Recap: Hope enjoyed a Friday night experience at the Jacobsons. The next day, she had to go to work. She was left in charge of the store. When she went to the back to look for something for a customer, there was the sound of someone entering the store. Later, when Mrs. Bowers came to collect the money from the register, she found the amount didn’t match what the receipt said, and she accused Hope of stealing money.
I could hear angry voices from my room in the basement. “The cash register doesn’t lie, Edward. She was the only one there.”
Mr. Bowers’s voice rose, “You don’t know what happened. I wouldn’t assume that at all.”
I wanted to leave. How could I stay in a place where the mother of the house thought I was a thief and a liar?
Just then, Bonnie ran down the stairs.
“Bonnie, you have to go back up. Your mother doesn’t want you down here.”
Bonnie screwed up her little nose and gave the answer she always gave when Mrs. Bowers’ will contradicted hers. “She’s not my mother.”
“Your father wants you to listen to her.”
“He’s fighting with her.”
Bonnie suddenly burst into tears. She was holding her ears.
I took her in my arms and hugged her. “I’m sorry. It must be so hard to hear all this yelling.“
I led her upstairs and interrupted the fight to ask if I could take Bonnie to the park.
Mr. Bowers looked embarrassed. He nodded at me.
Mrs. Bowers’ face was almost purple with anger. She didn’t look at me. I hurried Bonnie out of the house.
At the park, we saw Rivkah and D’vori. Bonnie ran with D’vori to the slide and Rivkah and I had time to chat.
“Can you come again this week for Friday night dinner?” she asked.
“I would love it. I’ll ask permission.” I wanted to confide in Rivkah about how mean Mrs. Bowers was, but I wasn’t sure if I should say anything. Rivkah had told me once about lashon ha’ra and I was afraid talking about it might fall under that category.
“My brother Avraham is in from Eretz Yisrael. He has a short break from yeshivah.”
“That’s nice,” I said.
“Avraham is my favorite brother. I know I shouldn’t have favorites, but he’s got the biggest heart. You won’t believe what he did yesterday.”
D’vori ran over at that moment. “Can we go on the swings? Bonnie wants to go on the swings.”
We followed the girls to the swings, and while we pushed them, we continued our conversation.
“Anyway, my neighbor is an older woman, Mrs. Kahn. I think she may be 96. Anyway, she got sick last week and had to go to the hospital. Her daughter asked if our family could take care of her dog. She’s very attached to her dog. So, the thing is that most of my siblings are afraid of dogs and so is my mother.”
Avraham is the only one who isn’t afraid. He said he’d do it. So now we have this big gold dog in our house. My father and Avraham had to go over the halachos of animals on Shabbos, because it poses some issues on Shabbos, but Avraham is taking care of it and he’s just not taking it out on Shabbos. It has to stay in our fenced-in yard then.”
We stayed in the park for hours until D’vori said she was hungry and Bonnie chimed in. “I’m hungry!”
As we left the park, Rivkah decided to take me on a scenic route. “I want to show you something I discovered a while ago. It’s like this historical place.”
She showed me a cave that was recessed back from the main road behind tall evergreens and birch trees. “Look, there’s a small plaque on the cave.” I drew close and read. “This cave was used for the Underground Railroad during the Civil War.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.” I tried to imagine runaway slaves hiding here as one stop on their way to freedom.
“Let’s go in and see what it’s like,” Rivkah said.
We all followed her into the cave. There was enough space for all of us. It extended back like one big room. There were rocks on the ground and stalagmites.
“I like it,” Bonnie said.
“Let’s stay and tell stories,” I said.
…
On Friday night, Mr. Bowers said good-bye to Bonnie. She clung to him. “Father, don’t go. You always go.”
“Sorry, sweetie. I’ll be back soon. I’ll bring you a present.”
“I don’t want a present. You’re my present.”
I felt so sad when she said that. She needed her father.
He was going on another business trip. Luckily, he’d told Mrs. Bowers that I could go with Bonnie every Friday night to the Jacobsons. I was so happy about that.
Mrs. Bowers barely looked at me but she still barked orders. “You better bring her home on time,” she said.
…
The following Friday night, when we opened the door to the Jacobsons, a golden retriever came over and rubbed against me. I didn’t mind. My friend Heather loved dogs and she’d shown me a picture of her cousin’s dog. “It’s a golden retriever. I really want one like that,” she’d said. Heather would love this dog.
I patted its head and Bonnie followed my example.
Rivkah said, ”We have to put Apricot outside now. This is the dog my brother is taking care of.”
The dinner was so wonderful. I loved all the singing and the lively discussions and watching all the children, their faces glowing in the candlelight. Rabbi Jacobson asked each person to tell a hashgachah story, something that had happened during the week that really made them see Hashem was involved in their life.
D’vori shared how she got a lollipop for cleaning up in her classroom. Shani shared that she forgot to study for a test and the teacher was absent, so she had another week to study. Rabbi Jacobson asked Bonnie, “Tell us something special that shows what Hashem did for you that shows He loves you.” Bonnie looked at me and then she nodded her head. “Hashem loves me. He brought Hope to my house.”
I almost fell off my chair. “Thanks, Bonnie,” I whispered. When it was my turn, I shared, “Meeting Rivkah and D’vori in the park was hashgachah for me.”
After the hashgachah stories, I helped Rivkah serve the steaming chicken soup, and then there was chicken and rice and noodle kugel. The food was so delicious. I especially loved the home-baked challah. I wished my parents could see this; they would love it. They would for sure love it.
…
Rivkah walked Bonnie and me most of the way home.
“It’s great we live so near you,” I said.
It felt like Rivkah and I had been friends forever. I wondered out loud, “Why is it with some people you just right away feel comfortable, and with others it just doesn’t click?”
“It’s a deep question,” Rivkah said. “We each have unique personalities. I think some just click with others and you have to find the right clicks.”
We both giggled.
“Bye, good Shabbos. I have to get back and help my mother with the dishes.”
“Oh, I’m sorry we didn’t stay to help.”
“It’s fine. There would be plenty of times, G-d willing, when you can help.”
Bonnie was quiet, holding my hand as we strolled towards her house. “You see all those stars?” I asked.
“There are so many.”
I pointed out a constellation to her. It was the one Father had shown me on clear summer nights like this.
“I wish I could touch a star,” she said.
“Well, you can’t, but it’s good to want to try.”
I thought of my ballet dream and the contest I had left behind. Would I ever be able to reach for that star again?
The television was blaring as we stepped inside the house.
“You came back late,” Mrs. Bowers said.
“Put Bonnie to bed. It’s past her bedtime.”
No please, no greeting, just an order.
I helped Bonnie slip into her soft pajamas. She was looking outside the window in her bedroom at the starry sky. “Do you think my mother is up there with G-d?” she asked.
I nodded. I wondered what made her suddenly ask that.
“I miss her. I wish she could come back.”
I felt a sudden lump in my throat. I held Bonnie in my arms.
I sang to her and tucked her in and said the first line of Sh’ma for her. She said parts of it with me. Then I tiptoed back to the basement. As I went, I realized that Bonnie had let me tuck her in.
To be continued…
Susie Garber is the author of the newly released historical fiction novel, Flight of the Doves (Menucha Publishers, 2023), Please Be Polite (Menucha Publishers, 2022), A Bridge in Time (Menucha Publishers, 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, and “Moon Song” in Binyan (2021-2022).