Her face sank. Panic washed over her eyes. “What do you mean, Noah?”
Noah sat up straight and took a breath. “I asked her to marry me.”
Gideon dropped his spoon. It plunked into his soup and splattered hot broth on his cheeks.
“When?” His mom asked.
“Last weekend.”
“Last weekend? And we’re just hearing about it now?”
“Yes.”
Gideon didn’t want to look at his mom, but he couldn’t not. He tilted his neck slowly. She was as white as a ghost. Her jaw hung open like she had the wind knocked out of her.
“Noah…” she said. “You’ve barely begun dating.”
“It’s been three months. She makes me happier than I’ve ever been. Can’t you see that?”
“She makes you happy now, but what about when she’s fifty in a few years?”
“Then I’ll love her just as much.”
“Love?” She looked to Gideon, but he kept his head focused on soup.
“You should give her a chance, Mom,” Noah said. “She’s a good person.”
“I’m sure she’s very nice, but not as my daughter-in-law. Don’t you see how crazy this is?”
“You’re just worried about what your precious friends at temple will say.”
“You already give them plenty to chew on,” she said, her voice thick. “You’re only twenty-four. You’re going to give up so much of your life. Are you really sure this is what you want to do? Noah, you always rush into things. You’re too impulsive. I don’t want to watch you make a mistake because you didn’t think it through.”
“Mistake?” Noah cut his eyes to Gideon for back-up.
But so did Gideon’s mom.
Gideon felt the strain tighten his chest. Enough pushing and pulling would tear him asunder. He swirled the matzo ball around his soup. He had no desire anymore to eat his mom’s home cooking, but at least the food wasn’t looking to him for support.
His mom stood up. “If you really thought you were making the right decision, you wouldn’t have waited a week to tell us.” She placed her napkin on her plate and went upstairs.
Once she was gone, Noah turned to Gideon, radiating all kinds of hurt. “Not even a congratulations or anything. Mom hasn’t made any effort to get to know her!”
“She’s just in shock. She just wishes you hadn’t sprung it on us at dinner, after the fact,” Gideon said.
“Of course you’re siding with her. Because you’re the responsible one. You never screw up,” he said mockingly.
“There are no sides. We’re all on the same team here.”
“Be honest, Gid. There never was going to be a good time to tell you. Even though I love her, and even though it’s my life, there was never going to be a good time.” Noah stood up and tossed his napkin on his plate, just like his mother. He glared at Gideon. “A congratulations would’ve been nice from my brother.”
The game was over. Court was dismissed. The matzo ball bobbed in the broth.
Φ
Gideon cleared off the table and put the food into Tupperware. He stopped by Noah’s room, but the door was shut. Gideon held up his fist to knock, but then what? He didn’t know what to say. Whatever he would say to his brother, he should’ve said at dinner. But then that would’ve upset his mom. The Sapersteins had always been a peaceful, loving family. This level of drama was unprecedented. Rosh Hashanah was not supposed to go like this.
Can’t wait to get back to campus!Gideon texted Mac.
