Chapter Twenty-Eight

TWENTY-EIGHT

AUGUST 1924

After Bess and George were engaged, Augusta saw much less of her sister. If Bess wasn’t working at the pharmacy, she was spending time with her fiancé or planning their upcoming wedding with the help of George’s mother. It would have been different, Augusta knew, if their own mother were still alive or if their father was remotely interested in planning his older daughter’s nuptials. But Solomon Stern could not seem to muster the joyous energy that was required. It was not that he disapproved of the groom or of the upcoming wedding. It was simply that, for the melancholy druggist, happiness was something reserved for the past.

In Bess’s absence, Augusta spent more time with her friend Evie Sussman. If Augusta was being 100 percent honest, she might confess to being bored around Evie, but she mostly found the girl’s even temper and blithe personality to be soothing. Evie was fair-haired and pale, with a melodic voice and an expensive wardrobe of demurely cut pastel dresses. She was the friend that mothers wanted for their children, the type of girl who never made demands or got into trouble of any kind.

It was because there was nothing at all objectionable about Evie that the girl was so universally liked. And so when Evie’s mother sent the invitations for her daughter’s seventeenth birthday party, everyone who was asked said yes, including Lois Diamond.

Until two days before the party, neither Augusta nor Evie nor anyone else was aware that Lois would be in attendance. Though all three girls went to Thomas Jefferson High School, Augusta and Evie ran in very different circles from the eldest daughter of the racketeer. They were responsible, bookish girls, both spending the bulk of their summer days working in their fathers’ stores—Augusta at Stern’s Pharmacy and Evie at Sussman’s Corner Bakery, which was only a few blocks away. Lois, on the other hand, spent the summer keeping company with a mostly older, mostly male crowd. Augusta and Evie spotted her sometimes, smoking cigarettes on the sidewalks of Brownsville, surrounded by a gaggle of gape-mouthed boys. Next to Evie’s muted exterior, Lois’s ruby lipstick and jet-black hair stood out like a fly in a glass of milk.

Evie’s party was scheduled for noon on a Sunday, and would include sandwiches, board games, and a frosted cake made with painstaking care by Evie’s baker father. It was because of the cake, as a matter of fact, that Lois was invited to join the festivities. On the Friday before the party, Mitzi Diamond made her weekly trip to Sussman’s to purchase two challahs and a dozen of Zip’s favorite cookies. When Mitzi entered, Mr. Sussman was arguing with his wife about whether their daughter’s birthday cake should be decorated with pink or yellow roses.

Mitzi Diamond was familiar with Evie Sussman and her saccharine reputation. The girl was everything her own daughter was not, and though she would never go so far as to say that she wished Lois could be more like Evie, she did think that her daughter might benefit from such a safe and steadying friendship. She did not like the rumors she’d been hearing about Lois and the reckless crowd she was part of. Mrs. Diamond was neither a prude nor a fool—she knew what kind of trouble her daughter could get into and she was hoping to steer her in a different direction.

“Is it Evie’s birthday?” Mrs. Diamond asked, in a voice so sweet that Mrs. Sussman barely recognized it.

“Mrs. Diamond?” Mrs. Sussman blinked to confirm the identity of the speaker. “We have your challahs and cookies ready. Let me get them from the back.”

While Mrs. Sussman retrieved the order, Mrs. Diamond questioned the baker. “Evie is the same age as my Lois, you know.”

“Is that right?” Mr. Sussman said. “Yes, Evie’s birthday is on Sunday. Mrs. Sussman has invited some girls over to celebrate. Lunch, board games, that sort of thing.”

“How lovely,” Mrs. Diamond cooed. “I’m sure my daughter would love to come. Lois can’t get enough of board games.”

Mr. Sussman stared blankly at his customer, uncertain of how to respond. When his wife returned with the challahs and cookies, Mrs. Diamond took it upon herself to explain the situation. “Mrs. Sussman,” she said smoothly, “I was just telling your husband how grateful I would be if you included my daughter in the festivities you’ve planned for Evie’s birthday.”

Mrs. Sussman resumed her blinking. “Lois wants to come to Evie’s party?”

