“How are you feeling?” she asked sympathetically.

Shaindele turned over, her eyes wet with tears. “I’m so ashamed.”

Leah caressed her forehead. “Why don’t you take the day off from school? I’m going to drop Chasya off. Can you watch the baby for me? And when I get back, we’ll talk.”

When she returned, Shaindele was sitting on the living room couch, Mordechai Shalom ensconced in her lap. To Leah’s relief, they were both smiling.

“He isn’t coughing, and he doesn’t feel like he has a fever anymore, Leah. Here, you touch him.”

“Is that right, Cheeky? Are we all better now, my sweet little boy?” she cooed, taking the child into her arms. A huge smile lit up his little face as he nuzzled into her neck. “What are we going to do with our Cheeky?”

“Pops,” he demanded, giggling.

“Oh, you want a reward for scaring me to death the other day? Well, we’ll just have to see about that, young man,” she told him, tickling his round little stomach as she hoisted him onto her hip and walked into the kitchen. Her lips grazed his forehead in a gentle kiss. He really was all right. No fever. Thank You, God! She exhaled, retrieving a big box of mango pops from the depths of the freezer. She sat him in her lap, peeling off the paper, then handing it to him. Then she looked over at Shaindele sitting alone in the living room.

“Come and take one, too, Shaindele,” she called out to her.

The girl got up and joined them in the kitchen. She said no to the pop, but sat down at the table across from them.

“Maybe a hot drink instead? I’m making myself some fresh coffee.”

“Tea? Chamomile?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you, Leah,” she said gratefully.

Leah strapped Mordechai Shalom into his high chair, filling his sippy cup with chocolate milk and setting a bowl of dry Cheerios in front of him on which the mango pop dripped its sticky orange residue. He found the combination gourmet, gobbling it down ecstatically with his spare hand. His appetite was definitely back, she saw, and she breathed out another prayer of grateful thanks. She filled two mugs with hot water, handing one to Shaindele with a spoon and a tea bag and placing some coffee and sugar in the other for herself.

“Sugar?”

“Yes, please.”

Leah handed her the bowl of sugar cubes, and she absentmindedly added four as Leah watched, amused.

“So you want to tell me what’s been going on with you, Shaindele?”

“You know.”

Leah shook her head. “Not really. I mean, I heard what you told your family. But you haven’t said a word about why. Why did you do it, Shaindele?”