Nerdly Yours

"Of course not! You can't create chemistry. It's either there, or it's not."

"Do you and your girlfriend have chemistry?" Ruth asked her son.

"Georgina and I have enough chemistry to blow up a small country, Mom," Daniel said winking at his girlfriend.

Georgina giggled.

"I really like Georgina. And for some inexplicable reason, she likes just as much."

Georgina's heart melted hearing Daniel saying those words.

"Well, you're not getting any younger and I want grandchildren. Now let's eat."

They sat at the table. There were apples dipped in honey, beef brisket lined with sweet carrots, and cooked prunes and kreplach.

The meal began with a prayer. Then Ruth said a blessing for Daniel and his girlfriend.

"What are these?" Georgina asked.

"These are kreplach, small dumplings filled with ground meat, boiled and served in chicken soup," Ruth explained.

"They look delicious. Everything looks and smells delicious, Ruth," Georgina said tasting a bit.

"Thank you, my dear," Ruth smiled at Georgina. "I suppose you have a good appetite."

"I believe so, I have never thought much about it. My mother always enforced the 'clean your plate' rule."

Daniel's mother nodded, pleased.

They ate in silence for a while and finally, Ruth said with a sigh, "Children are supposed to grow up and leave the nest."

"Guilt trip ahead," thought Daniel and shifted in his chair.

"That's right, Mamm," Daniel said swallowing the piece of brisket in his mouth. "And they are supposed to get their parents' blessings."

"You grew up too fast, Daniel. Very soon you are going to be married, living your own life. Raising your own kids. I won't be important anymore." Ruth slumped down in her seat.

"Too fast? You always said to me that I didn't want to grow up. Guilt is not going to work on me, Mamm. You gave me too much of that since I was a kid. I'm immune."

"Don't make a fool of yourself in front of your girlfriend. No one is trying to make you feel guilty." Ruth straightened up in her chair. "Do you remember Esther Feinberg? Your Hebrew schoolteacher?"

"How could I forget her?" Daniel said wryly. She had been the bane of his existence from second grade to fifth.

"You know she was just a nice old lady trying to get you to pay attention," his mother said with a knowing smile.

"Nice old ladies don't throw your Pokémon Cards in the trash," Daniel pointed out.

"They do when you're trading them for kiddish wine at the back of the sanctuary," she said.

"How do you know that?"

"A mother always knows, Daniel."

"Fine, but that was a very rare Charizard card. It's worth thousands of dollars now."

"Anyway, Esther Feinberg's daughter just got married to her girlfriend. A lovely woman, you would like her. We all like her, but..."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, Mrs. Feinberg is a ragging homophobic..."

"No, it's not that. Her wife is Catholic. Esther had a fit, didn't go to the wedding, and now she's wearing mourning clothes telling everyone that her daughter might as well be dead."

Daniel opened his mouth to crow about how he had been right all along, but his mother held up a finger to stop him.

"Yes, it's terrible. But I'm not telling you this so you can feel vindicated..." Daniel's mother looked suddenly nervous. "I can't say why, Daniel, but when I heard the story I felt guilty for something I haven't done. Then you told me about your girlfriend not being Jewish, and... A mother should feel unconditional love for her child. You know that I love you, Daniel, don't you? Unconditionally." Ruth's eyes were glossy with unshed tears.

"Of course, Mamm. I know that. And you never let me forget it!"

They all laughed, and Daniel knew everything was going to be alright.

Ruth took Georgina's hands in hers and squeezed them.

"My son fell in love with you and one day he's going to marry you, so there must be something very special about you. Please, take good care of him."

"I promise I will, Ruth."

Daniel thought about telling his mother that it was too soon to talk about marriage or kids. But, apparently, neither her mother or his girlfriend cared about that.

CHAPTER 10

"Daniel?" Yaron asked opening the door of his apartment. "I supposed you would be spending some quality time with your hot girlfriend. What are you doing here?"

"Georgina had some meeting at her school. I'm on my own for today."

"That's good, I thought you had forgotten you have a best friend."

Daniel threw himself down on the futon couch. Yaron sat at his side. In front of them, there was a big flat-screen TV where his friend had been playing Counter-Strike. There were two huge bookcases filled with books, standing at both sides of it.

