Chapter 5

“You’re Sasha Rothstein?” a man approached Sasha as she got out of the car.

“I am. This is my ... fiance, David Leland. This is ... Judge Trudy Randall. A retired family court judge,” Sasha suddenly felt real butterflies and a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“I’m afraid that I have ... very bad news for you, Ms. Rothstein. A neighbor heard a loud crash from the kitchen and went to investigate. They found your father, Ira Rothstein, dead with cuts all over his bodies, though many of them caused him little pain. He didn’t die of them. He had bottles of booze, hard liquor, everywhere, including the one that shattered all over the floor. He was rather clearly ... intoxicated. It’s pretty obvious that this was blood alcohol poisoning. He drank himself to death. You have my deepest condolences,” the officer informed him.

Sasha burst into tears and David pulled her close to hold her. All that Sasha could think was ... his pain was over ... my pain has just begun. Damn you, Mom! I don’t think that there’s a Hell. We Jews don’t believe in one, not most of us. If there is one, though, I would love to personally escort you to its gates. Don’t you dare show up for his funeral! I’ll have security remove your sorry, heartless ass!

“David ... in ... Judaism ... we hold services very quickly for the dead. Will you be with me ... for kaddish? That’s ... prayers for the dead,” Sasha asked her fiance.

“I would be ... honored, babe. Do you want Trudy there or not?” he replied.

“Yes ... she’s part of our ... family now, ain’t she? The three of us are lovers, after all. I know that she wronged him, but she made amends just before he died. I think that Daddy would want her there, too. I need her there, especially if Mom shows up,” Sasha wiped her tears and did her best to compose herself at the loss of her father, a man who deserved better, but at least had peace now.

“Ms. Rothstein, I know that it’s fast, but have you given any thought as to the disposal of the body? Once it leaves the morgue, that is,” one of the firefighters asked her now.

“We were just ... discussing that. I’m Jewish. Dad ... was Jewish. We need to have a funeral as quickly as we can. It’s ... tradition. If possible, though, I’d like to keep my mother away. She’s not welcome, as far as I’m concerned,” Sasha informed the man, her hate for her mother more than a little brazen.

“Wow ... that’s quite a ... breach in the family. But that’s unfortunately something that you’ll have to tell the rabbi, you know,” the fellow told her.

“I ... understand,” Sasha nodded, while David wiped away more tears and Trudy gave her a handkerchief.

Later ... at the funeral...

אֵל מָלֵא רַחֲמִים שׁוֹכֵן בַּמְּרוֹמִים, הַמְצֵא מְנוּחָה נְכוֹנָה עַל כַּנְפֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה בְּמַעֲלוֹת קְדוֹשִׁים וטְהוֹרִים כְּזוֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ מַזְהִירִים אֶת נִשְׁמַת פלוני בן פלוני שֶׁהָלַךְ לְעוֹלָמוֹ, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁנָדְבוּ צְדָקָה בְּעַד הַזְכָּרַת נִשְׁמָתוֹ, לָכֵן בַּעַל הָרַחֲמִים יַסְתִּירֵהוּ בְּסֵתֶר כְּנָפָיו לְעוֹלָמִים, וְיִצְרֹר בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים אֶת נִשְׁמָתוֹ, ה’ הוּא נַחֲלָתוֹ, וְיָנוּחַ בְּשָׁלוֹם עַל מִשְׁכָּבוֹ, וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן:

God, full of mercy, who dwells in the heights, provide a sure rest upon the Divine Presence’s wings, within the range of the holy, pure and glorious, whose shining resemble the sky’s, to the soul of ---- for whom charity was pledged to the memory of his soul. Therefore, the Master of Mercy will protect him forever, from behind the hiding of his wings, and will tie his soul with the rope of life. The Everlasting is his heritage, and he shall rest peacefully upon his lying place, and let us say: Amen.

“Now it’s time for kaddish,” Sasha explained to David quietly after the casket was lowered, her father laid to rest at last.

“Recite with me,” Rabbi Avram Levine intoned.

B’ʻal’ma d’hu ʻatid l’ithaddata ulʼaḥaya metaya ulʼassaqa yathon l’ḥayye ʻal’ma

After the service...

“Sasha, my condolences. I know that you loved your father. I’m very sorry for your loss,” Ruth Appelman told her daughter, who glared at her with disgust.

“Well, one of us had to love him. You hated him. So that left me,” Sasha curtly told her mother, “I asked that you stay away. Why didn’t you respect my wishes?”

“I had to give my respects and condolences, honey,” Ruth insisted.

“Respects? You showed him no respect in life. Why pretend to do so after death? I hate you, Mother. You disgust me! You are dead to me! How long after the divorce before you remarried to this jerk? A Communist, really? Really, Mom? Yes, I heard all about it!

“You’re sick, both of you! You are dead to me! Do you hear me? You are dead to me. I never want to see you again! I’m marrying David, and no, you’re not welcome at our wedding, okay?” Sasha looked spitting mad to see her mother there.

“Wasn’t she the judge at the divorce? Why is she allowed here and not me?” Ruth pointed out.

“Because she made amends and expressed remorse. You ... you don’t even feel guilty at all, do you, Mother? Go to Hell, Mom. I hope that your new husband runs afoul of the new regime and that they have both of you shot! They don’t like Commies very much, from the Leviathan on down, I suspect,” Sasha stormed out, with David and Trudy in tow.

“David, please, speak sense to your fiancee,” Ruth begged her future son-in-law.

“That’s Mr. Leland to you, mother-in-law, and Sasha doesn’t hate people easily. If she can’t stand you, ma’am, I reckon she’s got a reason. So, go fuck off and die!” David spat out his last words before he stormed out, too.

“I broke his bank account, you bitch, but you broke his heart. Who do you think hurt him more and drove him to drinking himself to death? Eat my whole ass ... before it gets wiped again!” Trudy told Ruth in her parting shot.

“Enough of this ... let’s go grab a beer or two,” David told Sasha.

“And use it to chase some Jack!” Trudy added.

“And then we’ll have a threesome ... only I want our cum spilled on every picture I still have of Mom ... before I light a match to them and douse them with gasoline,” Sasha’s smile was savage, but David couldn’t fault her.

Neither could Trudy.