Not Nothing

Alex knocks but Josey doesn’t answer, because he’s busy fixing a sweater. Josey often fixes things for the staff and other residents, as his family owned a clothing store. Josey describes his somewhat grim appearance, knowing that Alex notices and is intimidated by it. Alex quickly turns to leave and knocks a painting of Olka off the wall, catching it before it falls. Josey yells “Olka!” but Alex manages to fix it and hang it back up. Alex asks who Olka was, and finds out the name was short for Oleksandra, the Polish form of Alexandra—which is Alex’s mother’s name, and who he is named after. Josey then begins telling the story of how he and Olka met.

Josey found Olka unattractive at first, because she was always scowling. She was hired as a seamstress at Josey’s family store, but hated her job because she always dreamed of attending university. Despite her top scores, she never got the chance to study further: Her uncle told her she had to find work and contribute, so she ended up at the store. 

Josey noticed that Olka read a lot, and one day asked her about the book she was reading. As she fitted Josey’s suit, poking and prodding him, she got especially annoyed when he said it was impossible that she would have been a top student, with Olka even calling him a slur in response. Josey believed that his acquaintance, Adek, was the top student that year, and assumed Olka was the liar.

Alex is silent after listening to the beginning of Josey’s story, and Josey knows it’s because Alex understands much of what Olka went through and her reason for being so brash. He asks only one question before leaving, which is how Josey is able to sew without the use of his eyes, and Josey repeats something he learned from Olka: “You sew with your hands, not with your eyes” (70).

When Alex gets back to the kitchen, one of the staff, Julio, asks why he took so long. Alex explains he was listening to Josey tell a story, and Julio accuses Alex of being mistaken and/or a liar, as he knows Josey to be non-verbal. Alex thinks of saying something nasty to Julio, but refrains when he thinks of Olka. He angrily walks off to clean, wondering why Josey chose to speak to him if he wouldn’t speak to anyone else. 

Julio tells Mrs. Winston that Alex is a liar, but she goes to Josey’s room and confirms that he is indeed talking again. One of the other staff members encourages Julio to apologize to Alex by bringing him fresh baklava, and Julio does so, telling Alex he will be able to continue his new position of food deliveries. Alex then tries baklava for the first time and is overwhelmed by its delicious taste.

Josey tells Alex about how he originally planned to have Olka fired for what she said, but when he saw her, his feelings changed. She, too, had realized she had insulted the son of the shop’s owner, and seemed sincerely remorseful. The suit she sewed for Josey was perfect, and he couldn’t deny her skill. Still, Olka was convinced she was fired and moved to pack up and go, but Josey insisted that she should stay. 

Olka admitted she was angry when she insulted him and that her behavior was a result of spending too much time around her uncle. When Olka pointed out that Josey coasted through life because of the privilege he was born with, Josey denied it at first, but then they compared their hands, and Josey’s were smooth, while Olka’s hands were rough and scarred. It was then that Josey realized that he could not keep his dignity and inherit a clothing business if he didn’t know how to sew, so he asked Olka to teach him.

Vivian and her friend Minna, two residents of the home, are relieved when the curfew is lifted, and discuss their experiences of going to theaters after the war. When Minna can’t recall the name of a play she saw, Josey is able to name it (The Magic Flute) and Minna tells him it’s good to have him back. Alex comes in later, and turns out to be the perfect candidate for running meals. He starts running errands for various residents and helping them do things like use an iPad. Alex finds that the hours are going by quickly and he no longer dreads coming to Shady Glen, but instead dreads leaving.

Later, Alex runs into Maya-Jade, who wants to hear all about Josey. She marvels at his age and notes that he’s only nine years away from the oldest man to have ever lived. Maya-Jade also mentions some drama amongst two of the residents who are dating, as their children apparently do not approve of their interracial romance. She comments on how things like racism seem to be less present in both children and the elderly, as though people tend to return to their young selves as they age. 

When Maya-Jade suggests interviewing Josey for a bat mitzvah project, Alex tries to deter her, wanting to keep Josey’s stories for himself. Afterwards, Alex is tasked with checking on the residents, as Mrs. Winston is at the hospital and Julio needs extra support. He tells Alex that he’s good at making the residents feel better, which makes Alex feel warm inside.

