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Ahuva Forgives

Ages 6-9 | Story and 9 activities

On Monday, Ahuva's best friend Dina tells a secret.

It isn't a huge secret, but it is Ahuva's. She confided in Dina last week that she was scared of the spelling bee. She has asked her to keep it quiet. And now, at recess, the whole class knows.

"Ahuva's scared of the spelling bee!" a girl calls out, and a few others giggle.

Ahuva's face goes hot. She stares at Dina, who looks down at her shoes. The betrayal stings like a slap.

"How could you?" Ahuva whispers.

"I didn't mean to," says Dina. "It just slipped out."

"You promised."

Ahuva turns and walks away. Her chest feels tight. She sits on the far bench by herself, arms crossed, glaring at the ground. All through the afternoon, she stays angry. She replays the moment again and again. How can she? Some best friend.

That night, she tells her mother everything.

"I'm never talking to her again," says Ahuva.

"I can see how much it hurt," says Mommy. "You trusted her."

"She ruined it."

"What do you want to happen next?"

Ahuva thinks. A part of her wants Dina to feel as bad as she does. Another part wants things to go back to how they were.

"I want her to feel sorry. And I want... I don't know."

"Do you think she feels sorry?"

Ahuva remembers Dina's face. She looked ashamed. Maybe even scared.

The next morning, Ahuva walks to school slowly. She planned to ignore Dina. But when she gets there, she finds a folded note on her desk. It is in Dina's handwriting.

Dear Ahuva, it says. I'm so sorry. I told because I was nervous and I wanted people to laugh at something, and it was a bad choice. You trusted me, and I broke it. I feel awful. I understand if you're mad. I'll never do it again. Your friend, if you still want me, Dina.

Ahuva reads the note twice. A hot lump rises in her throat. She looks across the room. Dina is sitting at her desk, pulling at her sleeve, not looking up.

Part of Ahuva still wants to stay angry. It feels safe, like a hard shell. But the shell is heavy. She's been carrying it since yesterday, and her shoulders ache.

Morah Tali once said, "When we forgive, we don't say what happened was okay. We say, I'm putting it down. It's too heavy to hold."

Ahuva takes a deep breath. She crosses the room.

"Hi," she says.

Dina looks up, eyes red. "Hi."

"I got your note."

"I'm really sorry."

"I know," says Ahuva. "It really hurt. I'm still a little upset. But I think I'm ready to move on."

Dina's face crumples with relief. "Thank you."

"But next time," says Ahuva, "if you're nervous, tell me. Don't tell everyone else."

"I promise," says Dina. "And I'll help you practice for the spelling bee."

They sit together at lunch. Dina quizzes Ahuva on the word list. By the end of the week, Ahuva can spell every word on the list, and the shaky feeling has faded.

On the day of the bee, Dina sits in the front row and gives her a thumbs up. Ahuva gets to the fifth round before she misses a word. Everyone claps, and Dina claps the loudest.

Ahuva feels lighter than she's felt in days.