Beholden to nobody, abdicating all but the most exigent social contact, Gabriel Klein held to the belief, “Man is born free but is everywhere in chains.” Gabriel unshackled, big time! Living two decades on the street, nicknamed Crazy Eddie, the homeless, open-air resident had no boss to please, no rent to pay, no car to maintain, no family to support. Detached from society, alienated from his parents and his wife, the only thing Gabriel did not elide from his solitary existence was his faith to which he l was steadfastly loyal.
Born in 1971 to emigres from Hungary, young Gabriel was identified a prodigy, a gifted child with insatiable curiosity and smarts. Gabriel was fascinated by his Zadie’s stories about life in Hungary before the war and his heroic survival. He would often visit Zadie, listen to classical music and play chess with him. Gabriel was equally passionate about his religious school and venerated his father. Ever inquisitive, Gabriel often asked to see his father’s “office”, where Dad said he “manages accounts. “Making one excuse after another, Dad never took Gabriel to his place of work. One day Gabriel was shocked to discover his father lied about the type of work he was doing. Gabriel never trusted his father again nor forgave him for being dishonest.
After his Bar Mitzvah, Gabriel attended ‘shiurim’ at the synagogue. He adored the Rabbi whose strict observance of the Judaic law was in sharp contrast to that of his parents’ lax adherence to Judaism. The synagogue became Gabriel’s home, the secretary, Mrs. Wise, his best friend. One day, when he returned to pick up a forgotten backpack, Gabriel saw Mrs. Wise and synagogue President Haberman embracing. Mrs. Wise was half-naked. When Gabriel unburdened himself to the Rabbi exclaiming, “You need to throw them out of the synagogue”, the Rabbi’s meek response, “I might lose my job if I fired them,” convinced Gabriel that the Rabbi was a timid fraud. He never attended synagogue again. Though his faith remained intact, Gabriel’s second betrayal devastated him and cast him adrift.
Gabriel lost his drive for school and slid toward a vagabond life placing his education on the back burner, rarely attending classes. Accused of cheating after he wrote a perfect math exam, Gabriel was threatened with expulsion. He offered to retake the exam. Perfect again! Recognizing his potential, Gabriel’s mathematics teacher became Gabriel’s mentor and guide on a path to academia at the University of Toronto where Gabriel excelled in philosophy. Poised on a promising future and renewed hope with his beloved Cathy by his side, Gabriel did not anticipate his third and worst betrayal was yet to come.
Why did happiness elude Gabriel? In part grindingly slow, The Oracle of Spring Garden Road by author Norrin M. Ripsman is nevertheless, a fascinating portrayal of an outlier--- of his own making.