Chapter 15: Brachy Tries Again
It could have been romantic. The moon hangs low in the sky, over the walls of the old city. The ivory paving stones are smooth, trodden by hundreds of couples who have come before them. They both lean on the railings, with a panoramic view of Jerusalem below.
A breeze ruffles Brachy's hair and her full skirt, that falls down, to below her knees. She clutches the flowered folds of fabric, preventing them from sailing up, and showing Yaacov long nylon encased legs; a forbidden sight, for him.
Brachy glances at Yaacov. He is dressed in a black suit, probably his best, and a black fedora hat, polished to a sheen. He tugs at the hat now, pulling it lower, then higher, before turning round to look back at her.
"It's a pleasant night" He says.
"Yes. It is." She agrees
"We are lucky to have such good weather today. Yesterday was a Chamsin"
"Yes. We are."
Shulamit had been so excited about putting them together; Shulamit really thought this could work. Brachy knows she should try harder. She knows she should give him a chance. She is tired though, and bored, and wants this ordeal to be over. Soon she'll be walking through the front door and kicking off the patent leather flats; curling up on a corner of the sofa, resting her head on the cushions. Soon she'll sip hot fruit tea deluged with honey, and report on yet another unsuccessful Shidduch date.
"But what's wrong with him?"
"Nothing, Ima. Nothing."
"So you'll go out with him again?"
"I doubt he'll want to. We spoke of nothing but the weather."
"He's a Yeshiva boy. He's nervous, naturally. You've got to give him time to open up"
But Brachy was right. The next day Shulamit's phone call came. Yaacov would look elsewhere for a wife. Brachy was back on the market.
A breeze ruffles Brachy's hair and her full skirt, that falls down, to below her knees. She clutches the flowered folds of fabric, preventing them from sailing up, and showing Yaacov long nylon encased legs; a forbidden sight, for him.
Brachy glances at Yaacov. He is dressed in a black suit, probably his best, and a black fedora hat, polished to a sheen. He tugs at the hat now, pulling it lower, then higher, before turning round to look back at her.
"It's a pleasant night" He says.
"Yes. It is." She agrees
"We are lucky to have such good weather today. Yesterday was a Chamsin"
"Yes. We are."
Shulamit had been so excited about putting them together; Shulamit really thought this could work. Brachy knows she should try harder. She knows she should give him a chance. She is tired though, and bored, and wants this ordeal to be over. Soon she'll be walking through the front door and kicking off the patent leather flats; curling up on a corner of the sofa, resting her head on the cushions. Soon she'll sip hot fruit tea deluged with honey, and report on yet another unsuccessful Shidduch date.
"But what's wrong with him?"
"Nothing, Ima. Nothing."
"So you'll go out with him again?"
"I doubt he'll want to. We spoke of nothing but the weather."
"He's a Yeshiva boy. He's nervous, naturally. You've got to give him time to open up"
But Brachy was right. The next day Shulamit's phone call came. Yaacov would look elsewhere for a wife. Brachy was back on the market.
I love your writing!
ReplyDeleteIs this Brachy the same as Bracha from "Raising Illiterates"? If not, why not pick a different name for one to avoid confusion?
Thanks! Good point. But actually I still haven't decided if she is or not.. So I'm leaving it 'Bracha' there for the meanwhile :-)
ReplyDeleteAny rejection is hard. Brachy definitely needs a hug right now, but, he didn't seem right for her either.
ReplyDelete(I can't help but wonder whether Brachy is ready for marriage. There's no shame in her waiting until she's ready. In fact, that's the honorable thing to do.)
I also got the impression that she is not ready for marriage. I was expecting the author to write that Brachy was waiting to get home an check her inbox from the online dating website.
Delete"But what's wrong with him?"
ReplyDelete"Nothing, Ima. Nothing."
"So you'll go out with him again?"
IMO, the hardest part of being turned down for a second date is the questions from the mother. There's nothing like being told you're being too picky, when the other person was the one who declined a further date.
Great writing though, very realistic!
Ye, fine, nice, well written.
ReplyDeleteBut won't you write a dating story that works out well for once, for a change. OK, maybe that doesn't work out for whatever the plot of your book is maybe. But then a regular blog? Show us your idea of what a successful date looks like. I dont mean like fairy tale happily ever afters, but realistic. Show us one that works out well.