“Hello, Lulu? You need a place for the night? Come here, to the hotel, it will be perfect"

Five pairs of eyes gazed intently out the window, and three small noses were pressed against the cold glass.

“It’s sticking!” Eliyahu and Nachumi shouted joyously.

“It’s sticking,” Yanky agreed. “All right, you can relax now and go back to bed.”

“But what if it starts raining while we’re sleeping, and it all melts?” Nachumi’s innocent face was furrowed with doubt. “And we wake up in the morning, and the street is black instead of white?”

Boom! A loud banging diverted the family’s attention from the window.

“Sounds like somebody’s knocking desperately on Bugi’s door,” said Raizele. “Is Bugi there?”

“No. He’s been at the hotel since yesterday.”

“Oh, that’s right… and now they’re coming up here, whoever was knocking.” Raizele pricked up her ears. “And they’re schlepping something on wheels behind them.”

A few seconds later, the knocking resumed, this time at the Kleiners’ door. There on the doormat stood Lulu, looking more wretched than they’d ever seen him before.

“Lulu! Come in!” Yanky urged him. He ignored Raizele’s grimace. Of course she’d agree that you couldn’t leave a person out in the cold on a night like this.

“Do you happen to know where Bugi is?” Lulu asked, still shivering. “I thought he’d be home from work by now, but I’ve been knocking and knocking, and there’s no answer.”

“Bugi went to stay at a hotel for a couple of nights,” Yanky reminded him gently. “You know, that was his dream, he’s been saving up for it for months.”

“Oh,” said Lulu, looking very lost. “So then... I guess I’ll go somewhere else.”

“Wait a minute,” Yanky said. “Maybe you could stay in his apartment while he’s gone? I’m sure he’d let you.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” said Lulu. “Maybe you could call and ask him?”