Brookline VOL 2, NO 5
BROOKLINE’S VOICE
March 7 - 21, 2017
Photos | Joshua Resnek Twenty-five riders from Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation (new office at 77 Harvard Street) rode spin bikes outside of International Place in downtown Boston last week. The group raised $14,000 to benefit homeless veterans through HOMESTART, whose mission is to provide first and last months, security deposits and mentorships. Seventy percent have jobs, but do not have the savings needed to get into housing. They sleep in cars, find shelter on friends' floors and open sofas wherever and whenever they can find one. The leader of the spin is the well known and highly respected owner of Fairway Independent David Lazowski (inset). As he told the Voice - “this is about giving back and making a difference in peoples’ lives.” Indeed.
What’s Next:
The Nintendo Switch has arrived Transgender people
still safe, protected citizens in Brookline By Alexander Culafi
The Voice President Trump reversed the Obama administration’s Title IX guidance allowing transgender people to use bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity just over two weeks ago. Despite that, transgender individuals are still protected and can still use their bathrooms of choice not only in Brookline, but also in Massachusetts as a whole.
Massachusetts is a bit of an exception compared to other states, as we already have state legislation in place protecting transgender people. Signed by Governor Baker last July, the bill gives a transgender person the right to use whatever locker room and bathroom corresponds to his or her gender identity. It also gives a broad range of antidiscriminatory protections to transgender people.
Continued on page 3
By Alexander Culafi
The Voice It’s an exciting time to play video games when a new console comes out. New games, new ways to play video games, and a new, specific kind of hope spark that video game players like me only feel once every few years. The new system, with that new spark of hope, is the Nintendo Switch, available now in stores or online.
Switch tablet on it.
Released March 3 at an MSRP of $299.99, the Nintendo Switch offers a unique approach to playing video games. Instead of making you choose between a system you play on your TV, like a PS4, and a system you play on the go, like a 3DS, the Switch can do both. It’s a fully-powered HD game system that you can play in the palm of your hands, with a dock that allows you to play these games on the television instantaneously by simply placing your
The system also features Joy-Cons, Wii Remote-like controllers that either slide into the tablet to act as a control scheme or can be used as separate controllers on the television.
I played it in New York City in January following its full unveiling, and I can tell you firsthand that it works. The tablet looks sharp and feels good to hold. It also looks like a real piece of consumer electronics; I like the Wii U (this system’s predecessor), but the controller felt like a Fisher Price toy to hold.
If you can read this, I’m elbow deep in that new Zelda game as we speak. Maybe you saw the Super Bowl ad for it?
Continued on page 4
2E International ditorial
The Brookline Voice
Newton
THE BROOKLINE VOICE THE NEWTON VOICE PUBLISHER AND PRESIDENT Joshua Resnek jresnek@voicestaff.net
EDITOR Joshua Resnek
SENIOR REPORTER Alexander Culafi aculafi@voicestaff.net
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lorenzo Recupero lrecupero@voicestaff.net David Stanford dstanford@voicestaff.net
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
From the publisher
legal residents?
WHAT’S THE RUB?
I don’t really get it, but then I don’t really get the uselessness and incompetence of our Congress, the Senate, and – forgive me – of the pre-Trump White House and the post Obama White House especially.
Like the rest of us, I am fairly oblivious to things that don’t concern me. I am a citizen, a taxpayer, a homeowner, a voter, a father, a son, a brother, and for the most part, I am a friend to mankind. I’m not looking for congratulations and this isn’t about self-congratulation. Mankind means everyone. The debate about sanctuary cities doesn’t change any of the above. I am for what is fair and what is right. And like most Americans living in this politically correct era, I am not that concerned about laws being followed, except to say, I follow the laws for the most part as I am totally uninterested in coming into contact with the police or with law enforcement. If I am driving my automobile in Newton Centre or Brookline Village and I am stopped by the police for not having my license or registration in force, even though I am a legal citizen, there is a price I have to pay for the infractions. The police can choose to order me from my automobile, read me my rights, arrest me and have my automobile towed away. Being a citizen does not forgive the infractions or the results. Now try this on for size: An illegal alien is stopped driving an automobile that neither registered nor insured and he has no license, is not a citizen, is on public assistance, and is living in a section 8 apartment subsidized by the town and the city.
Rick Ashley rashley@voicestaff.net
The officer discovers all of this – no license, no citizenship, no registration, no insurance, and the party has committed an infraction.
Jared Charney jcharney@voicestaff.net
But because this has occurred in a sanctuary city, enforcement of the law does not apply in quite the same way as it does for me – the citizen taxpayer.
CALENDAR EDITOR Sheila Barth sbarth@voicestaff.net
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Carolyn Lilley Resnek cresnek@voicestaff.net
DIRECTOR OF GRAPHIC DESIGN Trevor Andreozzi tandreozzi@voicestaff.net
PRINTING Graphic Developments Inc. Hanover, MA.
DISTRIBUTION Max’s Trucking Winthrop, MA.
