10
C A N A D I AN J E W IS H R E V I E W
5707 - Ro�h Hashonoh - 1948
IF THERE IS ANYTHING LEFT
By Joseph
The \etc Yorker Copyright The F-tf. Publishing Corporation
i'Virily, Vrr^v. T\e!rer
his
stono hon�e or, TVc-^t Viretioth Stroot. res; R>e.'*;.V '0 '"ve. lafc ir, th<~ fi.fre','rv>o�v H�- � tv .-��,�� jr. holr! tV�c vestibule r?oor OTV>�'. Ay'tV his
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Srsr hflc
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refuar^f
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;1 tn-;. -.-A: M*i;
had had a slight hear!' attack and her son had suggested moving to a ground-floor 'apart men t. bnt the oW }?.(\\ had refused to move. ''I have w:,iked stairs for forty, years in c>iiv houso." she had 'said. "Just lot !vr. pr hyu-k homo to Prague and IT. be . as yount and healthy as �,ver/; . ,. '�'�,. . '.";�.'� - '.' �hc ".'as p. -.small.', frail.-' white-itt.: yi-rtd the .doctor had nst any physical or ior.j,; strain. The doctor was H refugee from ''.Prague and kri'ir-vr" her for many years :. �'� There's, nothing wrone you. wi?nf*'".rT! Mft>?i.. . he had "hut .yor. are ever seventy jfr/t rverdf things." Ho had JIT Reiner and sfcid. '%T*fn t:V the- F/c'v Di'^kt^r' will.
'fire of you/'
r or rhf strppi.' Rpinor would ^ niotho1. 'f j.Vn^. and cRntious-!(� bo" . v-'atchrnp out for the ;r inU'TsPcti^ns. Nrv York's traffic was one reasnr. he v��\\}](\ r-ovor ]p: his nwher/pr any-'v.;!>.'rc. ulnnc-. Fortimfiroh. she had r- de^irr tc >ee the cky. MOST of. the time. shf'Ava? content T' sit' ir ;iv anrtchair by the fron: v/indov. r.ir n: the- strep; JIHC: cnnV-
\virl;
menting on what she paw. In summer she watched, disapprovingly, the children playing ball on the pavement and between the parked cars. ''In Prague, people wouldn't let their children play in the middle of the street," she said time and apain. �"! never let you mn' around in front of the house. Edi. Look how they fight and shout. All un-v ashed. The parents in this town have no time for their children." Shr always called Xew York "this. tr\vn", as though she didn'.t like to_ say its name.
Tf the weather was fine, the "Reiners would walk over to Broadway and ride a streetcar down to J5f�ven.'tj'-wcond Street. They liked the streetcars becaus*e they reminded them of the trolleys., in Pvapue. thouph in Xew York the moformpn stopped and started so fast that they wore always throvrn hack *nd forth. Or. Sevent^'-seooTid Street. Eerner and his nciother .would pet out and walk to one of the small cafe? where they were i?wav-F sure to meet some of their people. The w&iter -wouH g-reet them profusely � "Komp}>rn#n.t.. Hcrr 'Direktnr" � bcwinp <ieep from the waist and smiling the
smile that he reserved for important clients. He would hold the chair for Madame and help the Hfrr Direktor out of his coat and. without "waiting for their order, would hurry-over 4o the�counter and bri�fr two cups of coffee, one with an extra portion at'-Sfltfaf for Madame, and a black one for the Hfrr Dirvktor. Everybody called Reiner Hwr Direktof* or Pffne reditfK* as they had dme back home in Prague. There va�
baked pasiry'
and of pood, strong coffee >- ivt made in one of those strange, Val-loon-like bottles but in an olo-fashioned drip pot � and the muted, pleasantly familiar sound of Czech and German voices, Occasionally. a few Americans wov.V. come in for a piece of pastry-they_.'called it "cake1*, unable' tc distinguish berxveen $ath*rtft(. Gnfflhupf, and .Yw�rrot<?a<ff � Vut they were as incongruous a sifht as though they had suddenly ?.> pea red at the C^fe Continental :r Prague, where everybody Wvu'.; �rnrn to look at people vho sp^'-w English. Old Mrs. Reiner d:,;.-': understand English.
had been a director ::
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AS JO K ��OF. THE JEWISH NEW YEAR
LDTV
G-ARDEN CAFE
. 3
1059 CLARKE STREET
ci
rue
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X C N T P E A 1 S NEWEST A I P CONDITIONED KESTAU.EAKT
Privatt: Parties Arranged LA. 8414
