Page 326 - WhyAsInY

Why (as in yaverbaum)
economic versus liberal, airy, and concerned with humanity, if not always other human beings).
When the luncheon ended, Phyllis, at her father’s insistence, recited the story of Prinderella, a rendition of the story of Cinderella but with the initial letters of many of the nouns replaced by unlikely ones. She had undoubtedly given the same performance for him many times when she was a child.
After that, the wedding date was set. It was a very simple process in which my job, one that I performed splendidly, both then and thereafter, was to be a spectator. As sister-in-law Susan had been selected as the maid of honor, the wedding date hinged on her. Because she was preg- nant (with, we didn’t know it yet, Joshua), due in January, and not desirous of waddling down the aisle (as she put it), either before the blessed moment or before she had recovered from it, there would have to be a meaningful hiatus after her due date and before the nuptials. Thus, after all other social constraints were taken into consideration, Saturday, March 15 was selected, somehow without anyone seeming to notice that that was the Ides of March—which was a pagan holiday any- way and thus wouldn’t affect the planning. It was assumed, correctly, that that night would be available at Temple Beth El, the site that was also selected without discussion with me, there being no conceivable alternative as far as the Rebells were concerned. (In truth, in my com- bined state of euphoria and shock, none of this mattered to me in the least, and I could not even begin to form opinions.)
Phyllis had become very enamored with Rabbi Letterman’s prede- cessor, Rabbi Morris Margolies, who had left Manhattan Beach for the pastures, whether or not greener, of Kansas City a few years before. In fact, it had been Phyllis’s relationship with Rabbi Margolies that was credited with getting her parents more involved with the temple. Natu- rally, Harry therefore agreed to fly him in to preside and, I assume, somehow contend with Rabbi Letterman. All wedding details—color scheme, menu, flowers, etc.—were decided without a word to or from my parents who, I assume, were very glad not to have to foot any part of the bill.
• 308 •