“Can I call her? Even if she refuses to see me again, I want to apologize. I feel terrible”
Shani Leiman with Zivia Reischer
Michoel was 28, a sweet, gentle soul. He worked with the geriatric population and had endless patience for his clients. He was intelligent and caring and would make a great husband, but he was often rejected by the girls he met because he didn’t have the presence and charisma that girls like to see. I understood why he felt burned out.
Penina was good-natured and very refined, but other guys had described her as “very quiet.” I didn’t think that would be a problem for Michoel, and I thought she’d appreciate Michoel’s thoughtful personality. He was fed up with dating, but I managed to convince him to give this a try.
“It was a little stilted,” Michoel reported after their first date. “I literally had to coax the conversation out of her.” Although it sounded like he was complaining, I could hear a happy lilt in his voice. “But once she opened up… it was good.”
Michoel and Penina went out six times. Although I tried working with Penina to help her share and initiate more, Michoel had to keep drawing out her thoughts and ideas. He admitted that it was a little draining for him, and I was in awe of his patience. But he liked her a lot, and she liked him.
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