Tulli looked at the clock and jumped up. “Oh no, by the time I get home it will be really late.”

“I hereby declare the meeting closed,” I announced. “Everyone will continue to think about what can be done, and at the next meeting we’ll consider all the proposals and choose the best one.”

“And if there are no proposals?” Yoel fretted.

“I trust you, you’ll surely think of something, b’ezras Hashem!” I declared. [Wow, you sound like a real leader. Maybe you do have the right to consider yourself leader of the club. — Batya]

“I’m going to see my friends out,” I told Mommy. As we went down the stairs, we almost collided with a boy coming up. “Excuse me,” I muttered, and was about to move on when I realized it was Asher. The new neighbor-who-was-not-a-friend.

So what if it’s Asher, why not just move on anyway? asked a voice inside me. You already saw he’s not interested in making friends with you. And he might even be a missionary!

But maybe his family is running away from some danger, and he’s just miserable? another voice answered. And maybe he really is shy? The right thing is to try again, give him another chance.

The first voice shrugged. Well, I guess it can’t hurt to try...

“Hi, Asher,” I said, pasting a wide smile on my face once again. “These are my friends that I told you about. Yoel, Yom Tov, and Tulli. Guys, this is Asher, my new neighbor.”

“Lucky you, Asher! I wish I were Bentzi’s neighbor!” said Yom Tov.

“And I wish I lived here with all of you in Springhill, it’s a great place,” added Tulli. “When did you move here?”

“Sorry, I’m in a hurry,” muttered Asher in response. He passed quickly by us, went into the Citronbaums’ apartment, sorry, I mean his new home, and slammed the door behind him.

Tulli and Yom Tov looked stunned. Even Yoel seemed taken aback, though he had already heard from me that Asher didn’t want to join the gang. “Maybe he really is hiding some deep dark secret,” he admitted.

“A deep dark secret?” Yom Tov’s eyes lit up with curiosity.

“Whatever,” I sighed. “A deep dark secret or a shallow light one. The thing is, he doesn’t want to talk to us, so we’d better forget about him and concentrate on helping Reb Nissan.”

“Let’s meet at my house tomorrow,” suggested Yomtov, “and form a plan of action.”

(Excerpted from Mishpacha Jr., Issue 741)