They May Not Mean To, But They Do

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Ruby went to Hebrew school three times a week after school. She babysat for Rabbi Kenny every Thursday night when he and his wife went out to dinner and to the movies. He had five-year-old twin boys.

“The only problem,” Daniel told Molly, “is that she wants to change her name to Rachel.”

Daniel talked about his daughters incessantly. There had been a time when his fascination with his own offspring had annoyed Molly, but since she’d moved to Los Angeles, Ruby and Cora had become like fantastical figures in a storybook, characters in a book about a magical, faraway place: Home. Now she encouraged Daniel. When he talked about his children, she felt she could safely relax and indulge herself in nostalgia and love for the city she left behind.

“She gave the rabbi’s kids all her old Pokémon cards.”

“Very generous.”

“Well, I guess she kind of outgrew them. And Cora didn’t want them. Not that she actually asked Cora.”

“I miss everyone so much,” Molly said.

“Did you talk to Mom today?”

“I did. She said she was very tired and the doctor told her to use her asthma inhaler thing, and she fell asleep reading the paper and woke up and thought it was morning. She was feeling a little better, so she ordered a turkey burger for dinner and she ate half of it.”

They hung up happy in the knowledge that their mother was thriving.