Rabbi Gabrielle's Defiance by Roger Herst

friend."
    "You don't have to," he hit a staccato cord
and held his hands high over keyboard until they came to rest on
the music stand. "Let people go at my throat. I'll be the kaporah . There's no purpose in you going
down with me."
    "It's not going to happen that way. It's
together or not at all. Whatever you did, I did too. Whatever you
said, I said. The rabbis at Ohav are not individual players; we're
a team that pulls together. I'm declaring this by fiat and I refuse
to debate the issue with you or anybody else. I'm the boss of this shul , and that's the way it's going to be.
You're not dissociating from me, Asa. That's absolutely final."
    The uncharacteristic dictatorial eruption
stole his response.
    "Now I'm asking you for a personal favor, a
very personal one. Please don't rush to any decisions about your
career. A month or two makes no difference in a lifetime. And don't
talk to friends, except your closest confidants. Despite their good
intentions, friends will only confuse you. I know; I've been there.
They mean well, but they can't begin to sense our predicament. The
answer is inside you, not them. Of course, you can always talk to
me. Always, Asa."
    For the first time in the evening, his
fingers tapped out a light melody in a major key and he smiled at
her. "You sound like a rabbi now, Gabby."
    She returned the smile. "Yep. That's what I
do for a living, friend. It's my job."
    "Anina thinks I'm a wimp."
    "Physicians can afford to be tough hombres.
What would happen if they got paid directly by their patients and
not an insurance company or HMO? You'd see personality
transformations real quick. And no more waiting for hours in a
doctor's waiting room."
    When alcohol no longer swirled Gabby's brain,
she thanked Asa for his hospitality, then, while he remained seated
at the piano, let herself out of his apartment.
    The following morning Chuck Browner declared from
his customary position in the doorway to her study, "I'm worried
about you, Rabbi Gabby; I haven't seen you so moody in a long
time."
    "Does it show that bad?"
    "You're a great actress, but I control your
schedule. You dash around as fast as you can so you won't have time
to let your own feelings well up. What would you do if forced to
take a full day off every week. No phones? No emergencies? No fires
to fight?"
    "I'd play tennis and read sexy novels."
    He lifted his chin and let his eyes peer
through the lower portion of his glasses. "What about lounging
around all day in bed with a steamy lover?"
    "You take liberties, friend."
    "Now that I've sent formal rejections to over
a dozen invitations for New Year's Eve, what's left on your agenda
for some old-fashioned romance?"
    "I've got a date for
New Years – with the synagogue. The New Year's Eve service is
probably my most successful innovation at Ohav Shalom."
    "That's over precisely at 8:30. I meant what
are you doing socially, after the
service."
    "No plans of yet." She hesitated mentioning
Chuck's living companion, Thackery Darnston, but since he had
introduced the subject of dating, she felt justified. Chuck had
done better at replacing his deceased lover, Thomas Belmont, than
she in finding a replacement for Joel Fox. "And you? What are you
and Thack planning?"
    "Progressive parties, beginning at noon and
continuing through the holiday. Our friends who know how to throw
bashes. You're welcome to come with us, of course. You're still a
queen in the gay community. There's rarely a day my friends don't
ask about you."
    She scanned her desk for a distraction and
came up flat. "Thanks, Chuck. That's a wonderful invitation. But
this year I'm not in the mood. If I suddenly change my mind, I'll
take you up."
    "Bring a date to our parties. There will be a
lot of straight people coming."
    "Not this year. Perhaps next."
     
     

CHAPTER THREE
    LIFE CYCLE BLUES
    Early Monday morning, Chuck took advantage of
a call from Lyle Carberri's office to tap briefly on Gabby's door,
then enter without explicit permission