Hey all! Things in this chapter were originally supposed to be a part of Come Along, We'll be a Family. Italics are Zoe's flashbacks. Certain things didn't make it into this chapter for the simple fact they were causing me trouble. I am hoping the next few chapters won't take me as long as this one did.
I am sorry if I got anything wrong with the Bat Mitzvah for Sofia or for Zoe, as it's what I found when I looked it up.
Enjoy!
In the months that lead up to Sofia's 12th birthday, Zoe couldn't help but think back to her own 12th birthday and the confusion that it caused in their little town. Their confusion greatly confused Zoe, as she's not the only Jewish girl to live in the town or even the only Jew to live in Bluebell period. It's a small community, but she thought that everyone would know what a Bat Mitzvah is.
"What don't you understand?" Zoe asked her best friend, as they sat on a bridge, Wade waiting on a fish to bite.
"Everything," Wade told her, casting a glance her way, not paying close enough attention to what's going on with his line in the water.
"I don't know what else to tell you," Zoe sighed, giving up on her studying. "It's close to being like your Sweet 16, but very different," she told him, holding her sigh in. "I can tell you about it until I'm blue in the face," she finally sighed.
"I'm trying to understand," he told her. "I know how important it is for you." Zoe nodded. "Maybe I need to see it to understand it," he shrugged.
"That might be," Zoe told him. She's already got enough on her plate when it comes to her Bat Mitzvah, her mom started to plan it, but work took her to New York. Harley was trying his best to help her, but he like everyone else just didn't know, so that left it all up to her.
Explaining things to her friends is one thing, explaining things to every townsperson she meets on the street is totally different. Dash has even taken it upon himself to write multiple blogs about it. "It will help all the Bluebellians understand what it is without further asking you questions, Zoe." That is what Dash had told her. If it was going to help, who was she to turn it down?
"After all this studying, does this mean we can go back to having our usual Saturday breakfast friend date back?" Wade asked, reeling his line in to see if his bait is still on the line. They would still meet up at the Jammer on Saturdays, but Zoe would be more focused on what she needed to study than on their normal conversations.
"Yes," she nodded. "Hey Wade," she asked, after a few moments of silence. Wade tossed his line back in the water.
"Yes, Zoe," he said, looking at her.
"Can you do me a favor?" She asked, chewing on the end of the black pen she was writing with. Wade shrugged, he wasn't going to say yes or no until Zoe tells him what this favor happens to be. "Music. Can you help my dad with the music, I don't want to come off as too pushy, but he doesn't get it," she sighed.
"I'll lead him to the right music for your Bat Mitzvah. Is there a list or something?" He asked, amused by her request. "What's Hava Nagila?" Wade asked, looking over the song list she picked out, some of the songs have a question mark by them.
"It means to let us rejoice, it's a traditional Jewish folk song in Hebrew," she informed him.
"Got it," he told her. He's not sure if he gets it or not, but he's going to do his best to not let her down. As her best friend he will do what he has to do so that her big day goes the way she envisions it.
A month before Sofia's big day, she had found a way to get Wade alone, needing to talk to him, and she didn't want to ask him in front of anyone else. She had already talked to her mom and her dad about asking this of Wade and they both agreed that Wade would love it. To her, it wasn't fair that her dad be the only one to give a speech, not when she has two dads that love her. She wants both of them to give a speech.
"Dad," Sofia said, joining him in the garage as he changed the oil on her mom's car.
"Sof, what's going on?" He asked, wiping his hands clean of motor oil.
"You know how my dad is making a speech at my Bar Mitzvah," she said. Wade nodded his head, grabbing a quart of oil. "Can you, do you," she started to say, shaking her head.
"Don't be scared, you can ask me anything," Wade told her, sitting down next to her at his workbench.
"I know," she nodded. "Would you be okay with writing a speech to give at my Bar Mitzvah? You're my dad too, and I really want you to," she told him.
"Sweetie, I would be honored to write one for you," he smiled. "You're my daughter too, and don't ever forget that," he told her, pulling her into a hug.
"You've already started writing one didn't you?" She asked with a small giggle.
"Of course I have," he laughed. "Did you think I wouldn't give a speech about how amazing you are?" He asked.
"Thanks," she smiled, getting up. "Now I have to go pick a dress out, mom says I can't put it off any longer," she sighed.
"You know, I think you're mom still has her dress, why don't you ask her about it," Wade commented, grabbing the oil.
Shrugging, Sofia left the garage heading to find her mom. When she went to talk to Wade, her mom was coloring with Jack at the kitchen table. Now neither one of them was at the table, the crayons and coloring book sat in the middle of the table. Heading upstairs she saw that Jack was playing with his toys in his room.
"Mom," she called, stepping into her parent's bedroom.
"Sof," Zoe said, from inside the closest. "Give me a few minutes and then we can go," she informed her daughter.
"About that," Sofia said, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. "I was talking to dad about the speech and he mentioned that you still have your dress," she quickly rambled out.
