Rivky tries to change the topic at first but soon finds that it is not only useless but somewhat self-defeating. The discussions about their teacher serve as the best way of connecting and it’s the only topic Rivky can relate to. She faces away from her mother whenever she’s in sight and digs into a part of her she hadn’t even known existed a part that can harp on ill-fitting sweaters and old lady shoes and a sheitel that’s always askew.
She ignores the small persistent voice inside her head that whines what if they were talking about you? and responds with a silent shouting but they aren’t! And the voice continues this time with a little less force if I do stop hanging around with them maybe that’s exactly who they’ll start talking about…
“What does your mom say?” Aliza asks one day as the girls all put their salads in the middle of the table. Rivky Shmorg they affectionately call it and Rivky gamely eats from each salad even though she doesn’t particularly like vegetables.
“I haven’t spoken to her yet” Rivky says which isn’t entirely true. Just the other night Rivky had tried to bring it up had said something about Parshah class being a waste of time but her mother had shut it down before she could even get into details.
