The Magpie's nest

Chapter 4

Alfie's sister was exactly what Sarah had expected. Vivacious, outspoken, and a laugh a minute. She could never imagine after all, how a family member of Alfie Solomons could be a shrinking wallflower.

After Alfie had introduced them to each other, he had left to attend a business meeting and asked his younger sister Ruth to guide her through the basics of preparing the dough for bread manufacture.
He said if she impressed Ruth, then she had a job, and it paid more than a typing one might, and so she threw herself full throttle into the task because this was her only option to pay him back and keep herself afloat. It could even pull her out of the dancing club into respectability again. Baking bread with other women, looked after by Alfie, it gave her hope that life could be good again.
As they worked, Sarah watching eagerly and mimicking to perfect the technique, she tried to make the most of the opportunity to delve further into the personal life of her employer. He was probably the most intriguing man she had ever met, and she hadn't stopped thinking about him since he had left them, he had his fingers in all types of pies, successful, generous, religious, not fearful of the law, A real man's man that any lady would be lucky to have. She only wanted to find out why he wasn't with a wife. Plain old curiosity.

"You're gonna ask me if Alfred fucks men aren't yah?" Ruth boldly asked when Sarah had enquired if Alfie was widowed, divorced or secretly married and received a no to all three. She spluttered on the saliva her mouth held, cheeks turning pink as she denied anything of the sort.

"That never even crossed my mind if I'm honest, not until right this second, begging your pardon Miss, but I've seen the way he looks at a female when she's wearing panty hose and swaying her hips around on his stage. If you told me he does, erm, fuck men, forgive me, I'd bet every ounce of flour in this bakery that you were careless with the truth." She replied, eyes cast down to watch her hands as they kneaded, and manipulated the yeasty dough on the counter top. She knew lust when she saw it, Alfie couldn't take his eyes off of her when she danced, like he yearned for her. A blind woman would feel the heat from him. Sometimes it was all that kept her going in that place.

Ruth sniggered. "Yeah, well he doesn't fuck men, but he spends half his life on top of a woman, that's for sure. He's always been the same. Sinner, through and through. And they love him for it. Pathetic really, the way they pine after him, women of all ages, religions. He's nothing but a buffoon, my brother" she laughed, as Sarah tried to be respectable and stifle her own at his sister's remarks, ignoring the jealousy at them also.

"But we love him that way." Ruth said as she composed herself. "He saved us all.

Sarah smiled, rolling with her palms and pressing with her knuckles, lost in thought about families and the luxury they added to one's life, trying to forget that she had nobody.

"Are you a Jew?" Ruth blurted out.

"What? No? A Jew? What makes you"- Sarah started, panic flooding her face.

"Well there ain't a sprinkle of flour on your apron, dough is ready in half the time it takes any of the other new girls, and I definitely didn't tell you how to plait it like that to make Challah, yet you know. I already suspect, after proofing that's gonna be as good as one of my own loaves, maybe even better than it. But if you're Jewish that means you're lying to my brother, and since you're so smart, I know you wouldn't be so foolish as to do that. Right?" She quizzed. "He wouldn't have you working in that foxes den if you were holy. Thinks we're made of glass does Alfie, holds Jewish women in the highest regard. There's no way he would allow it, willingly." She shook her head, seriously.

Sarah paused, processing the inquisitive nature of his sister and pondering her reply. She would deny it until she turned blue in the face, she had no choice. She'd lose everything, she'd be out of work, homeless, cast out, maybe he'd even harm her for deceiving him. He was a gangster after all, she could end up at the bottom of the murky river Thames.

"I was with a Jewish man... my sweetheart, before the war. We .... I was going to convert for him but I never got the chance. I used to help his Grandmother prepare Shabbat. I enjoyed it." She explained, the lies rolling from her tongue with practiced ease. "They accepted me, they knew I was strong on family values and believe our Gods are one and the same. I was part of the family. I would have been had he returned...." She trailed off.

Ruth nodded solemnly.

"Is he with God?" She asked, taking Sarah's work and placing it with the finished doughs for proving.

"He is" she replied, finally telling a shred of truth. "The war in France took him."

"Alfred was in France." Ruth nodded.

"Went away a buffoon, came back a bloody hero. So he makes Rum to chase away peoples worries, and yeah he sows his wild oats with women and extorts piggish businessmen. He'd still make someone a fine husband, to women he's kind and he's true. I only hope he'd hurry and take a wife before he's too old for it. If he tastes your challah then I might get my wish" she winked, as she turned her back on Sarah's confused expression and took the tray of earlier preparations to the ovens. "It's clear to see that he likes you love, wouldn't give you so much regard if he didn't" she said, whilst Sarah internally battled with the notion. His sister was likely unaware of the debts she owed to him, which were his only reason for trialing more employment. How could he like her when she sold her soul, disgraced their God and lied her way through life.

"Not that I need any more nephews or nieces for fucksake, children everywhere, all the time" Ruth said, exasperated, giggling at Sarah's shocked face from her cursing. Jewish women were meant to be more conservative, yet the Solomons seemed to do as they pleased and she loved them for it. She didn't have to live up to impossible standards, she could be herself, or at least her new double-life self. She wished in that moment that she could start afresh and tell them both everything, but knew that was not possible now.

When it came out, the bread was tasted, dipped in honey and downright devoured. Ruth was impressed, Sarah got the job.
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