When Two Worlds Collide, Part 8

“Where did you go to lunch?”

“We didn’t go anywhere.”

“You mean to tell me that Mr Levy met with you and didn’t take you anywhere for lunch?”

“That’s not what I meant. We didn’t go out for lunch. We had lunch in his office.”

“At his desk?”

“No! He has a room set up for meals which is attached to his office. It was a proper dining room. We had lunch there.”

“Oh,” replied Marjorie a little taken back. Kumar continued.

“He doesn’t like going out to lunch, because he finds that by going to a restaurant in the city, it breaks his concentration.” He thought for a second before adding. “He’s a very committed man.”

“Well,” replied Marjorie, “I’m sure he is. You don’t become a billionaire by not being committed!”

“I agree. But what’s really interesting is that not only is he committed to his business, but he’s committed to a couple of other things as well.”

“Such as?” Marjorie interjected not quite sure she liked what she was hearing about Mr Levy.

“Well, he is definitely committed to his family. I got to meet his son who works with him. And you should see the way he talks to him. I was really surprised. I had always heard that men who have their sons in business with them don’t treat them well, but he did. In fact, he joined us for lunch.”

“Did you find out why he wanted to have lunch with you as opposed to others?”

“I’m sure he has lunch with others.” Kumar reflected for a second, “I’m not that special Marjorie. But the reason was,” and here Kumar stopped. He wasn’t sure he wanted to continue the conversation because of Marjorie’s attitude. However, she was his only ride back to Newark railway station, so he thought it best to take a deep breath and continue.

Kumar had agreed to have dinner at Marjorie’s parents’ home yet again. After dinner, which was brisket carefully prepared by her mother, together with gefilte fish which he wasn’t quite sure of, Marjorie and Kumar were now sitting in Grunings ice cream parlour in South Orange. It was noisy and busy, and not a place Kumar would’ve suggested, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. “How come you wouldn’t talk about your meeting with Mr Levy to my parents? You just said it went well.”

“To be honest Marjorie, this whole situation is very uncomfortable for me. Look at it from my perspective. Your parents really didn’t want to have anything to do with me at first.”

“Yes, they did. They invited you to dinner at the club!” Marjorie sounded offended by Kumar’s assertion.

“Yes, but only if I would introduce myself as a maharaja!”

“Well, that’s my mother’s sense of humour.”

Kumar rolled his eyes, “you know that’s not true. But anyway, after not wanting to have anything to do with me, suddenly because Mr Levy invites me to lunch, they not only want me back for dinner, but asked if I could spend the weekend.” Kumar stopped to take another spoonful of his excellent ice cream before he continued. “You have to admit that’s quite a change.”

“But that’s only because they didn’t know you. Now they do and they like you.” It was time for another spoonful of ice cream. Marjorie continued, “you still didn’t tell me why he invited you. He didn’t know you and just came up to our table at dinner and invited you. Even you have to admit that was strange.”

“You have to ask him. But what I do know is that he as an affinity for India and Indians.”

“Why would he have that?” Kumar leant back in his slightly uncomfortable chair and wiped his mouth with his napkin. He had had enough of the ice cream for one night. There was enough there he thought for an entire weekend's dessert. He was feeling very full.

“Mr Levy was one of Merrill’s Marauders.”

“Merrill’s Marauders, who are they?”

“Were they, not are they. Well, they fought in the jungles of Burma and India during World War Two. They were very brave men. I think I’m right in saying that when the war ended of about some 3000 men, there were only about 200 left. The rest of them were either killed or wounded.” Marjorie stopped eating. Kumar continued. “Mr Levy spent a couple of years in that part of the world and in fact, a good amount of time in India. Apparently once he came back to the US, he started his business. You know he started the company with money he borrowed from his rabbi because his parents were very poor? They lived I think in Brooklyn or somewhere around there, in a small two room flat. But he made a promise to himself that if he was ever in a position to help people in that part of the world he would, and now he is.”

“Oh,” replied Marjorie as she continued to eat her ice cream. “Would you like some coffee?” she asked.

“No thank you. This is all very filling.” She ordered a coffee and when it arrived, Marjorie proceeded to put Sweet and Low in it. Kumar was amazed. “May I ask you why you would put artificial sweetener in your coffee while you’re eating ice cream?” Marjorie shrugged her shoulders. Kumar took that as his answer and continued. “So, what Mr Levy wanted to talk to me about was just that. He wanted to know all about how I was brought up and where, and we had a conversation that went on for most of the afternoon. It was like he had hit the jackpot. His son left us after about an hour or so. He was very nice his name is Barry.”

Marjorie shook her head, “I don’t know him. I never see him at the club.”

Kumar continued, “anyway, in the end he wanted me to continue having conversations with him to see if I can help him set up a charity to help orphaned Indian children.”

“Why would you do that? There’s no money in that is there?”

“Does there have to be money in everything one does Marjorie?”

She shrugged her shoulders again. “Isn’t that why you came to university in the US?”

“I’m actually not quite sure why I came now, other than I got to meet some really nice people and now of course Mr Levy.”

“When are you meeting him again?”

“I’m not sure. Classes are going to start again in about two weeks or so. Are you ready for that?” he asked changing directions for a minute?

“Yes, I am I can tell you that.” She took a deep breath. “You know what Kumar and please don’t tell anyone this, but I’m going to be glad to get out of my parents’ home.” She looked around to see if she knew anyone before she continued. “Last year when we first met, when I had dropped my books on the ground in the winter if you remember.”

“How can I forget,” he interjected.

Marjorie smiled and continued, “well in all honesty, when that happened and you picked them up and gave them back to me, I asked myself how many boys do I know at my parents’ country club who would do that, and the answer I came up with was none. So yes, to answer your question. I’m glad to be going back to school. By the way, what time is your train?”

Kumar looked at his watch. “Oh boy soon, we had better go. But thanks for the talk and let me pay for the ice cream.”

“My treat,” replied Marjorie.

Kumar shook his head, “no mine, this time.”