Meant To Be (a Jewish Romance Novel) by Chaya T. Hirsch

Author:Chaya T. Hirsch [Hirsch, Chaya T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-04-24T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

A few days later, Shifra texts me at my lunch break, asking if I can come over after work to help out with the kids, since her mother-in-law can’t make it. I was supposed to go to Pessy’s, and as much as I hate to admit, I’m sort of glad I don’t have to. It’s not that I don’t want to help her, I just don’t want to deal with her brother. I don’t really want to look at him or be in the same house as him. The way he brushed me off was so rude. I can’t believe I thought he was a good guy. Sure, maybe he is. Maybe I’m drawing up conclusions. But the fact is that he’s not for me.

I’ll need to get over this, though. I can’t avoid her house forever. I love the friendship that has formed between us and I’m not going to let a silly…whatever you want to call it…with her brother spoil that.

I text Pessy, telling her to call me with any questions she may have. Since she had no homework or tests over Chanukah, teachers love to pile it on after the holiday. Pessy reassures me she’ll be fine on her own, but she’ll definitely call if she has questions.

At five o’clock, I get on the bus to head over to my sister’s house. I ring the bell, and Shifra invites me in. Looking around, I see the house is a mess, and the kids are nowhere to be found.

“What’s going on?” I ask. “Where’s everyone?”

Her eyes are worn out. Her wig is crooked, her clothes are covered in food stains. We sit down in the kitchen. There are two pots on the stove, and I can smell leftover chicken soup from Shabbos.

Shifra massages her temples. “The boys are sleeping. Yael is with my sister-in-law. The triplets are in their room. Punished.”

“Punished? What happened?”

She sighs. “Remember how Blimi and Breindy were helping Brochy study? Turns out they weren’t actually studying. They were creating a secret language.”

“Is that bad?”

“They were creating the language so they could cheat. The teacher caught them yesterday and I was called to the school to discuss it with the principal and teacher.” She pauses before saying, “They want to split them into different classes.”

When the school year started, the principal recommended the girls be placed in separate classes, but Shifra felt like it wasn’t a good idea. The triplets were still dealing with the death of their father and needed some time to be together. She planned to split them up next year.

“The principal and I had a long talk with the girls, explaining that cheating is a sin and that they should never, never do it again. We also told them that putting them in separate classes is for their own benefit. They’re not happy with the news, or with me, but they need to understand the gravity of what they’ve done. I sent them to their room so they could think it over.

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