In a million years, he could never have imagined himself dreading his best friend’s wedding

Shani Leiman with Zivia Reischer

"You’re a very special person,” Kayla said. She was speaking quickly, like she didn’t want to give Yitz the chance to interrupt. “But I spoke to my parents and my rav about this, and they agree that we’re not right for each other.

“It’s nothing personal,” she added, although of course it was. Is there anything more personal than a broken engagement?

I’d known Kayla was having a hard time, but I didn’t see this coming. Yitz was devastated. Fifteen minutes ago he had been a happy chassan, and now he felt like he’d lost his entire future.

Then his phone rang and he registered another cruel twist of fate: it was Dovi, his best friend. Dovi was also a chassan. Or more accurately — Dovi was still a chassan. They’d been flying high, best friends, chavrusas, both chassanim. Well, that was over.

As difficult as a broken engagement is, the aftermath can be even more painful. Do people think there’s something wrong with me? Is there something wrong with me? If it happened once, could it happen again? Will I ever find the right one?

The weeks that followed were tough on Yitz. He wanted to pull himself together and move on, but he couldn’t seem to focus on anything. Even when he managed to drag himself to seder, he’d find himself facing Dovi. In a million years, he could never have imagined himself dreading his best friend’s wedding.

On the day of Dovi’s wedding, Shimmy Edelman called.

“Get up, Yitz,” he ordered. “You have an hour to shower and get ready. My father’s chauffer is going to pick you up. We’re going to Dovi’s wedding in style.”

In a previous lifetime, before he had met Kayla, Yitz would have loved the shtick. But now, the last thing in the world he wanted to do was “go to Dovi’s wedding in style.”

But it was Dovi’s wedding. His best friend. Yitz pulled on a smile. “I’ll be ready,” he told Shimmy.