{"id":62,"date":"2022-02-08T12:09:53","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T17:09:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foxglovesystems.com\/herbheineman\/Stowaway\/?page_id=62"},"modified":"2022-04-07T17:07:27","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T21:07:27","slug":"five","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/five\/","title":{"rendered":"FIVE"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Debbie had three swimsuits, one two-piece and two one-piece. For this weekend she had chosen a white one-piece, hoping to project the right balance of allure and modesty.<\/p>

Sunday dawned cloudless, promising a perfect day at the beach. To avoid having to change after they reached their destination, she donned the swimsuit first, followed by a yellow blouse and dark blue shorts. Looking at herself in the mirror from front and side, she felt that her appearance would please both Con and his parents. She went looking for her hosts. Gladys was in the kitchen, wearing a full-length apron, mixing batter for pancakes.<\/p>

\u201cGood morning,\u201d Debbie said. \u201cMay I help with something?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNo need at all,\u201d Gladys replied. \u201cHow did you sleep?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cVery well, thanks.\u201d The lie emerged effortlessly. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a beautiful day.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou timed your visit well! Last Sunday was miserable, so humid I couldn\u2019t find anything to wear! But run along now, Mike and Con are out on the porch. I\u2019ll call you when breakfast\u2019s ready. You can get dressed afterwards.\u201d<\/p>

Debbie thought she was dressed. It wasn\u2019t until she saw the men wearing slacks and ties that the meaning of Gladys\u2019s last remark dawned on her. Why hadn\u2019t Con warned her ahead of time that they\u2019d be going to church? Why hadn\u2019t she thought to ask? What was she supposed to do now?<\/p>

Con saw her first, and his eyes widened perceptibly the moment he did. Under other circumstances she\u2019d have been pleased at his reaction to the sight of her. Now she was embarrassed, afraid, and angry all at the same time.<\/p>

At that moment Mike emerged from behind the Daily News<\/em>. He greeted her with a smile. \u201cHi!\u201d he said, \u201call ready for a busy day? Well, not all ready, I can see. But you\u2019re smart to stay cool as long as you can. Enough time to dress after breakfast.\u201d<\/p>

As fast as she could, Debbie ducked back inside, preferring to come clean to Gladys rather than Mike. \u201cMike and Con are dressed up,\u201d she said, \u201cand I see that behind your apron you are too.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWell, yes,\u201d Gladys answered, \u201cit\u2019s Sunday, and we\u2019re going to church, then dinner, then beach. You\u2019re coming with us, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>

In an instant Debbie\u2019s appetite for those promising pancakes disappeared, replaced by a totally dry mouth and a racing pulse.<\/p>

\u201cAren\u2019t you?\u201d Gladys repeated.<\/p>

Slowly Debbie found her voice. \u201cI\u2019d love to, but there\u2019s something I have to tell you.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cLet me guess: You didn\u2019t bring dress shoes!\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThat\u2019s true, but there\u2019s more. You see, I\u2019m not Catholic.\u201d<\/p>

Gladys stepped forward, her arms outstretched as if about to hug Debbie, and suddenly realized that her hands were wet.<\/p>

\u201cDear girl, the days of exclusion are long past. We welcome all Christians, Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, whatever.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cBut I\u2019m not \u2015\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIf you don\u2019t feed us soon,\u201d came Mike\u2019s voice from the porch, \u201cwe\u2019ll be ready for seconds before we even start!\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOK, Mike,\u201d Gladys shouted back, \u201cany minute.\u201d She turned to Debbie.<\/p>

\u201cWhat were you going to say, dear?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m not Christian! I\u2019m Jewish.\u201d<\/p>

Gladys took a moment to come to terms with that revelation. Not that she had any preconception regarding Debbie\u2019s faith. She just hadn\u2019t been thinking about it, and she had been caught off guard. Looking into Debbie\u2019s eyes as they talked, she felt no inclination to like her any less than before. She was happy that her son, whose recklessness worried her, had found an anchor in a steady friendship. She had not envisioned a Jewish girl, but what could be wrong with befriending a college classmate? It wasn\u2019t as if they were getting married.<\/p>

And if they wanted to, who was she to stop them? Maybe she could persuade Debbie to convert, but no way was she going to start an everlasting conflict with Con over his choice of a life partner. Gladys liked Debbie a lot and she trusted her own judgment of character. That\u2019s what mattered.<\/p>

\u201cAnd I\u2019m a fool,\u201d she said to Debbie, \u201cfor putting you in an awkward situation. I could say that the very first Christian was born a Jew, but I bet you already know that. Now let me make amends and invite you to come with us no matter what your faith is. Will you come?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m honored that you offer to take me. I\u2019ve never been invited to a Catholic service. Will sandals be OK?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cBut I didn\u2019t bring a skirt. I can\u2019t possibly go in shorts.\u201d<\/p>

Gladys considered a moment. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what. You and I, we\u2019re about the same height. And a safety pin will take care of the waist. Now let\u2019s go eat before Mike starves to death.\u201d<\/p>

