The Book of Elsie by Joanne Levy

Author:Joanne Levy [Levy, Joanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2022-07-08T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

We sold out of my twenty tickets almost right away. We returned to Bubby and Zaida’s to drop off the money and get their batch to sell. Bubby was impressed. She told us we must be great salespeople. I wasn’t going to argue.

After a bathroom break, Bubby handed over the envelope with their tickets, and Grace and I started back out.

About ten minutes later Grace took a bite of hamantaschen. “This is so easy!” she said as she chewed. The last lady we’d sold tickets to hadn’t wanted any cookies. She’d said she couldn’t eat sweets and that we should have them. Who were we to argue?

Selling tons of tickets and getting to keep the cookies for ourselves? Did it get any better? I didn’t think so. Community outreach was awesome.

“I know,” I said. “We’ve sold almost all of them!” I reached into the tote for another cookie. “Just four tickets left.”

“We’ll sell them in no time.” Grace brushed the last of the crumbs from her hands. “What’s the next address?”

I glanced at the list. “There aren’t any left on Bubby’s list. We got them all!”

“Should we go back?” Grace asked. “There were a few on the fifth floor who weren’t home. We can try them again.”

I looked down the hall. There were four doors on the third floor that we hadn’t knocked on. “Let’s keep going here. I’m sure we’ll sell the rest.” It would be so amazing if we sold them all in just one day!

Grace nodded. She was as determined as I was. “Oh hey,” she said as we walked down the hall. “I was thinking. My auntie Ally volunteers for a community TV station. She’s been taping some sports events, but I could call her and see if she’ll do a story on the fundraiser. What do you think?”

“What do I think?!” I threw my arms around Grace and gave her a huge hug. “I think it’s the best idea ever!”

We turned, finding ourselves in front of apartment 3C. Grace knocked on the door.

We heard some shuffling and then the door swung open. It was an old man with a big belly, wearing a plaid shirt that looked like it was about to pop a few buttons. He had long, bushy eyebrows and thick glasses. He was frowning.

I suddenly wished we hadn’t knocked on the door. The look on Grace’s face said she was thinking the same thing. This man wasn’t smiling or happy to see us the way all the other seniors had been. This man acted like we’d interrupted his nap.

I thought about running away. But it was a long way to the elevator. Plus outreach meant engaging the community. Even the people that weren’t like us. That’s what Rabbi Alisha always said.

“What do you want?” the man growled.

I cleared my throat and gave him my best smile. “Hello, sir,” I said. “We’re selling tickets for the Temple Beth El Purim fundraiser.”

“And each ticket comes with a free hamantaschen,” Grace added.

“Temple what? A free what?”

“Temple Beth El.

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