“Listen,” she’d said. “When you’re watching my kids, I need to know that you’re giving them your full attention"

ZeeZee sat on the floor in the middle of the Yad b’Yad lounge strumming on a guitar, her eyes closed.

“Tov l’ho-odos l’Hashem…”

The girls sitting around her winced, and Dafna covered her ears. “Ouch! I don’t know which is worse, your singing or your playing.”

ZeeZee opened her eyes. “Oh, I’m totally tone-deaf,” she said cheerfully. “But I’ve always wanted to be one of those cool Carlebachy kumzitz leaders.” She thwacked the guitar. “Holy sisterrrs,” she intoned, and twanged the guitar strings several more times.

Ilana reached over and took the instrument from her. “Someone needs to put this guitar out of its misery.” She began to play a song, and ZeeZee watched her fingers dance in and out of the guitar strings in fascination.

“You’re so talented,” she said.

Ilana lifted her shoulder in a dismissive gesture, but her cheeks turned a faint pink. ZeeZee shifted away from the center of the circle to give Ilana space, and as she leaned back against a cushion, she caught Rikki’s eye. Rikki gave her a nod and a wink, which made ZeeZee glow.

After weeks of hanging out with the Yad b’Yad girls under the guise of babysitting, Rikki had finally confronted her.

“Listen,” she’d said. “When you’re watching my kids, I need to know that you’re giving them your full attention. If I wanted to just deposit them on the trampoline in the backyard while I worked, I wouldn’t have hired a babysitter.”

ZeeZee had been mortified, because, of course, Rikki was right. She hadn’t been doing her job.

And then, Rikki had smiled. “But I’ve been watching you, and you’re amazing with these girls. We’re having a Rosh Chodesh Kislev event next week, and I want you to come. No babysitting involved. Sound good?”

So here she was, on official invitation, and having a blast. First, she’d gone wild during the kickboxing class, then she’d fumbled her way through the painting activity (“C’mon, ZeeZee,” Dafna had rolled her eyes. “This is, like, paint-by-numbers”) and now she was chilling with music and snacks.

It was totally worth skipping her night classes for this.