“Yes, she’d love to attend.” Mrs. Diamond pretended not to notice Mrs. Sussman’s confusion. Given her husband’s reputation, she was certain the Sussmans would not refuse her. “What time on Sunday should she arrive?”

“The others are coming at twelve o’clock…”

“Perfect! Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Sussman.” Mrs. Diamond took a step closer to the counter. “I’ll be sure to tell my husband about your kindness. I know how much he will appreciate this. Zip never forgets a favor.” She tucked the box of cookies under her arm. “I never forget one, either.”

Lois was as surprised to be at the party as everyone else was to see her there. Mrs. Sussman—mindful of the danger that might ensue should Lois report being snubbed—asked the girls to introduce themselves so that Lois would feel welcome. At first the atmosphere was awkward, but after sandwiches and lemonade, the other girls grew less self-conscious. When Mrs. Sussman left the room, the conversation began in earnest. All the girls, except for Evie and Augusta, began questioning Lois.

“Are you carrying a torch for David Bloom?”

Lois laughed. “Absolutely not.”

“But I saw you with him the other day. He couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

Lois shrugged. “That’s not my fault. Anyhow, I prefer older men.”

As the gossip continued, Augusta watched Evie to make sure that her friend did not feel slighted. But Evie didn’t seem to care how much attention Lois received. She was staring at the grandfather clock that stood in the corner of her living room.

“What’s going on?” Augusta whispered. “Are you expecting someone else?”

Evie nodded. “Do you remember Nathaniel Birnbaum? Dr. Birnbaum’s son?”

“Of course,” said Augusta. “Our fathers are friends. He’s been away at college, hasn’t he?”

“Yes, but he’s home now, for the rest of the summer. He came into the bakery a few days ago. We got to talking, and he said he’d stop by this afternoon to wish me a happy birthday. He’s so polite, Augusta, and so handsome. He’s going to be a doctor, just like his father.”

“Evie Sussman! I can’t believe what I’m hearing! I’ve never heard you talk this way about anyone!”

Evie giggled. “I know,” she said. “But I feel so… happy when I’m around him.”

Augusta couldn’t remember a time when Evie was ever un happy, but she knew it would be rude to say so.

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the Sussmans’ door. Nathaniel entered, wearing a smart summer suit and holding an enormous bouquet of flowers. The other girls murmured and giggled shyly—all except for Lois Diamond, who stood from her seat, marched over to Nathaniel, and flashed him a confident, ruby-lipped smile. “I’m Lois Diamond,” she said. “Who are you?”

Though Evie was dismayed at first, Augusta thought Nathaniel did a perfect job of handling the situation. After shaking Lois’s hand politely, Nathaniel turned his full attention to Evie. Before offering her the bouquet, he lifted her hand to his lips. “Happy birthday, Evie,” he said, so resolutely that even Lois Diamond had no choice but to back away.

While Nathaniel chatted with Evie’s parents, the other girls whispered their approval. “You and Evie are so lucky,” Dottie Schwartz told Augusta. “I’ll probably never have a beau.”

Lois looked at Augusta with renewed interest. “Who are you dating, Miss Smarty-Pants?”

“No one,” said Augusta. “Dottie is just teasing.”

“I am not,” Dottie insisted. “Every time I turn around, I see you with Irving Rivkin.”

“Irving and I are just friends. He’s the delivery boy at my father’s pharmacy.”

Lois nodded dramatically. “He’s probably just being nice to you because he works for your father. Trust me, I know all about that.”

Augusta bristled at the suggestion that Irving wasn’t a real friend. She was sick to death of Lois Diamond. Sick of her hair, sick of her makeup, and sick of her know-it-all attitude. Suddenly she couldn’t help herself. Augusta wasn’t unflappable like Evie. She couldn’t pretend to be sweet and calm. “No one asked for your opinion,” she snapped. “You don’t know the first thing about Irving!”

Lois Diamond clearly didn’t appreciate being put in her place. She flashed Augusta a menacing glance. “I might not know him yet, ” Lois said. “But I can always get an introduction. If I decide that he’s worth meeting, I’ll be sure to let you know.”