ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER
217
with the Zionists or whoever they are. As soon as I heard about him
I warned her. She introduced us and asked my opinion . I'm the sort
of guy, if! liked him, I'd have said so. I'm like that in business, too.
Somebody can be my biggest competitor, but if they turn out a nice
piece of work I'll be the first to admit it. But I didn't like him, so I
told her, 'Do what you like, we'll still be friends .' And from that time
on she started to go down. I called her a few times after that, but she
didn't call me back. I took her out, too, to the theater, a restaurant. I
was ready to forgive and forget, but she was proud. Too proud. She
said to me, 'Sam, it's the end of me.' I said, 'Why is it the end?' She
said, 'When others don't respect me I don't care, but when I lose my
self-respect, then it's the finish.' What happened was , that sneaky lit–
tle dentist went back to his wife because her father had died and left
her a bundle . I found out that during the time he was going out with
Bessie he kept a mistress, some Mrs . Rothstein, a divorcee. He is
one of those guys who flit from woman to woman and think they
deceive the whole world. What did she ever see in him? It wasn't
love - she loved only you. But there is such a thing as ambition.
Especially in women . -
Where is he going, that bum? Why do they give peo–
ple like that a license?-
Yes , ambition . She was ready to marry and he,
as they say, pulled the wool over her eyes. You didn't see her the last
few months?"
"No."
"Well, she was crushed. Completely crushed. A good woman , a
noble woman. How was it you didn't call her?"
"It just happened that way ."
"I understand. I know how it is. He was at the funeral today,
too, the little quack. He sat right in the first row and acted like the
number-one mourner. He tried to make a speech over the body, but
her brother wouldn't stand for it . Maybe you'd like to have lunch
with me? I know a restaurant in this neighborhood-"
"No, thanks. But if you're hungry-"
"I'm not hungry, thank you. Even if I was, what of it? I'm too
heavy as it is. The doctor ordered me to lose twenty pounds. Now how
do you go about losing twenty pounds? You wouldn't think so, but
I'm pushing seventy. What do I have to worry about? But her death
is a great loss to me, a great loss. What about you? You live alone?"
"Yes . Alone ."
"Well, as the saying goes, everyone has his own troubles . What
does anyone know about anyone else? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Less than nothing."
