you’re not strange. You’re a BMW. I didn’t tell her what that meant.”
Flash laughed. BMW stood for Burly Mountain Woman, which is what the tough ladies who lived on Mount Hood often called themselves.
“Can you fetch me the silver polish? It’s under the sink.”
Flash found the polish but before leaving Mrs. Scheinberg’s kitchen she paused and studied the photographs on the refrigerator. They were all of Mrs. Scheinberg with her family—her two sons, her seven grandchildren, an old black-and-white photo of her and her husband, Dr. Lawrence Scheinberg, who’d been movie-star handsome in his prime, a young Humphrey Bogart with thick wavy hair. One photograph was from last year, all the family gathered around a table with Mrs. Scheinberg’s silver menorah front and center. Mrs. Scheinberg had been lighting the very last candle when the photograph had been taken. Everyone in the picture wore a beautiful smile, the same smile, the smile of family. Flash felt a pang of sympathy for Ian. He’d never gotten to take a family photograph like this with his mother and grandparents and cousins. He’d never had the chance to celebrate the holidays that were part of his heritage, never a chance to light a candle on a menorah.
“Mrs. Scheinberg?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Are there rules about menorahs? I mean, Hanukkiahs?”
“Rules? What do you mean?”
She brought Mrs. Scheinberg the silver polish and a chamois.
“Rules about how they have to be made? Or blessed?”
“It should have nine branches, nine candle holders or nine oil holders. Usually eight are in a line. The ninth has to be higher than the other eight.”
“That’s it?”
“They should be made well. That’s all I can think of. Why do you ask?”
Flash opened the bottle of cleaner and went to work polishing the menorah for Mrs. Scheinberg. She had arthritis in her hands and Flash knew it pained her.
“I have an idea for a mitzvah to do for Ian.”
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