"How did the meeting between your mother and your girlfriend go?" asked Yaron.

"Better than expected. Georgina charmed Mom like a vampire. Mom seems to have done some growing too. She didn't get all Jewish with her. Maybe, she's seeing a therapist in secret," Daniel joked.

"Most likely a Rabbi."

"Yeah, that would make a lot of sense."

"Why are you worried then?"

Daniel hesitated. His friend knew him like no one else.

"Well, things are getting serious too fast with Georgina. The other night Mom dropped hints about marriage and grandkids and Georgina didn't flinch."

"Okay. That's a good sign." Then he saw his friend's face and added, "Or not."

"I am a 25-year-old guy considering getting married, and I have this feeling like something is sitting on my chest."

"Are you having second thoughts about your girlfriend?"

"No, Georgina is amazing and we always have fun together regardless of the activity. Most importantly, she doesn't try to change me. She accepts me for who I am."

Yaron nodded. "What is it then?"

"All of a sudden, I'm absolutely losing my mind. I still have so much I want to accomplish. I want to travel to Japan to play professional League of Legends, go backpacking through Australia, or visit Silicon Valley. I've never seriously thought about wanting these things before but I feel like a thousand paths are closing to me and I should rush through them."

"You think you got afraid of being committed."

"Maybe, Georgina deserves someone who is excited about getting married."

Yaron rubbed his chin.

"I think you don't actually want to do those things you suddenly thought about doing. If you did, you'd be doing them already. These things came up when you're confronted with the possibility of spending the rest of your life with the woman you love."

"Okay, Oprah, I'm listening."

"You're terrified of commitment and now that you and Georgina are getting serious, your jerk brain starts to wig out and spams you with all these ideas of things you think you want to do."

"Sounds logical. Go on."

"You think you won't be able to do those things when you're married. Right?"

"Right."

"Wrong. There is literally no reason why you can't do them while being married. You are young, you make good money, you've got minimal responsibilities... the fact is, you're probably in a perfect position to do them now and enjoy them with Georgina."

"So what's my problem?"

"Well, I suspect the problem is that you, like many people before you, have bought into the idea that marriage is the death of adventure, sexual excitement, and fun. TV shows and movies love to sell the idea that crazy adventures, sexual or otherwise, don't happen after marriage; all you've got left to look forward to is missionary sex with the lights out, and interminable vacations in the family truckster."

"Okay, I'm starting to see where you're heading."

"Of course, you are. We watched all those movies together. Well, those movies can go fuck themselves, because the whole point of marriage is to have a partner in crime, someone to share in all of life's adventures. Do you think Georgina and you have a compatibility problem?"

"No, as a matter of fact, we're going camping in a week. She is amazing. I lay awake at night wondering how did I get so lucky to be with someone like her."

"Your married life can be one great big, amazing adventure if you just let it. You and your wife will be a team. Worry less about what you can't do when you're married, like not being able to play World of Warcraft all night, and more about what the two of you will get up to together," Yaron explained to his friend.

Daniel took some time to let his friend's words sink in. Finally, he smiled.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah, like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. I still feel I'm not ready to get married, but I'm not as scared as I was. Thank you."

Yaron waved his friend's words away.

"Therapy is based on a very simple principle: If you keep your fears and demons in the dark they have power over you, but if you bring them to the light, you have power over them and you can beat them."

"Bring them to the light means talking about them?"

"Exactly. Looking them in the face and telling them 'I'm going to kick your ass'."

"Like casting a light spell against the orcs."

"Yep. That means you should talk to Georgina about this."

"About orcs?"

"No, idiot. Tell her how you feel about getting married."

"Are you sure? I don't want to ruin things between us."

"Talking things out never ruins anything. In any case, it brings out issues that were already there. Thinking that if you ignore the problem and it will just go away, won't work."

"Okay, Yoda."

Yaron clapped his hands, grabbed a wireless controller, and said, "Enough talk. I haven't kicked your ass playing Counter-Strike in a while."

"In your dreams, pal."

CHAPTER 11

Meanwhile, Georgina was having the same doubts as Daniel. She was washing her hands in the school washroom when Diana entered the room.

The relationship between the two women had improved since Diana talked with Georgina, but even so, they were far from being friends.

