“Okay, I know this is going to sound bad, but I’m just going to say it, okay?”

Shani Leiman with Zivia Reischer

"Eli,” I said for the 1,437th time, “what’s going to happen when you get married and your wife has a baby and she gains weight? Are you going to lose respect for her?”

He hated when I said this, but I kept saying it anyway. I was tired of hearing Eli reject girls without even meeting them, based on their dress size. It was all about his image; he had swallowed society’s lies whole.

Chezky, it turned out, had the opposite problem. I’d been on the phone with Chezky for almost ten minutes, but he still hadn’t gotten to the point. I know dating can be nerve-racking, but this was a whole new level.

“I need to tell you something,” Chezky finally blurted out. I made an encouraging sound.

“I…” Words seemed to fail him. “This is going to sound crazy,” he said finally. “That’s why I rarely share it.”

I hmmed again.

“But I’m 27 and I know I’m not going to get married if I don’t figure this out! Hold on.” I could hear tapping. “Okay, I just emailed you my shidduch résumé and a picture of myself.”

I walked to my computer and clicked the email open. Chezky was tall and blond, with an athletic figure. He was leaning casually against a low wall and it was clear that he had that indefinable charisma that graces some people. His eyes were a clear, pale blue, and his smile lit up his face.

I scanned his résumé. He had learned in yeshivah until last zeman and was now taking pre-med. I glanced at the picture again. A catch.

Over the line, I heard him suck in a breath.

Here it comes, I thought.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 716)