#( ch. saul weissberg. )

[doctornilaybailey]

📜𝙽𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚢 𝙱𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚢 & 𝚂𝚊𝚞𝚕 𝚆𝚎𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚐

When Saul first told her about the charity luncheon and asked her to be one of the speakers, there was truly nothing in the world that would make her miss it. While the girls were with Eli's parents for the next few hours, what with her and Eli being there along with her parents, she was ready to take the opportunity to help support BrightSparks and the law firm. Yet while the anthropologist has made speeches before, there was still a part of her that was anxious before she was suppose to go on. With Elijah mingling, Nilay was over at the bar and sipping at her pomegranate martini. Trying to talk herself through the anxiety building up when she saw her uncle (figure). "H-Hey!" She held her drink up in a small cheers, her other hand fidgeting with her Magen David while she gave him a weak smile. "Everything looks incredible, Saul. You've truly outdone yourself."

𓂀 𝚠𝚑𝚘: @saulweissberg

𓂀 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎: 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚐 𝚕𝚊𝚠 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖'𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚋 ; 𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚕 𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚐𝚎

𓂀 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗: 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟿𝚝𝚑, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺

[doctornilaybailey]

"Hmmm..." She hummed thoughtfully. Her smile grew before saying, "Then perhaps I can make you your own special cinnamon challah. I knew that one day I would convert you to the Sephardic cuisine fan club. I guess I have that bendichas manos." Nilay giggled happily before gasping playfully. Bringing her hand with her drink over her heart in mock-hurt. "Wowwww... And so the truth has been revealed. Top ten percentile when it comes to providing you with food, bottom ten otherwise. I love you, too, Tio Saul." After all these years together, they've come to know each other perfectly well. Especially to know when they were messing with each other. "Am I back in your top ten percentile now completely?" Nilay teased. Nodding towards her car and leading the way. "I know a guy who might be able to do it for you and for it to look fabulous. And don't worry: your masculinity shall remain intact. I promise. Now! Vamos! We got some shakshuka to eat."

📜@saulweissberg

🏛️𝚜𝚘𝚗 ; הסוף ; 𝚊 𝚎𝚕 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 ; النهاية ; 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍.

saul tapped his chin in mock-thought. “hmm, i have been thinking about your cinnamon challah bread for days now, but i imagine i’d have to share with everyone and not just have a whole loaf to myself.” something he desperately wanted pretty much every day, but his doctor would likely frown upon that many carbs. he nodded as she listed the men that ranked above him; all reasonable choices, he thought, and fourth was better than nothing at all. “fiiine, i suppose i can accept being behind your father, your boyfriend and father of your child, and your father-in-law! you’re in the bottom ten percentile of my favorite women, anyway.” saul joked with a wink. from how he doted on nilay and her family, it was obvious that he was lying. he gasped when she mentioned the tupperware in her car. “and you were only planning on giving it to me if i was nice to you?” he laughed, looking around his lawn. “not for a damn second. i should really pay someone to do this for me but somehow i think that might be worse. it would be a threat to my masculinity, i fear.”

@doctornilaybailey

[draslihanxfahri-bailey]

True, the irony wasn't lost on her. Every time she stepped into the speakeasy, which hasn't been a lot lately, unfortunately, there was always a part of her that couldn't help but to want to laugh. Two Jews walked into a church-inspired bar... The start of what felt could be a bad joke. She ate some of her fruit before shaking her head. "I'm pretty sure that the place itself is considered more blasphemous than us being here," she admitted, nodding towards the shelves stacked with booze amongst the religious iconography. "I promise, no one's going to lead into some 'Praise Jesus' chants or anything." A beat, she remembered that bible-thumpers existed. And could've possibly heard about the bar's brunch and become mistaken. "Actually, on second thought: we can bolt if that ends being the case. I'm sure no one will notice us making a run for it." ||📜@saulweissberg

availability / @draslihanxfahri-bailey setting / holy spirits' sunday mass, april 7th.

when aslihan invited him to sunday mass, saul briefly thought she had some sort of memory loss. did she forget they met at shul?, he had wondered for a moment, then he shortly remembered hearing about holy spirits' ironic religious service on facebook. if aslihan hadn’t invited him, he probably would’ve said no thanks and went on with his day. if anyone other than aslihan asked him, he would’ve looked at them as if they were stupid just from the name of the event. sitting at a table with a plate full of food, he gave a suspicious eye to the religious iconography before he turned his attention to aslihan. “are you sure it doesn’t matter that we’re jewish?” he figured it wasn’t a literal mass and they wouldn’t be turned away, but he had to confirm!

