“I see it was a mistake to send Shani away from home. I didn’t want her to go, in her fragile state, but I thought I could trust the seminary to take care of her”

Chava held her phone in her hand and paced up and down her living room, reviewing once more what she would say. Start with compliments. Shani’s such a sweet, mature girl. So intelligent, so refined. She got an A on her last Navi paper….

Chava sighed. Compliments only went so far. There was no good way to cushion “we think your daughter has an eating disorder.”

Just do it. She steadied her shoulders and dialed. This wasn’t the first uncomfortable call she’d made to a parent in her career, and it wouldn’t be the last. Kids these days had so many more issues than back when she’d started teaching.

“Hello? Is this Mrs. M— er, Shani’s mother?” Chava winced. What do you call a newly divorced woman?

“Yeess.” The voice on the other end was cautious.

“I’m Chava Edelman, Shani’s mechaneches at Shvilei. We’ve emailed, of course, but I haven’t had the chance to speak to you yet.”

“Oh! How are you, Mrs. Edelman?” Shani’s mother sounded polite but guarded.

“Baruch Hashem. I wanted to give you an update on how Shani’s doing.” Chava had decided that the parent-teacher conference was the best approach. “Shani’s such a mature and serious young lady, a real pleasure—” As she launched into her compliments, Mrs. Mandel seemed to thaw.

“That’s wonderful to hear! Yes, I have a lot of nachas from her. Thank you.”

Chava took a breath and clenched the phone tighter. “There is one issue that’s concerning us, and that’s Shani’s health. She’s been growing thinner and seems to have less energy recently.”

“You mean she’s sick?” Mrs. Mandel’s voice rose in pitch. “Have you had her checked by a doctor?”

Chava spoke slowly. “We think there’s something else at play. Her roommate reported to me that Shani isn’t eating.”

There was a short pause. “What do you mean, ‘isn’t eating’? She has no appetite? Is it a virus?”

“No, I don’t think it’s a virus.” Chava chose her words carefully. “Her roommate told me that Shani’s been skipping meals for quite a while. Has she ever exhibited this type of behavior before?”

“No! Of course not!”

Was it Chava’s imagination, or was Mrs. Mandel’s denial just a tad too extreme?