BANK East Boston Savings Beacon Street Brookline ___________________ THE BROOKLINE VOICE THE NEWTON VOICE Owned and operated by:
March 7 - 21, 2017
I’m not sure exactly what is wrong with this scenario, as I am so much better off than most illegal aliens, but I want to know where the law begins and where the law ends, how it is enforced or how it is overlooked, and in the end, whether or not any of this makes a difference. Moving back just a step… I often hear President Trump’s rather overdrawn refrain, “You can’t be a nation without borders.” The president tells us we need walls to create enforceable borders to stop illegal immigration. This doesn’t sound too unfair. You can’t live in your home without a front door on the hinges, nor can you habitate in your apartment without a front door. We draw lines all the time, but we have let the national border retreat into nothingness so that it doesn’t matter, and now we have elected a president and a party that says it does. What to do? I’m not sure. The immigration laws need to be changed immediately to meet the needs of reality in the present day. Like everything else our inert lobbyist bought-and-sold government presides over, the immigration system is broken, like social security is broken and broke, like Medicare is broken and broke, like public school education is broken and bankrupt, like our political system is corrupt and our national economy rigged. Do we need borders or don’t we? Do we have laws, and are we forced to follow them, or is it okay for folks like me to be following them while illegal aliens are given a pass? What in reality are sanctuary cities – places where laws don’t apply to illegal aliens, but rather apply only to those who are
CJP AND BARRY SHRAGE, AGAIN Why is Barry Shrage smiling? I can give you $2 million reasons why – his money take from the Jewish charity he heads in 2015. I would imagine at times the smile turns into a full blown private laugh as he steps from his chauffeured limousine into the bank to deposit the loot paid to him by the Jewish charity’s contributors. Now BS is going to appear as one of the important Jewish voices at a high-up conference led by J-Street, the allegedly well-meaning folks busily selling out Israel’s place in the world – let alone in the Middle East – by pushing the idea that Israel hurts itself, the Palestinians and world justice by building settlements and by refusing to capitulate its selfinterest to J-Street’s strident belief that Israel needs to make peace with their neighbors who wish to exterminate them no matter what. What, I ask, is BS doing on that stage with traitors and kapos like the J-Street pack, and then telling his contributors who might be bold enough to ask him why he’s there that he’s really for Israel and against J-Street? Good question, isn’t it? You can’t be for Israel and against J-Street at the same time. Its like saying you are against drugs and taking drugs at the same time. If you are for Israel in the strictest sense, if you understand the lessons of the Holocaust and the history of your people, a leader such as BS should not appear on the same stage under the same limelight as those who would sell out Israel to the Palestinian cause in the name of justice. It isn’t justice, in this instance. It is all about raising more money for the Jewish charity. BS doesn’t care that J-Street is not a friend to the Jews. What he cares about is raising more money so he can grab more of it, and so he can one day move on to greener pastures after having his chief gopher and bureaucrat, Gary Preuss, installed as the next leader of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies. Like most Jews around here, I am comfortable in my life and very far away from the harsh realities of terror, hatred, slaughter, genocide and extermination. I sit in my suburban home watching my flat screen and stuffing my mouth with food and living in abundance without a hint of danger coming at me.
THE CHELSEA PRESS LLC
I am loath to tell the Israelis what to do to survive.
1309 Beacon Street
J-Street recommends capitulation and enjoys the BDS movement.
Suite 300 Hanover, MA Arnold Jarmak, President Joshua Resnek, Chairman of the Board
To what end? To what end is BS appearing on this stage, and how does his appearance help Israel and the Jewish people when he acts as though he is an invertebrate who frankly, ought to know better?
Joshua Resnek
The Brookline Voice
March 7 - 21, 2017
Voice
news 3
Transgender people still safe, protected citizens in Brookline Continued from page 1
administration.
The obvious question was: Could this reversal have any effect on our community? Our state? Despite these protections?
“As President Trump has clearly stated, he believes policy regarding transgender bathrooms should be decided at the state level,” the White House said.
The answer is a resounding “no.” “President Trump’s decision to remove any protections afforded to the transgender community has not impacted how the Town protects the rights of our Transgender population,” said Brookline Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Lloyd Gellineau. “People may use restrooms in all Town buildings in accordance with their gender identity.” And take this statement Congressman Joe Kennedy III:
from
“Civil rights are a promise this country makes each of us. They cannot be rescinded by the careless swipe of a thoughtless pen. The Trump Administration’s actions tonight do not change the fact that discrimination is illegal. But they send a devastating message to our transgender students that their President does not find them worthy of equal protection. If President Trump wants to make good on his alleged support for the LGBTQ community, then he and his Attorney General must pledge to defend these critical protections at all costs.” If you still have any doubts, ask the Trump
They add that the decision by the Departments of Justice and Education “paves the way for an open and inclusive process to take place at the local level with input from parents, students, teachers and administrators.” Our President advocates for state level ruling and, guess what? We already have it. Our chief diversity officer and congressman say that discrimination is unwelcome in Massachusetts, and that transgender citizens remain protected here. To get one more local-level perspective, I wanted to see what an official from a slightly larger community – Newton – would have to say. Here’s a statement from Newton Mayor Setti Warren: “Thanks to the work of the LGBTQ community, transgender people in Massachusetts are protected from discrimination under state law, but no Americans should face discrimination because of their gender identity – regardless of where they live.” For once, an open-and-shut story. Feels nice.
TWO BRANCHES TWO GREAT OFFERS Newton’s “sanctuary city” is not a favored
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government, mayor and police chief would
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have us believe. It is a status many law abiding, tax paying residents are willing to fight against. Many residents are uniting
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status for everyone in our city as our city
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against the Sanctuary City movement. If you believe in the rule of law, you cannot believe in Newton as a Sanctuary City.
APY* Paul Pasquarosa – Commander of Newton American Legion Post 440
1050 Beacon St.
BROOKLINE
1441 Beacon St.
*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is effective as of 1/17/17 and subject to change without notice. **For 48-Month CD APY assumes interest will remain on deposit until maturity. Substantial penalty for early withdrawal. Fees may reduce earnings. Minimum balance to open and obtain APY is $1,000 and IRA is $500. ***For Money Market; no interest will be paid on balances less than $10, balances $10 to less than $10,000 earns 0.25% APY, balances $10,000 to less than $2 million earns 1.25% APY and balances greater than $2 million earns 0.58% APY. Fees may reduce earnings. Rate subject to change without notice. $2,500 minimum to open account. Offer may be withdrawn without notice at any time.
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This message paid for by Newton resident Margot Einstein and the supporters of the No Sanctuary City movement.
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What's Next
The Brookline Voice
Juan M. Thompson (pictured) was arrested in connection with eight bomb threats against Jewish institutions. Credit: YouTube screenshot.
Former reporter arrested in connection with bomb threats against Jewish institutions
March 7 - 21, 2017
The Nintendo Switch has arrived Continued from page 1
Anyways, here are some of the games you can look forward to on the Nintendo Switch. Hope you can find one and it doesn’t become as impossible to find as the Wii was in 2006!
By Sean Savage/JNS.org Federal authorities arrested Juan M. Thompson, a 31-year-old former reporter from St. Louis, Friday in connection with eight bomb threats called into several Jewish institutions over the last month, including the Anti-Defamation (ADL) League, officials said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Netanyahu reportedly told Bishop that Israel would never give up its military presence in the disputed territories.
Netanyahu underscores Israeli security control as two-state solution loses steam
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild A complete rethought on The Legend of Zelda, and perhaps the most critically acclaimed game since 2008. With its open world and complete freedom, it takes the series to new heights, while taking design inspiration from the original game on NES. It’s also available now.