[doctornilaybailey]

Nothing could properly describe how proud and in awe she was of him for pulling all of this off so effortlessly. Nilay was a bit of a perfectionist herself: she needed as much time as possible to get every single little thing down to a perfect T for any event she was throwing together. She believed that she had, in a way, inherited that trait from Richard and Jasmine. Now, if only she gained their public speaking skills as well. Of course, she was capable of it. There has been numerous times in which she's had to give a speech and has even performed on stage in multiple productions. She knew that she could do this. But... There was a part of her that was nervous about somehow ruining this. That wanted to make Saul proud. The man has come to mean so much to her, and it was all so nerve wracking. She laughed slightly, though perhaps mainly awkwardly, at his words. "I... I am," she admitted. "But... I'm worried that I'll mix my words up or say something that I don't mean... I'm worried of embarrassing you. Especially after all your hard work for this. I really wanted to make you proud."

📜@saulweissberg

“you can say that again, kid.” the past two weeks had somehow felt like an eternity and a blink of the eye simultaneously, and he had been incredibly stressed by the undertaking. fortunately, like any lawyer, he thrived under pressure, and saul had learned at a young age how to get what he wanted. the luncheon was slapdash, but—at least in his opinion—no one would be able to tell. the power of persuasion and perseverance prevailed! however, he never wanted to put together an event like this in such a short span of time ever again. or maybe he did, saul wouldn’t be able to think about that for at least another week. if it wasn’t for his caseload, he’d probably take a long vacation just to sleep. when nilay hesitated, saul glanced down and gave her another soft squeeze into his side. “are you sure? heller and fatima were expecting you to warm up the crowd for them.” he teased lightly, then grew serious. “are you feeling up to it? i won’t make you speak if you don’t want to, or maybe i can go on for you.”

@doctornilaybailey

[doctornilaybailey]

"Again: I learned from the best," she repeated, her smile only growing wider. "Mm-hm, I know how to get you. I'll make sure they're extra special. Anything else you might like for Shabbat? I promise, I'll make sure they're all spectacular." Anything she could do to make the lawyer happy, she'd do it. She knew that she was lucky to be able to have this kind of friendship with the man. That they're able to be close without any prior expectations between them. Of course, she did hope that Saul would be able to work through his old relationships and make things better. Nilay loved him too much to not hope for that. "Welllllllll, there's Eli, my dad, his dad... Number four isn't too bad! Still in top five! Mazal tov!" The anthropologist giggled happily. She could already hear her boyfriend's reaction to what she just said. Fortunately, she knew how to appease him. The woman hummed as she nodded slowly, narrowing her eyes at the older man. "Okayyyyyyy... And not from the Silk Road, no... But it is from my own kitchen! And in a Tupperware in my car. I'll go grab it real quick. The yard's looking great, by the way! Having fun out here?"

📜@saulweissberg

as terrible as it was, it was just easier with his surrogate family. coming into nilay’s life rather late comparatively, there wasn’t an almost thirty-year history of pain that he had with micah. there were no missed phone calls, delayed birthday dinners, or failures to show up for baseball games or parent-teacher conferences. he had never disappointed nilay or her children because he hadn’t been given thirty years of opportunity to. the truth hurts, after all, and the honest, hurtful truth that was saul always made for a better uncle than father. saul gasped loudly and dramatically, feigning offense right back. “i’m being rude? you’re the one playing tricks over here.” he placed a hand over his wounded heart. “no black and white cookies, though? you drive a hard bargain. i suppose i’ll behave.” accepting the proffered coffee, he took a moment to enjoy a long sip. yard work was never enjoyable for him, and despite the coffee he already had that morning, he needed a midday pick-me-up. “oh, just one of your favorites? hm, glad to know i rank so highly!” there was a teasing smile on his face to show he wasn’t actually hurt by the distinction. better than nothing, anyway. “you worry too much. i stopped by rise ‘n’ dine like i usually do, but i won’t bore you with the details.” he narrowed his eyes, “why? do you have shakshuka from the silk road behind your back, too?”

@doctornilaybailey

[doctornilaybailey]

"I learned from the best!" she teased. Of course, Saul has shown her nothing but love ever since they both realized they were more family than friends. Nilay could never try to imagine a life without him; It was pointless, after all. He was Uncle Saul to her and That Mensch Called Saul to the girls. He was a part of their lives forevermore, and she was going to make sure it stayed that way. The historian giggled as he exclaimed aloud and trekked over to him. However, she soon gasped at his words. Pretending to be offended and hurt by his words, even though the corners of her lips tried to keep lifting up to a smile. "I can still return this, you know. And I don't have to make the batch of black and white cookies I was going to surprise you with for Shabbat—IF you're going to continue being rude." Finally, her giggles couldn't help themselves. She handed his drink over to him. "Mmm, that you are. Buuuuut, you are in my top five of favourite old men, so I'll forgive you. But no, I got off work early and still have time before Eli and I are to get the girls, so I thought I'd swing by and see if you're busy. And to make sure that you've ate today."

