The Lehman Trilogy, page 24
and adopted a financial nonchalance.
Heaven at times blesses its offspring.
Or at least so it seems.
In one corner he spotted
an elderly well-dressed man
wearing a top hat over a span high.
He could have been from Michigan.
Or maybe Jersey.
In any event,
he decided that
wherever he came from
he would soon be returning.
Sigmund approached him.
With two fingers he gestured to the old man
asking whether he could light his cigar
and the other willingly agreed
proffering a lighted flame.
What a shame that Sigmund didn’t smoke
and there was no sign of cigars in his pockets.
The embarrassment however was only temporary:
with a wondrous leap from Down to Up
the rabbit reacted brilliantly:
he feigned thoughtlessness
and in an entirely credible tone
cursed himself
for having left his cigar case
at the negotiating table.
The old man nodded:
he was certainly an expert
when it came to tricks of the mind,
so they both laughed heartily
and the doors of paradise opened.
Sigmund played all his cards.
Like an enterprising young man
he began to list the glories of the bank:
top in industry
success in business
network of alliances
flood of contracts
and so on with trains, oil, coal
in a crescendo of enthusiasm
so much so
that a small crowd gathered ’round
drawn to the strange spectacle
of a rabbit
singing the praises of its carrots.
As for the old man
he stared at him, not saying a word,
enchanted by such high spirits.
On seeing that he was surrounded
young Lehman
put more lubrication into the works:
bright red and sweating with excitement
he didn’t even notice he was shouting
as he enthused to the old man
in a somewhat excessive tone
“. . . the name of a financial giant
which is already inscribed in the coming centuries
and Lehman Brothers, illustrious colleague,
will one day end up on the American flag
for there is not a citizen in the world
who would not go to any lengths, illustrious colleague,
just to have half a dollar
in the vaults of our bank
the securest of the whole Capitol.
But now tell me, illustrious colleague:
in what realm of finance do you operate?
And if we are discussing figures
how much can we talk about investing?”
And as he anticipated the answer
imagining the old man to be
the head of Studebaker
or mogul of the Vehicle Company
he felt a hand
take hold of his jacket,
pulling him away from his triumph in battle.
It was Philip and Emanuel:
“What on earth do you think you’re doing?”
“I was about to make a financial alliance!
And what are you doing interrupting me?”
But his question went unanswered:
uncle and cousin
instead of praising him
were hurrying, away, toward the exit
through the crowds
all of whom in fits of laughter.
Mayer, his father,
had the thankless task of informing him:
“That was the usher, Sigmund.
And, if that’s not enough for you, he’s deaf as well.”
14
Der kartyozhnik
Yehuda ben Tema
in the Ethics of the Fathers
says:
at eighteen years you will think of marriage
twenty years for running
thirty for growing strong
forty for growing shrewd.
Philip Lehman
has ticked all the boxes
hasn’t left a single one empty.
For Philip Lehman
doesn’t miss out on anything.
From the age of sixteen
he has kept a diary
always open on his desk
where he writes down in block capitals
all his problems
and day by day
has to write down in block capitals
the answer too.
THE SOLUTION IS ALREADY THERE, JUST FIND IT
these are the words
that Philip Lehman has written down
in block capitals
on the first page
of every diary.
That’s what he decided to write
that day when
in Liberty Street
a dwarf in a top hat
dressed all in yellow
appeared on the street corner
and played the three-card trick
on a fruit crate.
Philip remained there for hours
standing
stock-still
watching him:
almost no one managed to win
the winning card was always hidden.
And yet it was there:
among the three
it was there
covered
but it was there.
Within reach.
So simple.
Just turn the right card.
So simple.
What’s the problem?
To turn the right card
just don’t get distracted.
Philip concentrated hard, that day:
kept his eyes glued to the dwarf’s deft fingers
fixed his gaze on those hands
—“no distraction, Philip!”—
relentlessly
—“no distraction, Philip!”—
on the cards
—“no distraction, Philip!”—
following the movement
—“no distraction, Philip!”—
“The winning card is this!”
And he won.
He knew it wasn’t luck.
It was technique.
Philip hadn’t tried to win:
he had decided to win.
Since then
from that day
Philip Lehman is never distracted.
He concentrates, steadfast
allowing no exception:
he knows that if he can keep control
the winning card will not escape him.
Follow the movement.
