The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky by Karen Tulchinsky

Author:Karen Tulchinsky
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Talonbooks
Published: 2013-03-20T00:00:00+00:00

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Blood Brothers

JULY AND AUGUST 1944

THE TELEGRAM SLIPS from Sophie’s grasp. Her knees give out and she falls hard to the floor, landing in a strange sitting position, her back to the wall.

“Mama?” Izzy is frightened to his core. He flies downstairs in a panic to find Auntie Tess. “Auntie! Auntie! Auntie!”

“SHE’S RESTING,” Tess informs Yacov, when he rushes in the door.

“The telegram,” he demands.

His hands tremble. Such a callous, cold message. Lenny was a person. A boy. Their son. Not a Private. regret to inform you. lapinsky, leonard, chaim, private. killed in action. active duty. france. This isn’t his son. Lapinsky, Leonard, Private. The hammering in Yacov’s chest drowns out the cry that spills from his throat. He sits down at the table, head in hands, and sobs.

Tessie stands behind, one hand on his shoulder.

“Papa?” Izzy doesn’t know what’s going on. He has never seen his father cry.

“Izzelah,” Tessie says, teary-eyed, “go and find your brother Sid. Go on. Hurry.”

LANCE CORPORAL SONNY LAPINSKY is ordered to report to the Sergeant. He leaves his supper tray at his place at the long wooden table and follows Private Joe Mazario to the Staff-Sergeant’s office.

“At ease, Corporal.” Staff-Sergeant James Galloway hates the Zombies. Bunch of disrespectful slackers, the whole lot of them. Cowards. Too ­concerned with their own yellow hides to fight for their country. Still, he reserves his judgment this time, on account of the news this poor sucker’s about to hear.

Sonny stands at ease, trying to wipe the smirk from his face. He hasn’t grown used to all the saluting and standing at attention he’s required to do in the army, finds it ridiculous, grown men playing a big dumb game. Like large little boys.

“Sit down, Corporal.”

“Yessir!” He sits in the chair opposite the Sergeant’s desk. The Sergeant leaves the room. Sonny looks around, bored. Why’d they have to call him out during dinner? The only halfway decent meal they ever get around here. Tonight it was some kind of unidentified meat, with potatoes and half-dead vegetables. Beans maybe, or peas. Apple pie for dessert. The door opens and when Sonny looks up it’s not the Sergeant, it’s his brother. He jumps to his feet.

“Sid! What the hell? What’s wrong? Is it Loretta? The baby?”

Sid’s eyes are red and bloodshot. Looks like he hasn’t slept in weeks. “No, Sonny. Sit down.”

“Has something happened to Izzy?” Sonny sits. A huge lump forms in the base of his throat and sits there, strangling him from the inside.

“It’s Lenny …” Sid’s voice cracks.

“Lenny?”

There’s nothing to do but just say it. “He’s dead.” Sid still can’t believe it. The words sound so strange and unreal when he speaks them out loud.

“No.”

“In France. He was a hero, they said.”

“Killed by Krauts?” Sonny leaps to his feet again. Feels like he’s been kicked in the stomach, the wind knocked out of him.

“Yeah. In Normandy, we think.”

“Damn them.” Sonny smashes his fist into the wall, breaking a hole right through the plaster.

“Sonny, you better stop that. I mean …”

Sonny punches the wall with one hand then the other.

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