📜@saulweissberg

the older surrogate niece, though saul hesitated to call her that word to her face. compared to phoebe, though, it was true, despite there being only six years between the two. to him, though, they might as well have been babies. “ah, you’re a bully!” saul called down, though from his vantage point, he could see she was holding something behind her back. even if he hadn’t glimpsed it, he had to imagine nilay wouldn’t show up to someone’s house empty handed—she had manners, proved a second later when she held out his coffee. “and a sneak, too!” at her prompting, saul climbed down the ladder carefully. once his ratty yard-working new balance sneakers were on the ground, he turned to face nilay and gave an affectionate, teasing pat on her head. “well, that’s not hard. you’re miniature.” saul gave a good-natured laugh. “what brings you by? did i invite you over and forget about it? i’m an old man, y’know.”

@doctornilaybailey

[doctornilaybailey]

Now, Nilay knew how stressful running an entire event must be for the man. Having to run all over the place and ensuring that everything was in place, that nothing was going wrong. So she knew to expect him to possibly look a little frazzled. Seeing him for the first time since she and Eli arrived, though... There was a ping in her gut that something was wrong. Yet, she tried to smile warmly as she wrapped her free arm around him. "Only two weeks? I think you've set the record," she teased warmly. In spite of the two week limit, the luncheon was incredible. The cause was wonderful and was fortunately receiving a hefty amount of donations; The venue looked stunning; The food and drinks were delicious; And the host wasn't too bad either. Her smile drooped as he asked about her speech. "Uh..." She swallowed a thick lump in her throat before taking another drink of her martini. "You know what? I was thinking that maybe Dr. Heller should go on before me. I heard a bit of his speech earlier and it sounded incredible. Same with Fatima, her speech is truly inspiring."

📜@saulweissberg

saul had spent the better part of the day resembling a chicken with its head cut off. luckily, he thrived off the adrenaline it took to play master of ceremonies, but he had barely a moment to think with all the small—and big—parts required to successfully host a luncheon. he had the help of the country club staff, their event coordinator, board members from bright sparks, and catering from both la galleria and the mango tree, but he still felt mostly like a man alone. it was the first charity event that he ever planned in blue harbor, staking his firm’s good name on it running smoothly, and he flitted around the party with the endurance of a marathon runner. it was the only thing that kept him upright—it was barely noon and already his body wanted to fold in on itself, and after what he had just learned nearly an hour earlier about thalia and leon, his control on emotions was holding on by a thread. he needed another drink, and he wasn’t going to even attempt to keep track of how many he had anymore. it seemed he wasn’t the only one in need, because he found nilay already nursing a drink. “sheyfele!” saul greeted in return, placing an arm over her shoulders. “ah, thank you! not so bad for only two weeks of planning, right?” he gave her a quick wink and squeezed her into his side. “are you ready to go on soon?”

[doctornilaybailey]

"Shalom, kerido mia!" Her lips grew once she spotted Saul up on his ladder. She raised one of her hands up, trying to wave slightly despite having cups of coffee in both hands, the other hidden behind her back. Ever since meeting the lawyer at the shul, he's become such an important part of her and her family's lives. It was impossible to imagine a life without him around now. To imagine him not being Uncle Saul to her girls. It was a life that she certainly did not want nor hoped could ever happen. "Nah, I decided to be mean and drink my coffee in front of you without giving you any," she said playfully. Her smile only growing more before she showed off his drink. "I'm a good niece, I promise. Now, get on down here! You're already taller than me as is; This is completely unfair."

📜@saulweissberg

availability / @doctornilaybailey setting / saul's home in oak gardens, around eleven am.

saul wasn’t that much of a handy guy, but as a now single man (again) that lived alone and far away from his son that he couldn’t bribe into doing the job for him, the maintenance work often fell to him. sometimes he hired out for a big job like replacing the water heater, but when it came to things like raking leaves in the fall or cleaning out the gutters, saul had too much pride to pay someone to do it for him… except for mowing the lawn; when it came to that, saul paid his friend kate’s fourteen year old son to do the chore for him. there was no pride involved when it came to the lawn mowing! so, on that spring morning, he was the one that had to take care of the clogged gutters of his home in oak gardens. on top of the ladder, he was dropping soggy old leaves into a bag when he heard the sound of a vehicle pulling up to the curb of his home. looking over his shoulder, he saw that it was nilay that had arrived. “hi, sheyfele!” he dusted off his yard gloves and held onto the ladder as he turned slightly to face her better. “do i spy a coffee from caffélicious in your hand there? you better have brought one for me, too!”