Page 19 of Evading Exodus
“Alright, alright. Moving on.” He placed the booklet down and walked around to where Melody was standing, extending his arms for his grandson. “James Junior.”He held JJ in his arms and rocked him, gazing at him with an indulgent smile.
“David, I’m winning,” Poppa Lark sing-songed. I assumed he meant the grandchild race. My own mother often joked about it with her best friend.
David sang right back. “That’s ’cause you’re older.”
I shook my head in mock sympathy for Ace and Jake. I could see where their exuberant personalities came from.
Once the laughter died away, Poppa Lark continued, “Jake and Terry,mazel tovon another fabulous write-up inThe Press.”
“Thank you,” Jake replied while Terry inclined his head in a nod of thanks.
Poppa Lark bypassed me and turned to Seth, who stood beside him. “Seth and Owen, thank you so much for driving down and joining us this year.” He stared pointedly at my ex as he continued. “Old friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you never forget they are there.” He gripped Seth’s shoulder and shook his hand. “I’m so glad you could join us this year.”
I flinched.What am I? Chopped liver?ran through my mind. No way could I compete with a three-decade-old friendship. I wasn’t even that old.
Did Poppa Lark think I was just a punk kid looking for a sugar daddy? We’d barely spoken the day before. Ace’s father was still speaking about friendship, but I didn’t hear a word he said, lost in my thoughts of how I could politely excuse myself and leave. I attempted to step back, forgetting that Ace was right behind me.
“Fuck,” Ace muttered, twisting and maneuvering his body so that he was standing in front of me, putting himself between his father and me. He placed his hand on my chest as I tried to keep my expression neutral, but the way he looked at me suggested I’d failed.
“And finally, Darren, newer friends even more so.” Poppa Lark grinned, proud of whatever joke he’d made.
An audible collective sigh was released, but I scoffed, somehow managing to mold my lips into something resembling a smile, not caring much for his little “joke.”
“So not cool, Dad,” Jack said.
“What? Really?” Poppa Lark was greatly disappointed as everyone shook our heads. “Hmm. My apologies then, Darren. I suppose that in light of things that was in poor taste.”
He circled around the table towards me and held out his hand in a gesture of friendship. Reluctantly, I put my hand in his. Poppa Lark pulled me forward into a hug and whispered in my ear, “Truly, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my son’s happiness.”
I leaned away and looked him in the eye. A brief nod, accepting his words of apology, was reciprocated by his broad, toothy grin.
He returned to his seat and clapped his hands sharply. “Alright. Let’s begin.”
Momma Lark moved to the light switch. With a flick of her finger, the room was plunged into darkness.
A scritching sounded. A small light flared in the dark. Momma Lark lit the set of candles before her. She handed the matchbook to Melody who did the same, and the action was repeated again by Jake’s mother. Together, the women recited the blessings over the candles. The rest of us joined in for theShehecheyanu, thanking God for sustaining us and enabling us to reach this season.
Chapter 10: Prayers
(The Tenth Plague: Slaying of the Firstborn)
True to her word, Momma Lark had rearranged the seating so that I was just to her left as she sat at the foot of the table. I looked around the table, cementing everyone’s name and face in my memory. Since hearing Ace’s confession to his mom, and my own hopes for our relationship, I suspected there would be many huge family gatherings in our future. It would be embarrassing to accidentally call someone the wrong name. Ace was beside me, then Jake’s parents, followed by Owen and Seth. Across from us were Josey and Finn, little Bunny sitting pretty in her high chair, amusing herself by chewing on a teething ring. Next to them sat Jake and Terry, with Jack and Melody at the far end, JJ reclining in Melody’s arms.
From his seat at the head of the table, Poppa Lark led theSeder, the order of the meal. We followed along in our own copies of theHaggadah.
Prayers were spoken over wine, and parsley was dipped in salt water to symbolize the tears of our forefathers and mothers. Eventually we came to the reading of Exodus when Moses approaches the Pharaoh of Egypt and asks him—as he’s been commanded by God to do—to “Let my people go.” Pharaoh, fearing the loss of his “slaves,” declines, and God sends forth a series of ten plagues, each an attempt to convince the Pharaoh to change his answer.
We dipped our pinkies in our wine and pressed them to a small bit of paper as together we recited the words of the first plague.
“Dam, blood.”
A tittering of laughter had me raising my head to see everyone staring raptly at Poppa Lark. I turned to see him holding up a little sign that read: Beach Closed - No Swimming Today. I huffed at his mockery of the Egyptian river turning red with blood.
He placed the sign to the side, and we drew out another drop of wine.
“Ts’fardei’a, frogs.” A new sign appeared—Frog Legs! Get Your Frog Legs Today! Half-price!—and a new round of amusement filled the room.
Sign after sign followed, some better than others. It didn’t take long for me to join in on the amusement. I almost fell out of my chair cackling at the sixth one for boils. The sign read, “Sorry, out of stock of ichthammol.”
