Ayala stiffened. “No. I’m not scared. But I’m also not a fan of throwing money at something unnecessarily”

Dini felt like skipping as she walked out of the elevator in Temima’s posh office building. The release of built-up tension combined with the adrenaline of having real, exciting action-steps to take, made her feel giddy. Finally, after all these stressful weeks, she and Ayala had taken a giant step forward together!

Of course, the absolute highlight of the meeting had been when she’d put forward Shuki’s proposal of forming a Chesed Tzirel club among young American kollel wives. Temima had been so enthusiastic she’d literally jumped out of her seat.

“What a brilliant idea!” she’d said. “If you can pull it off. Do you think you can actually create a model of chic volunteerism?”

Chic volunteerism. It sounded so fresh and cutting edge. Dini had lifted her chin confidently. “Yup, I think I can.”

Now, as she stepped outside into the sunshine, she felt like calling Shuki to tell him about her — well, his — no, their  —smashing success. But she thought it might be rude, with Ayala walking next to her. Instead, she turned to her friend with a shining smile.

“Wow, that was amazing, wasn’t it? I’m starving. How about we get some lunch? There’s a café right across the street.”

Was Ayala’s return smile just a bit forced? “That’s okay, I brought along something to eat.” She patted her pocketbook which probably contained, like, a sliced apple.

Dini rolled her eyes. “It’s my treat,” she said, grabbing Ayala’s arm and steering her toward the crosswalk.