T ammy was blossoming. She was beginning to see herself as a human being with the right to exist a right to an opinion a right to say no. Not only had she completely stopped purging she was sticking to her food plan and feeling a lot of freedom from her obsessions around food.

Then Tammy’s older sister Chana called. She was coming to Israel staying in Tammy’s apartment — in fact in Tammy’s room — while Tammy slept on the sofa.

“Two weeks with Mrs. Perfect and her perfect husband baby and career. She could stay with any of my siblings! Why me?”

“Good question ” I said. “Why you?”

Tammy shrugged. “Because she asked.”

“You agreed?”

“She didn’t ask exactly I had no choice.”