The sad reality was that Georgina didn't have any real friends to talk to about her doubts. Since she needed to talk to someone and Diana was engaged to Steve, maybe she would understand what she was going through.

"Ehmmm, Diana, can we talk?"

"Sure," Diana said, eyeing Georgina to judge her mood while she dried her hands with a paper towel.

"I... I wanted to know if you are happy to get married to Steve?"

"Look, Georgina, if you are hoping that I'm having second thoughts about the wedding so you can butt in...?" Diana's voice was harsh.

"No, no, it's nothing like that," Georgina said, interrupting her tirade. "I know that you and I will probably never be friends, but I hope we can talk without you assuming the worst. This is about Daniel and me."

"Oh... Okay. I'm sorry I overreacted. What's wrong? You two look really good together."

"Yes, we are, but I've met his mother, and she started talking about marriage and children and all that..."

"Frightens you."

"Yes. It does," she said letting out a long sigh.

"You seemed ready to get married when you were chasing Steve," Diana said with a voice not exactly warm.

"Look, Diana, let's be honest. Deep inside I knew I didn't stand a chance with Steve. Marrying him was never a real possibility. I knew I wasn't his type. I was starting to think I wasn't anyone's type till I meet Daniel." Georgina paused to compose herself, "However, with Daniel, marriage is something that might happen."

"Did you talk with Daniel about how you feel?"

"No, he was happy and I didn't want to ruin the mood. The meeting with his mother went better than expected and I just stood frozen."

"I see. Is there any other guy in the picture?"

Georgina narrowed her eyes at her and growled, "What? No! You should really stop doing that. It doesn't suit you."

"Sorry again. It has nothing to do with you. I have a bad history with men. My dad was a serial cheater and my ex-fiancé cheated on me too."

"Okay, fine. I get it. But I'm not a bad person, and I would never cheat on Daniel. My dad cheated on my mom and they divorced. I know firsthand how much it hurts when someone does that to you."

Diana studied Georgina's face intently for a moment.

"Daniel is first-class boyfriend material and I know some girls who would jump at the opportunity to get a chance with him."

"What? Who are they? I need to have a serious talk with them," Georgina clenched her fists at her side.

"Relax. They didn't put any moves on him. It was just girl talk about what a great guy Daniel is and how lucky you were to have found someone like him. Let's focus on you and Daniel, okay?"

"Hmff, okay."

"So, is this about you being scared of getting married? Or is it about you having second thoughts about your relationship with Daniel?"

"Definitely the first. I do love him. I'm just not ready to get married yet. It doesn't mean I might not get married six months from now." Georgina sighed, frustration building again "I am not sure what to do here."

"Well, you have been dating for how long? Two, three months?"

"Around three months."

"That is far too little time to be sure he's the one."

"How did you know that Steve was the one for you?" Georgina asked Diana.

Diana pondered her answer for a while.

"It's not one thing but many. My relationship with Steve was a friendship that quietly grew into a deep, meaningful love. He made me feel special, loved, cared for. He accepted me with all my craziness, my insecurities, and my past... and I with his. At some point, I realized I was a better person with him at my side. Not sure if it helps."

"Actually, it does. Thank you. What do I say to Daniel? 'You're great but I don't want to marry you yet?'"

Diana smiled.

"It is important you let Daniel know how much you love him and how committed you are with your relationship. Then, share with him the reasons why you're not ready for marriage. Tell him you need more time."

"He's going to think I don't love him. He used to say I'm out of his league. Which is silly, I'm the one out of HIS league."

"Maybe getting engaged for a longer period of time might be a good compromise?" Diana suggested.

"I don't think so. If Daniel's mother knows we are engaged she'll start planning the wedding and things will get out of hand."

"She's that type, huh?"

"Yeah, she's Jewish."

"Ah! I get it. One of my neighbors in Denver was Jewish. I heard marriage is in their DNA."

Georgina twisted her mouth. "I don't want to lose him, Diana."

"You won't. Talk with Daniel. Communicating with your partner is always the best approach. Trust me, I know it firsthand. Some months ago, I almost made the mistake of not talking with Steve about something I saw. If I hadn't talked with him you might have had your chance with him," Diana said with a bitter laugh.

