“Did he yell at you? Did you guys have a fight?”
I could hear my mother stifle a sob.
“You know it’s not your fault, Mom. It’ll be okay.”
“I know,” she replied, sniffling. “I’m sorry, Taylor. This wasn’t the plan.” Her voice trembled.
“Hey,” I said. “What if we borrow the money from Aunt Lucy? Like we did the last time?”
“Sweetheart, Aunt Lucy can’t afford to help us with bills and rent and pay for camp. It’s too much. And we don’t have anything extra in savings.”
A mix of emotions flooded my mind.He’s taking away my summer! I don’t want to go home! Why can’t he just be normal?
“It’s okay, Mom,” I finally replied. “We’ll figure it out.” I blinked back tears and looked up at the ceiling, willing them not to spill onto my cheeks.
It had been decided, Mom continued, that I would take the bus home from camp the following day.
“One day? That’s it? I thought you said next week,” I asked.
“Well, technically, tomorrow is the start of the next week of camp,” Mom explained.
Despite my objections, the arrangements had been made.
After the phone call, Mr. Pat quietly walked me back to the Lodge. His large hand gently rested on my shoulder. I returned to my seat on the bench next to Matt, a chorus of “One is Hashem” gleefully chanting around me.
Where is Hashem now?I wondered.Can’t he fix this?
Matt searched my face. The idea of leaving Sound Hollow, the one place where I could forget how unstable things always seemed to be at home, cut through my chest like an arrow hitting a bullseye in the archery pit. The tears rushed back to my eyes and fell silently into my lap.
“You okay?” he mouthed, angling his knees to face me.
I shook my head no.
“C’mon,” he stood up and took my hand. The Rockin’ Rabbi didn’t stop us as Matt led me to the back of the Lodge, away from the singing, in the area where the melamine dishes were stacked up on high shelves for mealtime.
“What happened?” he asked.
“My dad,” I responded, my lower lip trembling.
He waited for me to continue.
“I have to go home tomorrow.” I wiped an angry tear off my cheek.
“Why? You’re supposed to stay for the rest of the summer!”
“I know. He lost his job.”
“What does that mean?”
“We don’t have any money. They can’t afford to send me for the rest of the summer.”
“Oh,” Matt said, understanding settling in. His eyes brightened as an idea came to him. “Hey, maybe I could ask my mom and dad to pay for you.”
I shook my head. “My parents would kill me for even telling you.”
“Will you come back?” he asked. “Like, what if he gets another job quickly?”
“I don’t think so. Not this summer. It sounded like the decision was pretty permanent.”
