Page 89 of The Dating Contract

“What’s this for?”

Which wasn’t the question Leah expected her cousin to ask, but she went with it anyway. “It’s a very long overdue gift to someone who I’ve always been tied to.”

“Tied to?” Naomi said. “Um…”

“Did you ever know that strings and being tied together are cross-cultural when talking about relationships and people?” Leah asked instead of admitting it. “Tangled webs that tie people together, red string of fate, the strings that tie you to your bashert, invisible strings that connect people? They’re all slight variations on the same idea, and I think it’s very cool.”

“You’re seriously talking about philosophy right now?” Naomi asked. “That could only mean one thing.”

“What?”

“Samuel. You’re really feeling things about Samuel.”

Instead of denying it, she nodded. “And hopefully this painting will also be what reminds him that I don’t just have them now. That no matter what’s happened between us, no matter how much I’ve tried to deny it, I always have felt things about Samuel.”

“Who are you and what happened to my cousin?”

Leah laughed. “Yeah. I don’t know. Life? Miracles? Fate…”

“If you say some variation of fate one more time…” Naomi quipped. “Now, to avoid the fate conversation, I have another question for you.”

“What?”

“Why am I here and not Judith?”

There were so many reasons, but Leah focused on the important ones, the positives. “You and Shayna have been there for me through this whole adventure. You didn’t judge me, didn’t stare and hope for more when I told you what I thought was going on. So I called you.”

Naomi nodded. “Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome.” And as they turned in to Shayna’s house, Leah realized that she was looking forward to whatever was coming next.

And she hoped she knew what it was.

*

Challah, candles, wine,dinner, not in that order, but those things combined with a white tablecloth and good people around the table made for the perfect Shabbas.

Tommy had his tsimmes, Aaron had to be stopped from taking most of the kugel, and there was soup, and his father’s favorite matzah balls, that started everything off. There was even gefilte fish that reminded him of the conversation he’d had with Leah on a Queens night.

But after all of those appetizers and some amazing chicken, Samuel needed to go. “I love you all, but I need to head out for a brief second. You won’t miss me,” he said.

“You need the car keys?” Aaron asked under his breath.

Samuel appreciated that his brother was trying to be subtle, but this wasn’t subtle on a Friday night, not to mention that Samuel had stashed the package upstairs in preparation for the need for a quick departure. “No,” he said. “It’s fine.”

Aaron nodded, but the expression on his brother’s face when he turned back toward Samuel looked like he’d been caught eternally silently screaming, jaw seconds from hitting the table. Because of course, it was Friday night and their father had alookon his face. Not just any look, but the indescribable look of incredulity, reserved only for the impossible.

His mother was the one who spoke; maybe she could be reasoned with—respect was necessary on a Friday night, no matter how old you were. Not only to family, but also the tradition.

“Where are you going?”

Samuel could almost hear his brother whispering to Tommy, probably something like ‘this is going to be interesting’ in not so dulcet tones. And yet at the same time, Samuel was very well aware that things would have been vastly different, and louder, had he not informed his brother and brother-in-law what was going to happen.

“To the Nachmans’,” Samuel said. “I need to talk to Leah.”

Predictably, his father, unimpressed, raised an eyebrow. “Before we’re done you have to leave?”

And that was the crux of it all, wasn’t it? Nobody left Shabbas dinner so quickly. But things were going to be different, and miracle of miracles, his mother smiled. “What, and not watch you sleep in front of the baseball game?”

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