The Matchmaker's Gift(66)

Gabriel stopped chewing on his pencil and frowned. He stammered in protest. “But … how can you leave now when we haven’t come up with a strategy yet? I thought you needed an advocate to assist you?”

Sara silenced him with a glare. “On second thought, Mr. Auerbach, I’ve decided to advocate for myself. That would be the modern method, wouldn’t it?” Before he could answer, she swept out of the room, rushed down the hallway, and ran out of the building. Sara cursed Gabriel Auerbach under her breath all the way home to Cannon Street.

It wasn’t until she was back in her apartment that she allowed herself to wonder why it was that a man she had only just met managed to exasperate her so completely.

For the next week, Sara thought about what she would say when she was called in front of the beis din. She considered returning to the Educational Alliance and asking Gabriel Auerbach for his advice, but every time she thought about seeing him again, her face grew hot. How dare he question her matchmaking methods! How dare he imply that she was old-fashioned!

Sara complained vociferously to her mother. But every time she mentioned Gabriel’s name, Malka Glikman seemed preoccupied with other matters. For the past few days, Sara’s mother had been on a kind of cleaning rampage—wiping and mopping, dusting every surface, and clearing out every nook and cranny of their home. Sara had just begun a fresh litany of Auerbach’s faults when her mother started rummaging through the cannisters near the stove.

“Honestly, Mama, are you even listening? He was the most infuriating man I’ve ever met.”

“I know, I know. You told me already.”

“Well, I’m sorry to repeat myself,” Sara huffed.

Malka Glikman finished with the cannisters. “Forget him,” she said, clapping her hands. “Poof! Put him out of your head.”

“That’s just it. I can’t stop thinking about how rude he was.”

Sara’s mother rolled her eyes. “When a woman can’t stop thinking about a man, it’s usually for one particular reason.”

“Mama! How can you even think such a thing? That’s it! I’ll never mention him again!”

“Very good. A wise decision. Don’t waste your breath on a person you hate.”

“I never said I hated him,” Sara said, sulking.

“No? Well then. My mistake.” Sara’s mother went back to her cleaning—this time to look through the drawers of the sideboard.

“What are you looking for?” Sara asked.

“What makes you think I’m looking for something?”

“Mama, please. I’m not blind. You’ve been tearing this whole place apart. Why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll try to help you?”

But Sara’s mother would not be swayed. “I’ll tell you what it is when I find it,” she said.



* * *



A few days before Sara’s hearing, Gabriel Auerbach knocked on their door. He stood in the hallway with his hat in his hands, his brown curls combed neatly to one side. His smile was intact, as sincere as before, but the sight of it made Sara almost want to scream.

“What do you want, Mr. Auerbach?” she asked. She did not invite him to come inside.

“Hello, Miss Glikman. I hope you don’t mind, but I obtained your address from our intake clerk. He keeps the addresses of all our visitors—”

“I’m well aware of what a clerk does, Mr. Auerbach.”

“Of course you are. I didn’t mean to imply—”

“What do you want?” Sara repeated.

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped the sweat from the back of his neck. “I’ve been thinking about your case,” he said. “Quite a bit, actually. I would like … if you’d allow … I would like to be of help to you. I would be happy to accompany you to the proceeding.”

“You think you can do a better job of representing me than I can myself?”

Gabriel Auerbach shook his head. “No! Of course not! It isn’t that. I only thought you might like some support.”

“I appreciate your offer, but I prefer to handle it alone.”

“I understand, but if you change your mind—”

“I won’t.”

He hesitated, as if he wanted to say more. “Well then, I hope you will accept my very best wishes for your success.”

“Thank you, Mr. Auerbach. Goodbye.” Sara shut the door in one swift motion, but she regretted her rudeness immediately. Her heart thumped furiously in her chest; it was so loud that she thought for sure he could hear it even from the other side of the door. After a few moments passed, she looked through the peephole to see that Mr. Auerbach had not moved. His pervasive smile had disappeared, and his shoulders drooped like a scolded child’s. Sara watched as he pressed his hand to the door, as if he might consider knocking again. She held her breath and continued to watch as he pulled his hand slowly from the door and shoved it into the pocket of his coat. A moment later, he took a step backward and let out a long, heart-heavy sigh.

Sara had a lump in her throat for the remainder of the day.





EIGHTEEN

ABBY




1994




Judging from the way she was gasping for air, Jessica must have run to the telephone. “Did something happen to Evelyn?” she panted. “Is she okay? What’s wrong?”