Shifra fingered the silver mirror that she had gotten as a gift from Miriam Haneviah. She smiled. Every time she saw the mirror she remembered what Miriam had told her. It was really working; Shifra really was maintaining a more positive attitude about the move.

But all it took was one phone call to change Shifra’s mood to down in the dumps.

Shifra was sitting at the dinner table next to Meir, her younger brother. Both of them were eating dinner with relish.
“Thank you for making meatballs and spaghetti Ma,” Meir said, his mouth full. “It’s my favorite dinner.”

“Yeah, mine too. Thanks Ma!” Shifra said, twirling a piece of spaghetti on her fork.

“My pleasure, I love making food for those who appreciate it.”

Shifra savoured the quiet dinner. Sometimes they would invite people to come for weekday dinners as well as on Shabbos; Shifra definitely preferred the quite family dinners. Though her father wasn’t home, at least it was still them three.

The jangling of the phone broke the stillness. Ma got up apologetically. “Sorry,” she told them, knowing how precious the family dinners were to both her son and daughter, “I’m expecting an important phone call and must answer.”
Shifra groaned. It happened too many times. Just when they were finally enjoying a moment of quiet time, an important phone call would come for her mother.

“Mazal tov, mazal tov!” Shifra heard her mother say loudly into the phone. Both Shifra and Meir whipped up their heads.

“That was my sister Esti; Yehuda is engaged!” Ma said joyfully.

“Mazal tov!” Shifra shouted happily. Her first cousin was finally engaged!

Meir pranced around the room singing “siman tov u’mazal tov” at the top of his lungs.

“Who’s the kallah?” Shifra asked curiously.

“Her name is Dina Abramovky and she is actually from Russia. We won’t be able to attend the engagement though,” Ma continued, “we could try and make it for the wedding, but not all of us. Maybe just me or Ta.”

Shifra felt her heart sink. There was finally a simcha in the family and she couldn’t go? Shifra felt herself turning sulkier and angrier by the minute. A picture of the mirror flashed through her mind, but Shifra pushed it away. She didn’t feel like going to get it now. It just wasn’t fair.

To be continued…