‘Really? God has spoken to you?’

‘Rabbi, please.’

‘This has to do with that Mayan Popol Vuh nonsense.’

‘Nonsense?’ She turns on him. ‘Were you there when those drones started landing, or when that alien ship rose out of the Gulf? Were you there when my Mick disappeared?’

Mindy attempts to put an arm around her. ‘Stay calm, dear. You’re doing a terrific job raising these boys. No one’s doubting you, right, Richard?’

The rabbi shrugs. ‘I’m not trying to upset you. They’re both such well developed athletes. At least reconsider and let them play Little League.’

‘Out of the question. Do you have any idea what would happen if they competed in public?’

‘My guess is they’d meet some friends their age and make a few coaches very happy.’

‘Please. There’d be a riot at every practice.’

‘Still, it might be good for them, especially for Manny,’ Mindy suggests. ‘They need friends their own age. Today’s their birthday, and there are no children here. It’s not right. Manny’s such a loving child, but he always seems so sad.’

‘He hates it here,’ Dominique admits. ‘Then again, maybe he just hates his brother. Anyway, I’m still too afraid to let them leave the compound.’

‘Aren’t you being just a tad overprotective?’

‘Overprotective? There are lunatics out there, Mindy, thousands of them. Some want to worship my boys, others want to kill them. Security receives hundreds of letters a week, some of them quite graphic. It’s sick.’

‘I had no idea.’

‘We’re prisoners in a luxurious cage. Jake could care less, but poor Manny—all he ever talks about is playing football and basketball when he grows up. Breaks my heart.’

‘What about Jake?’ Mindy asks. ‘What does he want to do when he gets older?’

‘Jake wants to train. I never have to push him, he knows intuitively what lies ahead. Up before dawn swimming laps, then two hours on the computer, memorizing God-knows-what. After breakfast he’s in the gym, studying with his Tibetan monk until lunch—’

‘He’s seven years old,’ the rabbi says. ‘He should be reading comics and … and taking naps.’

‘Don’t you get it? He’s not like other kids. Jake’s naps consist of transcendental meditation sessions. Sometimes he “naps” hanging upside down from inversion boots, other times, he immerses himself in a tub of cold water.’

‘Cold water?’

‘The monk taught him that. Says it forces the mind to redirect the blood to the internal organs. At first Jake could only stay in the tub for thirty seconds. Now he’s up to fifteen minutes. One time I checked his pulse, and I swear, I couldn’t find it.’

‘So what can we do to help?’ Mindy asks.

‘I’m worried about raising the boys without a father figure in their lives. Salt and Pepper help, but they’re more like big brothers.’ She looks at the rabbi.