Dreams, Memories & Keys

Chapter 13 - The Pizza Party

It was early Saturday morning on October 10th, the day of Jessie's long awaited pizza party. Greg, Susan, and Jessie woke early. The three of them were going to the early service at the Temple Greg attended from the time he was a boy. Susan didn't usually attend Jewish services with her family, but on this occasion, she thought she should.

"Why?" Greg asked when Susan announced her intent to come with them.

"Because I suspect today will be an important day. Bert is coming to our house, Peter will be here, his parents will be away working on their relationship, and all Jessie's cousins and friends, with the exception of Xavier and Dori, are coming," Susan explained. "I feel we need the spirit of the Lord to be present too. That's why I feel the need to pray about it today before they come. I will go to my usual church tomorrow to pray too, but I feel like the timing of prayer about the outcome from this gathering is important on a day like today."

Greg didn't question Susan's decision to attend any more. She was acting on faith, according to how she was led. What he didn't know was, she was going to pray as much about him as she was for the young people who would be gathering at their house later that day.

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The congregation at the Temple where Greg and Jessie attended was segregated during services. Men and women sat in different sections, which was the reason Greg left Susan and Jessie as soon as they reached the Temple steps, joining the other men from his family congregating before the service. The women all met up with one another separately from the men. Jessie led Susan over to join them where they were greeted cordially and with a bit of surprise from the female Gaffney family members that Susan decided to come.

"Mama needs to pray," Jessie simply explained.

"That is always a good reason," Sophie, Liam's wife and Adam's mother remarked.

"Welcome, Susan," Ali, Malcom's wife said with a smile.

"Thank you," Susan told her.

Norma, who stood with her daughter-in-laws, said nothing. Susan smiled at her and said hello before following Jessie and the other women inside the Temple.

Susan sat quietly and respectfully in her seat while the service was going on. She gave every indication of understanding the rabbi when he spoke in Hebrew throughout the service. She stood and sat when it was appropriate and actually appeared to be praying while she was there. Norma couldn't understand it as she watched. This gentile woman was behaving as though she really wanted to be here. Clearly, she wasn't here to support her husband because she wasn't with him. From where she sat, she couldn't even see him. Greg currently sat with the other men in the family in the men's section of the temple. Instead, she was here praying with the women and her daughter Jessie, even though she wasn't Jewish.

A little over a year ago, Susan and Jessie lived with Norma for a month while they were looking for a place to live, during the time Greg was working in Israel, doing a project for the American Hebrew School. Norma got to know this woman and her adopted daughter relatively well at the time, or so she thought. Consequently, she'd seen her pray many times. Susan prayed at mealtimes and before going to bed. Norma had even seen her pray in the mornings on occasion. She knew this Christian woman regularly went to church. But what she couldn't fathom was why she might be here, quietly tending to her prayers in a place where the Children of Israel came to study and pray. It was irregular to say the least.

After the service, Susan didn't say anything about her reason for attending before leaving with her family, except to say to the young people she encountered that she looked forward to seeing them later in the day. Norma wasn't at all sure how the two were related, so she decided to ask the rabbi about it after the rest of those attending left.