He’d meant to tell Pessie where he was going, it wasn’t a secret, but somehow, after her sudden Pesach worries and ground shaking philosophical questions, it was probably wiser not to share.

“What happens Pesach?”

Yochi stopped short. He looked at Pessie and noted the furrow between her brows. “Pesach?”

Pessie held up the two ends of the dinette Shabbos tablecloth. “Yes,” she said. “Like, if you plan on spending Pesach in Thailand or wherever, how does that work? Putting aside how strange it’s going to be — not exactly a seder with our parents — but like, what about our minhagim? We don’t even use baking powder in our cakes, are we suddenly going to start mishing? Or will I have to cook and schlep all the food along? What’s the plan?”

“Um,” Yochi said. He pulled the plug out of the percolator and lifted the lid. Steam rose. “Honestly, Pessie, Pesach is like ten months away. I didn’t think about it.”

“Maybe we should’ve thought about it before you left the firm. Along with many other hashkafic questions that we by the way never discussed. Like, are you okay with our kids being exposed to all those crazy luxuries? To all the entertainment that their schools are so against?”

Yochi grimaced, then tilted the percolator over and poured the water into the sink.

Maybe her questions were valid. They were, actually; she always raised valid questions. But he didn’t have answers, so the conversation was moot.

Pessie went to the dining room to put away the tablecloth. Yochi followed her. He took his beketshe from the chair, swept his shtreimel off the couch, and twirled it in his hand.

“Where are you going?” Pessie asked.

He hesitated. He’d meant to tell Pessie where he was going, it wasn’t a secret, but somehow, after her sudden Pesach worries and ground shaking philosophical questions, it was probably wiser not to share.

“I’m going to learn,” he said.

She looked surprised. He usually sat down with her for Melaveh Malkah on Motzaei Shabbos when the house was back in order. But she didn’t ask questions, so he quickly slipped out of the house.