I paste on a huge, fake smile. “I… have to go now, guys. I have something going on… It was great seeing you, though!”

S

unday, I wake at the crack of dawn.

Okay, not exactly, but 7:45 a.m. is practically dawn when there’s no school, no friends, and no plans for the day.

No plans… except for the most important one: a Skype call with my family! Finally, finally, finally.

I’ve spoken to Ima and Abba, of course, and even caught my siblings early one morning before I headed off to school. But when I get home after five p.m., it’s late at night in India, and most of the week I just don’t get to speak to all of them: Baruch and Nachum. Mali and Ita Nomi. Baby Ayelet.

Ayelet. My heart squeezes. It isn’t fair to play favorites among my younger siblings, but really, really, really, seven-month-old Ayelet, with her silky brown hair and soft pink cheeks, is everyone’s favorite.

Ita Nomi is a full five years older than Ayelet, which made Ayelet’s arrival super exciting. After Ima, the baby is for sure the one I miss the most. Sometimes when I get home from school, I just itch for a cuddle, for her to wrap her little fingers around mine and gurgle up at me….

Okay, I can’t think about that, or I’m gonna show up on the call with red eyes and nose and a blotchy face. And however miserable I might feel, I’m not going to ruin this long-awaited call with my homesickness.