?? After Breakfast and the Call

  After breakfast at the Mendelson home, the phone rang, cutting short the post-meal quiet. Ruth answered, speaking briefly, then handed the receiver to Thomas.

  “It’s Veronica,” she whispered.

  Thomas took the phone. “Hello?”

  Veronica (on the phone): “Is Thomas there? I have a question to ask him.”

  Veronica: “My dad mentioned something yesterday. He said that you were a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And from the look of the books, you were pretty active. Is that a true statement?”

  “I was thinking about walking over,” Thomas admitted. “The ward services start at 1 p.m.”

  Veronica: “Okay, I will be there at 12:30 to take you there.”

  “You do not have to.”

  Veronica: “Look! I have my reasons. I’ve talked about this with Shoshana, but my parents are listening right now. My dad thinks it is a good idea to learn about what you believe. Can you put Ruth on the phone?”

  Ruth took the phone back.

  Ruth (to Veronica): “Yes, that will be fine to take him to his service. We should be fine this afternoon.”

  Veronica (to Ruth): “Thanks, I will pick him up at 12:30 p.m. today.”

  ?? The Mendelson’s Acceptance

  Thomas turned to Ruth and Sholomoh after she hung up. “Is that okay for me to go to service?”

  Sholomoh gave him a thoughtful look. “Are you Jewish?”

  “No,” Thomas replied.

  “I noticed something over the past week,” Sholomoh said. “You have not mentioned Jesus Christ once in the entire week. Yet, I have seen you read your scripture every night. So, I figured it was just a matter of time until you would ask us to go. It is fine.”

  Ruth nodded, her expression turning serious. “If you, in a few years, are still involved with Shoshana, we will need to have a discussion about being Jewish. Or at least respecting the fact that if you have children with Shoshana, they will be Jewish.”

  “I think I understand.”

  “But right now, you do nothing about being Jewish,” Sholomoh said warmly. “But it was nice to hear that you wanted to learn more about our faith.”

  “It made us excited to hear you ask Veronica’s father about getting a prayer book so you can follow along on Shabbat evening service,” Ruth added. “But we want it to be your choice. So go to service. If there are other activities, let us know.”

  Sholomoh reminded him, “When you get back, do not forget to call my son to let him know how the week has gone. I think he would be excited to learn that you have been voted to receive the brace ring by the youth group. Did you know he earned one in his senior year of high school?”

  “I did not know that. That is cool.”

  “We were proud,” Ruth smiled. “Now, I am trying to prepare for the royal road with the opening and ending…”

  ?? The Pickup and the Proposal

  At 12:30 p.m. sharp, Veronica pulled up. Thomas got in.

  “Okay, I want to talk to you about something,” she started immediately.

  “How to describe this,” she murmured.

  “The most simplest way to describe this,” she said, “We are dating.”

  Thomas stared. “I thought you had a boyfriend?”

  “I do, but my parents still want me to date. When we get to church, if someone asks, I am your girlfriend. The only way I know for sure to keep you for Shoshana is to make sure you are not available to everyone else. Also, my parents want me to date, and this keeps them off my back without me cheating on my actual boyfriend.”

  ? The Chapel Visit

  They pulled into the lot. In the chapel, they took a seat on the sparsely populated south side.

  “Are you ashamed of me?” Veronica asked.

  “No. Being with you is like becoming an astronaut or winning a Nobel prize.”

  She leaned her head on his shoulder.

  Bishop Scott approached them. “I thought you had disappeared on us, Thomas.”

  “No, my neighbor needed him to be a live-in assistant,” Veronica jumped in.

  “You should give the ward secretary your address,” the Bishop advised. “Also, who is your lovely friend?”

  “I am his new girlfriend,” Veronica announced cheerfully, quickly explaining that she’d met him at her dad’s bookstore and they had just agreed to be a couple.

  After the service, the seminary teacher approached, saying Thomas had been missed.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “What time does the class start?” Veronica asked.

  “It starts at 6 a.m. and gets out at 7.”

  “I will bring Thomas tomorrow morning,” Veronica declared, much to the teacher’s confusion, before explaining they had to leave to honor a promise to her father.

  ?? The New Plan

  Back in the car, Thomas asked, “You do not have to take me to seminary.”

  “Just answer me this one question: Are there girls there?”

  “It is a co-ed class.”

  “Then I will take you. I will not have Shoshana fighting somebody else over you. It is already an agreement with Shoshana.”

  “What do we say to the Mendelsons?”

  “We keep it the same: we are friends because of Shoshana. Which is true.”

  “Next weekend there is a youth dance. Will we be going to that?”

  “How often are the Dances?”

  “They happen once a month. They happen more often around Houston and Friendswood.”

  Veronica’s eyes lit up. “It could mean I could see my boyfriend monthly! We need to get the dance schedule.”

  “The one thing I can tell you for sure is there are dances on New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day in Friendswood.”

  “Well, that is a plan.”

  “Okay, what about your parents?” Thomas asked, needing to understand the final piece of the arrangement.

  ?? The Call to Shoshana

  Once they returned, Thomas went into the Mendelson house while Veronica said goodbye and headed back to her own.

  Thomas went straight to the phone. He called David Mendelson, but Shoshana answered.

  “Hey Shoshana, it is good to talk with you,” Thomas said, a genuine smile in his voice.

  “Are you calling to talk to Dad? I can go get him.”

  “Yes, but hold on, I want to talk with you first. We have not set up a time when we would talk. I was almost thinking that you would call me.”

  “You know I can understand why you would think that. It has been a busy week.”

