You and me both, Libby thought, eyeing her brother-in-law in disgust. You and me both

H

e’d tried to stick to his principles, he really had. But despite the eyesore of the horrendous pink, Akiva found he couldn’t stay away from Deena’s drum set. So he kept reminding everyone that they no longer accept over-the-top gifts from family members, then tried not to feel like a hypocrite as he happily pounded away.

Deena found it hilarious that her father could play because he was actually surprisingly good at it.

“Where do you think you got all of this raw, unbridled talent from?” he asked, as he adjusted the snare. “You’re welcome, child.”

Deena rolled her eyes but grinned; Akiva smirked. She was a fun kid. Was this a new development, or had he never really taken the time to get to know her? He resolutely shooed that thought away; not going down that road today. He knew where it led — depression and sadness, guilt and pain, and long drives that usually ended with him buying a doughnut from Kosher Korner.

And since he wasn’t having pants custom made anymore, it seemed a shame to have to go buy new ones.

Deena stole a stick from him and they tried to play at the same time, but they ended up whacking their fingers and cracking up.

Libby suddenly appeared in front of them, a smile teetering on her lips at the sight of the two of them spending time together.

“Can a tone-deaf person enter these sacred grounds?” she asked, bowing her head.

Deena nodded regally; Akiva grinned at her from his stool.

“What’s doing?”

Libby looked at her watch. “We need to leave, like five minutes ago.”

He looked at her. “To dinner at my parents’ house? Oh, I’m so excited. Let’s rush over there as fast as we can,” he said deadpan, not moving.

She glared at him with a not-in-front-of-Deena look; he grimaced and dropped the sticks. “Yup, gotta run. We’ll be back soon, Deens, thanks for babysitting.”

“No drumming till we get back, I want you to be able to hear the kids,” Libby threw over her shoulder.

They heard mutters of “slave labor” as they hurried up the stairs.