ANOTHER PLACE

She had me by the seat of my pants. I couldn’t move and had to give up. The ugly lady in the ugly black dress and huge white hat pulled me down the hall, opened a door and tossed me in. I heard a key lock and heavy footsteps walk away. It was dark except for a trace of yellow light beneath the door. A stinky smell filled my nose. I curled up in a corner, made no noise and just listened to nothing.

‘What’s that?’ I whispered to the blackness. Something was on my leg, moving higher and higher, on to my sleeve, into my hand. Ich! A mouse! I shook my hand hard, banged my foot on the floor. The mouse disappeared, left me alone. ‘Mama, Mama, why did you leave me?’ I cried to myself until I think I fell asleep. That frightening sound again and I straightened my back bone against a wall. Heavy shoes clomped, clomped, came closer. I could not hold my fear and peed in my pants.

A shadow covered the narrow band of light under the door, the door that has kept me prisoner. My pants were uncomfortable, smelled bad. I realized I was hungry, barely breathed, didn’t make a sound. The key clinked, turned, the door opened a speck. With all of my strength I jumped at it, pushed it back. Two hands grabbed me. I kicked the black dress in the belly and was free. The white hat was laying on the floor.

A soft, nice face with a bald head was under it. The person sat up, straightened her black dress, looked at me and spoke. ‘Who are you, Child? What were you doing in that closet? Who locked you in? My voice must have shook as I told her my name was Moishe Gutterman.‘A mean lady in a black dress just like yours put me in the closet and locked the door. I was scared in there. When I heard the door opening, I thought it was the same lady. I am sorry if I hurt you, Lady. Are you okay?’

‘My name is Sister Margaret,’ she said. ‘I’m not hurt. Come with me. Let’s try to find the sister who put you in the closet.’ ‘I’d rather go home, please. I wasn’t stealing anything. I won’t come back. Please let me leave,’ I whined. ‘Of course you may go but I do need your help to find the other sister.’ But, M’am, you aren’t my sister, neither is the witch lady. I don’t have any sisters or a mama either.’

Sister Margaret offered me a glass of milk and cookies, took me into a great big kitchen where other ladies in black dresses with white hats were busy cooking. Of all of them, I recognized one, the mean one. ‘Sister Margaret, Sister Margaret,’ I pointed.‘That’s the one. That’s her.’ ‘You have to be making a mistake. That is our Mother Superior. She would never hurt you.’ The Mother Superior clapped her hands and all the ladies, wearing the same black dress and white hat, formed a line and walked towards a long hall. No one spoke.

One stepped out of line when she saw me, grabbed me by my ears and called me a Yid. All eyes stared at her, heard her wrath. ‘Go back across the street to your Yeshiva, Kid. Don’t ever set foot in this church again. You are not welcome here. Go!’

All the ladies seemed stunned. The Mother Superior hurried to me, held me the way my mother used to do and invited me back as often as I wish to come. ‘Moishe, don’t be afraid of us. The sister who put you in the closet will be gone from this Diocese by morning.

That’s when your god and ours will take care of her.’