New York - The Novel

Sarah about the doctor pretty soon.
    “Adele Cohen’s grandson? He’s a very nice person, just not my type. But I let my family think I might be interested. It keeps them happy.” She gave him an amused look. “I suppose I’d have to marry him if he was my type. He’s everything a nice Jewish girl could want.”
    Charlie wasn’t sure what he thought about that. Thinking about it afterward, and feeling a pang of jealousy, he told himself not to be foolish. At some point, this girl would have to settle down with a proper young man of her own kind. But not yet. Not for a long time yet. Until then, he wanted her, very much, for his own.
    The aftermath of the Seder had some other consequences as well. He began to ask Sarah questions. Some were quite simple. “Why do you say synagogue, but most Jews I know say temple?”
    “It pretty much depends what kind of Jew you are,” she explained. “The real Temple, the Temple in Jerusalem, was destroyed nearly two thousand years ago. Orthodox and Conservative Jews believe that one day it will be rebuilt. This will be the Third Temple. But the Reform movement says that we should not be waiting for the Temple to be rebuilt, andso they call their synagogues temples. So there are all kinds of names for synagogues in the diaspora. Orthodox Jews often call it
‘shut,’
which is a Yiddish word. My family usually says synagogue. The Reform Jews usually say temple.”
    Other questions were more searching. What did Sarah feel about her duties as a Jew? How did she want to live? Did she truly believe in God? He discovered that she was surprisingly torn.
    “God? Who can know about God, Charlie? No one can be sure. As for the rest, I break a lot of rules. Look what I’m doing with you.” She shrugged. “I suppose the truth is, I’m secular during the week, and I go home to my tradition at the weekend. I have no idea how that’s going to work out in the long run.”
    Once, she found him reading a book about Judaism.
    “You’re going to know more than I do,” she laughed.
    But it wasn’t only Judaism that Charlie had become curious about. The encounter with her family had made him think about all the other communities he’d taken for granted in the big city. The Irish, the Italians, the people coming in from other places. What did he really know about his neighbors? Next to nothing, if the truth were told.

    The exhibition opened in April. It was a big success. Rose Master surpassed herself. Collectors, people on museum boards, people from the social worlds, she had managed to bring them all. The catalogue and the little historical notes that Sarah had put together were perfect. Charlie had brought journalists and literary people; the gallery had done the rest.
    Before he died, Theodore Keller had produced thousands of signed prints, and even during the evening, a large quantity were sold. Not only that, a publisher approached Charlie to suggest they do a book on his work.
    There were several Kellers there, the descendants of Theodore and his sister Gretchen. Sarah’s family had come, modestly staying in the background, but clearly proud of her success. Charlie had a moment of panic when he realized that several of his friends knew about his affair with her, but a quick word with a couple of them ensured that no one said anything about the relationship to her family.
    And Charlie made a charming speech about both Theodore andEdmund Keller, and graciously thanked the gallery and Sarah in particular for the show which, he assured them, was everything that the artist himself could have wished.
    Often at the end of an opening, the gallery would take the artist and a few friends out to supper. Obviously that wouldn’t be the case here, but Charlie had wondered what he should do. The gallery owner and Sarah and her family were going out together, and he would have liked to join them. But his mother was tired, and after all she’d done, he felt he ought to take her home.
    But as he said goodnight to Sarah and her family, he felt so proud of her, and yet, at the same time, so protective; and he experienced a sudden sense of desolation at being parted from her.
    If only they could be together openly, he thought. But as what?

    One aspect of their relationship that amused Charlie was watching Sarah in his apartment. Since his divorce, he had reverted to his former bachelor ways. He wasn’t untidy—indeed, his white-walled apartment was simply and precisely arranged. “It’s