Why shouldn’t he be happy to see us? Yitzy thought to himself. Since I didn’t get a hundred on the math test, he gets to keep the building instead of us

The clock on the classroom wall read one thirty.

Yitzy was not surprised to see the school secretary walk into his class and whisper to his teacher. He was also not surprised to see his teacher walk over to his desk and ask him to leave. Yitzy quickly packed up his things and began walking out of the classroom.

Outside the classroom door, he found his parents waiting for him.

“Hi Yitzy,” said his mother, “how was school today?”

Yitzy thought back to that morning, and how his whole class had made a little party for him. His rebbi had made a little speech about how proud they all were of Yitzy and how excited they were that they would be going on a class trip because he had won the Mishnayos competition.

“Baruch Hashem, it was good,” he answered shyly.

Rabbi Levinson quickly pulled out his phone and called a car service. Fifteen minutes later, the three of them found themselves once again standing in front of the Greentree building. Yitzy looked up at the tall, shiny, steel building. So much had happened since the last time he had stood here.

He was nervous. The contest was over, and he had lost. Why did Mr. Blum need to see them now?

Rabbi Levinson put a hand on Yitzy’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Yitzy,” he said softly. “Everything will be okay.”

Yitzy looked up at his father and tried his best to smile.

Very soon, they found themselves standing in front of the door with the words “Herbert J. Blum, Attorney at Law,” written on it. The door swung open. Standing before them was a familiar short, round man wearing a suit and a red bow tie.

“Ahh,” cried Mr. Blum, “welcome, welcome, Levinson family. Do come in, and please have a seat.”

The Levinsons all sat down.

Yitzy immediately noticed Mr. Burtman sitting on a chair at the other side of the room. He looked up and nodded at the Levinsons. This time he didn’t look angry. In fact, he looked almost happy to see them.

Why shouldn’t he be happy to see us? Yitzy thought to himself. Since I didn’t get a hundred on the math test, he gets to keep the building instead of us.

Mr. Blum cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Attention, everyone,” he began, “you have all been called here today to discuss something of great importance.”

Mr. Blum lifted a stack of papers off the table before him and began to nervously straighten the pile as he spoke. “As you know,” he said, “I work for Mr. Irving Greenbaum.”

Everyone nodded. That was one thing that everyone in the room knew for sure.

(Excerpted from Mishpacha Jr., Issue 773)