In Mike\u2019s memory no guest, given the choice between bacon and sausage at breakfast, had ever turned down both. But then, he did not remember ever hosting a vegetarian. Maybe that was Debbie\u2019s reason \u2014 but hadn\u2019t she eaten a couple of lamb chops the previous evening? And raved about them? There had to be another reason. In the obverse of Esther\u2019s analysis of Con\u2019s last name, Mike now examined Debbie\u2019s: Rabin. Maybe it had once been Robin. But maybe her ancestors were Rubin, Ruby, or Rabinowitch. He surreptitiously examined Debbie\u2019s face, noting the subtle curvature of her nose. Yes, that was it! Confirming his suspicion, she had shown up at the breakfast table on Sunday morning in shorts, obviously not dressed for church. He suppressed the question he was on the point of asking, and decided to wait. Debbie would answer it soon enough.<\/p>

Mike recognized Gladys\u2019s dress on Debbie the moment the two women made their joint appearance. Con barely suppressed a smile as he saw his father\u2019s disapproving frown. Meanwhile Gladys and Debbie remained stony-faced.<\/p>

\u201cIt looks good on you,\u201d Mike said with the slightest hint of sarcasm, looking at Debbie.<\/p>

\u201cThank you,\u201d Debbie answered quietly, knowing well what \u201cit\u201d was. \u201cIf I\u2019d known we were going to church, I\u2019d have brought my own.\u201d<\/p>

Without further ado the four went out and made their way to St. Rose of Lima Church on Parkville Avenue, an easy walk of only a few blocks. Gladys took Debbie\u2019s hand, drawing a shrug from Mike and unspoken disappointment from Con, who would have liked to be Debbie\u2019s escort.<\/p>

Debbie had never been to a service in a Catholic church and looked forward to her first visit with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. What would be expected of her? Would she have to kneel, sing hymns, put money in a collection basket? Would she be called on to receive a blessing from the priest, walking alone down the aisle with the entire congregation watching? For an instant she thought of going back to Dekoven Court \u201cfor something she\u2019d forgotten\u201d \u2014 and not returning. But the gentle pressure of Gladys\u2019s hand reassured her and she gave herself up to anticipation.<\/p>

They filed into a pew in an order that placed her between Gladys and Con. How thoughtful! She looked around at the elaborate statuary and stained-glass windows, and remarked to herself that the interior of the church was quite beautiful.<\/p>

As it turned out, she wasn\u2019t the only attendee who did not kneel at any time during the service; others, surely not Jewish, seemed comfortable just sitting. Neither did any officiant pay particular attention to her. Only when the majority of worshipers left their pews and went down the aisle to receive Communion did Debbie wish she were elsewhere. However, Gladys took the edge off her uneasiness. \u201cYou stay here,\u201d she said leaving her alone in the pew as all three Flynns joined the queue. This, of course, made her feel even more conspicuous than if she had actually joined in a ritual totally foreign to her experience. She wished Con had stayed behind, realizing at the same time that going to church meant witnessing all aspects of the service. At least, from her sitting position, the throng in the aisle blocked her view of Con receiving his Communion wafer.<\/p>

Her only encounter with the priest was at the church door after the service, when Gladys introduced her as a visiting friend. Debbie\u2019s heart skipped a beat as she fearfully anticipated a question about her associations in Philadelphia, but there were other congregants waiting to greet the priest. Nonetheless, she could not escape his controlled double take as he looked, mildly puzzled, at the dress she was wearing.<\/p>

As soon as they were free of the crowd and on the way home, Debbie addressed Gladys: \u201cThank you so much for taking me. I was a little scared at first, but I really enjoyed it, and I learned a lot.\u201d Gladys gave her hand a squeeze and smiled.<\/p>

On Sundays, the Flynns ate dinner at midday. The main course on this occasion was Irish stew. Debbie dug in with a healthy appetite. Evidently, Mike noted, she distinguished between ham and lamb. OK, Debbie seemed like a nice enough girl and no harm need come of his son\u2019s friendship. In fact, the experience might help smooth out some of Con\u2019s rough edges. Maybe he\u2019d go easy on the beer, especially before driving.<\/p>

But the relationship had better proceed no farther. Marriage was out of the question. No son of his would bring a Jew into the family.<\/p>

There would be plenty of time to worry about such matters later if their friendship showed signs of going too far. Meanwhile, the afternoon\u2019s excursion beckoned. Mike drove the party to Far Rockaway and looked for a place to park. The search took twenty minutes, and another twenty minutes went into the walk to the beach. \u201cIt\u2019s always like this on a summer weekend,\u201d Mike said.<\/p>

\u201cIsn\u2019t there a subway connection?\u201d Debbie asked. \u201cI thought you could get everywhere in New York by subway.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThere is, you\u2019re right,\u201d Mike said, \u201cand that\u2019s how we usually go. But today we have a guest, and so we offer taxi service \u2014 plus a stroll through the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>

Mike was evidently in a good mood and the afternoon promised to be fun for everyone.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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<< FOUR<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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SIX >><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Debbie had three swimsuits, one two-piece and two one-piece. For this weekend she had chosen a white one-piece, hoping to project the right balance of allure and modesty. Sunday dawned cloudless, promising a perfect day at the beach. To avoid having to change after they reached their destination, she donned the swimsuit first, followed by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-62","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nFIVE - The Stowaway Gene<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/five\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FIVE - The Stowaway Gene\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Debbie had three swimsuits, one two-piece and two one-piece. For this weekend she had chosen a white one-piece, hoping to project the right balance of allure and modesty. 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