An Unforeseen Turn of Events

Chapter Eight

The Goldberg family gathered around a long rectangular wood dining room table chatting.

"Grandma," Michael said somberly when there was a break in the conversation. "These Sunday dinners aren't going to work for me. "I'm gonna start baseball next month."

"Me too!" chimed in Charlie.

Everyone smiled. "Charlie, eat your chicken, it's delicious," Heather coaxed her son while tousling his hair.

"Oh!" Grandma Judy put her fork down and her relaxed expression vanished. She turned to Harry, "Then let's start having Friday night Shabbos meals instead."

Harry nodded in agreement and Seth said, "Oh, I love your Friday night meals, Mom! Chicken soup, gefilte fish, brisket..."

"And since Shabbos is starting later and later this time of year, we'll have no problem getting here in time," Heather enthused.

Everyone turned to Daniel and Christine.

"Friday night meals are fine with me," he said and then turned to his wife.

All eyes fell on Christine. She felt as if the word "shiksa" was emblazoned on her forehead. It took Christine a long time to get acquainted with all these Jewish holidays and customs. Everyone was waiting for her response.

"S-sometimes I have to work late on Friday nights," she said.

"But we can make the dinner at 8 or 8:30 in the evening, can't we Mom?" Daniel asked.

Judy nodded.

Christine noticed Harry shifting around in his chair. He always went to bed no later than 10 PM.

Her face red, she said weakly, "Sometimes I work later than that if we have a big project. If I have to be late you can always start without me."

Everyone gazed down. Judy coughed.

Finally, Daniel broke the silence. "Why don't we take it one week at a time?"

"Now that sounds good, Daniel. I may even have to work late a few Friday nights myself," Seth said, anxious to rescue Christine.

"I only have a part-time job as a receptionist," Heather chimed in. "Good hours but not great pay. No important assignments or responsibilities."

"Oh, Heather, you're doing a great job and you're there for the children," Judy remarked.

Christine knew Heather often felt down because of her low salary. Everyone seemed very supportive of Heather, yet they never commented on her career. Never saying it was good, bad, or otherwise.

That's because I'm barely tolerated, she thought resentfully.

"Judy, you've got to make this Italian chicken again, and not just when the family's over," Harry said, anxious to change the topic.

"Mom, it was great! Better than anything you could get in a restaurant." Daniel said.

Yet Christine noticed he was moving his food around his plate more than he was actually eating.

Deep in her gut, she worried Daniel wasn't being entirely truthful about his health. Try as she might, she couldn't get the whole story out of him. She felt Daniel was protecting her, but from what? She was his wife, not his child whom he strove to shield her from the sadness of the world. Her shoulders drooped. At least he had told her more than his own family. Christine closed her eyes and resolved that this week she would find out the whole truth. No more vagueness or sidestepping answers.

"Christine, are they showing the latest fashions at the office?" Heather asked. Christine was so immersed in her own thoughts that she didn't even hear her sister-in-law's question.

Daniel touched her hand, "Honey, Heather asked you a question."

"Oh I'm sorry. What did you say?" Christine forced herself to focus.

"Are you seeing the latest fashions at your office?"

"I should be seeing them next week when they begin auditioning more models," Christine answered. "I'll let you know what's in style this year."

"I've got to make a business trip to Philadelphia in two weeks," Seth said.

"For how long?" Harry asked.

Seth sat back, already looking haggard. "One week."

Seeing Heather's distressed look, Judy reached over and patted her hand. "Don't worry. Help is on the way. Besides, Rachel is a great help, isn't she?"

"Rachel has a boyfriend now," Heather said, her eyes turning downward.

Rachel shot her mother a glance. "Mom, that's personal!"

"So who is everyone here, a bunch of strangers?" Seth admonished her. "Mom's going to need your help with Charlie. If that boyfriend of yours is worth any weight, he'll understand."

Seth, Heather, and Rachel glared at each other. The tension quieted the room.

Judy turned to Trudy. "Trudy," she asked rubbing her hands against her skirt. "do-do you have a boyfriend?"

Trudy's expression clouded. She traced the flowers on the white tablecloth with her finger. "It's hard to have a boyfriend when your mother always gives him the third degree."

"Your mother?" Rachel asked, leaning forward. "It's my father who interrogates my boyfriends. Just like a prosecutor in a courtroom!"

"By the time my Mom's done with them, they haven't even gotten a chance to meet Dad," Trudy remarked as she stared at her mother out of the corner of her eye.

"Who's ready for the birthday cake?" Harry asked, anxious to change the subject. His wife rushed into the kitchen.

Christine welcomed another subject. She hoped no one would ask about Tim's love life. She regularly gave him constant reminders that if he wasn't a gentleman, he would have to find a way to pay for his own college.

Judy returned, her eyes sparkling to match the candles on the birthday cake she carried. Sixteen candles lined the edges of the cake while one was planted in the middle for good luck.

Harry broke into the happy birthday song and the others followed his lead. Rachel grinned from ear to ear, forgetting about her open spat with her mother.

As the cake was being served, Christine thought about the constant arguments with Tim, whom she knew confided to his friends that his mom was more than a little nuts.

I've had enough history to know exactly what I'm talking about. It's better he holds off than to risk something happening, she thought as she sampled a small piece of cake.