The Juice She Almost Hid

Chapter 1The Last Placemat

Tzippy was setting the lunch table.

Mommy had put the drinks safely on the table already. Tzippy's job was the placemats and napkins, not carrying full glasses.

She liked making every place look ready.

When she slid the last placemat beside a glass, her wrist bumped it.

The glass stayed upright, but a little apple juice splashed onto the tablecloth.

Tzippy stared at the wet patch.

It was not enormous. It was exactly where the mat could cover it.

Chapter 2Under the Mat

She pushed the mat over the patch.

Now nobody could see what had happened.

Mommy was finishing lunch in the kitchen. Tzippy could still tell her. Instead, she folded a napkin twice and placed it beside the glass.

The table looked neat.

But the juice was still underneath.

Tzippy imagined Mommy lifting the mat later and finding the stain. Perhaps it would be harder to wash by then.

She lifted one corner. The wet patch had spread a little.

Chapter 3Calling Mommy

"Mommy?"

Mommy came to the doorway, her hair fully covered by her headscarf.

"I bumped the glass. Some juice spilled."

Tzippy pulled the mat away.

"And I covered it at first."

Mommy looked at the cloth, then at Tzippy.

"Thank you for telling me now. Covering it does not help the cloth. We need to clean it."

Tzippy nodded. She had hoped Mommy would say it was nothing at all.

It was a small spill. It was still something that needed attention.

Chapter 4A Different Job

Mommy moved the glass to a safe place and showed Tzippy where to put the dry napkins while she dealt with the wet cloth.

Tzippy carried them to the sideboard.

Then Mommy asked her to fetch a clean towel from the linen shelf.

"This one?"

"Yes."

Tzippy stayed beside her and helped as directed. She did not add soap or rub at the stain on her own.

The placemat that had covered the juice needed wiping, too.

Her neat table had become a table with work to do.

Chapter 5Not Quite Finished

Mommy handled the cloth and put a clean covering on the table.

Tzippy waited with the napkins.

"Will the old one wash clean?"

"I will see when I wash it. Telling me promptly gave us a better chance."

Tzippy touched the folded edge of a napkin.

"I did not want you to think I was careless."

"You had an accident. Hiding it would make another problem."

That was harder to hear than "nothing happened," but it made more sense. Something had happened. They were taking care of it.

Chapter 6The Table Again

Tzippy set the napkins down again, keeping her hands away from the glasses.

Her little sister noticed the different table covering.

"This one has squares."

"The other one got juice on it," Tzippy said.

"Did the juice jump?"

"I helped it jump."

Her sister giggled.

Tzippy straightened one mat. She did not need to explain the whole accident to everyone at lunch. Mommy knew, the spill was being handled, and the table was ready.

Chapter 7The Mat at the Edge

After lunch, Tzippy collected the dry napkins.

The mat belonged beside a plate, not on top of a secret.

She checked the table. Only a crumb remained near her sister's place.

Tzippy brushed it into her hand and carried it away.