June 21, 2026 Categories: Features
Persuaded – Chapter XLVII
Mindy
Chani and Effi began dating, while Zahava has been bored and missing Rikki. How was it September already? Mindy had realized with a start that the holidays would begin in just a few weeks, and spent Tuesday morning baking apple cake and round challahs to freeze for the holidays. Now she was lying on her couch feeling like a beached whale, waiting for the honk of the van that brought her boys home from preschool. She wasn’t showing so much, but she just felt so puffy, and her waistline was a thing of the past. She was about to drift into a nap when her phone rang. She groped for it sleepily and sat up, but what she heard made her sit up straight. “Mazel tov to me!” Chani sang out. “I’m getting engaged to Effi Weinberg tonight! L’chaim in Toms River tonight; vort will be in Brooklyn at our house on Sunday!” Mindy let out a kvitch that could be heard as far as her in-laws’ place. “EFFI!! NO WAY! HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME?” she shrieked. “When did you start going out with him?” “It’s been, uh, pretty fast,” Chani answered, with a tone that suggested maybe there was more to the story. “But we hit it off right away, so things just moved right along! I mean, we’ve both dated plenty, so I think by now we each know what we want.” “And Tatty was on board with this? It happened in, like, five minutes!” Again that mysterious hesitation. “I, uh, didn’t give Tatty much of a choice when it was brought up,” Chani said, and Mindy marveled that Chani actually laid down the line with their father. What had happened to her shy, conciliatory sister? “I told him I was going ahead with it no matter what. But I think at this point he’s just ready to see me married to any Jewish Tom, Dick or Harry.” “No, not to just any guy,” Mindy said. “He’d be upset if you found someone he didn’t think was on your level. But Effi is a millionaire and a nice guy! He can show him off to all his friends with pride! My husband will look like an underachiever in comparison.” “You have a great husband,” Chani said firmly. “He’s a hard worker and a great husband and father. You did really well.” “How’s Zahava doing with all this?” Chani paused a minute. “I think it would be awful for her if nothing was happening right now,” she said. “But from what I understand, she’s been brought up for Yerucham Elman again, and maybe something will happen there. I hope so, since she seems to really want him. I’ll feel awful if nothing works out for her while I sail on and get married.” Mindy continued to process this mentally. Chani was getting engaged to Effi Weinberg? Wow! Amazing! Chezky would be thrilled—he and Effi were great buddies! Her sisters-in-law, both soon to be wed, would be happy he’d stay in the family orbit as well, even after Effi’s disastrous date with Lieba. On the other hand—oy vey! Another wedding? Another gown? She felt a little seasick at the thought. She imagined herself writing a book: The Berenstain Bears and Too Many Simchas. Were all of them going to expect her to host sheva brachos for them? She decided she suddenly felt very pregnant and exhausted. It was definitely time to go more public with her condition, if only to justify getting out of making three sets of sheva brachos and looking like a pumpkin in her gowns. Despite all that, she really was happy for Chani. Chani deserved a nice guy, and better yet, Effi had money even if he had no yichus to speak of. Who cared? She had only affectionate feelings for the Weinberg family members she had met, Shiffy and Avraham Krauss. “Where are you going to live?” she now asked. “In Brooklyn at first,” Chani said. “Effi and Avraham have to decide which one will supervise the East Coast branch of the company they’re setting up, then the other will go back to Palo Alto.” Chani filled her in on her trip to Passaic with Effi the previous week to meet his parents: Effi’s quirky father, who had a workshop in the basement for his “inventions” (of which not a single one had yet been marketable, although the potato peeling machine came close), his sweet but slightly boho mom with her dangly bead earrings and offerings of organic carrot muffins and fair trade coffee. “Oh no,” Mindy said with a groan. “How are they going to show up to the wedding, in front of Tatty’s fancy friends? Is the mom going to wear some arty patchwork skirt?” “Don’t worry,” Chani reassured her. “When I went to the house they showed me the pictures of the other children’s weddings, and his parents wore very normal gowns and suits. Effi has a sister who has a designer clothing store in her basement in Clifton, and it sounds like she’s the family fashion maven. The kids all seem very regular.” The Weinberg children, perhaps in response to their parents’ nonconformist style, were all very much straight and narrow and had chosen rather more bourgeois paths, except for his brother Rabbi Nati Weinberg in Marine Park and two sisters who were living kollel lifestyles in Lakewood. The rest of them were in fields like real estate, dentistry, and finance. Mindy could rest assured they were regular frum folks who could be counted on not to show up wearing styles from ten years ago. “Did you meet any of the others?” Mindy wanted to know. “Not yet. I already know Shiffy Krauss, obviously, but we wanted to keep it low-key, just parents, for a first meeting. It was actually very nice. His parents are very warm and welcoming, kind of like your in-laws, but in a more funky style. Anyway, they’re just so thrilled that Effi’s finally engaged after all these years. He’s turning 30 soon!” “What did you even talk about with them?” “Well, his mom is an art therapist, so we spoke a lot about therapy,” Chani said. “She works mostly in schools, but she gives art lessons on the side on Sunday afternoons for local girls. She showed me her paintings. I’m no expert, but I thought she was really good! She had this painting of Effi as a little boy that was so cute. She really captured his spirit even back then, you know? He was maybe three years old and he had this curious, sweet look on his face.” “And the dad?” “Oh, he’s like this quintessential science teacher—tall and skinny, nerdy glasses, likes to talk with Effi about what’s new in science and tech. You see where Effi got his smarts from. Anyway, you’ll meet them tonight! Be there by 8:00!” “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it! You think I should bring the kids? It’s so late for them.” “Why don’t you put them by your mother-in-law?” “Yeah, good idea. What are you wearing?” “I ran out this morning to look for something. I ended up with something summery, flowered print, silky. Nothing too crazy, I’ll find something fancy for the vort.” Mindy lost no time calling her husband at work. Like her, Chezky was completely caught off guard, but he was absolutely thrilled. “Wow, wow, wow,” was all he could say. “What a great shidduch! H“No, not to just any guy,” Mindy said. “He’d be upset if you found someone he didn’t think was on your level. But Effi is a millionaire and a nice guy! He can show him off to all his friends with pride! My husband will look like an underachiever in comparison.”ow come nobody ever thought of it?” Mindy wasn’t sure how to answer that. “I know,” she finally said ruefully. “I’m her sister, you’d think it would have occurred to me!” “Maybe we’d just kind of given up on her,” Chezky said. “Seems like she turned down every guy we brought up or dated. Guess she was just waiting for the right one.” “Ha!” Mindy said. “He’s only, like, the most eligible bachelor in Brooklyn! In the world! And to think he wants my sister! I mean, she’s a great girl, just…” “Just what?” Chezky challenged. “She is a great girl! Did you think Effi wanted some trophy wife? His head is on way too straight for that.”To be continued.
