Gabe has spent a lifetime dodging conflict, and he isn’t about to change that now
“Ithink he’s Rivi Greenberg’s brother.”
“I heard he lives in the Amazon rainforest.”
“I remember him from school. Weird kid. Looks like he turned out okay. Coming to shul and everything.” At that last whisper, Gabe looks up surreptitiously and spots a man who doesn’t look familiar. Maybe it’s the beard.
The murmurs follow him through the shul on Shabbos morning. No one is quiet enough, and the whispers are curious, though not hostile. He can’t be the only stranger in shul this Shabbos, but he must be the most interesting one.
Truthfully, he hadn’t even wanted to go. Shul has never been a great place for him. Abba had only gone on good weeks, and he’d stood to the side and avoided conversation. Gabe would stand next to him, feeling oddly protective of him and uncomfortable at the same time.
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