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“Yeah, it’s a new thing,” Abi said, pleased at how easy it was to say and also how nice it felt.
“Anyone I know?” David asked.
“No way are you Facebook official with Ilan Efrat,” Simcha said and Abi wanted to ask the woman how old she thought they were. Certainly, they couldn’t be adult women with mortgages and car payments if Simcha was worried about being “facebook official.”
David snorted, reaching down to pick up a discarded prayerbook and return it to its place on the pew. Abi appreciated his show of solidarity if a snort could be that.
“I’m just saying,” Simcha said, and there was a hint of a whine in her tone.
“I heard,” Abi said, knowing as soon as she left here she should call Ilan to let him know this conversation had taken place. Something about the way Simcha was acting was just off.
“Is there something you’re not saying, Simcha?” David said, leaning against the pew behind him. Abi reminded herself to get him a dozen of his favorite pastry from Leah’s shop on Monday. Only David could say the thing everyone was thinking in such a way that nobody would be offended. He sounded perfectly reasonable. As though he were asking Simcha what she thought of the bar mitzvah kid’s d’var.
“It’s just,” Simcha faltered, smiled the kind of smile everyone smiled at David, that smile that saidrabbi you are very attractive, and I want you to think I’m special. It was also, David had told her months ago, the smile they usually smiled right before they told him something really messed up. Abi braced herself, wondering if Simcha would have the gall to tell David her best friend’s business right there in the sanctuary. It may be empty but for the three of them, but there was still a hundred people not fifty yards down the hall.
“If you can’t tell it to your rabbi, Simcha, it’s probably not something you should be telling anybody,” David said, and Abi could have kissed him. In friendship, of course. Simcha’s cheeks flushed a shade of maroon that almost matched Abi’s nail polish.
“I guess you’re probably right,” Simcha said, after a long moment where she seemed to be thinking of every possible iteration of what she wanted to say and finally decided none of them were repeatable to David. She made a sour face and gestured to the isle, “I should probably go and find my kids, they’re terrible at buffets.”
David smiled his most benign, rabbinic smile, and Abi nodded brightly, to show she wouldn’t be offended either if Simcha decided to fuck off to the dessert table. Simcha grimaced again and took off. Abi watched her go, skirts swishing through the double doors of the sanctuary as she swept her way out.
“She makes it very difficult to root for her,” David said, something almost like admiration in his voice. Abi looked at him, surprised, and David laughed, shrugging, “It’s more fun if you root for people when they’re working on life.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“You gonna tell me what she really said?” David asked, his tone implying he absolutely did not expect her to. Abi decided to give him something since he’d handled Simcha so much better than she ever could have.
“I’m pretty sure she has a thing for my boyfriend.” There was that word again, she was pretty sure she said it specifically because she liked the little flutter in her belly. That was allowed, right? “She caught us, uhm,talkingthe other day at the Co-op, and she basically did that thing guys do where they call you an ugly slut as soon as you say you’re not interested.”
“I can’t tell you how disheartening it is that every single woman I talk to knows that experience,” David said, and Abi almost smiled at his naivete.
“Well, it’s what happened,” Abi said. “And she started the conversation today by doing the same thing, or at least, implying the same thing about him. She got all utzy when pretended not to know what she was talking about so she either had to explain or change the subject. It’s Simcha, and she’s always been like this.”
“That’s disappointing,” David said, and he seemed to be serious about it. Abi shook her head, and David was one of the few truly good people she knew.
“Eh,” Abi said, shrugging. It was also possible that Simcha was extra pissy over the stuff Rachel mentioned about her business situation, but something, maybe intuition, told Abi it was more about Ilan himself. She got serious again, “Listen, not to completely change the subject or anything, but have you met with Sammy Melfie yet?”
“Did Rachel tell you I was going to?” David said, his tone neutral.
“Yeah,” Abi said, feeling uncomfortable because she wasn’t sure why she was bringing this up but suddenly it felt important.
“Without betraying any confidences, we talked briefly on Thursday before Hebrew School.”
“Did he talk about his home situation?” Abi said, technically speaking, if she wanted to she could just tell David everything she knew, he wouldn’t divulge the information to anyone, but since Rachel hadn’t asked her to say anything and the rest of her information came from Ilan, this was feeling dangerously close to lashon hara.
“Is there something I should know?” David said, arms crossing over his chest, face concerned.
“Well, I don’t think he’s in danger,” Abi said, to clarify, and David relaxed infinitesimally, “I can’t really say everything I want to say because it feels like betraying confidences.”
“I respect that.” David cocked his head as though considering, “Can you tell me what questions I should ask?”
“Mm, not really,” Abi said, knowing she was speaking in riddles and feeling like an ass. “Let’s leave it at I think Josh and Rachel are having some pretty serious problems, and Sammy and Micah are feeling the strain?”
“I can work with that,” David said, if he was surprised by what she said his face gave nothing away. “Do you think Rachel or Josh would be open to discussing it with me?”
“Rachel, maybe, but I doubt you’d get a word out of Josh,” Abi said because it was true. Josh Melfie made his disdain for the congregation very clear. Abi was certain if there was another shul closer than two hours away Josh would move his family in a minute, regardless of where his father and grandfather chose to daven every week.
“I’ll ask her to stop by next week. If they’re more comfortable seeing someone secular, I can refer them out.”
