A Year to Remember(57)
“We’ll see you both in the morning at church.”
I didn’t say anything, too shocked to respond. I waited until Caleb and I got into the rental car before asking him about his mother’s statement.
Caleb seemed uncomfortable. “Yeah, my parents never miss a week of church, and I didn’t have the heart to tell them we wouldn’t be attending it with them.”
“Do they know I’m Jewish?”
“Yes, they know you’re Jewish. They just don’t know I’m no longer a practicing Catholic.”
“Couldn’t you have used my religion as an excuse not to go?” I didn’t want to have this conversation yet but apparently fate had other plans for me.
“I want them to like you. If I tell them you won’t go to church with my family, they may question whether we should be together.”
“Yes, but it’s not their decision. Only you and I are in this relationship. The only opinions that matter are yours and mine.”
“And, Missy’s.”
“What?”
“You always call Missy for her opinion before you make a decision. I’m surprised she doesn’t dress you in the morning.” The anger in his voice surprised me.
“Well, you won’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“Why?” he asked, softening his voice.
“We had a fight, and she decided she didn’t want to be my friend anymore,” I informed him, trying to hold back the threatening tears.
He absorbed the information for a moment, no doubt attempting to process the huge bit of news.
“Maybe it’s for the best.”
“How could losing my closest friend in the world be for the best?”
“She and you, well… ... you’re different.” He didn’t give further explanation, but what he did say hinted at the underlying meaning. He didn’t approve of us being friends because she’s gay.
I wanted to defend our friendship, but perhaps Caleb was right. Maybe, we need to lead our own lives now, without the other’s influence.
I was not going to discuss Missy with Caleb.
“Caleb, let’s say we got married and had children, would you let our children be raised Jewish?” I needed to know now before it was too late.
“Yeah, they’d be Jewish, but I’d want to expose them to Christianity, too. That way, when they became adults, they could make their own decision about religion.”
Not what I wanted to hear. “Would you want them baptized or christened or whatever your family does?”
“I wouldn’t care, but my mom might give us a problem with it.”
“Well, you would have to stand up to her. Do you think you could do that?”
“I would do anything for you, Sara. I love you.”
Just when I was ready to write Caleb off, he won my heart all over again.
“I love you too, Caleb, but I’m not going to church tomorrow. I’d rather you told your family the truth, but if you prefer to lie, just tell her I had insomnia and needed to get some sleep.”
“I’m not ashamed of your religion, Sara. I’ll tell them in the morning while I let you sleep in,” he said with a grin on his face.
Caleb returned from church and informed me he told his family I couldn’t attend church because I was too tired. He assured me his family didn’t think twice about it. When we had lunch with his family before our flight back to Michigan, Carol acted a bit more reserved than she had the previous day. Caleb didn’t seem to notice.
When I stumbled into my condo late Sunday afternoon, I had never felt more relieved to be home. I might make fun of Michigan as much as the next person, but I loved it. Call me sentimental.
I threw in a load of laundry and ate a cold slice of leftover pizza for dinner before checking my email to see if Missy had caved and written me.
She hadn’t.
My brother had forwarded me an email, which was extremely out of character for him. He hated email, preferring more personal communications. He wrote a short message informing me he thought I might be interested in going to Israel, like he had done a few years earlier and sent me the web flyer.
June 29 to July 8, 2008
An amazing experience with hundreds of twenty to thirty somethings nationally!
From Masada to the Dead Sea to the Western Wall, you’ll go to Israel’s most breathtaking vistas, historic sites, and holiest places.
For more information, contact Jewish Federation
(248) 555-1471.
I had been envious of my brother when he chose to go to Israel during the summer between college and graduate school. I had already committed to an internship for the summer and I never gave it another thought. He hadn’t gone with Jewish Federation, but with a Rabbi from a local Chabad, a little too religious for my tastes.