Software Savvy: Part 21

“Shloimy’s on his way to Deal, Menachem’s doing drop-offs in the Catskills, Avrumi’s dropping someone off at JFK, and Shimmy… honestly, I can’t keep track anymore!” Heshy, the owner of Swifty, a heimish car service company, threw up his hands. “I just need someone — anyone — to pick up Mrs. Lefkowitz from her daughter in Lakewood and get her back to Boro Park. Why does this feel like an advanced Sudoku puzzle?”

Mendy, Heshy’s ever-patient assistant, cut in. “Listen, Hesh. The Lefkowitzes are regulars. And you know their mechutan’s making a wedding in Toronto next month — they’re definitely going to need us for that. We can’t drop the ball now. I know we don’t usually do last-minute calls, but they’re desperate. Let’s figure this out.”

Heshy sighed and pulled up Google Maps. “Okay, from Deal to Lakewood — 44 minutes, but Shloimy’s not even there yet. Catskills to Lakewood is three hours — forget it. JFK to Lakewood, two hours… maybe Avrumi’s our best bet since he lives in Boro Park anyway. But how do I know who can get there fastest?” He groaned. “I guess I’ll just ask the chevreh who wants the job and figure it out from there. What else can I do?”

He didn’t realize Mendy was still on the line until his assistant responded to the rhetorical question. “There’s probably a better way to handle this. I’m going to look into it.”