SINGLE LIFE

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Important Factor

One key element was missing
in this non-budding relationship.

SAUL SCHACHTER

Special to The Jewish News

F

or nearly two years I
had heard of Bonnie
Lash. She was a new
elementary school teacher in
our district. I taught in the
junior high.
The teachers who knew us
both felt we'd be a perfect
match. She enjoyed working
with children. I did, too. She
loved movies and par-
ticipatory sports. I did, too.
She was Jewish. I was, too.
She was cute and adorable. I
was, too.
But, I was hesitant. I didn't
think it was healthy to date
someone from within the
school district even though

Saul Schachter is a teacher
and lives in Sea Cliff N.Y.

our respective faculties never
see or deal with one another.
I have always kept my
social life to myself. I've never
brought a date to any school
function. Since I live in a
small community where some
people love to gossip, I didn't
want to carry on a relation-
ship in a fishbowl.
But the matchmakers
didn't give up. Finally, it hit
me: Why not? What did I have
to lose? I sent her a letter
which declared, "Since the
field seems to be growing very
crowded, I have decided to
throw my lesson plans into
the ring."
I enclosed some of my
published articles. "I hope
that if you like the articles,"
I wrote, "you might want to
meet the author!'
Nearly a week passed

before I received a response.
"You sound like a very nice
guy," Ms. Lash replied, "but
I don't date within the
district."
I couldn't believe it. She
threw my old reason right
back at me. But, I was deter-
mined not to give up. I let a
few weeks go by before I
decided to try again. I printed
an invitation to dinner at my
house which concluded, "The
only thing you have to bring
is an open mind." I addressed
the letter in care of her
school, but I didn't mail it. I
had other plans.
I borrowed a friend's
mailman outfit. On the last
Friday of the month, during
my free period, I left school
and changed into my mail-
man outfit at a friend's near-
by home. I drove the six

blocks to her school and mar-
ched upstairs to her class-
room. I knocked on the door
and she looked up.
"Yes?" she asked, a look of
puzzlement on her face.
We had seen photos of each
other, but only as small
figures in group pictures. For
a second I wasn't sure I was
in the right room since this
woman before me looked even
prettier than in her
photograph.
"Ms. Lash?" I asked.
"Yes?" she said again.
I held out the letter. "This
came addressed to you with-
out a stamp!' And, then in my
best mailman voice, I con-
tinued, "Whenever we in the
post office receive such let-
ters, we always like to deliver
them ourselves." And, I hand-
ed the letter to her and walk-

ed out, trying to suppress my
laughter.
I returned to school and
waited for a response.
After class on Monday, I
checked my mailbox and
found a note, "Bonnie Lash
called!' I thought that was
odd. Why would she call dur-
ing school? The phones are in
the main office. She couldn't
stand among the secretaries
and assorted teachers and
declare over the phone, "Yes,
Saul, I'll go out with you!' Or,
"No, Saul, I won't go out with
you!"
I was out late Monday, so I
called her house on Tuesday.
She was not home, according
to her father, with whom she
lived. The next day, I sent
Bonnie a note apologizing for
not calling her on Monday. "I
tried last night," I wrote, "but

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

99