By Alex Traiman/JNS.org For the second time in a month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has informed the leader of a major Western power that Israel will retain full security control over all of the disputed territories in any future arrangement with Palestinians. Netanyahu reportedly told Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in a closed-door meeting Sunday that Israel would never give up its military presence in the territories. The statement matches comments Netanyahu made in mid-February during his press conference with President Donald Trump. At the same time, Palestinian pollster Dr. Khalil Shikaki told JNS.org that “the idea of a one-state solution is something that more and more Palestinians are turning to. There is a very strong tendency among Palestinians and Israelis to conclude that the two-state solution is no longer practical.”
1-2-Switch 1-2-Switch is a party game that tries to be what Wii Sports was for the Wii 10 years ago (The Wii came out over 10 years ago. Do you feel old yet?). Using the Joy-Cons, you look into your opponent’s eyes in order to play 28 different mini-games against them. One puts you into the shoes of a cowboy and requires you fire your gun at the right time. Another asks you to milk a cow faster than your opponent. It looks like Wii Sports, except these games are riper for drinking. Available now.
The entrance to the Achzivland micro-state. Credit: Franziska Knupper.
On the Jewish state’s micro-state, an Israeli couple rules a beach for 65 years By Franziska Knupper/JNS.org When shooting the movie Exodus, Paul Newman was a frequent visitor in Achzivland, and Rina Avivi seems to be proud of it. Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot and Bar Refaeli also apparently got their summer tans in this remote and idyllic bay situated only a stone’s throw away from the Lebanese border and Nahariya, Israel’s northernmost city. “I met Sophia when I just moved to Achzivland. She taught me how to make real good spaghetti,” recalls the 70-year-old Avivi, who starts laughing. It comes as no surprise that the rich and famous gathered on this little stretch of beach to get a glimpse of this controversial place and its inhabitants. Nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the green hills of the Galilee, about 9 miles north of Acre, lies the empire called Achzivland. It has been more than 60 years since fisherman Eli Avivi founded this micro-state spanning 3.5 acres, limited by the country road on the right and the ocean waves on the left.
Super Mario Odyssey This game is coming out this holiday season. Have you ever played Super Mario 64, Sunshine, or Galaxy? This game is like those, except it places you in the shoes of Mario, in locations alien to a Mario game like New Donk City – a video game version of NYC. He jumps rope with human women while still being Mario-sized. I’ve rarely seen big-budget games look this weird. It’s gonna be insane.
The Brookline Voice
March 7 - 21, 2017
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Shoutbox ISLAM: A RELIGION OR A POLITICAL AND SOCIAL MOVEMENT? As controversy swirls around President Trump’s move to bar individual’s entry to the United States from seven countries with predominately Muslim populations, a much larger and more important issue is overlooked. The issue is Islam, and the correctness of defining it as a religion, as it relates to our Constitution, and to immigration. Islam is different from Christianity, Judaism, and other major religions, because it has clear distinct political and social dimensions, which harbor views that are totally antithetical, inconsistent, and threatening to the non-Muslim world. Islam, unlike other religions, is a political and social movement, whose religious arm encourages and justifies behavior of its adherents that is repugnant, and unacceptable to those who are not among its followers. Surely there are Muslims – many Muslims – who do not wish to live by traditional, harsh Islamic legal precepts, and have come here to partake in a modern, tolerant life. Islam can and is being lived peaceably by millions, but as it is interpreted by massive numbers in the Muslim world, it is understood to teach its followers disrespect, hate and violence toward non-Muslims, and Muslims of different sects. Islam’s social dimension centers on patriarchal control. Women living in countries ruled by sharia law are an underclass, subject to honor-killing, genital mutilation, and denial of basic human rights. Gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender citizens of countries ruled by sharia law are reviled, abused, and treated as pariahs. The penalty for homosexuality is death. Readers of this piece are three mouse-clicks away from watching prominent, respected Islamic scholars debate whether the proper punishment meted out to gays is stoning or being thrown from a rooftop. The Western World’s basic belief in the freedom of the individual is a concept alien to much of the Islamic world. Huge portions of the world’s Muslims think they should follow Islam’s sharia law. Islam, because it is a political and social movement, cloaked in religion, whose objective – at least interpreted by hundreds of millions of its adherents—is world domination, and thus a clear, present threat to the culture, traditions, and religions of the Western World. One need only look at the plight of the nations of Western Europe. As a result of the European Union’s policy of open immigration, England, France, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, and other countries have been inundated by millions of Muslims, most of whom are not – and quite possibly cannot be – integrated into the society of their host nations, resulting in the disintegration of the societal beliefs of their host nations, which are based on democracy, freedom of religion, and of the individual.
How to explain the self-destructive activities of Boston’s Jewish Establishment? Much of the Jewish establishment has recently gotten itself into a frenzy, lobbying for the mass resettlement of Syrian refugees who are known to have been inculcated to hate Jews, homosexuals, and Christians and who reject the concept of women’s rights. Jewish leaders refuse to demand that refugees be vetted for their hateful beliefs. They give no thought to providing them with “sensitivity training.” Our establishment leaders have denied there is a problem with antiIsrael bias in the Newton public schools when ample evidence exists to the contrary. (google “indoctrination@newton high) The JCRC enthuses over the Black Lives Matter movement, which defames the police – at the same time that Jewish institutions in Boston are arranging for police protection. We need a theory to explain our leaders to the perplexed public:
A clinical note on Jewish cognitive diseases By Dr. Charles Jacobs Lupus is an auto-immune disease where antibodies that are normally
Misunderstanding Islam as a religion like all others, despite the fact that it is a political and social movement inimical to our way of life, has led to justifying the entry to our country of people many of whom have been taught to hate us and our beliefs. This is a sad and dangerous perversion of logic, and a misguided application of tolerance.
produced to fight off external infections, have their function somehow
Tolerance of the intolerant will lead to the destruction of our society and our way of life.
help Jews survive on a hostile planet, especially perhaps to ward off lethal
Robert I. Lappin Sponsored by the Lappin Foundation The Voice is a free speech publication open to conflicting points of view about everything under the sun. All pieces of this kind must be signed and sponsored.
inverted, and begin to attack the host body itself. In Jupus, the special inborn Jewish intelligence provided by the Lord to anti-Semitic assaults, reverses its function and attacks instead the host Jewish community. It appears that the more advanced the intellectual gifts, the more extreme the disease, as in the Chomskyite strain. In its more common form, Jupus is associated with simple leftism – a Jewish adaptation to persistent assault in which the attacked Jewish
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identity is submerged and a posture of universalism, sometimes also expressed as a soft socialism, is adopted in its stead. The resultant universalist-minded Jews ostentatiously demonstrate an exaggerated concern for “the other” – for “everyone” — (at the same time becoming hypercritical of their own). This ostensibly serves the double purpose of achieving some protection from the dangers and burdens of the Jewish identity – without actually having to publicly renounce it and risk charges of disloyalty — while at the same time projecting a status more elevated and virtuous than their un-reformed, “parochial” brethren.
