grove on our property,” Rina said. “It’s a ranch with horses and hay and a barn.”
Honey grinned. “Oh, Pessy, trees, and horses and a barn! Like we see in the countryside. Isn’t that exciting!”
The boy looked curious. “Horses like cowboys ride?”
At least he knows about cowboys, Rina thought. She said, “Yes, horses like the cowboys ride. My husband’s a cowboy … of sorts.”
That was too much for Pessy. He knitted his brow and fell silent.
Honey said, “I’m still amazed. When we left it was thirty degrees outside. Our village was a carpet of snow and ice. Walking three blocks hurt your lungs. Then you get on a plane, five hours later, it’s sunshine and greenery.”
“It’s been raining,” Rina said. “That’s why it’s so green. Anyone hungry?”
Honey began rooting through her handbag. “I think I have a package of crackers.”
Rina laughed. “I packed some fruit in a bag, Honey. It’s under your feet. Help yourself.”
Honey retrieved the bag from under her seat and pulled out an apple. “You thought of everything. Who wants?”
Pessy was about to pipe up when Mendel elbowed him in the ribs. The little boy sank back in the seat and was silent.
“Mendie, do you mind, please?” Honey spoke in Yiddish. “Take it, Pessy. That’s what it’s here for.”
Slowly, little fingers extended toward Honey. She gave him the apple.
Mendel said, “B’racha!”
Pessy looked at Mendel, said a prayer, then took a bite of the apple. He told Rina thank you in English.
“You’re welcome,” Rina answered.
“Anybody else want?” Honey asked.
Once again, the car fell silent. Rina hadn’t heard boo out of the younger girl. She was fair like her mother, with a smattering of freckles on each cheek.
“Maybe later, Honey,” Rina said.
“Well, I’m going to have a tangerine. It looks good.”
Honey broke off a small bit of peel. “Rina, I didn’t officially introduce you to my kids, did I?”
“Not officially.”
Honey kissed her elder daughter’s cheek. “This is Minda. She’s fifteen and beautiful—”
“Mama!” the girl whispered.
“Oh don’t shush me. You are beautiful, right, Rina?”
“Right,” Rina answered.
The girl blushed, holding back a smile at the compliment.
“Mendel is my scholar. Contrary to what you might think, he does know how to smile.”
“Only if I’m forced,” Mendel said, dryly.
Rina laughed. “You’re going to get along with Shmuel just fine. What mesechet are you learning, Mendel?”
The boy paused, perplexed by Rina’s interest in his studies. Girls just weren’t supposed to be aware of these things. But he answered just to be polite.
“Sukkos.” Mendel paused. “Do you have a Shas at your house?”
Rina let out a small laugh as she named the many Hebraic tomes in her library. “We have a standard Shas, we have a Steinzaltz Shas. We have a Shulchan Aruch, a Mishna Torah, Me’am Loez, plus some others. Will that help you out?”
Mendel nodded, but didn’t speak. Yet he seemed more relaxed. Perhaps he finally realized his mother wasn’t taking him to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Honey said, “See, Mendie, you’ve got nothing to worry about.” To Rina, she said, “He’s always afraid he’ll fall behind in his shiur, so he studies and makes himself go ahead. Did I introduce you to my younger daughter, Bryna, who is almost eight?”
“Hi, Bryna,” Rina said.
The girl smiled, showing missing side teeth.
“Are you excited about your vacation?”
The girl nodded.
“And you’ve met my sweetie pie, Pessy, who just turned five.” Honey clapped her hands. “So what should we do first, children? How about the zoo? Is that far from where you live, Rina? We can take the bus.”
“I’ll take you as soon as we unload all the luggage.”
Honey squeezed Bryna’s shoulder. “What do you think about that? Would you like to see real lions and tigers?”
Rina peeked in her rearview mirror. The girl seemed interested. Pessy could hardly contain his excitement.
“I wanna see them, Mama. Can I pet them?”
“You can’t pet a lion, Pessy,” Minda said. “Besides, they’re in cages.”
“How do you know about a zoo?” Mendel asked.
“We once went to the Brooklyn Zoo. We took a picnic lunch and spent the day in the park. Remember that, Mama?”
Honey nodded. “Do you remember that, Bryna? You were about two.”
The younger girl shook her head.
Honey smiled. “Wasn’t that fun, Minda?”
“Actually, I felt sorry for the animals,” Minda said. “All caged up.”
“The animals here aren’t in cages,” Rina said.
Bryna’s expression became petrified.
“They’re in enclosures,” Rina said quickly. “They can’t get out and walk around. But they live in big open spaces that are supposed to be like the animal’s natural habitat.”
Again, the car fell silent. Bryna whispered something in her mother’s ear.
Honey smiled. “How would you translate habitat?”
“The animal’s natural home,” Rina said. “It’s a lovely park. You have to see it to appreciate it.”
“The lions can’t get out?” Bryna said.
“No.”
“What happens if they do get out?”
“They just don’t, Bryna.”
“But if they do?”
“They take a gun and shoot them, Bryna,” Minda said. “And
