And like this, through the phone, I don’t have to remember that Shan looks like a stranger now

Color me flabbergasted. I have no idea what that means, to “color me,” but I see it in books and I like the image it brings to mind. What color would flabbergasted look like, hmm?

I stretch and plop onto my bed, suddenly exhausted. Do all teenagers find life so utterly draining?

I hear a car door slam, someone laughs. I pull aside my curtain to spy on Libby and what’s-his-face. Hey, if she’s going to give me mussar schmoozes, I’m not going to call her date by his name.

She looks happy. And really pretty. She’s laughing and I can’t see his face, whatever it’s called, but his hat is tipped back in a way that makes me think he’s laughing too. Which is nice. I think couples should laugh together, in my humble opinion.

Yocheved and Zev never laugh. But maybe now….

The phone beeps.

It’s Shan.

Ma was amazing. She listened to everything I had to say about Shan. I hadn’t told her any of it, mainly because Ma and I don’t have that open, sharing relationship. Her eyebrows had furrowed when she heard how Zeesy and Debbi had paired up in camp, and how I had hit it off with Shan immediately.

She looked genuinely sad when she heard how Shan had changed.  And her forehead had creased when I’d explained my dilemma.