The Puttermans Are in the House by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman

Author:Jacquetta Nammar Feldman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2022-11-08T00:00:00+00:00

Matty

At Shabbat dinner, Sammy stares at me hard, like she’s trying to read my mind.

I don’t let her.

But if our twin telepathy were working, she’d find out that I feel better than I have in a really long time.

Turns out it’s a lot to carry around a big secret. It’s a lot to have a bunch of new feelings and keep them to yourself.

And when you finally let somebody in, you feel a whole lot lighter.

But here’s the thing: deciding to let somebody in is way different than somebody—I’m not saying who—reading your mind all the time and telling you what you think.

I’m starting to say what I think on my own. I’m starting to get my feelings out. I guess that’s what Ms. Martinez’s feelings journal is all about.

Earlier today when she checked my page counts, I’m sure she got the gist of what I’ve been feeling, since you know that saying—a picture’s worth a thousand words.

Well, I drew six.

She leafed through them fast and businesslike, but I could tell she wanted a closer look. So after class I went up to her desk and slid my feelings journal across to her. I said, “I want to share my drawings with you since you lost your home in the hurricane, too.”

She covered her heart with her hands and smiled, then she opened my journal. “I’d be honored, Matty.”

Mrs. Martinez lingered at each picture, taking it in. When she finished, she closed my journal and ran her fingers over the cover. Gave it a little pat. “Thank you, Matty. I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said. “It’s like I’m there with you since you captured all your feelings so strongly. Keep telling your story. It’s a great one.”

I smiled. That’s what I was goin’ for! That was why winning the Bayou City Art Contest with my drawing of Bialy meant so much to me: I had wanted to share my feelings all along, but I needed to figure out how.

And now that I’ve practiced sharing my feelings with Becky and Ms. Martinez, sharing them with Sammy, Mom, and Dad will be a whole lot easier.

In addition to being Shabbat, Yom Kippur starts tonight. We’re going to Kol Nidre services at our synagogue after a big early dinner, and then we’ll go back to services tomorrow. It’s not like we’re super religious or anything, but in my Jewish family, it’s just what you do, okay?

As Bubbe says, “Religion every single week? Ehh. Holidays and celebrations? Of course. But we Puttermans are mostly about food and family!”

She’s made all our favorites for dinner: a round raisin challah, roast chicken with crispy potato medallions, sweet glazed carrots, and sautéed green beans. And she’s substituted her lemon cake with a honey cake tonight. We’re stuffing our faces before sunset, and then most of us will fast all tomorrow.

Becky’s fasting this year since she just turned thirteen, and even though Sammy and I don’t technically have to since we’re twelve, I’ve decided to fast with my cousin.

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