Caroline 3

Jennifer changes tone, "sorry, guess that came out wrong. Not proper to insult the dead. But still, if one more month had gone by, chances are both would still be alive."
"How did people at the base react?"
"Absolute tragedy. Both were quite well liked, despite the drug problem."
"Was one or both of them Jewish?"
Indulgent laugh, "I don't know where you get your ideas from. Neither was."
Elaine cuts in, "you mean neither were practising, right?"
Jennifer blushes, "I'm sorry, took that question wrong. I meant both were Atheist, strongly against any religion. But your question meant ethnic, not religious, right?"
I nod.
"Both were ethnic Jews."
"So Jews do drugs too?"
Jennifer shrugs, "you got a lot to learn yet. Any race, any religion, any occupation, no one is exempt."
"Well thank you for your advice. I'll ask you more later."
As Jennifer departs, Elaine shakes her head sadly, "we-ell if everyone on the base knows, that means every grownup Jew in Victoria does."
"How so?"
"Three or four businessmen have on base contracts. Don't like your odds of showing up for anything at the synagogue."
"Can you still be Jewish and never go to anything?"
"Dad would say yes, Mum no."
"And you - my friend - what do you say?"
"By now, we're close enough we stick together through anything. So, suppose they wouldn't let you go to a summer camp. I'd refuse to go too."
"Which would make your Dad proud for standing by principles so firmly and your Mum rather ticked, right?"
Proud smile, "now you see how much you've learned? That's exactly how it'd go."
After school, I'm over at Elaine's. Her Mum, who gets off work early, invites me to stay for dinner, so I phone Grandma in plenty of time.
I can smell what's coming from the kitchen, steel myself to face it.
As mushroom soup arrives, I see Elaine's eyes on me, concerned.
I shrug, what on earth can you do? Then I start to giggle. Elaine joins in and we're laughing like crazy.
After, her Mum, with a look of bafflement asks, "what was that all about?"
Elaine shrugs, "just a kid thing, grownups wouldn't understand."
Mum's look of bafflement contrasts sharply with Dad's knowing look. But then, that makes sense. It's businessmen who have those contracts. Meaning the item is on the men's gossip circuit, not the women's.