"Yes, I got divorced recently. So what? Lots of people do, and their daughters don’t end up in the hospital from it”

Rabbi Freund’s normally placid countenance looked strained as he sat behind the desk in his office, listening to Shani’s mother’s harangue.

He’d asked Chava, as Shani’s mechaneches, to join them at the meeting, which was a fair request, but Chava wished he hadn’t. Explaining to any mother why her daughter is in the hospital didn’t bode for a pleasant meeting, and Mrs. Mandel wasn’t just any mother.

“…completely irresponsible! You dropped the ball badly. I thought I could trust you, you had such a good reputation. Now I see it’s all lies!”

Rabbi Freund tugged on his beard. “Mrs. Mandel, I certainly understand that you’re upset by what’s happened to Shani. Believe me, we all are. We all care very much about Shani.”

Shani’s mother snorted, and Rabbi Freund leaned forward in an effort to regain control. “Tell me, in your conversations with Shani this year, did she give you any inkling about her eating issues?”

Mrs. Mandel waved a hand. “Of course! That’s why I’ve always made sure to ask Shani what she’s eating and how much. I was on top of things, even from across the ocean. How you could have missed it, right under your nose…” Her face was red. “What I want to know is who messed up and what are you going to do about it?”

Chava threw a quick glance at Rabbi Freund. Who messed up? They both knew the answer to that.

Rabbi Freund shrugged. “Mrs. Mandel, this isn’t about blame. It’s about getting Shani the help she needs moving forward. That’s what both of us want, and that’s why it’s important for us to work together cooperatively.”

Mrs, Mandel pursed her lips, and Chava took advantage of her momentary silence to gently say, “I understand there’ve been a lot of changes in Shani’s life this past year.”

Shani’s mother’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. “Now we’re going to make this about my divorce, is that it? Yes, I got divorced recently. So what? Lots of people do, and their daughters don’t end up in the hospital from it.”