It was five in the afternoon and lunch had just ended. All the children and grandchildren were in the backyard getting the last bits of sunshine while Decker and Rina were debating whether or not to tackle the dishes. The family had come in for the last two days of the Jewish holidays—Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah—except for Gabe and Yasmine. Yasmine was with her parents in Los Angeles, and Gabe was out of the country. It had been a lively time—boisterous, with a lot of laughs: everyone bunking down in their small house, siblings catching up with one another, and cousins catching up with cousins, because who knew when they’d all meet again. There wasn’t a square inch of floor to be seen; all of it was covered with toys, baby equipment, and sleeping bags.

Decker rolled up his sleeves. “Shall we?”

“No time like the present.” Rina dug into the soapy water basin and began rinsing dishes. “Nice couple of days.”

“Indeed.”

“Will we miss this when we move to Israel?”

“Probably not, because they’ll all come visit us for the holidays,” Decker said. “I’m already putting away money for hotel bills.”

Rina smiled and handed him a dish. “Do you think that’s really going to happen?”

“Actually, yes, I do think they’ll come and visit,” Decker said. “But probably not all at the same time.” He wiped a plate. “But children or no children, I’m ready to cut ties with Greenbury.”

“I’m glad you reached that decision on your own.” Rina put a pile of wet dishes on the counter.

“It was a great interlude between Los Angeles and our future, but it’s over.”

“Then we should seriously think about the offer we received for the house.”

“It’s a good one,” Decker said. “What do you think?”

“If we sell, it’s final,” Rina said. “We are really cutting ties.”

“Even if we decide to come back to the States, what’s the likelihood that we come back to Greenbury?”

“If you are definitely quitting your job, we’re not going to return here,” Rina said. “If we buy anywhere, it’ll be close to the kids.”

“Do you want to take the money from the house and buy in Manhattan?” Decker said.

“Not really. What about you?”

“Your decision. Your trust fund.”

“And it was your house that we sold in Los Angeles to buy a bigger house that we sold. Don’t lay it on me, buster.” Decker smiled. Rina said, “Honestly, I’d rather help all of them buy bigger apartments with a guest room. Let them do all the maintenance.”

“I like it.” Decker paused. “Let’s counter the offer and see what happens.”

“I’ll call the agent right after Yom Tov.” She looked at her watch. “About an hour and change from now.”