Chapter 4: Murray Geldfarb, The Man With All The Answers


Manhasset was a cosmopolitan city with an impressive array of restaurants from all countries and cultures. Gene Rothman had been to the vast majority of them, but one of his personal favorites was a quaint little family-owned delicatessen on Paul Mazurek Drive, called Murray's. Gene would often invite the few friends he had to get together for dinner at this establishment, and because he was such a frequent customer, he became good friends with the owner of the place.

Murray Geldfarb was a heavyset man with curly red hair, a beard, and thick round glasses. He was probably in his mid to late fifties, although he didn't look it. It was around the time of Gene's birth that the Geldfarbs opened their restaurant, and it was their warm and friendly atmosphere, as well as their superb menu, that kept them open for so many years. It's safe to say that their brisket platters, potato knishes, and build-your-own-bagel cart were major contributors to Gene's weight.

When Gene stepped through the restaurant's door, he was instantly recognized by Murray, who was standing behind the counter.

"Hey, Sadie! Mindy! It's my best customer, Gene Rothman! Great to see you again!"

Sadie, who looked about ten years younger than her husband Murray, took a break from her kitchen duties to greet Gene at the doorway. Although the Geldfarbs recently hired a staff of trained cooks to accommodate the always-increasing number of customers, Sadie was the head chef of the family operation.

Shortly after Sadie entered the scene, their daughter Mindy followed suit. She was about Gene's age, and had a similar body type as well -- completely unlike the girls at Gene's high school who were purposely starving themselves. About a year ago, Mindy got a part-time job as a waitress.

"You're looking a little down there, Gene," said Sadie. She had a motherly instinct (more so than Gene's own mother, he felt), and a knack for being able to tell these things. "Some problems with the folks?"

"Mrs. Geldfarb, you're talking to Gene Rothman. There're always problems with the folks." Gene never missed an opportunity to make a bon mot, but there was always a dark and depressed nature to his witticisms.

"You also look different since we last saw you here," Mindy noticed. "It's like you've lost a lot of weight."

Gene looked down at his protuberant belly. Although less pronounced than before, it still made it nearly impossible for Gene to see his shoes. "Whoa," he whoaed. "I didn't expect the change to occur THIS fast..."

Murray's eyes lit up. "Change!? What kind of change?"

"Well, Mr. Geldfarb," explained Gene, "you know that new weight loss center called 'Diet Club' that just opened across from Beau Folsom Park?"

"Sure! Mindy told me she saw a commercial for it the other day. Why don't you tell Gene about it, Mind?"

"Umm," Mindy ummed, "where do I start? First of all, there was this lady on the commercial. She wore a stereotypical nurse's uniform, and she was walking around the office making a lot of outrageous claims about people losing hundreds of pounds in a few short weeks."

Sadie was shocked. "Weeks!? That absolutely can't be healthy."

"She then mentioned a weekly support group that meets every Tuesday morning. That's tomorrow, right? If you're a member, you should go. Maybe find out some answers."

"Yeah, unfortunately, I AM a member. You know that 'problem with the folks' I mentioned earlier? The problem is, they signed me up for this clearly experimental and potentially harmful process without my consent. They just wanted a quick fix."

"Hey, speaking of quick fixes, why don't you order something already? You look fukhlempt." Murray knew exactly what Gene was here for, and what he needed.

"All right then, Mr. Geldfarb! I'll have a double Manhasset Egg Cream while I look over the menu and decide what I want." Gene was a huge fan of that drink, which couldn't be found anywhere else. Maybe the sparkling seltzer water would calm his stomach down, he thought. It was still doing cartwheels.