Chapter 11
Santana, realizing her mother would feel hurt if she learned that her daughter had been in town and not stopped by, took Rachel and Noah on a slight detour to her home. Dr. Lopez was, of course, at work, but Mrs. Lopez was present, extremely happy to see her daughter, and kind enough to feed the three friends before undertaking their return trip to Columbus.
Meanwhile…back in Brooklyn, much like in Columbus, preparations were underway for the Jewish New Year's celebration that would begin on Sunday evening. Mrs. Rosen was baking and her husband was at work when their children began arriving home from school. Her mother's preoccupation and father's absence had provided Jennifer an opportunity for some snooping. Hoping to get to the bottom of her mother's vehement protestation over her attraction to Noah, she entered her parents' office; as luck would have it, their PC was turned on, leaving their email account unprotected and available to prying eyes.
Jennifer only knew that her father's friend Mike Adler had recommended Noah as a possible tenant for the 2012/2013 school year. Scrolling through a vast inbox of largely boring communications (really, her parents were so disorganized), she struck (what she hoped was) gold; an email from Cantor Michael Adler, dated approximately one year ago. Jennifer grinned smugly and double-clicked on the document to peruse the following:
Dear Jack:
L'Shana Tova! Hope this finds you and yours well. May you have health, happiness, peace, and prosperity in the New Year.
I was wondering if you still rent out that second unit to students and, if so, if you might consider a young man I've been mentoring. He's a good kid who has had a very rough few years, and I think he'd do better in a more controlled environment rather than in a dorm, where he might be more likely to slip into past bad behaviors. Let me tell you a little about him; it may help you come to a decision, hopefully a favorable one.
His name is Noah Puckerman, although he goes by "Puck". His father ran around and was largely unavailable, leaving for good when he was seven and his mother was pregnant. By ninth grade, not only was he bullying the smaller kids, but he had become the dirty little secret of the more "desperate housewives" of Allen County, who personally reinforced his sex ed classes in lieu of a tip for cleaning their swimming pools or mowing their lawns. He spent the majority of his freshman year cutting class, chasing tail, abusing substances, and, as a result, spending an inordinate amount of time in either detention or the police station. He kept his grades up just enough to participate in sports, which he found to be a ticket to popularity and, as a result, a magnet for eager and willing teenage girls.
His eventual salvation (although not at first) turned out to be joining the high school glee club his sophomore year, in which he was reunited with an old friend who had become his primary bullying target, Rachel Berry. She (so he told me) convinced him to sing a solo to prove his vocal ability to the group, and they had begun reestablishing their friendship when his reckless lifestyle caught up with him. He had been intimate with his best friend's girlfriend, effectively impregnating her. She considered him a "Lima Loser" and initially tried to pass of the baby as his friend's; eventually the truth came out, apparently causing a boatload of drama.
The girl (gentile, by the way, not that it matters) decided to give the baby up for adoption. Although he pragmatically realized that he wasn't in a position to be a father, he wanted to make up for his personal parental abandonment and raise the child, a point with which the girl vehemently disagreed. Once the baby was taken by her adoptive family, he went from bad to worse, climaxing in a failed ATM robbery and a stint in Juvenile Detention early in his junior year.
The situation was brought to my attention by LeRoy Berry, one of my congregants as well as Rachel's father. Noah's grandfather was a mentor to me when I was 16 and (for reasons which you are well aware) was of a similar misguided mindset. I knew that I needed to reach out to him. Around that time, Rachel became his lifeline, visiting weekly when most of his friends had turned away, and keeping him up to date with his classes. After his release, she scheduled study sessions with a couple of their friends, and her unwavering belief in him eventually enabled him to believe in himself.
Long story short (well, pretty long by this point), he pulled up his grades in stellar fashion, completed his community service while holding down a job, and became a huge asset at the Temple. We were discussing college options the other day, and when I suggested our profession, he expressed a genuine interest. I have a friend at NYU (maybe you know Phil Wasserman?) who I hope will be able to help him obtain a scholarship. Between you and me, I think the idea of New York appeals to him because Rachel plans on attending college there, as well. From what I have observed at Friday night services, they seem to be growing closer with each passing week.
I realize that this boy sounds like a heap of trouble and, with your four kids, you might be reluctant to have him around. I will personally vouch for him; he has turned over a new leaf and is well on the way to becoming a man of whom his grandfather (who was also a cantor, by the way) would be extremely proud. I believe that being in an environment like yours, rather than in the heart of the University district, will help keep him away from temptation and enable him to continue moving forward rather than potentially regressing.
Please let me know if this will be an agreeable arrangement for you. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call.
Again, a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year to you and yours.
Shalom Aleichem,
Mike
Jennifer was elated; she had accomplished her goal, and now realized why her mother considered Puck "too old" for her. However, in her opinion, he sounded just about perfect…to teach her about life and take her virginity in the process. The boys at school were all arms and legs and roving hands, with bad complexions and one-track minds. She didn't enjoy kissing them, let alone doing "more". Cheerleader or not, the popular boys still didn't give her the time of day, and she was determined to become a woman under his tutelage. All she needed was a plan, and she was confident she would devise one before too long.
Author's Notes: "L'Shana Tova" is Hebrew for "Happy New Year". "Shalom Aleichem" means "peace be with you", also in Hebrew.
So…what do you think will happen? Do you think she'll come up with a viable plan? Do you think she will succeed?
