Now Benny knew that Kroizer and his family were just as savvy, if not savvier, than his real-estate mogul dad

Benny pulled his jacket on. For some reason the pocket felt heavy. Oh, the envelope with the rent money; he had totally forgotten about it.

“Bye, guys, see you tomorrow,” he waved at the boys heading toward the dining room.

He pulled on his helmet and checked his watch. Kroizer lived nearby, on Rechov Malachi. It shouldn’t take long to drop off the rent. He could probably still make it home in time to say goodnight to the kids.

Four minutes and three steep flights of stairs later, he was knocking at Kroizer’s door.

“Shalom aleichem, Reb Binyumen,” Kroizer greeted him. “Come in, come in.”

Benny stepped into the apartment and marveled, as always, at the impeccable housekeeping skills of Rebbetzin Kroizer. What did the Kroizers clean before Pesach, if every centimeter of their incredibly spare apartment was spotless year-round? No American he knew could possibly keep a brown speckled floor that shiny. The tiles must have been freshly waxed; their reflection gleamed in the windows, framed by homemade curtains draping down in neat swoops.

“Nu, how are things? The wife, the kinderlach?” Kroizer motioned to the plastic-covered chairs surrounding the dining room table and poured a cup of Crystal-brand mint soda. “Sit down and drink something, mach a brochah.”

Benny handed him the envelope and mumbled a brachah. The drink was terrible — it tasted like mouthwash — but he took two sips. Kroizer settled in a chair, licked his finger and began counting the bills Tziporah had carefully prepared.

Back when Benny had arrived in Yeshivas Ner Olam, a naïve kid fresh from the Five Towns, he’d found these men in their zebra-striped caftans intimidatingly otherworldly. Probably, he thought, men like Modche Kroizer stayed glued to their siddurim the whole day meditating holy thoughts, maybe shechting some chickens for Shabbos in their spare time.

Now he knew that Kroizer and his family were just as savvy, if not savvier, than his real-estate mogul dad.