i love fiddler on the roof?
so like we're just gonna run with it.
p.o. era
both are teenage boys, living in annitevka. none of the characters from the actual story are very significant in this, other than Yenta bc it's based off the song Matchmaker
v short and weird if you don't know the musical so i'd suggest at least listen to the soundtrack/read a synopsis first
let the shitshow begin
**********
"yente's at the door, papa"
"so open it! she is here for you."
"papa, you know i will not take what she's offering! i have my eye on someone already!"
"ryan i will hear no more of this. you will open that door and listen to her talk. it's all she has, this is the only job she will do! she is our matchmaker and i will hear of nothing else."
dejected, ryan opens the door to his small home. he and his papa live together, alone. he is an only child, and mama died when he was younger. papa's trade is baking, so ryan goes to the market and sells the bagels, knishes, and if it's purim, hamentaschen. ryan knows yente is going to suggest all of the girls in the village, tzeitel, chava, hodel, miriam, whomever else, but ryan is definetly not buying anything she's selling. he has his eye on the butcher's son. the boy, brendon, has had his eye for a while now, as ryan sees him every morning at the market.
ryan opens the door, expecting the worst and nearly getting it.
"oh ryan! i've found the one for you! she's lovely, she's young... if young is forty-two... but she'll be a great match, yes?" yente storms into their house, bringing with her the dread and apathy ryan carries only for the infamous matchmaker.
"oh yente. you shouldn't have, really! i mean, i'm sure i could meet someone, but your graciousness has overwhelmed me!" ryan internally cringes. he was planning to go out in search of brendon, but that wasn't happening clearly. if he was lucky enough, maybe yente would leave before supper! but she was here for good. of course, ryan could pull the mourning card, the anniversary of his mother's death upon both ryan and his father, and she wouldn't be able to object. that would make her leave, ryan thought. no... he did want god on his side, to win over brendon.
"but ryan, i haven't found any matches for you yet... but good old yente never gives up!"
"yente, yente, yente. it's getting late, and i really don't want to trouble you further. tevya's daughter, tzeitel is getting older! she'll need a husband faster than you can say shalom!" ryan is ushering her towards the door.
"oh! how could i forget! well, i'll be back to you tomorrow ryan! why, the rabbi's daughter is only a few years younger than you, and she's quite the catch..." yente winks at ryan as she gets not-so-subtly pushed out the door.
once she's left, ryan turns around to face his father. "i know, i know, i know, papa. i'm going to talk to brendon at the market tomorrow. hopefully he'll agree to come to sabbath, and maybe we can work it out then. i need you to trust me on this one."
"i wasn't going to stop you, son. i just wanted to make sure you have a plan. your dear old father won't be around much longer, im afraid god has some other plans for me..." ryan's papa grins. "just keep up the family business, and keep each other happy... and i'm sure we have some food to spare for a third at sabbath dinner."
"thank you papa! oh i'm sure this will work out for us, god has been nothing but helpful!" ryan grins, sitting down at dinner table. tomorrow was going to be the best day, he couldn't wait.
•
the next morning, ryan is walking down the hill his house sits atop to sell his papa's goods at the marketplace. the basket of bagels and such in his arms bounces with every step, almost overflowing. before setting up shop in the market at their family stand, ryan hides his basket inside a hole in a small tree. he then pays a visit to the lovely butcher and his lovelier son.
"oh yente! this is so kind of you... are you sure tzeitel is the one for me?"
ryan chokes on nothing. this could not be the end! yente set brendon up with tevya's daughter? he listens further, pretending to be looking at the poultry section.
"yes, oh yes, i'm sure she's beautiful... everyone would love to be her groom!"
brendon laughs, and ryan can just tell he's making up his mind. papa will kill him for this!
"but yente, i really do have my eye on someone. you know i'm not quite looking for girls, don't you?"
What? ryan's head is a whirlwind. he is certain he's going to collapse right onto this dead pig, but stops himself. okay, so he did have a chance, but could it really be?
"yente, im sorry to do this to you. it really is not up to me, you know that! i am the son of a butcher, which any girl would love! but i do have my eye on someone. it's the son of the-"
ryan stops listening and runs out of the shop. he needs fresh air, and he needs to start selling papa's baked goods. he retrieves the basket, and sets up his stand next to the tailor.
"goodmorning, motel! how has your day been?"
"well, not the best if i can say... the girl i love is being bartered off to the son of the butcher right now!"
ryan grins to himself, deciding to only drop motel a hint. "well, keep your hopes up. i know god has something good in store for you." and with that, ryan receives his first customers of the day.
•
it's the end of the day. ryan is tired, and giving up hope. he really does want to be married soon, and to brendon, but that can't happen unless he can talk to the brown haired boy. just before ryan packs up, he hears the jingling of a bell, and some quick footsteps. god, they better not come over here because he is completely out of bagels and knishes.
"hey! ryan, right? i'm brendon... and i wanted to ask you something?"
ryan looks up. "oh! hello, brendon. is there anything you need?" ryan slides on his salesman demeanor, and tries not to blush thinking about the beautiful boy in front of him.
"i was just wondering if you had... um... bagels? yeah. do you have any bagels left?" brendon scratches the back of his head, cringing at his inability to just ask for ryan's hand.
"well..." ryan furrows his brow. he really doesn't want to let brendon go. "i'm fresh out right now."
brendon frowns, and starts to sulk away.
"but! you could come home with me. i can teach you how we make our bagels, my papa and i, and you could stay for dinner?" at this, brendon's face lights up. "of course i'd love to! i'll go ask my father, but you can come in too if you'd like?" "well, sure."
ryan grins and blushes as he steps inside of the butcher's family home, just behind brendon. brendon motions for him to stay back, and walks into the next room. after this, ryan simply looks around at the room he's in. there's a dining table, and a few torah sections on the walls. this was all too interesting, but ryan left some room to eavesdrop too.
