She’s happier today. Probably ’cuz she spent the day with her friends, he thinks

Eli: Between my raking and Nellie’s camp, we finally made enough money to buy Shlomo a bike!

Nellie: But right when we were about to go to the store, Eli and I got into a fight, and he decided he wasn’t going to go.

Squizzle: The twins need to stop squabbling and pay some attention to the treehouse! We’re on a mission, people!

Nellie picks out a great bike, though Eli doesn’t tell her that. He just nods when she comes in, her face like storm clouds, and says, “It’s on the porch.”

It’s a sleek-looking, electric blue bike, with a little bell on the handlebar and electric yellow lightning bolts on the side. Kivi circles it, his eyes wide. Eli can’t wait to show it to Shlomo.

Shlomo won’t know that it’s a new bike, that this is tzedakah from his new friends. He’ll just think that Eli had a really cool bike when he was younger. It’s the best kind of tzedakah, and it makes Eli warm to think about it, like they’ve done something really important.

It isn’t raining yet after school on Monday, though the wind is already whipping through the trees. Mommy and Tatty have gone to a wedding, and Zaidy Zee watches their car leave, his forehead creased with worry. “I hope it’s not too difficult to get home in the rain,” he says. “The hurricane is supposed to hit after dark tonight.”

“That’s plenty of time for us to bring the bike to Shlomo,” Nellie says. Eli looks at the cheerful grin on her face. She’s happier today. Probably ’cuz she spent the day with her friends, he thinks.