They met during a New Year’s party. Both were students of Kiev’s prominent colleges and both were half-a-year away from earning their Bachelor degrees. Fannie was studying accounting, and Sam – cinematography. At one point during the party, a movie made by Sam and his fellow student friends was screened for the benefit of […]

  The life of this young family might have continued, largely unchanged, but the Great Wave of Emigration had come calling at Fannie and Sam’s doorstep. Some of their friends were packing and some were already writing wonderful letters from that mysterious country, Canada. “You see,” Fannie was saying to her husband, “Mike and Anna […]

In spite of their initial shock and unfavorable first impression, Sam and Fannie had discovered that the life in Canada wasn’t all that bad. During the course of the next three years, the family accomplished a lot. Sam was working as a butcher in a busy store, while Fannie had finished two years of college, […]

  Two weeks later, the store was re-opened under new management. For a few weeks, while the previous owner was still involved in the transition, the store ran smoothly. Then the complications began. The store’s longtime clients were used to excellent service and started to become upset when their customary weekly orders had not been […]

  Sam and Fannie were left to deal with the aftermath of this fiasco. After some while they managed to sell the store but only for a fraction of its initial cost. They had lost all their investment and still owed a large sum to the bank. Sam asked the new owner for permission to […]

These days, Fannie found only one way to relieve her stress – with a good workout. She always tried to get to the gym two or three times a week. Her body was her strong asset and she took good care of it. But now she was attacking the machines as if they were her […]

Part 7 But Fannie was sadly mistaken about Sam, and the next five years were the most vexing years of her life. He never came back. Instead, Sam applied for a divorce. Fannie tried to talk to him; to reason with him. At that time of crisis, the behavior she exhibited was that of kindness […]

Fannie relished her new-found freedom and considered that she got the best part of the bargain. Such was the case until the day came for Janna’s bat mitzvah. Janna was very excited and nervous before the big event. “Mom,” she was pleading with Fannie, “please invite all your friends. We’ll have a luncheon after the […]