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On the religious plane, this is clearly observable in the rampantly growing phalanx of those Jews who seek to substitute leftist universalism for Torah Judaism, the “we’re here to help the world” dodge. Among the universalist Jews, those who adopt a religious tonality are known as “Tikkunistas.”
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The Brookline Voice
Calendar
March 7 - 21, 2017
CALENDAR WINGS OF WAX Boston Ballet presents Kylian/Wings of Wax: “Donizetti Variations,” by George Balanchine, Jiri Kylian’s “Wings of Wax” and Alexander Ekman’s “Cacti,” March 23-April 2, Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., Boston. Tickets start at $35. Bostonballet.org.
Photo | Rosalie O'Connor
Boston Ballet in Alexander Ekman's Cacti.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT IMPROVBOSTON NEW LINEUP The Cambridge comedy club features filthy fun, The Last Laugh,as its new late-night shows every Saturday at 11:30 p.m., including LaughterRisk, the first Saturday of the night; Late Night Longform, second Saturday; Terrible People, third Saturday, and Over the Line, fourth Saturday. ImprovBoston. com/last-laugh.
AGNES OBEL The Danish songwriter-pianist-producer performs Wednesday, March 8, at 8 p.m., at the Sinclair, 52 Church St., Cambridge. Standing room only; patrons 18+ years old. Advance tickets, $22, day of show, $25. WorldMusic.org.
TIGRAN HAMASYAN The Signature Series at Berklee presents the music of Armenian composer-pianist Tigran Hamasyan March 8, 8 p.m., at Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass. Ave., Boston, The event is part of Berklee’s annual Middle Eastern Festival. Reserved seats, $8/$12. berklee.edu/bpc, 627-747-2261.
LADY RIZO The cabaret superstar comedienne, chanteuse, a.k.a. Amelia Zinn-Brown performs memorable songs through the decades, March 9, 8 p.m.,Oberon, 2Arrow St., Cambridge. Tickets from $25. Cluboberon.com.
VIJAY IYER SEXTET Composer pianist-Harvard University professor of music Vijay Iyer performs with his group Thursday, March 9, 8 p.m., Sanders Theatre Memorial Hall, Harvard University, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge. Celebrityseries.org/vijay.
ANAT COHEN QUARTET Clarinetist Anat Cohen and her group perform March 9 at Scullers Jazz Club, Doubletree Suites by Hilton Boston-Cambridge, 400 Soldiers Field Road, Boston. Scullersjazz.com.
WHEEL OF AUSTEN ImprovBoston presents new Jane Austen novels by putting a spin on her classics, when audience members spin a wheel, inspiring actors to play with the author’s conventions in unexpected ways, every Friday in March, at 10 p.m. $18. ImprovBoston.com/schedule.
MAGIC DICK AND SHUN NG Legendary Boston musician Magic Dick and guitarist-vocalist Shun Ng perform Friday, March 10,Firehouse Center for the Arts Arakelian Theatre,Market Square, Newburyport. $22-$26. firehouse.org.
BOSTON BAROQUE Concertmaster Christina Day Martinson will perform all 16 of Heinrich Biber’s scordature tour de force, “The Mystery Sonatas,” Friday, March 10,8 p.m., New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston. $30-$95. Bostonbaroque.org.
MBONGWANA STAR This new generation of Kinshasha musicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo makes its Boston debut Friday, March 10, 8 p.m., at the Sinclair, 52 Church St., Cambridge. Audiences must be 18+ years old; standing room only. Advance tickets, $20, day of show, $25. WorldMusic.org.
SILENT SKY Flat Earth Theatre presents Lauren Gunderson’s melodious historical drama, March 10-25, Mosesian Center for the Arts, formerly Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown. $25;student rush, $10.flatearth.ticketleap.com/ silent-sky.
TOPDOG/UNDERDOG Huntington Theatre Company presents Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winner March 10-April 9, BU Theatre, Avenue of the Arts, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston. Tickets start at $25. Huntingtontheatre. org.
BODYTRAFFIC The world renowned contemporary dance group performs this Boston premiere work March 10,11,at 8 p.m., March 12, 3 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston. Free pre-and post-performance talks. $36,$40.
WOMEN IN JEOPARDY! Merrimack Repertory Theatre presents Wendy MacLoed’s two-act, one hour-45 minute comedy
through March 12, Nancy L. Donahue Theatre, 50 East Merrimack St., Lowell. $26-$70. senior, group discounts, students, $15.Associated events offered. mrt.org.
INFORMED CONSENT Apollinaire Theater Company presents Deborah Zoe Laufer’s 90-minute, one-act playthrough March 12: Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea. post-show reception in the gallery. Advance tickets, $20; at the door, 425; students, $15. apollinairetheatre.com.
OUR COUNTRY’S GOOD Brown/Trinity Rep MFA programs present Timberlake Wertenbaker’s play set in an Australian penal colony, that explores the purpose of art and the human spirit’s resilience, through March 11, Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire St., Providence, RI. $15; seniors, $10; students, $7. 401-351-4242.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Award-winning Chelsea native Fred Sullivan Jr. stars in Trinity Rep Company’s production of Shakespeare’s comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” through March 24, 201 Washington St., Providence, RI. trinityrep.com.
EXIT STRATEGY Zeitgeist Stage Company presents Ike Holter’s award-winning play, “Exit Strategy,” through March 11: Wednesdays, Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 4, 8 p.m., Sundays, 4 p.m. Boston Center for the Arts, Plaza Theatre, 539 Tremont St., Boston. 617-933-8600.
