The way he spoke left no doubt in Shuey Portman’s mind as to whose idea it really was
Korman was leading the pack outside Rabbi Portman’s office, as if to make it clear that he was on board with the plan. Lorb and Wagner were there, and Shimshy Lieber had also been invited. He was meant to do the actual pitch, firstly because he fancied himself a gifted salesman (at the BMG shuk before Succos, he had sold more sets of arba minim than the kids at the next two tables combined and in eighth grade he’d raised enough for Beis Gavriel to win the dirt bike) and also because he was the most serious in the beis medrash, so it gave the idea more heft. It wasn’t just some boys looking for a matzav.
Shuey Portman heard the knocking and shuffling feet and called out, “Come in.”
He realized that it was more than one bochur and stood up, pulling out folding chairs and trying to rearrange the small office.
“Plenty of room rabboisai, plenty of room,” he said pleasantly, settling on a small stepladder from the hallway as the final seat. “Sit down, what’s up, what’s on your mind?”
This one’s in print. Some of our best stories live in the magazine — subscribe to get Mishpacha every week.
