Chani
Recap: Chani visits Leah Stein, who tells her disturbing information about Yerucham Elman. She comes home to receive a call from Mindy to say Lieba and Ezra are engaged.
“That was awfully fast!” Zahava said skeptically when Chani announced Lieba and Ezra’s sudden engagement to her family.
“Maybe not all that fast,” Chani said. “Ralph and Ezra used to bring food to Lieba and whoever was staying with her at the hospital, and then Lieba spent some time in the Harari house, where Ezra used to stay in the basement. They probably had many dates-before-they-were-dating, if you know what I mean.”
“I think when she hit her head her brains must have leaked out,” Rikki said. “I mean, what is she thinking? The guy is nothing special to look at, and he’s Sephardi!”
Chani was not amused. “Lieba is clearly more broad-minded than you, Rikki,” she retorted. “Anyway, if you met a Syrian guy tomorrow who was handsome and loaded, would you care if he was from Timbuktu?”
To her surprise, Rikki laughed. “Touché,” she said. “And I happen to like lachemagine. Maybe I should start considering adding a little more spice to my life!”
“I dated a Sephardi guy once who was not in the least bit spicy. He was sweet, shy, and boring,” Chani said. “You can’t generalize like that! And actually, Ezra Beyda is more the sweet and shy type.”
“And boring,” Zahava said.
“That’s not fair,” Chani protested. “And obviously Lieba finds him interesting enough, and that’s all that counts.”
“I would never have put those two together,” Zahava said. “But I suppose that’s why I gave up on trying to make shidduchim.”
“Yeah, you would need more imagination,” Rikki joked.
“I have imagination!”
“Yes,” Rikki answered, “When it comes to choosing colors for a party, or finding the right top for a shirt, you have incredible imagination. But maybe not for people?”
Zahava sniffed. “That’s Chani’s department,” she said. “She imagines herself inside the heads of dysfunctional people all day long.”
“Yes, I do,” Chani said. “But to do that isn’t so much about having imagination. It’s about having compassion for people who are struggling. Imagine that!”
With that, she went to the den, picked up her computer, and headed for her room.
* * * * *
Lieba and Ezra’s engagement party was called for Monday night. The Toms River Elmans were not particularly excited to make the long trek to Brooklyn again so soon after Hennie’s engagement, but dogged family loyalty compelled them to go anyway. It was just so much schlepping, and so much excitement, between two engagement parties in Brooklyn and pulling off the Rebbetzin’s gala in Lakewood.
It’s not even as if Lieba and Ezra’s engagement would be something excitingly new and different. The party itself was a carbon copy of Hennie and Chaim’s, the only difference being that half the guests were Syrian, and Ezra’s parents made sure to provide a waiter to circulate with platters of empanadas, chicken nuggets, and kibbeh.
For the rest of the week, Zahava and Rikki spent many hours recuperating, dozing by the pool, while Chani spent Wednesday and Thursday in Brooklyn at work. (Wednesday night, of course, was devoted to long conversations with Mindy about how this new couple had found each other.) By the time Chani came back to Toms River, everyone was more than happy to enjoy a quiet, low-key Shabbos talking about the back-to-back Moskowitz engagements and projected fall weddings. “August is almost over,” Zahava said. “With the holidays coming, they don’t have so much time to pull things together.”
Mrs. Rosner had come to Lakewood to spend Shabbos with her daughter, and on Sunday afternoon Chani announced to her family that she planned to go visit them and see Simmy’s new baby. “Send our regards,” Zahava said. “Oh—and could you bring her back this book she lent me?” She rummaged among a pile of newspapers and pulled out a copy of a well-regarded frum novel. “Don’t tell her, but I thought it was really boring! I didn’t finish it!”
“Only English teachers have patience for novels,” Rikki said. “I sure don’t. By the way, did you see what she was wearing to the gala?” She curled her lip.
“Yes—I didn’t like it at all!” Zahava said. “It was so old-fashioned. Who wears two-piece suits anymore? Although come to think of it, I guess she is getting pretty old!”
