Bugi read aloud. “Rechov HaNeviim, rental unit for single tenant. Very well-kept…. No, that’s not for me at all"

I

n the middle of Elul, Bugi started his apartment hunting in earnest. He took down phone numbers from homemade street notices, pored over the classified ads in every local circular he could get his hands on, and compared apartment sizes and rents.

“Now you really need a cell phone,” said Lulu. “I know,” said Bugi, “but… it’s scary. You have to admit it’s scary to jump into the real world. I feel like I’ve been standing at the top of the big slide at the water park, and now I finally have to let go and slide down. Once I start, there’s no turning back — and I don’t even know if there’s a nice pool at the bottom, or a ditch full of sharp rocks.”

“There’s a good life waiting for you at the bottom,” Lulu reassured him, “and next summer you’ll stay at a hotel, like a prince.”

They walked together to the cluster of cell phone shops at Davidka Square and began making their rounds.

Bugi recited the speech he’d memorized: “I’m looking for a phone with a prepaid SIM card. Cheap, but reliable. Something sturdy that will last a long time. And with a battery that doesn’t run out too fast, because I don’t always have where to charge it.”

The salesman, like the other three they’d already visited, showed them a few models, explaining their varying features and the cost of local calls by the minute. Bugi wrote it all down meticulously, and then moved on to the next store to pester the salesman there. Lulu decided to take a break and told Bugi he would wait for him on the stone bench over by the fountain.

Half an hour later Bugi strolled up to him, carrying a brightly-colored bag with his new purchase inside.

“I saved myself 50 shekels,” he announced, sitting down with a happy sigh. “Deal-Fone had the best price.”

“And I collected 60 shekels while you were shopping,” Lulu teased him.

“Now I need to find someplace to charge it.”

“They have charging stations at the Central Bus Station,” said Lulu, “but it costs money.”

“I think I’ll ask Mordechai to let me charge it in the falafel shop. I’m sure he won’t mind. And if I don’t use it too much, the battery won’t run out so fast.”

They spent a few more minutes relaxing lazily on the bench, and then Lulu said, “Nu, on to Zichron Moishe?”

“Yup.” Bugi stood up decisively. “And on the way we can look for more apartment notices. I’ve got about ten numbers to call already.”

“Here’s another one,” said Lulu, pointing with his nose toward a pristine notice. “The handwriting looks neat, elegant, you know? I think this landlord would be your type.”

“For rent, starting Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan,” Bugi read aloud. “Rechov HaNeviim, rental unit for single tenant. Very well-kept…. No, that’s not for me at all. Do I look well-kept to you?”

“You’ll look great, once we get you some new clothes and a nice haircut, and this place will be just right for you,” Lulu insisted. “Where do you want to live, in some moldy old ruin? You’re starting a new life, Bugi. You need to get the nicest apartment you can find. What are you smiling about?”

(Excerpted from Mishpacha, Issue 769)