“Then how did he know, Rinalah?” Frieda exclaimed. “How did he know?”

“I guess he found out your name a long time ago. But he knew you under your maiden name because that was on the birth certificate. I honestly don’t know how he recognized you. Maybe he had a picture of you. Maybe his biological father sent—”

Again, Frieda broke into sobs. “He met Benjamin?”

“Once, I think.” Rina’s head was throbbing. “I’m not sure exactly what happened except that Peter got this big box of articles from his biological father after he died—”

“Benjamin is dead?” Frieda turned her face away. “Oh, my God! Too much has passed…when?”

“A long time ago, Mrs. Levine,” Rina said. “Peter doesn’t talk too much about anything, let alone something as…as…Peter keeps things inside. That’s just the way he is.”

“He’s my Benny all over again,” Frieda said. “I loved his father, Rinalah. Such love I’ve never known except with him. He worked for my father, did some carpentry…some bookshelves for him. I thought he was so handsome…I loved his hair, that beautiful thick red hair….” Tears ran down her cheeks. “When my parents weren’t looking, we’d talk. I loved him so, so much.

“When Papa found out…oooohh.” She shuddered. “He fired him. Hated him. Benjamin had no family, no yichus, no head for learning. He was not a serious student, told too many jokes. Too frivolous for my father. When he found out we were still meeting behind his back, he slapped my face and forbade me to ever see him again….”

There was a knock on the door, Miriam asking if everything was all right.

Frieda shouted, “We’re fine. Go away.”

“Mama, open up,” Miriam said.

“I said go away.” Frieda sighed. “Darling, I’m resting. Take care of your father for me. Tell everyone I’m fine.”

“If you’re sure—”

“I’m sure,” Frieda said. “Rina is taking good care of me.”

No one spoke. A few seconds later, they could hear Miriam sigh, then the sound of receding footsteps.

Rina said, “They’re all terribly worried about you.”

“I don’t deserve it.”

“Stop it,” Rina said.

“Oh, my little Rina,” Frieda said. “I have this empty hole in my heart since I gave him away. Nothing has ever filled it, nothing ever could. I wanted to find him. Yes, I wanted to do it. But I never had the courage.”

“It’s very frightening.”

“He looked up his birth certificate,” Frieda said. “He must have been curious. But he never contacted me.”

“He said he put his name on this list—”

“Aaah,” Frieda said. “I know about the list. So many times I reached for the phone…I was too ashamed, too afraid. Too embarrassed! But he knew who I was. He didn’t come to me.”