Watch the dwarf’s hands
don’t lose track of the cards
keep control
keep control
control
control
control
like playing tennis
being sure the ball
always stays inside the lines
checked
followed
controlled.
And Philip Lehman has plenty of control.
You bet he has it!
Always:
For his life
is never written in italics:
always in block capitals.
At the age of twenty
—which for Yehuda ben Tema is the age for running—
Philip Lehman has run
—you bet he has run!—
he has raced
behind trains under construction,
He has written in his diary
in block capitals:
RAILROAD = CAPITAL, CAPITAL = LEHMAN
and
—not losing sight of the dwarf’s fingers—
he has chosen
among all railroads
those that go from East to West
not those that go from North to South
for
—not losing sight of the dwarf’s fingers—
Philip Lehman has understood
that the new frontier is the East-West axis:
what use does the South have now?
The South is a memory, nothing more.
And then thousands of crazy folk
are now going West
all looking for gold
so what better than to give them a train?
A logical argument.
A ready solution.
“The winning card is this!”
And he has won again.
Luck?
No.
Technique.
At the age of thirty
—which for Yehuda ben Tema is the age of strength—
Philip Lehman has grown stronger
—you bet he has—
with oil wells in distant lands.
He has written in his diary
in block capitals:
INDUSTRY = ENERGY, ENERGY = OIL
and of all the oilfields to be financed
he hasn’t chosen those that everyone has rushed to
which will soon run dry:
he
—not losing sight of the dwarf’s fingers—
has found new ones in Alaska, in Canada
among the glaciers:
for
—not losing sight of the dwarf’s fingers—
Philip Lehman has understood
that it’s best to get there first
where no one has yet gone
and to raise the flag there.
A logical argument.
A ready solution.
“The winning card is this!”
And once again he has won.
Luck?
No.
Technique.
At the age of forty
then
—which for Yehuda ben Tema is the age of shrewdness—
Philip Lehman has been shrewd
—and this is his masterstroke—
writing
in his diary
in block capitals:
NINETEEN HUNDRED = NEUROSIS, NEUROSIS = ENTERTAINMENT
and of all the entertainments to finance,
he hasn’t chosen the one that most have gone for
namely alcohol
distilleries
—all Jewish—
no: too simple.
Philip
—not losing sight of the dwarf’s fingers—
has laid a stake on National Cigarettes
which is, yes sir, a good bet
since cigarettes are small, they’re for everyone
they’ll become like bread
and if you want to make money
you have to go for simple things
before they become simple:
“the winning card is this!”
And once again he has won.
“It’s not luck, darling:
it’s simply technique, you know.
Simply technique!”
This is what Philip says
each time
to his wife.
They’ve been married for many years.
Because when he reached eighteen
the morning after his birthday
Philip Lehman
wrote in his diary:
SOLVE MARRIAGE PROBLEM
↓
CHOOSE GOOD RIGHT WIFE
After careful consideration
Philip Lehman
—not losing sight of the dwarf’s fingers—
decided that the essential requirements were these:
she should be mild-natured
she should come from a family of equal status
she should not have a tendency to spend
she should not be a suffragette
she should prefer tea to coffee
she should appreciate art
and so forth
a well-thought-out list
with around forty headings
—both spiritual and domestic—
all written in block capitals
each with a score from 1 to 5
with a possible total
of 200 points
that would make
the PERFECT WIFE.
Search.
Search.
Search.
Not satisfied
Philip Lehman planned
a careful strategy
to investigate
a short list of twelve candidates
that he himself had picked
taking names
from the list of Temple benefactors.
The number twelve
was no coincidence
since Philip had determined
to devote one month
to the careful study of each of them:
so that in twelve months
therefore a year
—not losing sight of the dwarf’s fingers—
he could regard
the question of MARRIAGE
as resolved
and could therefore move on
more profitably
to other business.
Thus began
the marriage year
whose operations
were noted down
scrupulously
—according to a fixed layout—
in block capitals
in his diary:
MONTH: SHEVAT.
CANDIDATE: ADELE BLUMENTHAL
APPEARANCE: SHABBY
NATURE: TEDIOUS
LEARNING: CONVENTIONAL
SUMMARY: OLD BEFORE HER TIME
SCORE: 60 OUT OF 200.
MONTH: ADAR
CANDIDATE: REBECCA GINZBERG
APPEARANCE: PUGNACIOUS
NATURE: PRICKLY
LEARNING: ABRASIVE
SUMMARY: TOUGH WORK
SCORE: 101 OUT OF 200.
