Free Acts of Faith by Erich Segal

of Samson and the mind of Solomon.”
    “Oh, sure,” said Deborah with a tiny laugh. “And we’ll be married by Elijah the Prophet.”
    To which her mother responded, “Amen.”
    Rachel Luria did not exaggerate her husband’s resourcefulness.
    In April of Deborah’s seventeenth year, he came home from evening prayer waving a manila envelope.
    “Aha, I knew it,” he declared. “I knew Chicago was the place to look.”
    He turned to Deborah with a flourish and announced, “My darling, in here is your future husband.”
    “Then he can’t be very big,” she joked weakly.
    “But this boy is Rebbe Kaplan’s son. He has all the virtues anyone could want. You’ve heard the expression tall, dark, and handsome?”
    “Don’t tell me,” said Deborah facetiously. “It’s Gary Cooper.”
    “I never heard of any Cooper boy,” her father said blankly. “I was discussing Asher Kaplan—a tip-top candidate. Not only is your future husband steeped in piety and Torah, he’s six foot five and plays basketball for the University of Chicago. Under special dispensation, of course.”
    “With or without his skullcap?” she asked sarcastically.
    “With, naturally,” her father countered. “That’s what makes him so unusual. And he never plays on Saturdays, unless the game’s after
Shabbes.
”
    “Wow!” Danny interposed in awe. “Like Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers. He never pitches on Jewish holidays.”
    “This Koufax boy I also never heard of. But Kaplan—”
    “I don’t know,” said Deborah, hoping levity would dismiss the topic. “He sounds too athletic for me.”
    “Will you at least meet him?”
    “Do I have a choice?”
    “Of course, my darling.” Her father smiled. “It can be any time you want.”
    Deborah sighed, defeated.
    After an enthusiastic exchange of letters between the two fathers, Asher Kaplan was dispatched to Brooklyn on his chivalrous quest. He lodged with cousins two blocks distant from the Lurias.
    Deborah got her first glimpse of him in synagogue that Saturday morning, when she peeked over the white curtain which protected the women from men’s lustful gazes.
    There was no room to doubt that he was six feet five inches tall. And he lived up to the “handsome” part as well, with his shock of auburn hair and chiseled features. Moreover, he was unbearded, and though his sideburns were of the required length, they did not spiral into curls on either side.
    When her father honored Asher as a visitor by calling him up to read the Torah, he not only chanted the initial blessings by heart, but went on to demonstrate that he could sing the music of the text itself with complete fluency.
    Moreover, he was chosen to come last and recite the portion from the Prophets. Those were practically the same prenuptial honors granted to her sister’s husband. Deborah half-joked to herself that maybe Mama would be taking her that evening to the
mikva.
She had to admit that, had she not been under such pressure, she might have found him appealing.
    Mama, who was sitting next to her, could not keep from whispering how impressed she was with Asher Kaplan’s singing.
    “What a golden voice,” she gushed.
    C’mon, Mama, Deborah thought to herself. Do
you
have to be on his side too?
    After the service, while her father with Danny in tow was introducing their Chicago visitor to various important worshipers, Deborah and her mother hurried home to removethe cholent from the tin stand covering the burner on the stove which had been warming it all night.
    By the time the men arrived, it was clear to Deborah that even Danny had given the candidate his seal of approval. His admiring eyes kept gazing up at Asher as if his head were in the stratosphere. Clearly, if there was going to be a battle, she would be vastly outnumbered.
    All through the meal, Rav Luria’s face was flushed with self-congratulation. He was certain that he had found the special bridegroom for his special daughter.
    He even let Asher lead