ABEThinks, and is not afraid of saying so out loud when the opportunity presents itself, that he works harder than anybody else and that the whole town would fall apart without him. This state of mind is a symptom of the great stress which it has been Abe’s lot in life to endure. Born the only child of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, Abe’s father died when he was still a child. Thrust into the position of man of the house at an early age Abe took to the role immediately and brought to it all the energy and resources a child could muster. Having a childhood in which the primary formative experience was a constant state of anxiety about making ends meet deprived Abe of the possibility of developing a fully rounded character.
Abe devoted over twenty years to striving and saving until, at last, in his early thirties, he, together with his mother, had saved enough to open a sundries shop with a soda fountain & snack counter. The first few years in business were hard going, but finally, Abe established his business as a part of the community and reaped the attendant feeling of security. Awash in his new found security, Abe told his mother, who had been at his side while establishing the business, that he felt confident that he could handle things from that point on and that she should take her well deserved retirement, which she did. Just over a year later, Abe's mother was diagnosed with cancer; six months after that she was dead.
The death of Abe's mother was, as anyone would expect, a great blow to Abe. While never losing his firm grip on the business, he nonetheless became personally disoriented and confused about what his aims in life should, or even could, be. It was during this period that he added Sylvia to his staff, in the position of running the soda fountain after school. Sylvia was a senior in high school at the time. Just over a year later, they were married; six months after that Isaac was born.
It is now nearly eighteen years later, and Isaac is a senior in high school.