in ourr own faith although she goes herr own dearr way." And the Sister smiles lovingly at Nina who takes her hand in a sisterly squeeze.
The doorbell rings again. This time, Epsie is surprised to see 2 Negroes - Sam the light-skin super's helper with his now permanent companion the very black-skin Xenia Green - here as equal guests. Xenia and Sam, for their gift, bring the works of the great negro philosopher W.E.B. Du Bois, his most famous, The Souls of Black Folk.
Next is Dr Irving Goldberg and wife Lorna, alongside the young rabbi Moyshe, he wearing a black yarmelka cap and with side hair favored by the religious Jew. Their gift is in a large hand case hefted by Dr Irving, and when he opens it, everyone sees it is a set of Passover plates, wine glasses and silver, and also includes white yarmelkas, and haggadah booklets in English and Hebrew.
Then comes Nicola, the pizza/pasta chef, in his usual spaghetti-stained white serving uniform. Behind him 2 delivery boys carry the catered food and set it down to Epsie's instruction on the dining room table across the foyer space from the living room, where the wedding will take place.
It is time for the marriage ceremony, when, suddenly, one more ring at the door. Epsie opens it and there is the great neurosurgeon, Leo Davidoff, with his secretary Missy Prissy. She carries a gift wrap that, once opened, will show Dr Davidoff's special printed first edition, Principles of Neurosurgery, with his inscription, To Dr Edward Steinowitz and Bride Nina on the occasion of their marriage. (Signed) Leo Davidoff.
28. Here Come the Groom and Bride but No Aisle Beside
The guests are all seated along the walls in the living room. Starting just to one's left entering the room by the French door are Dr Leo Davidoff and Missy Prissy on folding chairs; then turning corner on a long sofa are Joe Pro, Brenda, Dr. Stan and Nicola. Then on couch in corner by window, Sam, and by him on his left in folding chair, his Xenia, and then Dr Irving Goldberg sitting on folding chair in front of the now not active steam-heat radiator, and then on the sofa to his left, his wife Lorna.
Standing in the more central part of the room, their backs to the sunny windows are the officiators of the wedding, Professor Edwardes, Father Don, and Rabbi Moyshe, and facing them the bride and groom Eddie and Nina, and flanking each on Eddie's left his father and on Nina's right Eddie's mother.
In the rear, Sister Barbara stands in front of the window-paneled French door.
It is 2:30. Sister Barbara, the time keeper hand-signals Father Don to start. Don is an Italian American in his early 30's, slim with thinning black hair and an intelligent look about his eyes, and a mild smile around his mouth. He is dressed in black Catholic priest suit with white front collar.
"Hello, folks, I don't want anyone to think this is a formal religious ceremony, 'cause we all know it isn't. Sister Barbara here is a good friend of everyone and some of you may remember me from a previous wedding. All I want to say is as a priest of the faith of Rome I believe in the god of the Hebrew faith. I wish the best life and happiness to Edward and Nina here, and to Nina who was born into my faith I say not to worry - we - Sister Barbara and me - know she is a good sister in our faith and will be a good wife and we also honor the story of biblical Ruth."
And Father Don reaches across the space that separates him and the couple and with his right hand shakes Eddie's left hand and with his left hand shakes Nina"s right. Then he shakes the hands of Eddie's father and mother.
Next everyone looks toward young Rabbi Moyshe, who looks embarrassed. But he shoulders his initial embarrassment and says to all, "Some of you here know me - he glances shyly at Lorna and Brenda, who smile. Now I am just starting as a rabbi. They teach us a lot in the Yeshiva." He stops, frowns slightly. "But I have my own ideas. I represent the old faith of Abraham and Jacob and Joseph and Moses." He stops and remembers. "And of Ruth too." He looks at Nina and Eddie. "I think you are doing a wonderfully good thing and I am honored to have been asked to be part of it. Just to let you know that we Jews are not just chosen to reap benefits, we were chosen to be wise and be part of the greater world. So all I can say is I hope you will count me as a friend and I hope to learn much from your experiences. That's all I have."
He puts his right arm on Eddie's and left arm on Nina's shoulder and looks briefly into each one's eyes. Then he takes his hands away and gives a brief prayer in Hebrew which asks for a good life for the wedding couple.
Now is Professor Edwardes's turn. He has been Eddie's mentor, and considers Eddie his godchild. Eddie particularly asked that he be included with the two religious men to give a secular representation to the wedding ceremony.
He says, "The best thing I can says now is Mozultoff and Let's celebrate. And he steps forward to hug both Nina and Eddie in a 3-some embrace briefly.
Nicola, who has been silent steps to the center and says. "If a you donna know me, Ima Nicola, anda always sounda lika Chicola. The foodsa in da dining room so alla folla me." And he leads everyone out the French doorway through the foyer and into the dining room, a room rarely used for dining but now with its large table laid with pizza, pasta, deli portions like hot dog, and pastrami and roast beef plates all with coleslaw, mustard, ketchup and also latkes potato pancakes, knishes and baked potatoes, and finally communist spread from the Cafeteria. Everyone mills about helping themselves and falls into various tete-a-etes.
29. The Tete-a-Tetes
Irving Goldberg and Lorna get Sister Barbara into tete-a-tete sitting together at a small, round glass-top table; Irving & Lorna each with a pizza slice, a hot dog in roll with mustard and a cup of Pepsi, while Sister has a ginger ale.
Lorna says, "Sister, we have much to thank you for. Irving told me about Nurse Sheila and little Irving. And we both decided we want to help. So here is a first payment." She hands Sister an envelope that might be seen to have one thousand dollars in 10 hundreds. Then, she puts a hundred dollar bill in Sister's other hand saying "And this is for your old mother."
Sister Barbara smiles and thanks them, adding, "By the by, I was so happy hearring you birrthed that nice daughterr. Had it been a boy, I might have had to tell you ahead about the one little Irrving in Eirre. " And she gets up to leave them to enjoy the delicious food.
Another tete-a-tete is Brenda, Stan, Joe Pro and Professor Edwardes in a far corner of the room from the door. Stan says, "Professor, we wish to thank you for your donation to Brenda's happiness." Each one shakes the slightly dazed professor's hand. He smiles weakly and excuses himself to go to WC. Nicola approaches their table, taps Joe Pro on his shoulder and says "Ay, Gunba! Luigi wanna you make another mural for outsida da store. Thissa one no historical stuff. Justa some beaurifulla dame eatin a Luigi pizza." Joe nods a Yes and Nicola adds, "Ana dissa time I tella Luigi he giva you money."
Sam, after exchanging conversation with the newlyweds, leaves his Xenia behind and goes to the kitchen where Epsie is preparing more snacks. "These whities treatin' you OK? I mean no back a the bus stuff?" Epsie gives a light laugh. "Yeah! De're Ohki Dohki. Jews allus treat us well, dontchyaknow?"
"OK, Girl! Just askin'. Whynchya come down to our next meetin's of the NAACP?"
"I lives in Harlem, we got a branch there. Meanwhile, whynch you and your woman come to our Father Divine meetin?"
Sam laughs. " I don't go for those religious fakirs. That's why our people are always on the bottom. Too much religion." He pauses. " But anyway, nice to meet you. Come on over my building sometime and we'll talk more."
"Don't mind effn I do, Mr Sam."
"Don't add a Bo, Epsie girl.
"I'll do dat soon as you stops dat Girl."
They both laugh and Sam goes to rejoin the guests.
For next, click 15.30 Seminar: Why Do We Like? Esthetics
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