  “I will take whatever time I can to talk with you. Even if it is only on Sunday afternoon. So how was your week?”

  “It was crazy. I am still missing my friends, especially you and Veronica. Oh, by the way, did Veronica talk with you?”

  “Yes. Are you sure about that arrangement?”

  “Look, I trust you, I trust Veronica. The Junior SBSO group is great and are doing everything they can to make me feel a part of the group. But you know how it is, being a part, but still on the outside.”

  “I know the feeling too well. Look, if you ever need to talk, just call me.”

  “I am still getting used to our relationship. I am trying to figure this out.”

  “The same here. The only thing I know is that we need to try to find all the time we can and ways we can to communicate with each other. Just so you know, Veronica seems to be thinking that she wants to go to my church youth dances. If I remember correctly, we will be up near Houston next month.”

  “Really? Is there a chance you could leave a little early to come get me?”

  “You should coordinate it with Veronica. We will need enough time to swing by and pick you up. I think that she wants to communicate with her true boyfriend to make sure we can meet up.”

  “That would be really good. I know she misses him. Her dad and mom likes him, but do not like the long-distance relationship. The idea that at our age, we should be working building relationships with people our age.”

  “I can agree with that.”

  “Oh, do you think you will be coming up for the High Holidays?”

  “I do not know. I assume your grandparents are going up. Then I will be up there with them. I heard them mention something about that. But I have not had much detail. Oh, I enjoyed the Friday night dinner.”

  “What did you like about it?”

  “It almost reminded me of what I would call Family Home Evening. Except with Jewish service on Friday night. I got a chance to read a little bit into Suma Theologia. Your grandad asked me about it. Have you had a chance to read it?”

  “Actually, I have it, but I just got it in the early part of the summer before the move.”

  “We could read it together. I can call you at least once a week to read and talk about it until we are finished. I figure that would make your mom and dad happy.”

  “I do not know about my dad, but it would make me happy.”

  “It was not inappropriate that I kissed your hand?”

  “I will admit it caught me off guard. But my mom teased me on the way home about my knight honoring his lady.”

  “I do not know about the being a knight. But, I thought it would make you smile.”

  “It did leave me with a warm feeling on the way home. Oh, if you come up with my grandparents for the high holy days, I will make sure Dad has a seat for you. It would be nice to be able to spend a few days with you in a row. Look, when you get some time, ask Grandpa about it.”

  “I will.”

  “You never guess who just came to the phone to talk to you.”

  “I was hoping your mom, but I am thinking your dad.”

  “Yes, it is Dad.”

  ???????? David and Mariam’s Approval

  David: “How was your week, Thomas?”

  “It was a good week. I have started to keep a journal like you Dad has recommended. It seems to help with dealing with the emotions. I have been highlighting those ideas that I want to go over with Ms. Hendrix. Veronica has been taking me to school. I have been getting all my homework done early, and done well on almost all of my grades. I still need to work a little more on my Spanish.”

  David: “Have you talked to Jose? I am sure he would help you with your Spanish.”

  “I will talk with Sholomoh to see about making contact if he is in town. I shared my Journal entry about the Award ceremony with Ms. Hendrix on Thursday. She guided me through meditation on the event. That helped me feel better. I also enjoyed the Friday night Shabbat Dinner. I thought it was special that your dad gave me a blessing. I think that he mentioned something about Ephraim and Manasseh.”

  “Veronica’s Dad came by. He was talking to me about helping out in his book shop on the weekends in trade for some books. He said that the customer who I helped out still keeps asking when I will be back in the book shop. Oh, Shoshana was talking about the something called the High Holidays and was asking if I would be up for them.”

  “Oh, one more thing, during Friday night dinner, they asked if I had any questions. I said I do not know enough right now to ask. I do not know what is so funny.”

  David: “I bet they said they would tell you in the spring.”

  “Yes, they did.”

  David: “You will see when the time is right. There are some things that are only funny in the correct context. Let me talk to my dad. If you are interested in coming up for the High Holidays, I can make sure that we will have space for you. Even if it is only to see Shoshana.”

  “My dad taught me to respect those who are leaders in any religion.”

  David: “That sounds like a wise man.”

  “My dad has plenty of country wisdom. But I am not sure I would call him wise.”

  David: “I have learned not to ignore what is called country wisdom. There is a reason it continues to be practical. Thanks for taking time to catch me up. Also time to talk to with Shoshana. I know she has been wanting to talk with you all week. She misses her friends, even her new one.”

  “Is my understanding that Shoshana has a copy of Suma Theologica.”

  David: “Yes, she does.”

  “I was thinking about studying it with her. If that is alright with you.”

  David: “Thomas, have you heard of the idea of Chavurah?”

  “Sir, I am afraid that is a new idea.”

  David: “It is the idea of having a study partner. Generally, it is the same sex in the religious context. But I am thinking it would help her encourage to study the text. Oh, before I go I want to say, I am proud of what you’ve done so far. You have no idea the worry you take off my mind. Call next week, I am looking forward to hearing from you.”

  Over the phone, Thomas hears David call out to his wife.

  Mariam: “Hello, Thomas. I just saw Shoshana leaving the phone smiling. I am not sure what you told her. I see that you are trying to keep your promise. Oh, Ruth says that you are being a big help. She said that you stripped all the bed after we left, then put new sheets on the beds and then laundered the dirty sheets. She feels that she has half the house to worry about. You do not know how much that helps her. She also appreciates all your willingness to help cook and just taking care of the dishes after dinner. So keep it up.”

  “Good night.”