Recap: Akiva’s leg is broken and there’s a blizzard that’s preventing his parents from flying to Alaska for his bar mitzvah. Also, he lost the silver dollars that his Zeidy’s friend gave him for his bar mitzvah.
“Yoey!” Mr. Greenspan patted my Zeidy’s shoulder in greeting as we headed into shul.
He turned towards me. “I heard you had quite an adventure. Ernest was worried about you.”
Ernest smiled at me. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Well, I had a broken ankle, but I thanked him.
Mr. Greenspan shook his head. “Bad timing right before your bar mitzvah.”
“You know Ernest has a huge coin collection like me,” Mr. Greenspan said, as he put his arm on his nephew’s shoulder.
Ernest nodded. “Baruch Hashem, I’ve collected tons of coins. Thanks to Uncle Beryl.”
Now, he’d bring up the silver dollars. What would I tell him?
Thankfully, the conversation ended there, as davening was starting.
After it was over, Zeidy wasn’t ready to leave yet. I kept on saying T’hilim, hoping Mr. Greenspan would leave before he got to talking to me about his gift.
Ernest sidled over to me. “Do you want to come see my collection? I have silver dollars and Kennedy coins and even coins from the early 1800s.”
“Thanks, maybe another time. I have to go home and practice for my bar mitzvah.”
Mr. Greenspan stepped over to us and added. “Yes, I always give relatives and friends silver dollars. Akiva, you should show Ernie the ones I gave you. Those were newly minted. He’d like to see them.”
“Uh—”
Just then, Zeidy walked over. “We better get back now. There’s some last-minute shopping and we have to do B’dikas Chametz tonight.”
We bustled out of shul. Ernest was by my side again. “I’ll call you and maybe we can get together during Chol HaMoed. I’d love to see those silver dollars my uncle gave you.”
No, I don’t want to get together; and besides, I don’t have the silver dollars anymore.
I didn’t reply. I just waved and hobbled over to Zeidy’s jeep.
Betzalel had overheard the whole thing.
He whispered in my ear. “Let’s hope we find those coins before then.”
“How?” I whispered back.
“Boys,” Zeidy said. “I want to show you something. It’s a view like a postcard. They cleared the highway and I want you to see the view.”
He drove a ways and the view along the highway was breathtaking. There were snow-frosted peaks silhouetted against an azure sky.
“We’ll pull over here, so we can get a photo of you two in front of the mountains.”
After that, we headed back home to help Aunt Margie with the Pesach preparations.
I couldn’t do much cleaning, but I helped with peeling vegetables and checking lettuce.
“I wish my parents were coming,” I said.
“Me, too. To miss your bar mitzvah! They must feel terrible,” Aunt Margie said. “It stopped snowing. Isn’t there some way they could still get here?”
“The problem is the airports were all closed, and flights are just starting. It will be impossible to get a flight here before Shabbos and Pesach.”
Estee sauntered into the kitchen. “Can I help make the charoses?”
“Sure, but right now I need you to sweep the back room.” Aunt Margie handed Estee a broom and dustpan.
“Sorry, I can’t be of more help,” I said.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. It sounds like you boys had a crazy adventure. Betzalel told me about the wolves,” Aunt Margie said.
Zeidy strode into the kitchen. “I invited Teddy and his family for the Sedarim,” he said.
“We’ll need more matzos,” Aunt Margie said, “But it’s fine. I’ll head over to the shul. There’s still time to bake some more in the special Pesach oven.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Estee answered. “He’s in the kitchen,” she said.
Before I had time to run or hobble away, Ernest appeared in the kitchen.
“I was walking by and I thought I’d stop by to catch a glimpse of the silver dollars,” Ernest said.
“Thanks for coming by,” I said. I had to think quickly how to distract him from wanting to see my coins. “We’re kind of in a crunch with the Pesach cleaning,” I said.
“Oh, because I wanted to show you something really neat,” Ernest said. There’s this playhouse a few houses down from here in a neighbor’s backyard. I’ve been watching a caribou and taking notes on its behavior. It goes into the playhouse sometimes at night. Isn’t that neat. Do you want to come see it?”
That did sound kind of interesting, but I didn’t want to start being friends with him.
“Can we get together another time?”
Ernest looked disappointed. “Okay, see you around.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. I did feel like I was being mean.
“It’s okay.” He hesitated. “Do you by any chance have a sweater I could borrow. It’s freezing out there even with my heavy down coat.”
“Yeah.” I was glad I could at least do something for him. I called to Estee: “Can you please bring me the green cardigan sweater. It’s hanging in the front hall closet.”
“Is it the one Zeidy gave you?” Estee called.
“Yes!”
“Are you sure you put it in the closet?” she asked.
I thought a minute. “Oh, maybe it’s in my room.”
“It’s not,” she said.
I tried to think where I’d left it.
“I found it,” Estee said. “It was in the kitchen!”
I handed it to Ernest.
“Thanks. “By the way, I have a bunch of brand-new hockey sticks. Maybe your brother and…uh, is she your sister?”
“No, Estee is my cousin.”
“Well, tell them to come over to my uncle’s house; its over on Forest Road. He has a frozen lake in back that’s perfect for ice hockey.”
That actually sounded fun. I wished I could play that. “I’ll tell them.”
He glanced at my cast. “You could be the scorekeeper,” he said.
…
Later, after all the cleaning was done, Betzalel said, “I’d like to see the frozen lake and play ice hockey. Estee wants to come. Do you want to come and you can watch?”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to watch them having fun playing when I couldn’t, and I also didn’t want to run into Mr. Greenspan again.
“Betzalel, what should I do about the silver dollars? I know someone took them. How am I supposed to get them back. I look so irresponsible. I should have taken better care of them.”
“Daven. You could make a sign but – no, that won’t work because Mr. Greenspan will see it.”
“Look, we have to daven that Hashem should help you find them. I still think you will.”
I wished I could feel as positive as Betzalel.
To be continued…
Susie Garber is the author of an historical fiction novel, Flight of the Doves (Menucha Publishing, 2023), Please Be Polite (Menucha Publishers, 2022), A Bridge in Time (Menucha Publishing, 2021), Secrets in Disguise (Menucha Publishers, 2020), Denver Dreams (a novel, Jerusalem Publications, 2009), Memorable Characters…Magnificent Stories (Scholastic, 2002), Befriend (Menucha Publishers, 2013), The Road Less Traveled (Feldheim, 2015), fiction serials and features in Binah Magazine and Binyan Magazine, “Moon Song” in Binyan (2021-2022), and Alaskan Gold ( 2023-2024).