“Her outfit wasn’t old-fashioned. It was classic,” Chani objected.
Before they could argue the point, the doorbell rang. Chani and her father both got up to answer it. To their tremendous surprise, they opened the front door to find Mindy, Chezky, and Ralph Harari standing on the front steps!
“Wow—isn’t this a surprise!” Velvel exclaimed, happy to see his youngest daughter, and even happier that she didn’t appear to have brought her little rascals with her to tear up Pinny Friedman’s house.
“Wow! To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?” Chani asked. She was very happy to see her preferred sister, if confused by her sudden appearance. Her plans to visit Mrs. Rosner vanished as she wondered inwardly what had possessed them to suddenly show up on a Sunday afternoon. As for Zahava, the frozen expression on her face seemed to say, “Seriously? Are you guys expecting us to suddenly put you up and start feeding you?”
Mindy wore a wide smile. “We came in for a few days!” she said. “We’re staying with Chezky’s old yeshiva friend Moshe Yonah. Wow, these Lakewood houses are huge! Hennie, Lieba and my mother-in-law came in too, to shop for wedding gowns and clothes. They’re staying down the block from us, and I left the boys with my friend Aliza in Brooklyn.” (Chani saw Zahava visibly relax at the news that her sister wasn’t planning to move in with them, and would only be around for a short stay).
“Ralph and I arranged to see if a couple of his clients can supply the Moskowitz grocery store,” Chezky said. “That’s why he and I are along for the ride. We’ll leave the shopping to the ladies.”
“Well,” said Zahava, her composure regained, “It was high time you guys decided to see where Tatty and I have been living! Come on, let me show you the house.”
She gave them all a tour, and was very gratified by their oohs and ahhs. “The pool is great!” Mindy gushed. “The house is really wonderful! Tatty, you did well!”
Zahava summoned the good grace to offer everyone coffee, and they installed themselves around the pool (thank heavens there was cake and cookies left over from Shabbos to put out). “How are wedding plans going for Hennie and Lieba?” Chani wanted to know.
“Well, believe it or not, Chaim Haber was actually confirmed as assistant rabbi for Rabbi Shocklee!” Mindy said, biting into a cinnamon roll. “Umm—amazing! Where’d you get these?”
“Le Bon Nosh,” Zahava said. ‘’Only two thousand calories apiece.”
“She’s eating for two,” Chezky said, reaching for one himself. “I guess I am too.”
“Anyway,” Mindy continued, “he’ll get a small salary on top of his kollel stipend, and the shul can offer him an apartment on top of the shul. That’s great, because Hennie’s teaching job is never going to pay a normal Brooklyn rent!”
“And Lieba?”
“Lieba and Beyda found an apartment in Deal,” Ralph said. “She’s going to look for a job, and now he’s looking too. I think they’ll be okay. Beyda has family members who own businesses and I’m sure one of them will find him something to do.”
Leaning over, Chani whispered to Zahava, “We should probably invite them to come over for at least one meal, don’t you think?”
Zahava scowled and sighed. After putting weeks into planning the Rebbetzin’s gala, she wasn’t particularly interested in running to organize a dinner. But she had to admit Chani was right. What would be easiest? Reluctantly, she offered, “Maybe you guys want to eat here tomorrow night? We could barbecue.”
“We’d love it!” Chezky said promptly.
“Amazing!” Mindy said. “You mean my mother-in-law and the girls too, right?”
Zahava gave a tight smile. “Of course!” she said with patently fake enthusiasm. “What an honor to host the two kallahs!”
Mindy sensed her apprehension. “Don’t worry,” she said, taking a biscotti and handing one to Chezky. “Lieba’s appetite is still capricious, and my mother-in-law and Hennie are both on diets to look good in their gowns. So don’t count on them eating much.”
Chezky laughed. “I think you and me will make up for them,” he said, crunching into the biscotti. “Hey, these are great! Min, pass me another, would you?”
To be continued.