The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler

Author:Mordecai Richler [Richler, Mordecai]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2010-12-06T18:30:00+00:00

8

Duddy phoned Yvette to tell her about Lennie. “That means I won’t be in today,” he said.

Yvette said she’d like to go to Ste. Agathe for a couple of days. The notary wanted to see her and it was her brother’s birthday tomorrow.

“Sure thing. Just call the telephone answering service before you go. If you’re short there must be at least thirty bucks in the petty cash.”

“I can live on my salary,” Yvette said in that special cold voice.

Those dames, Duddy thought, there’s no need for them to tell you when they’ve got the curse. “Have a nice trip,” he said, and hanging up he added, “Ver gerharget.”

College kids, Duddy discovered, do not get up too early. He loitered longer than an hour in Hillel House before he saw a familiar face. It was nice there, but he couldn’t relax: he was worried that he was sitting in somebody else’s chair or that his fly might be undone. Some girls in cashmere sweaters drifted in and there was a sweet-looking boy with a pipe. Duddy began to whistle and one of the girls raised an eyebrow. “It’s from Carmen,” said, clearing his throat. Then he saw Riva. She wore a McGill blazer. “Riva,” he said, “I’ve got to speak to you for a minute.”

Riva looked surprised.

“I’m Lennie Kravitz’s kid brother. Remember?” Duddy explained that Lennie was home sick in bed. Nothing serious, mind you, but his father was worried, and Duddy wanted to know if she had noticed anything odd about him recently. “Bothering him like.”

“We move in different circles these days.”

Riva, he gathered, was going to Tel Aviv to teach school once she graduated from McGill. “That’s a fine ambition,” he said, “but what about Lennie?”

“He’s become an assimilationist.”

“Wha’?”

“You never see him at Hillel any more. Jewish boys and girls aren’t good enough for him. It’s a disgrace, honestly. Every time they take him into one of their frat houses he practically licks their boots.”

Riva was late for Eng. 1 and had to run. She couldn’t meet him later, either. She was busy.

“Duddy! Duddy Kravitz!”

“Bernie!”

“Boy, is it ever good to see you.”

“Yeah,” Duddy said. “No kidding?”

“You’re a big business success. I’ve heard all about you. Congratulations.”

“Aw.”

“Never mind. One day I’ll be saying I knew him when.”

“You’ll saying that? Gwan. You’re getting a real education. You’re going to be an architect.”

“What are you doing here?”

Duddy repeated the story he had told Riva. He said he was anxious to find out anything he could about Lennie’s life at McGill.

“Well,” Bernie said, “I knew I’d never get to that sociology class. Come around the corner with me. We’ll have a coffee.”

They joked for a while about the old days at the hotel before Bernie got serious. “Look,” he said, “I don’t want to interfere. Lennie minds his own business and he’s entitled to choose his own friends.”

“Give,” Duddy said.

Bernie told Duddy that Lennie had a rep for being a plugger. He had never been very popular but nobody had really disliked him either.

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