Josey continues his story the next time Alex comes by, beginning with how Olka taught him to sew. Olka was a prudent and strict teacher, who refused any product that wasn’t perfect. As thanks and as a reason to continue spending time with Olka, Josey then offered to teach her German so she could read her favorite book in its original language. Olka was moved by Josey, telling him that his decision to give her another chance inspired her to become a better version of herself.

Alex has all sorts of questions, but Josey is tired and tells Alex to go talk to Minna instead. Alex finds Minna in her room, sullen after she wasn’t invited to the nail salon with Vivian and Maya-Jade. Alex offers to do her nails (something he used to do for his mother) and listens to Minna tell the story of how she met her late husband, Steven, at a dance. Minna sings the song that they shared, and which Steven used to play for her on the piano every night. Alex reminds Minna of how lucky she was to live in one house, with one man who loved her, for so many years. It puts Minna in a cheerful mood, and Alex gets that same warm feeling again.

A woman from the retirement home’s corporate office comes in to test the patients and see whose cognitive state has worsened enough to be transitioned to another part of the facility to make room for new residents. Josey is visited first, and the woman rudely asks him several questions without introducing herself or treating him with respect. She tries to test his memory on various subjects and associations, and he says nothing the entire time. 

Just as she leaves, Alex walks in, and Josey happily begins speaking again, shocking the woman. Josey knows that Alex unwittingly saved him from the transfer.

Alex goes to his meeting with the social worker and finds he has a lot to talk about and be proud of. He discusses his success in helping the residents and his budding friendship with Josey, as well as the impact that Josey’s story of love is having on him. The social worker is impressed but not entirely surprised by Alex’s progress. 

Alex still feels like he hasn’t done anything truly great, and the social worker argues that helping his mother as she became ill was a great thing; this triggers Alex, who feels responsible for losing his mother. He thinks about the day at school when he learned his mother was hospitalized and that he would be living with a foster family, and later his aunt and uncle. 

Upset, Alex demands to know who the woman in the social worker’s photo is that he keeps recognizing but cannot place, and the social worker mysteriously refers to her only as “Bug.”

Alex gets to Shady Glen and finds Maya-Jade outside waiting for him. She’s distraught because two of the residents who are in love, Ginny and Dickie, are being separated. Dickie is being moved to the Garden because of his declining mental state, and Maya-Jade found Ginny sobbing and begging for him to come back. She was eventually sedated and taken to her room. Maya-Jade now wants Alex’s help in advocating for them, because Maya-Jade knows that Alex is well-liked by the residents and staff. Alex stares at Maya-Jade, confused as to why she would ask for his help when they aren’t even friends. He declines and goes to visit Josey.

Josey continues to tell Alex the story of his love for Olka. Olka and Josey decided to keep their engagement a secret and announce it to the family on Josey’s grandmother’s next visit, but a week after returning to the city, the Nazis invaded Poland. Soon, the clothing shop was forcibly closed and ransacked, and Josey’s family was forbidden from entering their own business. All the while, Josey could not see Olka because he never actually found out where she lived. Josey’s mother wanted to leave the country, but Josey’s father was proud and maintained hope that the war would end soon. 

One night, Josey was tasked with going into the store in secret to retrieve some money and other valuables. While there, he discovered Olka, and was beyond relieved to find her. Olka proudly showed Josey how she had stashed away several furs in the coal downstairs, which would give Josey’s family some money for food. Josey then took Olka with him to meet the family that would soon become hers.

After hearing this part of the story, Alex is quiet and reflective, thinking about how he, too, can do good things in his life. He decides to go find Maya-Jade, who is in her grandmother’s room. Alex finds her in tears, and her grandmother comments on how “oversensitive” Maya-Jade is. Alex tells her he wants to help Ginny and Dickie. They start discussing who they might be able to turn to for adult support, and Alex suggests Ginny’s granddaughter, Lydia. 

Maya-Jade tells Alex that she thought he was mean, and Alex admits that he was. Maya-Jade then reveals that the reason she is often sensitive and anxious is because her mother has breast cancer. Though it is almost certain to be cured, Maya-Jade has to spend the summer with her grandmother to give her mother space to heal, and the constant unknown is difficult for her. Alex expresses empathy for what Maya-Jade is going through, and the tension between them starts to lift.