There is little that Penina wants to do less than make small talk with Gabe Cohen

Daniel had been furious with Penina this morning. It had been one of those mornings — neither of them had gotten much sleep, and every little comment had set him off. Penina had snapped more than she’d wanted to, and now she carries an uneasy guilt with her throughout the morning, distracting her from her work and making her listless during meetings.

To make matters worse, Rivi’s shivah is nearly over and Penina has only gotten over there twice, both times in the evenings. Rivi hasn’t had many visitors beyond the neighbors, vague acquaintances, and her sisters-in-law, who are lingering there whenever Penina speaks to her, and seem to cause more stress than comfort. You don’t need to come, Rivi had texted her earlier. I know that it’s awkward.

Awkward because Gabe is there, sitting beside Rivi with his lanky legs sprawled out in front of him on the too-short chair, making friendly conversation with her as though he hadn’t run off in the middle of their engagement without so much as a goodbye. Penina hadn’t even known that the engagement had been broken off until Rivi had called her, seething, with the news that Gabe had taken an assignment in China and had asked her to pass on the message.

There is little that Penina wants to do less than make small talk with Gabe Cohen.

But Rivi needs her, at the very least as a safe harbor from her sisters-in-law. So Penina pushes through her morning assignments and emails the completed work to her boss before she puts on her best smile and pokes her head into his office. “Martin, is it okay if I take a long lunch break?”

Martin looks up, quizzical, and Penina feels the need to explain herself. “I have a friend who’s doing the... ah, ritual week of mourning for her father. She hasn’t had many visitors.”