The Brookline Voice
March 7 - 21, 2017
Calendar 7
Photo | Joshua Resnek
This industrial style photograph showing the thick and intricate layers of electrical wires and supports along the Waban T line is a bit like a piece of art. A bit ineffable. A bit inexplicable. A bit that is all about art. SHEN YUN The spectacularly gorgeous Shen Yun performs stories of 5,000 years of Chinese culture, athletic, classical Chinese dance, an East-West orchestra, and more, March 11, 7:30 p.m., the Hanover Theatre of Worcester, 2 Southbridge St. ShenYun. com/Worcester. Ticket hotline, 888-974-3698.
GLLA New York City-based electronic vocalist Glla performs Saturday, March 11,8 p.m., Red Room at Café 939, 939 Boylston St., Boston. Advance tickets, $10; general admission, standing room only, $12.cafe939.com.
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO World Music/CRASHarts presents this iconic king of mbube, South African a cappella singing, Saturday, March 11, 8 p.m., Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall, 45 Quincy St.,Cambridge.Reserved seats, $48,$37,$32,$28. WorldMusic.org.
MARIA RITA The group performs Saturday, March 11, 8 p.m., Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass.Ave., Boston. Reserved seats, $30,$38,$48,$58. WorldMusic.org.
A LITTLE BIT OF IRELAND Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston performs its popular annual St. Patrick’s Day show, March 11, at 2,7 p.m. and March 12, 2 p.m., 617 Lexington St., Waltham.$35-$63; seniors, $32$60; youths, ages 5-18, $25; student rush, for college students with IDs, 50 percent off one hour before curtain. Reaglemusictheatre.org.
NATALIE MACMASTER AND DONNELL LEAHY The duo makes musical magic on fiddle-driven music, song and dance, Sunday, March 12,7 p.m., Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass. Ave., Boston. Reserved seats, $30,$37,$42,$48. WorldMusic.org.
GARY BURTON AND MAKOTO OZONE Burton, jazz vibraphonist, and pianist Ozone make their Rockport debut Sunday, March 12, 5 p.m.,at Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main St., Rockport. $49,$59,$64. Rockportmusic.org.
YOU HAVE DIED OF DYSENTERY Oberon presents this original comedy about life on the Oregon Trail, Sunday, March 12, 8 p.m., 2 Arrow St., Cambridge. $20.cluboberon.com.
A. PICASSO Mugford Street Players perform Jeffrey Hatcher’s play, through March 12, Marblehead Little Theatre, 12 School St., Marblehead. Wednesday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m. $25,seniors, students, $20. Mltlive.org.
SIDE SHOW Set in the 1920s and 1930’s show business, this musical highlights the authentic story of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton’s rise to fame, appearing through March 12, Boston Conservatory Theater, 31 Hemenway St., Boston. Tickets, information, bostonconservatory.berklee. edu/events.
SISTER ANONYMOUS The world premiere of Boston playwright Catherine O’Neill’s 90-minute play about little-known Sister Mary Ignatia Gavin, is performed through March 18, Boston Center for the Arts, Stanford Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont St., Boston. $30, senior, student discounts. Bostontheatrescene.com.
Lyons. They are also performing March 12 at the Press Room in Portsmouth, NH.
ONE CHILD BORN: THE MUSIC OF LAURA NYRO Oberon welcomes the return of this one-woman show featuring Kate Ferber, celebrating the music of the late singer-songwriter and Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer, March 14-18,7:30 p.m., 2 Arrow St., Cambridge. Tickets from $25. cluboberon.com.
MRS. PACKARD Bridge Repertory Theatre and Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company of New York City present Emily Mann’s “Mrs. Packard,” provocative American drama of Elizabeth Packard, inspired by true events, March 15-April 9, Multicultural Arts Center,41 Second St., East Cambridge. bridgerep. org.
FINISH LINE The world premiere of “Finish Line: A Documentary
Play About the 2013 Boston Marathon, “ features the words of people directly affected by the attack, and performed by Boston’s top actors, March 1526, at the Shubert Theatre, Tremont St., Boston. $25 - $57.50. citicenter.org.
GRIFFIN HOUSE The musician-performer appears Thursday, March 16, 8 p.m., Natick Center for the Arts, 14 Summer St., Natick.$20-$25.naickarts.org.
CELTIC SOJOURN Brian O’Donovan leads WGBH’s “A Saint Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn,” March 16, 8 p.m., The Cabot, 256 Cabot St., Beverly. $28.50 - $48.50. thecabot.org.
MONTHLONG NEW WORKS FESTIVAL New Repertory Theatre presents a month of new works in collaboration with Boston Center for American Performance (BCAP), Boston University,
THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA American Repertory Theater presents Tennessee Williams’ classic drama, through March 18, starring James Earl Jones, Dana Delany, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge: Tickets start at $25. americanrepertorytheater.org.
EDWARD II Actors’ Shakespeare Project kicks off its new season through March 19, with Christopher Marlowe’s play, “Edward II,’ performed by its resident company, directed by David R. Gammons, at Charlestown Working Theater, 442 Bunker Hill St., Charlestown. RSVP, boxoffice@actorsshakespeareproject.org. actorsshakespeareproject.org, Ovation Tix, 866811-4111.
Coming soon to your favorite grocer, and now available at Katz Bagel in Chelsea:
The pizza bagel. A tradition since 1938.
KATIE THIROUX QUARTET Bassist-vocalist-composer Thiroux performs Monday, March 13, 8 p.m., Red Room at Café 939, 939 Boylston St., Boston. Advance tickets, $10; general admission, standing room only, $12. cafe939.com.
JASON ANICK AND JASON YEAGER Violinist-mandolinist Anick and pianist Yeager celebrate their new CD release, “United,”Monday, March 13, 8 p.m., Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass.Ave., Boston. The duo performs with bassist Greg Loughman, drummer Mike Connors, trumpet player Jason Palmer and saxophonist Clay
139 Park St., Chelsea
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Calendar
The Brookline Voice
KODO
Israeli Stage, and Greensboro Arts Alliance and Residency/Mirror Theater. Kickoff performance is BCAP presentation of staged readings, curated by Kirsten Greenidge, with Boston University New Play Initiative New Works Fest, March 16-18, TheatreLab@855,855 Comm.Ave., Boston. Free, open to the public. Bu.edu/cfa/npi.
