About Better than Gelt

by Jodi Payne
29 pages / 9500 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-230-0, 1-60370-230-X
Available file types - html. lit, pdf, prc

Rebecca has had Eva's number for a little while, but she hasn't called. Eva is pretty and graceful , all of the things Rebecca isn't, and the Jewish bookstore owner isn't sure she's willing to take a chance. When Eva turns up in her store and hands over her number again, Rebecca reconsiders, and it's Chinese for Christmas for the girls.

They make plans to meet again over dreidels and latkes, and Eva makes a proposal that's better than gelt. What could be better than chocolate coins on Hanukah? Eva has something in mind that Rebecca's never thought of.

Sample

Ah, Christmas again.

Rebecca stood on the subway platform surrounded by the usual Friday morning rush hour crowd. There was a tension in the air this morning; the commuters seemed determined to get to work as soon as possible, likely so they could tie up loose ends and then head home early to get a jump on the holiday.

With any luck they’d stop by the bookstore on their lunch hours or on the way home.

A small group of what appeared to be teenagers were standing close together, singing Christmas carols a cappella. They’d worked their way through “Oh, Come All Ye Faithful”, and were on to “Deck the Halls” as Rebecca’s train arrived and she hefted her bag higher on her shoulder, standing where she knew from long experience the train’s doors would open.

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la, la, la. ‘Tis the season to...”

...to close my shop for a whole day even though I’m Jewish, Rebecca thought just a little bitterly, except that really, she couldn’t argue with a day off. With the holiday season in full swing she hadn’t had one in a while. She shouldered her way into the crowded subway car and the voices of the carolers abruptly cut off as the doors closed solidly behind her.

Christmas Eve was usually busy at the bookstore. Rebecca went to bed early the night before, expecting a big retail day. This year, like last and the one before, she’d prepared herself for the worst over breakfast that morning and, on the subway ride to work, she thought about nothing but dollar signs and special orders.

Busy, busy, busy. Rebecca rarely even got time to get to the bathroom on Christmas Eve let alone eat lunch -- or dinner for that matter. She usually kept the store open late, too, and ordered pizza for herself and for Alicia, the only employee she had who was willing to work the holiday. Thank goodness for Alicia, though, she’d been there since Rebecca opened the place and Rebecca couldn’t survive the crowds without her.

Rebecca and Alicia steeled themselves against the onslaught as they opened the doors at nine a.m. sharp. She’d been ready for all the people coming and going, looking for that last-minute holiday gift; the perfect book to make the child in their lives smile, the photography book on famous golf courses for Dad, because he has everything and another tie seems so boring. Maybe a cookbook for mom, who seems to collect them even though she really doesn’t need them, or a calendar for a sibling who can’t seem to remember anyone’s birthday.

But as Rebecca straightened out yet another shelf of books that was already tidy enough, she was starting to think maybe she was the one who needed the calendar. Was this really Christmas Eve? True, the store had been busy for the first hour or two, but just past lunchtime it slowed down and now it was practically empty. She’d hit the bathroom and even sent Alicia to Starbucks for coffee. At that moment, there were two women in the children’s section, flipping the pages of And Tango Makes Three, and there was a tall man perusing the magazines, apparently pretending he didn’t have a copy of Out tucked up under his arm as he read Time instead. Rebecca had to laugh at him. He’d managed to get up the nerve to walk into the store despite the pride flag that hung outside, buying something a benign as a magazine (as opposed to, say, smut) seemed like the easy part.

Three potential customers, and that was all.