A Grace Paley Reader by Grace Paley

Author:Grace Paley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Zagrowsky Tells

I was standing in the park under that tree. They call it the Hanging Elm. Once upon a time it made a big improvement on all kinds of hooligans. Nowadays if, once in a while … No. So this woman comes up to me, a woman minus a smile. I said to my grandson, Uh oh, Emanuel. Here comes a lady, she was once a beautiful customer of mine in the pharmacy I showed you.

Emanuel says, Grandpa, who?

She looks O.K. now, but not so hot. Well, what can you do, time takes a terrible toll off the ladies.

This is her idea of a hello: Iz, what are you doing with that black child? Then she says, Who is he? Why are you holding on to him like that? She gives me a look like God in judgment. You could see it in famous paintings. Then she says, Why are you yelling at that poor kid?

What yelling? A history lesson about the park. This is a tree in guidebooks. How are you by the way, Miss … Miss … I was embarrassed. I forgot her name absolutely.

Well, who is he? You got him pretty scared.

Me? Don’t be ridiculous. It’s my grandson. Say hello Emanuel, don’t put on an act.

Emanuel shoves his hand in my pocket to be a little more glued to me. Are you going to open your mouth sonny yes or no?

She says, Your grandson? Really, Iz, your grandson? What do you mean, your grandson?

Emanuel closes his eyes tight. Did you ever notice children get all mixed up? They don’t want to hear about something, they squinch up their eyes. Many children do this.

Now listen Emanuel, I want you to tell this lady who is the smartest boy in kindergarten.

Not a word.

Goddamnit, open your eyes. It’s something new with him. Tell her who is the smartest boy—he was just five, he can already read a whole book by himself.

He stands still. He’s thinking. I know his little cute mind. Then he jumps up and down yelling, Me me me. He makes a little dance. His grandma calls it his smartness dance. My other ones (three children grown up for some time already) were also very smart, but they don’t hold a candle to this character. Soon as I get a chance, I’m gonna bring him to the city to Hunter for gifted children; he should get a test.

But this Miss … Miss … she’s not finished with us yet. She’s worried. Whose kid is he? You adopt him?

Adopt? At my age? It’s Cissy’s kid. You know my Cissy? I see she knows something. Why not? I had a public business. No surprise.

Of course I remember Cissy. She says this, her face is a little more ironed out.

So my Cissy, if you remember, she was a nervous girl.

I’ll bet she was.

Is that a nice way to answer? Cissy was nervous … The nervousness, to be truthful, ran in Mrs. Z’s family. Ran? Galloped … tarum tarum tarum.

When we were

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