“I’m not sure he can. So I’m telling him not to even bother to assess blame. Instead he should look at the outcome. Mom is fine. More than fine. She’s happily remarried and has kids she adores. Now maybe she isn’t fine. Maybe she’s miserable. But that’s not the point. If he perceives her as fine, that’s good enough.”

“She is doing fine,” Decker said. “At least, she never hinted that she wasn’t fine. Maybe she isn’t fine. I’d think she’d be a lot finer if Jacob was happy.”

“Ain’t that the mantra of all parents. Anyway, you want my opinion. Behaviorally, Jacob will excel in college. He’ll ace it. And he’ll find socially acceptable outlets for all his energy. Emotionally, it would be good if he continued seeing someone when he’s in Baltimore. His problems aren’t going to be solved by the last commercial break. He’s aware of that, too.”

“What should I be doing?”

“He’s talking to you. Whatever you’re doing, it’s working. I’ve got a patient in two minutes. I’ve got to go pull her chart.”

“Can I call you again?”

“How about if I call you if Jake and I think I should call you? That way you don’t have to keep asking Jacob’s permission, and he won’t feel you’re horning in too much.”

Decker resigned himself to being kept in the dark. “That sounds acceptable. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Bye.”

In other words, no news would be good news. Decker’s take on it was no news meant less excess stomach acid.

14

The vandalism case stalled, but crime did not. With new homicides, rapes, assaults, burglaries, robberies, domestic disturbances, and car thefts, even Decker couldn’t think too much about a once defaced synagogue now freshly painted and restored to its former mediocre glory. The vandal or vandals did succeed in mobilizing community support for interfaith dialogues on hate crimes. Rina had thrown herself into the thick of it, organizing this panel and that panel. It was her way of dealing with the insult. Once in a while, she asked him about the progress in finding more culprits. When he made excuses, Rina didn’t push it.

For months, things proceeded apace, Decker’s family mercifully going through a quiescent period. His daughter Cindy had completed her second year as a cop, and had done so without major incident. This year, all the bad guys against her were actually felons. Jacob had been officially accepted to a joint program with Johns Hopkins and a local yeshiva in Baltimore. He worked hard without complaint and kept most of his opinions to himself. Decker resisted the parental urge to pry. Instead, he concentrated his energies on Hannah, who truly wanted his attention.