All I wanted was to know the special news that Mama had. “No, Mama,” I burst out, “tell me. What’s so exciting? Tell me!”

Elka

I looked at Mama expectantly, but she had stopped talking and was looking at me.

“You look like you want to tell me about your trip first,” Mama said, smiling. “Did you have a good time?”

Well. I had wanted to tell her about my trip, but now all I wanted was to know the special news that Mama had. “No, Mama,” I burst out, “tell me. What’s so exciting? Tell me!”

Mama laughed and rubbed the top of my head. I usually hate when she does that, but now I didn’t really care. As long as she would just tell me the news already!

“Alright,” Mama said slowly, in that calm way of hers, “I’ll go first. In a few weeks, I’m  going to visit my cousins in Yerushalayim.”

My eyes grew wide. Yerushalayim. Wow! I’d never been there. Well, besides for when we stopped there to transfer to the bus to Chevron. But that didn’t count — we didn’t really see Yerushalayim. Mama was sooo lucky. But what was the special news she had for me?

“Yes, Elka,” Mama nodded, seeing the excitement in my eyes. “And if you help me prepare, then guess who’s going to get to come along with me?”

“Me? Really?” I exclaimed, pointing to myself but hardly daring to get excited. And then Mama nodded and I didn’t have to hold back my excitement any longer. I jumped up and flung my arms around her. “You’ll see,” I declared after I had let go, “I’ll be the biggest help you can imagine. What should I do? Wash vegetables? Sweep the floor? Iron?”

Mama laughed and shooed me off to the bathroom. “Go wash up first,” she said, “and then you can tell me all about your trip.”