“So secretive,” she said. “Is this what you’ve been doing while I was away?”

Dovid

“D

ovid?”

I quickly covered up my klaf and turned around to see Elka standing at the door of Zalman’s room. He said I could work here whenever the bochurim are out. I’m not doing anything wrong.

“What are you doing?” Elka asked, coming to look over my shoulder at my work on the desk.

I pushed the klaf further under the shirt I had used to cover it. “It’s nothing,” I muttered.

“So secretive,” she said. “Is this what you’ve been doing while I was away?”

“Fine,” I spat, “I’ll show you.” I hadn’t wanted to show her, but something was pushing me to, so I lifted the shirt a little bit so Elka could peek at it.

“What is it?” Elka asked, peering at the bit of safrus she could see from under the shirt. “Are you still practicing letters?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I’m writing a kesubah. One of the bochurim in yeshivah is getting married.”