March 7 - 21, 2017 STILL DREAMING World Music/CRASHarts presents Joshua Redman, Ron Miles, Scott Colley, and Brian Blade, Sunday, March 19, 7:30 p.m.Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass. Ave., Boston. $30, $38, $48, $58. WorldMusic.org.
STAGE KISS LAKOU AYITI The New England Foundation for the Arts’ Creative City Program welcomes the world premiere dance production of Lakou Ayiti, inspired by the HaitianAmerican Immigrant Experience by Jean Appolon Expressions, March 17, at 8 p.m., and March 18, at 3 and 8 p.m., Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St., Boston. $25-$75. Bostontheatrescenecom/season/lakou-ayiti/.
THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND Bad Habit Productions closes its season with this Tom Stoppard play, March 18-April 2, and the group’s original family show,” Play On, The Music That Moves Us,” March 25,26, April 1,in repertory, Boston Center for the Arts, Tremont St., Boston. Advance tickets, $21;day of show, $28. Bostontheatrescene.com.
RELEASE THE HOUNDS Spend an evening with Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge, also Aoife O’Donovan,Friday, March 17, 8 p.m., Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall, Harvard University, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge.617-482-6661.
BRIAN CALHOON’S MARIMBA CABARET
The iconic all-male Japanese taiko drumming-performance group celebrates its 35th anniversary by bringing its latest work, “Dadan 2017,” to North America, an to Boston, Sunday, March 19, 5 p.m., Symphony Hall, 301 Mass. Ave., Boston. Tickets start at $47. Celebrityseries.org.
The classically-trained percussionist performs a series of three concerts, which he performs on marimba, vibraphone and voice, featuring cover tunes of rock,pop, and musical theater. The first concert is March 16, 7:30 p.m., with special guest Sharon Chen playing the marimba, Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave., Boston. $15; table seating, $20. Patrons must be 18+ years old. Marimbacabaret. com.
CENTENNIAL CABARET Stoneham Theatre celebrates its 100-year building anniversary with this fundraiser, featuring Boston-Stoneham favorites Kathy St. George, Christopher Chew, Ceit Zweil, Saturday, March 18, 395 Main St., Stoneham. VIP reception, 6 p.m.; performance, 8 p.m. Doors open 7:30 p.m. for guest ticketholders. VIP, $100; guests, $65; member guests, $60.
ALLOY ORCHESTRA World Music/CRASHarts presents a double feature of live musical accompaniment, Saturday, March 18, to silent films “The Black Pirate” at 4 p.m. and “Variete,” a Boston premiere score, 8 p.m., Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville.Single movie, $25; both, $35.Reserved seating. WorldMusic.org.
LIVE MUSIC BRUNCH Passim features Live Music Brunch Saturdays and Sundays, starting this weekend, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Featured music varies from blue grass, old time, blues, Celtic, classical, folk, jazz and more. 47 Palmer St., Cambridge. passim.org.
DEEPER THAN SKIN CONCERT Linden Tree Coffeehouse welcomes multifaceted singer-songwriter Greg Greenway and singer-poetentertainer Reggie Harris, Saturday, March 18, 8 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church, 326 Main St., Wakefield. $20; under 18 years old, $10. LindenTreeCoffeehouse,org.
JOHN GORKA The legendary folk singer performs with opening act the Sharar Sisters, Saturday, March 18, 8 p.m., at New Moon Coffeehouse, Unitarian Universalist Church, 16 Ashland St., Haverhill. $25; kids 18-under, $12.50. newmooncoffeehouse.org.
BOSTON GAY MEN’S CHORUS The melodic group focuses on “Let’s Hear it for the Boys,” a concert of male groups and singers, including the Beatles, Kool and the Gang, One Direction, the Jackson Five, Village People, The Beach Boys, Bruno Mars and more, March 18, at 8 p.m., and March 19, at 3 p.m., New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston. Tickets before fees from $25. Bgmc.org.
Lyric Stage Company of Boston presents Sarah Ruhl’s romantic comedic play-within-a-play, “Stage Kiss,” through March 26, 140 Clarendon St., Boston. Tickets start at $25, senior, student, group discounts. Lyricstage.com.
GRAND CONCOURSE SpeakEasy Theatre Company presents the New England premiere of award-winning actor, screenwriter-playwright Heidi Schrek’s new drama, through April 1, with a Boston all-star cast: Thomas Derrah, Melinda Lopez, Alejandro Simoes and Ally Dawson, at Boston Center for the Arts Roberts Studio Theatre, Stanford Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont St., Boston. Tickets start at $25; students, seniors, age 25-under discounts. SpeakEasyStage.com, 617-933-8600
FAMILY FUN JONAH AND THE WHALE, A NEW MUSICAL Stoneham Theatre presents a sterling Boston all-star cast and newcomers in the East coast premiere of this new musical, starring Taavon Gamble, Feb. 23-March 12, Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main St., Stoneham. $50-$55; seniors, $45$50; students with valid ID, $20; student rush discounts. stonehamtheatre.org.
CIRCUS 1903 The Madison Square Garden Company returns in this world premiere and Golden Age of Circus show through March 12, Boch Center Wang Theatre, Tremont St., Boston, Wednesday-Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 1, 6:30 p.m. Saturday matinees, 11 a.m., 3 p.m. Tickets start at $35. Bochcenter. org, Ticketmaster.
JAPAN SOCIETY OF BOSTON Commemorating memorial events in Boston, the Japan Society features an exhibit opening, train, March 10,6-8 p.m.; March 11, 12-3 p.m., Boston Children’s Museum, Japanese House Gallery, 308 Congress St., Boston; film screening and discussion of March 11 documentaries, March 10, 4-6 p.m., Harvard University, Kang Room, 5050, Japan Friends of Harvard Concourse, CGIS South Bldg., 1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge; and Cranes on the Square at Copley Square, March 12, 11:30 a.m., The Plaza of Copley Square, Boston. JapanSocietyBoston.org.
