It was a few hours later when gentle knocks sounded at both doors—one at Shoshana’s room, the other at the guest room Thomas was using, which belonged to Iona.

  At Shoshana’s door stood her mother, Ruth, and her grandmother, Myriam. At Thomas’s, Sholomoh and David waited, quietly asking if they might come in.

  In Shoshana’s room, Myriam entered after hearing a soft, distant “Come in.” She found her granddaughter lying on her back, eyes fixed on the ceiling, lost in a dreamy, reflective stillness.

  Myriam smiled warmly as she stepped closer. “So,” she asked gently, “how are you feeling, sweetie?”

  Shoshana turned her head and returned a faint smile. “I’m actually doing good. Thank you… for giving me some time.”

  Ruth crossed her arms and tilted her head. “After your dramatic display getting into the house, we figured you either needed to be alone—” she paused, then added dryly, “—or the two of you were trying very hard to be alone.”

  Shoshana groaned. “Mooooom.”

  Ruth’s expression softened. “I’m proud of you. That it was the first.”

  “We’re being good,” Shoshana said, half-laughing. “It was rough, but… it felt right. Like we were carrying on the promise we made to each other.” She hesitated. “I know that probably sounds crazy.”

  “It doesn’t,” Myriam said without hesitation. “It sounds like you’re learning how to hold your feelings instead of being carried away by them. The commitment between you—it shows just as much in the not-touching as in the touching.”

  Ruth grew more serious. “Do you know why I held Thomas back earlier?”

  Shoshana blinked, thinking. “No… not really. I just remember feeling this—intense calm. Like nothing else existed.”

  “That’s exactly why,” Ruth said. “The feeling between you was visible. I could feel it. I wanted him to notice it—to remember it. To lock it away in his heart.”

  Shoshana smiled, visibly touched. “That’s… really sweet.”

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  In the other room, David stepped inside after Thomas’s quiet nod. Sholomoh followed, closing the door gently behind them.

  “How are you doing?” David asked.

  Thomas sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders slightly slumped but steady. “Sorry if I disappeared. I just needed some time to gather myself.”

  Sholomoh chuckled as he pulled a chair closer. “You weren’t the only one. There were people at shul today who needed time to gather themselves too. I know that just from the comments.”

  David smirked. “If I were a betting man, I’d have made a killing.”

  Sholomoh leaned forward. “But I want to understand something. Earlier, you said you were ‘all in.’ What does that mean to you?”

  Thomas took a breath. “It’s layered. Before the mikvah, Iona gave me a choice—half commitment, no blessing… or full commitment, with a blessing. I chose the blessing.”

  He paused. “When she kissed me afterward, I think she felt it. That I meant it.”

  David nodded slowly. “That’s… interesting.”

  “So when I say I’m all in,” Thomas continued, “it’s not just Shoshana. It’s the family. The organization. I know, intellectually, they’re separate—but they don’t feel separate.”

  He looked up, his eyes steady now. “I wouldn’t have met Shoshana without this. I wouldn’t be here without her. And without all of it, I’d still be stuck where I was over the summer.”

  David exhaled. “I’d love to argue with you. But the evidence isn’t helping my case.”

  Sholomoh smiled gently. “Even so,” he said, “as it says in Joshua—it must be your choice.”

  David shifted gears. “Speaking of choices—how are you really doing? Let’s do a report card. Housework. Dad?”

  Sholomoh grinned. “You sure? I’d hate to make you feel bad by comparison. Your mother says she can actually manage the house now. She only has our spaces and Tzuriel’s to worry about. He helps when asked. No fuss.”

  David threw up his hands. “Why do I feel like I’m the one being graded here?”

  “You asked how he was doing,” Sholomoh replied. “You’re getting the answer.”

  David laughed. “Fair. Next category: the organization. You didn’t just meet expectations—you ran past them. Frankly, I don’t think we have a metric for what you’ve accomplished.”

  He leaned forward, more serious. “And now you’re bringing people with you. People are watching—before today even starts to circulate.”

  Then, more gently, “Remember what Aquinas said in the Summa: love for others begins with love for oneself. That includes rest. Hiding out in here? Completely acceptable.”

  Thomas looked down, absorbing it.

  “I bring it up,” David continued, “because requests for your time are starting. For now, it’s mostly in the lodge. Jonathan’s father asked for your help—I know why you’re invested in him, and I support that. But I’ve also been keeping you at a bit of distance from Shoshana so you have room to grow.”

  He met Thomas’s eyes. “If you need to say no—do it. Protect your time.”

  Sholomoh nodded. “If you went home and took the rest of the year off, you’d still be ahead. Watching you do what you’ve done brings me real joy. I’m proud of you.”

  He hesitated, then added honestly, “Okay—maybe your grades could be better. But I’d worry it would cost you something else.”

  Then, more serious still: “I want you to know I’ve been watching how you’ve handled things with Veronica. I worried, for a while, that you were choosing her over Shoshana.”

  Thomas stiffened slightly.

  “But this weekend showed me otherwise,” Sholomoh continued. “You care about Veronica. You want what’s best for her. And maybe that’s part of what you mean when you say you’re ‘all in’ with Shoshana.”

  Thomas nodded. “Thank you… for saying that.”

  David walked over to the small bookshelf. “Before we head down to dinner—if there’s something here you want to read, you can take it.”

  He paused. “This collection is mostly for my son when he visits. But I think you’d benefit from a couple.”

  He handed Thomas two worn but carefully kept volumes.

  “One’s The Book of Jewish Knowledge. The other is To Be a Jew. They’re not everything—but they’re a place to start.”

  Thomas held them as though they were fragile. “Thank you. I’ll take good care of them.”