Carol of the Bellskis Read Online Free PDF

hummus in the container, pita bread, and
    wine.
    “I thought you said there would be latkes,” Rabbi Chaim complained.
    “Later,” Seth said, wearing a plastered smile to hide his desire to start punching people.
    “Once my aunt returns.”
    “The bread isn't warm,” Chana said.
    “Very good observation,” Seth remarked under his breath. But she was right. He couldn't
    hope to deliver the wonderful meals these people were paying for.
    He left the crowd to entertain themselves in the games room or in front of the fire while he
    figured out what he was going to do about dinner.
    Seth's aunt had posted her Hanukkah package menu on the meat refrigerator. As he read it
    over, his heart sank.
    Roasted herb-crusted chicken, green beans in garlic sauce, a fruited spinach salad, and all
    followed off with freshly baked honey cake.
    Not going to happen.
    Seth struggled to open packages, let alone cook. He lived off takeout, cereal, and grilled
    cheese sandwiches.
    Which gave him an idea.

    22
    Astrid Amara

    Ditching the meat refrigerator, he headed over to the dairy area, pulled out some butter,
    and heated a skillet. The theme of Hanukkah dinner was fried food. Why not a fried cheese
    sandwich? Who doesn't want that?
    For a moment he convinced himself it was a good idea. Long enough to get to work on his
    masterpiece.
    But two hours later, the noise in the dining room rising to a loud, demanding decibel count,
    Seth looked down at the ten plates with blackened, greasy grilled cheese sandwiches garnished
    with some parsley he found in the fridge, and realized he had failed.
    At least they wouldn't starve, he thought.
    “Dinner's ready!” he cried in false cheer. Ben had gotten everyone seated, and Chana had
    set the table, but the helpful team that was on his side turned traitor when he showed them what
    they would be eating.
    No one said a word, although Rita Rosenbaum abruptly turned away and Sharon Neidlich's
    eyebrows raised and she said, “How…unusual!” in a slightly shaky voice. She gazed at her
    sister. In their glance, Seth could read plans for finding another hotel.
    “It's just for tonight,” Seth assured them. “A real chef will be joining us tomorrow.”
    Everyone sighed in palpable relief. And then dug into their grilled cheeses.
    The dinner conversation was polite, with the guests asking questions about why everyone
    was there, whether they knew so-and-so who also lived in Toronto, and remarking on the
    weather.
    Seth didn't join in. He ate his sandwich glumly, left a few bottles of wine out for everyone
    to enjoy, and then retired to the kitchen, where he stared at the pile of dirty dishes and finished
    off the last of the beer.
    What was he going to do now?
    It was nearly ten at night. His aunt and uncle has been missing for almost twelve hours. As
    snow began to fall again, he grew genuinely worried. Feeling slightly foolish, he called the Royal
    Canadian Mounted Police.

    Carol of the Bellskis

    23

    Before, their absence has been an inconvenience. Now it had been too long to be anything
    but a mistake. Maybe Ahava's overreaction was right. Maybe they were dead under an
    avalanche.
    Seth reported their disappearance and was reassured by a kindly constable that they would
    check the roadways around the village and send out an alert. But she also told Seth that it seemed
    unlikely that harm could have befallen the old couple; they were longtime Whistler residents and
    knew how to handle the roads in the snow.
    “It's probably just some sort of misunderstanding,” the officer told Seth.
    “Yeah.” Seth wanted to believe her, but if Bellskis were known for anything, it was for
    their dedication to routine. It was a genetic trait, right up there with exponentially increasing
    amounts of chest hair and heart palpitations.
    As he sat by himself in the kitchen, listening to Doctor Mister yap away as the other guests
    watched television and shuffled off to bed, loneliness coursed through him like a