As we stood at Har Sinai, the experience flooded senses; we saw the thunder, heard the lightning. The lightning fades, but the sudden burst of clarity takes you forward. 6 women share a moment that illuminated their path
Ma is preparing my snacks, placing the fruit in the container just as I like it — four peach quarters, a peeled pear. The bags under her eyes look ready to capsize, rowboats in a storming ocean.
I watch her carefully as she closes the lid with a click, avoiding my gaze. A crowd of butterflies take wing in my stomach. Dad hasn’t done it again, has he?
I know it will hurt her, it will. But I can’t take the not knowing. “Is Dad okay?” I ask. She swivels round suspiciously, looks hunted.
“No.”
My back stiffens. “What did he do?” Ma turns around to prepare Chani’s snacks and starts cutting again. As the knife hits the board, she answers in a monotone, “Overdose.”
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