PURIM PARTY Dorshei Tzedek invites adults and children for Purim party fun, Saturday, March 11, 7-9 p.m., featuring a costume parade and prizes for adults and children, Purim Davening; Megillah reading; young children’s program; dancing and a comedic Purim spiel, with hamentaschen! First Unitarian Society, 1326 Washington St., West Newton. dorsheitzedek.org.
IMPROVBOSTON REGISTRATION The Boston comedy improvisation theater of Cambridge is currently accepting registration for April vacation Comedy Clinics for ages 8-13, and Summer Clinics for ages 8-17. Registration, ImprovBoston,com/training, scholarships for season starting in March, ImprovBoston.com/ training/scholarships.
CURIOUS GEORGE Boston Children’s Theatre production of “Curious George and the Golden Meatball” is currently at the Larcom Theatre, Wallis St., Beverly, through March 19. info@ostonchildrenstheatre.org.
PJ LIBRARY JUNIOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS Children 3-5 years old may participate in a Cohen Hillel faculty-led PJ Library’s Junior Scientists and Engineers “labs,” using Jewish values-based literature and hands-on experiments, Mondays, March 13,20, April 6, 3 - 4:30 p.m., at Cohen Hillel Academy, 6 Community Road, Marblehead. Lab coats, books provided. Walk-ins welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. RSVP to Phyllis Osher, 978-740-4404, or posher@
The Brookline Voice
March 7 - 21, 2017
Calendar 9
Photo | Joshua Resnek
At the T overpass in Waban, one of Newton’s classiest little village type residential enclaves. Fence art shows its stuff brilliantly to all passersby. This is great stuff sponsored by a community that loves outdoor art and practices what it preaches. lappinfoundation.org.
MOVIN’AND GROOVIN’ Adults with children ages 18 months to 2.9 years old may participate in the free PJ Library Movin’ and Groovin’ with Phyllis Eidelman, Mondays, March 13, 20,and April 3, 10:15-11 a.m. Cohen Hillel Academy, Six Community Road, Marblehead. Walk-ins welcome. posher@lappinfoundation.org.
NEW JCC HIP HOP Eight-week dance classes for children 4-5 years old include new hip hop moves and fun dance combinations Saturdays, through March 18, 10-10:45 a.m. at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton St., Newton. The developmentally appropriate class includes hip hop technique and choreography, and freestyle improvisation. $160. Open to the community. bostonjcc.org/register, artclasses@jccgb.org.
BABY AND ME CLASS Children ages 6 months to 3 years old join in the fun, baby-focused classes and parents meet other parents and caregivers while children play together, Fridays from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m., Jewish Community Center,Community Road, Marblehead. Jccns.org.
BCT WINTER CLASSES Boston Children’s Theatre is offering weekend and weekday classes for children, ages 4 - 19, in Boston and Beverly. info@bostonchildrenstheatre.org.
THEATRE OF LIGHT WORKSHOPS Miriam Eyges conducts one-day theater workshops for North Shore children ages 8-15, March 19 and 25, 1-5 p.m.,Washington St., Marblehead, culminating in an informal performance for parents, relatives and friends the last 30 minutes. Enrollment limited to 10.Nominal participation fee. Deadline registration two weeks before the workshop. theatreoflight@comcast.net.
JCC ADAPTIVE MUSIC PROGRAM Children with developmental and intellectual disabilities, ages 6-17, may participate in an educational music and performance-based program held in partnership with amplif-adaptive music programs for life through March 22, also Wednesdays, March 29-May 24, 4-5 p.m. They will write songs and stage, choreograph and perform a show for family and friends. Open to all. Nine-week course, $315, scholarships available. LeventhalSidman Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton St., Newton. inclusion@jccgb.org, 617-558-6507.
KIDS NEW JEWISH LEARNING PROGRAM As part of the center’s new program, Discovery Club Experiential skill-building classes connecting children to Jewish life are offered at the LeventhalSidman Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton St., Newton. They include Earth Adventurers, Early Astronomers, Spicing it Up, Spectacular Storytellers, and Growing Gardeners, for children ages 5-8. bostonjcc.org/discoveryclub, discoveryclub@jccgb.
KARISHIM SWIM TEAM
THEN AND NOW
The Jewish Community Center (JCC) Karishim Swim Club, a competitive swim club for boys and girls ages 6-18, is taking registration now for the spring season, at the Leventhal Sidman JCC, Newton. The team trains at the center’s indoor pool and at Regis College, Weston. Registration is open to the entire community; JCC membership required. karishim@jccgb.org.
ART EXHIBITIONS AND MUSEUMS SINCE THE EPOCH Boston Cyberarts, ATNE and Boston VR welcome visitors to the gallery’s opening reception of this new exhibition, Friday, March 10,6-8 p.m., followed by the exhibition March 10-12, 121 Green St. Jamaica Plain. Bostoncyberaarts.org.
Atlantic Works Gallery holds its Third Thursday celebration, March 16, 6 - 9 p.m., for exhibition Then and Now, on display through March 25, 80 Border St., East Boston. Gallery hours Saturdays, Sundays 1-5 p.m., or by appointment.contact@ atlanticworks.org.
MUSEUM OF RUSSIAN ICONS The museum features new exhibition, Pondering Mary: Her Story Through Icons, March 18-May 21, opening with a symposium, March 18, 2-5 p.m. in the museum’s auditorium and opening reception, 5-6 p.m. $20; non-members, $25;reception only, $10; members, free. Two Imperial Icons is exhibited through May 14. Also special holiday events. ($25, $30). Museum information, hours, fees, museumofrussianicons.org, Registration, 978-598-5000, Ext. 121.
PJ LIBRARY SHABBT SHALOM CIRCLE Jewish children ages 8-younger, their parents, grandparents, and friends are invited to PJ Library Shabbat Shalom Circle. They’ll welcome in Shabbat with stories, songs, friendship and a free dinner, Friday, May 12, June 9, alternating between Temple Ner Tamid, Lowell St., Peabody, and Chelsea Jewish Foundation, Tanzer Room, 240 Lynnfield St., Peabody. Free program of Lappin Foundation, NSJCC and Temple Ner Tamid, supported by CJP. Walk-ins welcome. posher@lappinfoundation.org.
PAWPATROL LIVE Based on the Nickelodeon animated TV series, the show,”Race to the Rescue” features the show’s favorite pups in this high-energy musical adventure, March 18-19,Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St.,Boston. $25,$40,$50.pawparrolive.com;Ticketmaster.
