Yesterday afternoon I decided I was in desperate need of a nap. Harriet the Spy had woken me up every hour on the hour the night before, and I spent the morning at three playgrounds with an active 1 year old who enjoyed diving head first off of everything. I knew it would be a short nap because I was anxiously awaiting the return of my two roommates, due in throughout the following couple hours.
My phone rang. The caller ID read "Fischers." I thought "Cool, maybe the Fischers are inviting me for shabbat or to come over for a playdate." I answered the phone and heard a little voice say "Hi Rebecca!" It was Ruchama Fischer. She is seven years old. Actually maybe "little voice" isn't really a good description for a kid like Ruchama. Try "teenager with an attitude stuck in a little girl's body" kind of voice. We exchanged pleasantries and I waited for her to say something like "here's my mom," assuming that her mom wanted to call me but she asked to dial the number. I guessed incorrectly.
For the next 20 minutes or so Ruchama and I caught up on the last few weeks of our lives. We talked about our trips to the US, people we both know, and how we feel about brothers. After the 20 minutes I felt I had exhausted my list of things to discuss with a second grader, though it was obvious that she could have gone on forever.
Ruchama is a great kid, and a good sport especially when it comes to her little brothers. She knows that her four year old brother Raphi is my bestest friend, and is usually patient about sharing my time with him when I come to visit. In College Park when I would stop by she would answer the door and say "One second, I'll get Raphi." This was when Ruchama was 5 and Raphi was not even 2.
I guess she just needed someone to talk to, someone to listen to her complain about the stressful life of a seven year old. My favorite line was "I hate my brothers. I want a sister. All they do is beat me up, but I know Karate and they don't!"
Eventually I politely told her that I had to go, and we agreed that I will come for a shabbat as soon as I can. The phonecall totally made my day. There is no other way to say it.
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