“Bye.” Leah turned around in her seat. “I spy with my little eye … something green…,” Leah began, and was rewarded by Chasya’s immediate attention, her little face alive with interest. She felt Yaakov’s hand reach out to hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

The road whizzed by, rocking the children to sleep.

“What did your mother say?” Yaakov whispered.

“She put on a good show. But I think she’s flabbergasted. And worried. This is so sudden. She can’t figure out what’s going on.”

Yaakov nodded. “We should have come to see her months ago. It wasn’t right.”

Leah looked at him meaningfully. “Even though she’s not religious? I always thought you didn’t want the children exposed to the way she lives.”

He seemed genuinely shocked. “No, no! That was never the reason. I just couldn’t get away from work.” His expression was grim.

“It hasn’t been easy for you, has it?” she murmured, suddenly realizing just how unhappy he’d been all these months.

“I don’t mind the work, the actual accounting. It’s even interesting in a way. But being part of the ‘team’—my boss, the other people, the clients—having to go to bars with them, to pretend I’m one of them just to get ahead…” He shook his head. “I hate it so much, I can’t even tell you. And that was before my boss threatened to fire me over something that has nothing at all to do with my work!”

She was genuinely shocked. So that was it, what had been eating away at him all these months, turning him into another person? She felt an enormous relief, bordering on joy. “I thought it was me you were unhappy with, me you wanted to get away from.”

He clutched the steering wheel, giving her a quick, astonished glance. “HaShem Yishmor! Oy, Leah. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m also sorry. I never really asked you what was wrong. I guess I was afraid of the answer.”

“So then maybe it’s not so terrible we had to run away together.” He chuckled, and she joined him.

“Maybe it’s a chesed.”

They were both deep in thought as they passed the turnoff to Baltimore.

“Didn’t you want to stop and see your family?”

He shook his head. “I want to give Shaindele a chance to settle in first.”

“You called your brother after she got there?”

He nodded.

“So how is she?”

“He says she seems tired after the long train ride but relieved to be out of Boro Park.”

“Are they arranging for her therapy?”

“They are checking out counselors, women counselors, who have real academic degrees and have been working with teenagers in the community. They have a number of recommendations.”

“HaShem should bless us that they find the right one.”

“Amen.”

“So where do you want to spend the night?”

He shrugged.