"I do," Zoe smiled, digging further towards the back of her closest, looking for the dress bag. "His mom made it for me," she told Sofia, placing the dress bag on the bed, unzipping the bag.
"Papa Earl's wife?" Sofia asked, turning to look at the dress her mom is pulling out of the bag. Now it made sense that her dad would mention it. She knows that she wouldn't have to wear the dress, but now that she sees the dress, she really wants to try it on. "Can I?" Sofia asked.
"Of course," Zoe told her, handing the dress over.
When it had come time for Zoe to pick out her dress, her mom was there, taking her to every dress shop within hours of them. Candice found multiple dresses that she loved to see her daughter in, but Zoe wasn't feeling any of them. They didn't bring joy to her when she saw them on. She knew that she wanted the dress to be navy and she can't find that in any of the shops, none that speak to her.
"Honey I thought you were dress shopping with your mom?" Jackie asked, seeing Zoe walking up their walkway.
"I was," Zoe nodded with a sigh, taking a seat on the porch, while she watched Jackie plant her flowers. "But I gave up because I can't find anything I like," she explained.
"What is it you're looking for?" Jackie asked, dusting her hands off.
"I want a navy dress that's sleek, with short sleeves, and I want it to end blow my knees, and maybe a little gold sash around the middle to give it a pop of color," she explained the dress of her choice to Jackie.
"Come in, and let me see what I can do for you," Jackie told her, walking up the steps, pulling her gardening gloves off.
"You'd make my dress?" Zoe asked, pulling the front door open for Jackie, who let Zoe enter the house first. The oddly quiet Kinsella house. With two teen boys in the house, it was never quiet and that was her first clue that it was just Jackie at home.
"Of course, I would and I will, Zoe," Jackie told her with a smile heading to the kitchen to wash her hands before she pulls out a pad of paper to quickly draw up a sketch of what Zoe wanted her dress to be, adding in any detail that Zoe wanted.
"What do you think, mom?" Sofia asked, stepping out of the bathroom, looking timid. She loved the way she looked in the dress, and to her luck, very little needed to be done with the dress.
"You look stunning, sweetie," Zoe told her daughter, coming to stand behind her. "If it's what you want to wear, you can, but don't do it because of the sentimental value it holds. I want you to have the dress you want to wear," she let Sofia know.
"We can look, but I don't think I'm going to find a dress I like better than this one," she told her mom. "It's beautiful, and I really want to wear this one," she let her mom know.
"The choice is yours," Zoe nodded, blinking away a few tears at the thought of her daughter wearing her Bat Mitzvah dress.
"Then this is my dress, mom," Sofia told her, turning around to hug her mom.
"Okay," Zoe told her. She'll have to take the dress and her daughter to get the dress fitted for Sofia, as places of the dress need to be brought in.
With all the planned things that needed to be done before the party, Zoe felt stressed out. She thought planning her Bat Mitzvah was stressful, it was nothing like planning her daughters. Her biggest hang-up was the band that was booked to play, they had to cancel.
"Babe," Wade said, slipping into bed next to his wife after a late night of working at the Jammer. He shouldn't have been surprised to see his wife still up at the early hour of the morning. "What can I help you with?" He asked, fighting his fatigue at winning out.
"Say that you'll make a one-night come back to perform at our daughter's Bar Mitzvah," she pleaded with him.
"I thought that was taken care of?" Wade asked, taking the papers Zoe has scattered in front of her and putting them in a neat pile off to the side on his side of the bed.
"Didn't work out," Zoe sighed, easily collapsing into her husband's arms.
"I'd be more than happy to be on stage for Sofia," he told her. Just because he lives a normal life now, doesn't mean his love for music stopped. "I think I can still remember certain songs from yours," he told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her.
On the day of Sofia's 12th birthday, they had a small dinner with their family. Cake and presents. It's a few days after her birthday that the whole town will be there to celebrate with her. Much like Zoe had a few days after her birthday Sofia is getting a Bat Mitzvah.
Much like Zoe's, they spent their morning in Bluebell's makeshift synagogue of the only church they have in their little town. Sofia was called up to the Torah to recite prayers and readings in Hebrew, which she's taken years of learning, studying, and practicing during her bat mitzvah lessons. Once she finished reading from the Torah, she had to give a speech on how she is going to apply the lessons to her everyday life.
Once that portion of the ceremony is done they head to the center of the town square to enjoy a Kiddush luncheon. Kosher food is being served. It's a light little meal, with bagels, cream cheese, lox, which is a cured salmon fillet eaten on a bagel with cream cheese, egg salad, latkes, and challah bread. Among other things.
Once the candle lighting and Hora had been done. The Hora is a 15-minute circle dance. It was a dance that George and Wade opted out of being a part of, as it wasn't their religion, so they didn't feel like they should be a part of it. Something that Sofia understood. So it was just Zoe to follow Sofia sitting in the chair hosted in the air by their guests. The rest of the invited guests held hands in a circle around them.
With the speech's for the night done, Wade took to the stage to get the party for Sofia and her friends started. Later in the night, Wade was going to switch out for that of a stereo.