MONTH: NISSAN
CANDIDATE: ADA LUTMAN-DISRAELI
APPEARANCE: AUSTERE
NATURE: STERN
LEARNING: HIGHEST
SUMMARY: A RABBI
SCORE: 120 OUT OF 200.
MONTH: IYAR
CANDIDATE: SARAH NACHMAN
APPEARANCE: CHILDISH
NATURE: IMMATURE
LEARNING: SCANT
SUMMARY: NOT READY
SCORE: 50 OUT OF 200.
MONTH: SIVAN
CANDIDATE: PAULETTE WEISZMANN
APPEARANCE: MOODY
NATURE: CANTANKEROUS
LEARNING: UNFATHOMABLE
SUMMARY: A RISK
SCORE: 30 OUT OF 200.
MONTH: TAMUZ
CANDIDATE: ELGA ROSENBERG
APPEARANCE: SHOWY
NATURE: STIFF
LEARNING: BASIC
SUMMARY: CHINA DOLL
SCORE: 71 OUT OF 200.
MONTH: AV
CANDIDATE: DEBORAH SINGER
APPEARANCE: ALL EYES
NATURE: INTELLECTUAL
LEARNING: ADVANCED
SUMMARY: ACADEMIC
SCORE: 132 OUT OF 200.
MONTH: ELUL
CANDIDATE: CARRIE LAUER
APPEARANCE: SOBER
NATURE: LUKEWARM
LEARNING: AVERAGE
SUMMARY: HOMELY
SCORE: 160 OUT OF 200.
MONTH: TISHRI
CANDIDATE: LEA HELLER HERZL
APPEARANCE: SLOPPY
NATURE: GLOOMY
LEARNING: BACKGROUND
SUMMARY: EASILY TEARFUL
SCORE: 70 OUT OF 200.
MONTH: CHESHVAN
CANDIDATE: MIRA HOLBERG
APPEARANCE: LANGUID
NATURE: KINDLY
LEARNING: MODEST
SUMMARY: SIMPERING
SCORE: 140 OUT OF 200.
MONTH: KISLEV
CANDIDATE: LAURA ROTH
APPEARANCE: COLORFUL
NATURE: LIGHTHEARTED
LEARNING: HERE AND THERE
SUMMARY: LAUGHS TOO MUCH
SCORE: 130 OUT OF 200.
MONTH: TEVET
CANDIDATE: TESSA GUTZBERG
APPEARANCE: GIRLISH
NATURE: PLEASANT
LEARNING: MORE THAN GOOD
SUMMARY: PERFECT
NOTE: SHE CAN’T HAVE CHILDREN
SCORE: USELESS.
SUMMARY 160 OUT OF 200
↓
CARRIE LAUER
↓
ASK FOR APPOINTMENT TOMORROW MORNING
MR. BERNARD LAUER
“My dear Mr. Lauer
thank you, first of all, for receiving me.
I imagine you already know the reason why I’m here
for Carrie
an adorable girl
is your only unmarried daughter.
You may say we are still young
but I tell you that if I have to commit to marriage for life
then I’d prefer to do so
with many years ahead of me
rather than behind.
You may also say there hasn’t been time
for a real affection to grow between us
in which case I will give you the example of the internal combustion
engine
for it just so happens that I
—yes I—
once convinced
my father and my uncle
to invest in the automobile market
unaware they were patenting
a new internal combustion engine
that would bring us much profit;
from which it follows
my dear Mr. Lauer
that the cause doesn’t always precede the effect
so that marriage can precede and sentiment follow
without sentiment having to come before marriage.
If you agree with me
we can make arrangements for a respectable marriage.
On the other hand, if you prefer to wait for I-don’t-know-what
I will save you the embarrassment of having to tell me
with which
begging your pardon
having other business
I offer you my respects
my dear Mr. Lauer
and take my leave.”
The wedding
took place
—after an appropriate engagement—
in the times and ways
set out in block capitals
in Philip Lehman’s diary.
He wrote down everything
lost control over nothing
from the color of the chuppah
to the quantity of tableware at the reception
including the waiters’ names.
Carrie Lauer
for her part
from the very start
proved to be the right wife
right mother
right hostess
right mother-in-law
right benefactress.
No more.
No less.
Right.
Like a tennis ball
that never crosses the line:
no less
no more.
And once again
