I guess as fasters go I’m a pretty good one. Not that I enjoy fasting — I don’t does anyone? But I can manage pretty well without eating and drinking for a day and that’s a lot more than most of my friends can say.

So when Penina called me two weeks before Tisha B’Av and said “I have a great idea let’s make a Tisha B’Av day camp together ” I agreed.

“Sounds good ” I said.

“Awesome ” Penina said. “My mother said we can use our basement and I already have like 20 kids from my neighborhood signed up.”

“Already signed up?” I asked. “And you’re only asking me about this now?”

Penina laughed. “Yeah I know ” she said. “But mothers have been asking me to run a day camp for days already and I knew you were going to say yes.”

I shook my head letting the idea settle in. Everything sounded good so far. “Okay ” I said. “I’ll double check with my mother but count me in.”

“Great!” Penina said and I thought I heard a sigh of relief over the phone line. I guess she really didn’t want to have to tell 20 mothers that she was backing out.

The next day in camp Penina bounced over to me as soon as I walked into the bunk room.

“Okay ” she said plopping into the chair next to mine. “We have 15 for sures ten maybes and three who want to think about it and will let us know tonight.”

“Huh?” I asked wiping sleep from my bleary eyes.

“For our camp ” Penina said. She jabbed my hand. “Come on where’s your enthusiasm?” she asked. “Once I made it official my phone has not stopped ringing.”

I blinked letting her words settle in. “Fifteen for sures ten maybes and three who will let us know?” I asked. “Wow that sounds like a lot of kids.”

“Yeah ” Penina said and I watched her eyes shine like flashlights. “And we’ve only just gotten started.”