“Hmm?” Tamar replied, closing her binder and looking up to see who was calling her name. Oh, Michal

"So,” Mrs. Neuman asked before she even took attendance the next day, “is there anyone who still doesn’t have a partner for the Jewish history assignment?” A few hands shot up. “Okay — you four,” she said, nodding at the girls who had raised their hands, “at recess you can figure out who will work with who. The rest of you, I’m passing out a sign-up sheet. Find your name on the list and write who your partner is. I expect your topics to be in by next week at the latest. The assignment is due right before Purim, so that should give you enough time.”

As Mrs. Neuman began teaching, Tamar looked around. Besides herself, Michal, Shani, and Faigy had all raised their hands. So they needed partners, too. Well, Tamar shrugged, turning to the sketch paper tucked into her binder, whoever approached her first was the one she’d go with.

The soft, slightly textured paper beckoned to her from beneath her hand and she started to draw. First a palm tree. A beach. A rowboat. Somewhere beautiful and free. She let her mind bring her there, to that peaceful, remote island, as she drew, hoping to capture it to hang in her room. Mrs. Neuman droned on in the background, and then Danny’s voice was ringing through her head. Danny’s, Sam’s. Gavi showed me how to clean the fish…. Gavi said he’d help us paint a real dinosaur…. Gavi…

Enough! So Danny was happy. So Gavi was there for him in a way she couldn’t be. So what? The agency would find a place for all three of them and then, haha, no more Gavi.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period, and Tamar jumped. She took one last look at the sketch she had been drawing before putting it away. The tree looked mean, and the rowboat seemed to be spooky. So much for a peaceful sketch to hang on her wall.

“Tamar?”

“Hmm?” Tamar replied, closing her binder and looking up to see who was calling her name. Oh, Michal.

“I was wondering if you want to do the Jewish history assignment with me?” she asked. “I think Shani and Faigy already decided to do it together.”

“Sure.” Tamar shrugged. Anyone would do, really. Or no one. It didn’t matter either way. Dumb assignment.