“The truth?” Raizy said. Surely Yechiel couldn’t see her blush in the dark. “This morning”

True, children did tie you down, but Raizy wasn’t having two sleeping children keep her back from taking a walk with her husband at night. “That’s what double strollers were created for,” she reasoned.

Yitzchok and Chavi slept straight through the bed-to-stroller transfer, and the Jacobs headed out into the pleasant spring air.

They had their regular walking route: one block past the dead end, turn in to the upper avenues, two more blocks, and then, peace. This neighborhood was like a secret haven, a slice of tranquility just outside the congested heart-of-the-area they lived in.

“This,” Raizy declared, “is where I’d love to buy a house one day.”

“Sure, sure,” Yechiel sang. “Best would be to buy two adjacent houses, throw them down, and build our own little palace on that plot of land.”

“Hey, a girl can dream.”

“Like I said, sure. Absolutely.”

He tilted the stroller over a jutting bump on the pavement. They walked in silence for a few moments, until Raizy slowed her pace.

“Really…” she started. “Is it such a far-fetched dream? Not the double-lot, ha ha. But like, a small starter home.”

Yechiel eyed her curiously. “A certain mortgage broker I know doesn’t stop whining about the current mortgage rates.”

“I know.”

“Hello, what got into you, Raizy? Never mind mortgage rates. You get to see actual contracts. I mean, have you spoken to any brokers about housing prices recently?”

“The truth?” Raizy said. Surely, Yechiel couldn’t see her blush in the dark. “This morning.”