"Thank you, but no thank you. I wouldn't trade my Daniel for anyone, not even Steve."

CHAPTER 12

Georgina and Daniel were lying on her double bed. They had attended a parents' meeting at Middletown High to talk about the upcoming camping trip.

They had enjoyed another passionate, intense lovemaking session. Daniel had Georgina tightly wrapped around his arms. Everything was perfect. Then, she said those dreaded words.

"Daniel, we need to talk," she said slowly dragging her fingernails down his arm.

"Here it comes," Daniel thought. "The moment I've been expecting since we started dating."

"You're breaking up with me, aren't you?" Daniel said suddenly out of breath. His heart was pounding fast in his chest. "What is it? Some other guy?

"No! Of course, not! Why would you think that?" Georgina slapped his chest. "Did I ever give you any reason to doubt me?"

"No, you didn't. It might come as a shock, but I'm not the most confident person on earth. Can you make it quick, please? Things girls say when they reject you, I've heard them all. 'I like you as a friend,' 'I don't feel the same way', 'It's not you, it's me...', '"I have pepper spray, and I'm not afraid to use it...'", he said with a sad laugh.

Daniel had the look of someone who had been hit so many times that they no longer even wanted to get up.

Georgina's heart melted. She grabbed Daniel's hands tightly in hers and looked straight into his eyes. His hands were shaking.

"I like you, Daniel. Really, really like you."

Daniel nodded, doing his best to hide the emotions swirling inside him. He had planned to talk with Georgina today, but, apparently, it wouldn't be necessary.

Georgina took a deep breath and said, "Here it goes, I like you an awful lot, Daniel. We have a great time together and I do want to spend the rest of my life with you..."

"But..."

"But I am just not ready to get married yet. I do intend to marry you though, but I don't know when."

Daniel stopped holding his breath and exhaled his relief.

"I feel the same way," he finally admitted when his heart was beating normally again.

"What? You do?" Georgina said, her boyfriend's reaction had surprised her.

"When Mom started talking about marriage and kids I completely freaked out."

"Me too." Georgina brought his hands to her lips. "I don't want you to think that I'm having second thoughts about you or our relationship. This is not the case at all. I'm very, very happy with you just the way things are."

She kissed his chest, his neck, and finally his lips.

"I think this is a case of don't fix it if it's not broken. We'll talk about marriage when we are both ready. Don't worry about my mother. I'll handle her. I have a lifetime of experience doing it," Daniel explained.

"Is she always like that?"

"Who? Mom?" He grinned. "Oh yeah. She is most certainly always like that. You'll get used to her... I hope."

Georgina laughed. "She's not that bad. She wants the best for you as most mothers do. It's flattering she thinks I can be the one for you even if I'm a shiksa."

"She has done some growing. She truly surprised me."

"Before we change the subject let me say this. I've come to realize that the possibility of getting married is there, and I've kind of come to look forward to the moment when you and I get to know each other well enough to take that step. Good enough for you?"

"Good enough for me. When the moment comes, I think we stand a good chance of having a pretty good marriage."

They kissed passionately. Georgina untangled from his arms, turned around, and dropped to all fours before slicing a seductive look at him over her shoulder.

"Ready for round two, my lord?"

CHAPTER 13

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Georgina asked Daniel. Her long, dark hair was pulled back severely into a tight braid. She was wearing cargo shorts, boots, and a red tank top.

"Scouts motto is 'be prepared'. Besides, after telling my mother that we're not getting married yet we should be ready for anything." Daniel was wearing his old scout uniform.

"Good, because honestly, I'm terrified," Georgina confessed.

"You? Terrified?"

"My students and I are not on the best terms. I'm pretty sure most of them don't like me at all."

"Don't let them get to you. Teens can smell your fear. You have a whole week to show them the wonderful and caring person you truly are."

"I hope they give me the chance," Georgina said with a nervous smile.

Daniel adjusted his backpack, took a deep breath, and strode toward the group of teens that had gathered at the start of a wide trail. Georgina walked a few steps behind him.

One boy stepped away from the group. "Hey, I'm Mark," he called out with a bright smile as he approached Daniel. "Are you Ms. E.'s boyfriend?"

Georgina just gave the teen a questioning raise of her eyebrow.