An Unorthodox Match by Naomi Ragen

Author:Naomi Ragen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

17

As soon as Shaindele got to school, she was surrounded by girls. “We heard your sister is in the hospital, “HaShem yishmor!”

“Your poor family,” Freidel Halpern said, clutching Shaindele tightly by the shoulder and peering deeply into her eyes. “First your mother, now your sister. Such a rachmones, HaShem should watch over you.”

Shaindele froze. Freidel with her perfect blond French braid and polished clean face, on whom even the horrible uniforms of Bais Yaakov looked chic, was two years ahead of her and the daughter of Rabbi Shlomo Halpern, principal of their school and a most respected and praised Torah scholar. Freidel was one of seven sisters and four brothers, all of whom were Boro Park royalty. Often, Shaindele dreamed of the handsome Halpern brothers. Just to be friends with Freidel raised your reputation. And to be pitied by her did the opposite. Everyone would now heap praise on Freidel for her kind concern, but the object of her pity would be labeled one more unfortunate suffering Godly disfavor and requiring prayers and rescue. There was no lower status.

“Who is watching your baby brother?” Freidel investigated.

“My bubbee,” Shaindele answered, already feeling the flames from the upcoming inquisition licking her aching heart.

“Not the baalas teshuva with the wild red hair? We heard she practically lives in your house. A young unmarried woman. Is it true?” Friedel asked sweetly, her eyes narrowed.

“No, no, she’s not there anymore,” Shaindele breathed, grateful that at least about this she didn’t have to lie. “She only came for a few weeks, and her hair was more blond than red—”

“We heard months,” Friedel’s sidekick, the plump Gnendel, interrupted relentlessly.

“A little while, to help out, so I didn’t have to leave school so often. Reb Aryeh and Rebbitzen Basha recommended her. And my bubbee, Rebbitzen Fruma Esther Sonnenbaum, would be there with her. It was a chesed to help a baalas teshuva, everyone said.”

“So, now she’s gone?” Freidel demanded.

“Yes, yes, my tateh told her not to come back.”

“Why is that?”

“Just something I saw. I told my tateh she wasn’t shayich.”

“What did you see?”

“It’s … loshon hara.”

“Not if she is in the neighborhood and people need to be warned about her. It’s a mitzvah,” Freidel wheedled.

Shaindele hesitated, wanting to supply the goods Freidel wanted but knowing it was wrong. “She had a tattoo!” she finally burst out, unable to resist.

“HaShem yishmor!” all the girls gasped.

“On her wrist, two birds.”

“And the little ones saw it?”

Shaindele sighed. “How could they help it? She was there all the time.”

“And your tateh never noticed?”

“My tateh never met her. He was learning, and then in night school.”

“I heard your tateh dropped out of kollel and is learning to be an accountant. That must be hard,” piped up Gnendel, who was no genius and no beauty but did have four older brothers who were all in a top yeshiva in Lakewood.

“He hasn’t dropped out of kollel!” Shaindele protested weakly.

“I think about your family often, Shaindele,” Gnendel continued, ignoring the interruption. “My father says accounting is a very good profession for those who drop out of kollel.

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