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The Brookline Voice
March 7 - 21, 2017
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12
The Walk
Hey there! F of The Walk or this installment , up and arou I decided to go nd Summit featuring on Ave, e parks in Bro of the nicest o a little while kline. It’s been of these, an since I did one d weather just considering the why not now got so nice again, below were ? The pictures ta around the ken in and following pla Summit Ave ces: St, Corey H , Washington il Beacon St, a l Outlook Park, nd Harvard St.
The Brookline Voice
March 7 - 21, 2017
8 Things I Saw on Summit Ave Photos | Alexander Culafi
1.
The walk up Summit Ave is a treacherous one in an otherwise beautiful community. It’s like walking on a treadmill with the incline set to max.
2.
Corey Hill Outlook Park. Still recovering from winter, but a beautiful park with a nice playground and seating for the perfect picnic come summertime. This walk makes it worth trekking up the very steep hill.
March 7 - 21, 2017
The Brookline Voice
The Walk
13
4.
My lovely walking companion drinking a Surge to cool off on a surprisingly warm day in Brookline. If you don’t know, Surge is a Coca Cola soft drink that ran from 1997 until 2003. In 2014, 11 years after its discontinuation, it was brought back to the masses. It’s not bad, if you like Vault or Mountain Dew.
3.
And after, you can enjoy walking down the hill twice as quickly as you climbed it!
5.
The Nintendo Switch display at GameStop. It’s available now, though I don’t know if you’ll be able to find it! Read more about it on page 4.
8.
Showing my lovely walking companion our Editor’s anti-romantic fiction during an ice cream date at J.P. Licks. E.L. James, eat your heart out!
6.
U.S. 1 Petroleum on Washington, right on the border between Brighton and Brookline. I love this place because it has a very classic feel to it. They’ll fix your car and pump your gas for you. If you like your gas Full Serve, this place will do it for you.
7.
The Coolidge Corner Radio Shack on its final legs. Closing March 10, finally. More on that in the next issue! Didn’t see much of a sign anymore.
See you next time!
The Brookline Voice
14
CHAPTER 7
March 7 - 21, 2017
THE BREAKUP
E
arly afternoon. Last Tuesday. Bret is waiting for Emily, sipping a latte in Café Nero in Brookline Village. About 40 men and women are inside the café, nearly all of them working on their computers, sipping their coffee with a few tables occupied by Brookline folks sharing conversation.
The break-up of their marriage is dragging both of them down. The lives of their almost grown up children are at stake. Their home on Beacon Street is definitely at stake. Emily walks into Café Nero, looks around, finds Bret. She nods to him. He nods back. She orders up an espresso. She walks over to Bret’s table. She seats herself. He looks up at her. She speaks. “I’m so happy we’re meeting here instead of at Peets,” she said taking a sip of the espresso. “But I’m not happy. We’ve got some things to discuss,” she said. She took in a deep breath. “I want you out of the house,” she said to him. “I’m not leaving. Its my house. You leave,” he suggested to her. Since she had decided to split from him, Bret had been sleeping on the living room couch and coming and going a bit like a ghost with the two of them, once so close and committed, rarely meeting. “I bought the house. I have paid the mortgage. This is my house.” “You leave. I’m staying.” What was inside came outside. Emily was outraged. She leaned forward, pursed her lips and showed her teeth, and then she said slowly but deliberately in a resolute voice: “ If You don’t leave the house by late this afternoon, I am calling the Brookline police and I’ll have you removed from the house,” she said. “Do you understand me, Bret?” “Yes,” he replied. “What about the kids? You think the kids want to see something like what you are proposing. What are the kids going to say?” “I’ve already talked with the kids,” she answered. “They will be fine.” “I told them Dad is leaving, but not to worry. Nothing is going to change. He will be your father as always. He just won’t be living here. He will be living nearby.” “I’m done with the emptiness, with your duplicity…” “My duplicity…” he stammered. “Everything will be the same,” he said to himself. Is this how leaving the house will be perceived by my kids? He asked himself again and again. “You’ve been having a public affair, spending all your time with that nutjob from Newton, and you have the audacity to call me duplicitous! Your behavior is an embarrassment. It is an outrage. You should be ashamed of yourself,” he said. “Why, because I can’t stand living with you anymore or having you touch me anymore? I reached out to someone else because of your mental and physical abandonment. You no more want to be with me than the man on the moon,” she said. “I’m keeping the house, and I’ve been talking with a lawyer about getting my fair share of your IRA and your retirement account and of the savings we have – and I can’t wait. I’ve wanted to be alone for so long,” she said. She was also scared about being alone. Scared of the new world that faced her at 45. The affair with Arnie from Newton was all about passion and sex – not about love and rationality. She knew it was never going to work, but couldn’t stop seeing Arnie – so seductive and addictive was the sex and the passion. “So you’ve waited a long time to be alone,” Bret answered. “I guess this why you’re sleeping with that bum from Newton morning, noon and night?” he asked. “You know what you’re going to get from Arnie? Nothing,” he said. “The big goose egg. The moment you are free, the affair will be dead on arrival. The minute you ask him to
move in or to get closer, he will do a retreat so fast and so final you won’t know what happened.” “I don’t have to listen to your rubbish. What the hell do you know about making a marriage work, of satisfying your woman, of being a real man instead of a shadow man, shadow husband, and shadow father!” she said. She got up from her chair. “Where you running, Emily?” “Wait, let me guess.” “You’re heading to Newton for an afternoon session with your beloved Arnie. Should I tell our kids?” She looked down at him, seething just a bit, and she said: “Be out of the apartment by the time I get home this evening of I’m calling the police,” she repeated. “What I do with my own time is my business from now on. I don’t have to answer to you ever again.”
Emily stormed out of Café Neros. Not a head turned away from their computers in Café Nero. Emily could have stabbed Bret in the heart and no one would have noticed, much less would they have cared. Brett got outside. It was frigid cold again. “And everyone had been saying the winter was over,” he said to himself. A deep chill inside himself was met with the desire to button up his overcoat. He walked into the village wondering about where he was going to go. Tonight, he would be sleeping away from his family home for the first time in 18 years.
J.R.
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