Free Sweeter Than W(h)ine by Nancy Goldberg Levine Page A

neighbor, Holden. Dina liked him, but he seemed to be a ladies man, and oh, that darn dog. Dina said her goodbye to Krysta, and thought more about the two new men in her life. She wished she knew more about Rafe, and why he’d clammed up so much when he’d talked about his niece. Holden was much more forthcoming about his life – what she saw was what she got.
    When the phone rang again, she hoped it wasn’t Rafe, cancelling their date.
    “My date cancelled,” Jay said when Dina answered.
    “Oh, I’m sorry, Jay. You have the worst luck.”
    “I don’t think things were gonna work out with this lady anyway. She always talks about herself. It’s all about her.”
    “Jay, you know it’s all about me.”
    “Of course it is, honey.”
    “How’s the weather?” Dina asked. “ Was it that bad that your date had to cancel? My mom and dad and Rafe are coming over for dinner.”
    “ They should be okay.”
    She’d barely hung up the phone with him when Rafe arrived.
    “I thought I’d get here early so I can beat the traffic,” Rafe said. “Then hopefully this front will pass over and I’ll be able to get home safe after dinner.”
    “Okay,” Dina said, as Rafe slipped off his camel hair coat. Everything about him spoke class. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to resist him, and wasn’t sure if she wanted to.
    ***
    “Okay, are you coming in or not?” Dina called from the kitchen.
    Rafe looked up from the Patrick O’Brian book he was reading. “Yeah. I’ll be there in a second.”
    Dina walked slowly into the living room, where Rafe sat on her sofa. She and her mom were cracking up, and Rafe didn’t know why. Dina was probably remembering something funny the peerless Jay Galloway had said, Rafe thought sarcastically. That usually made her laugh at the strangest times.
    “What’s so fun ny?” he asked.
    “She was talking to Schmoopie, y’know,” Dina said, when she’d finally finished laughing. “I have his cat food all ready, but he’s not ready to eat yet, I guess.”
    Rafe tried to look mad, but he gave in and chuckled, too, especially when he saw Schmoopie stroll into the kitchen.
                  “I’m starting to think Jay’s date had the right idea,” Stella Solomon said, looking out the window and frowning. “It’s really coming down out there.”
    Herman Solomon looked out , too. Rafe heard cars trying to negotiate the side street near Dina’s condo.
    “ I guess we’d better eat fast,” Dina said.
    They rushed through the blessings over the candles, bread and wine, and tried to eat as quickly as they could. Rafe had almost forgotten how much fun Friday night dinners welcoming the Sabbath could be. He started thinking about his niece again, and the first time she’d said the blessing over the candles in Hebrew. He was so proud of Gracie, but wondered what she’d think of him now, here on earth feeling sorry for himself. He bit back his sorrow, and fed Schmoopie bits of leftover chicken from his plate. Then he gave another small piece to Dina’s mom so she could take it her cats, Seymour, Pete and Franklin, who were all named after former Red Wolves ball players.
    Once dinner was over, Rafe decided to go outside to see how bad the snow was. Dina turned the television on in the living room, and they had just announced that five to six inches of snow had already fallen in Roselawn, and they were expecting at least ten. There was ice underneath the snow, plus high winds that had already blown down some power lines.
    “Be careful, Doc,” Dina said, reaching up to pull his woolen scarf around his neck.
    “Don’t worry about me,” he said, liking the idea that she cared about him. For a change, it was nice not to have to rely on himself. It’s all in the attitude, he thought, as he let himself get a little closer to Dina and her parents.
    Walking out to the street wasn’t easy, but Rafe did it. He walked back inside the warmth of the condo. “It’s really