Bee Season: A Novel by Myla Goldberg

Author:Myla Goldberg [Goldberg, Myla]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Religious, Domestic Fiction, Literary, Sagas, Jews, Jewish, Jewish Fiction, Jewish Families - United States, Jewish Families, Spelling Ability, Jewish Girls - United States, Bildungsromans, Bildungsromane, Jewish Girls
ISBN: 9780385498807
Google: vHN7zpkgXPIC
Amazon: 0385498802
Publisher: Anchor
Published: 2000-01-01T07:00:00+00:00

Though Saul insists on calling their first meal back a victory dinner, Eliza's heavy silences at the table belie the euphemism. Miriam is strangely animated, peppering Saul and Eliza with questions and not noticing that Eliza's answers mirror her father's.

Aaron is much more comfortable staring at his father's hands than his eyes. In a fit of guilt-induced fear, he removed two candles from the Shabbat candle box and lowered the level in the Manischewitz bottle in preparation for Saul's homecoming. Even as Aaron performed these compensations he sensed they were unnecessary. His father is no candle-counter. Of course Saul's son, the future rabbi, would have observed Shabbat in his absence.

Aaron found himself giving Eliza a solid sympathy hug in response to the news of her defeat. He has a feeling she was as surprised by it as he, but the way she squeezed back assured him that, though unexpected, it was not unwelcome. He's pretty sure he can detect the ghost of a smile when they exchange brief glances across the dinner table. He almost wishes he could tell her about skipping out on Shabbat, has a feeling she might get a good laugh out of it. Eliza's small smile eases some of his anxiety over the lie he has been preparing all day to tell.

Both wife and son insist, over Saul's repeated questions, that absolutely nothing at all happened while he was gone. Aaron shyly mentions a new friend, haltingly asks if he might join this Charlie for pizza and a movie tomorrow evening.

Saul can't help but wonder if there is something more to Aaron's question -- look at the way he's blushing -- and takes great pleasure in asking, "There wouldn't be a girl involved in this pizza/movie venture, would there?"

"No, Dad, it's nothing like that. I mean I wouldn't . . ." Aaron had braced himself for the unmasking of his untruth, but he hadn't prepared for his father to be this clueless.

"Aaron, it's okay. You don't have to be embarrassed about going on a date. When I was your age, I went out with girls. To tell you the truth, I was getting a little worried -- "

Aaron's voice is flat. "Dad. It's not a date." He wishes Elly and Mom weren't at the table. "I mean, girls don't even . . ." He can't say the rest. It's too obvious. The last time he even touched a girl who wasn't a relative was at his bar mitzvah, now three years past, the token dance with Stacey Lieberman whom he was stupid enough to call the week after and whose unconditional, mortifying refusal to accompany him to a movie alerted him to the fact that she had only been his dancing partner out of politeness after all.

When Saul looks at his stammering son, he suddenly sees him through a stranger's eyes. While he assures himself that this has no effect on his fatherly love, which is of course unconditional, he realizes that Aaron at sixteen is as mockable as Aaron at ten.

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