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The Line That Is Not "Have a Great Summer"

Chapter 1The book goes around

On the last afternoon of the program, Tzippora holds a small notebook with a blue cover.

Chanie started it two weeks ago. It is a memory book. Each girl writes a page for every other girl, and the book goes around the room until it returns to its owner.

Now it is Tzippora's turn to hold Chanie's book. She has a pen and a clear page.

Chapter 2The easy line

Tzippora writes, in her neat handwriting: Have a great summer! Hope to see you next year!

She looks at it. It is nice. It is also the line she has just written in four other girls' books, in nearly the same words.

She turns the page and starts the next girl's book. Have a great summer! Hope to see you next year!

By the sixth book, she can write the line without reading it.

Chapter 3The page in her own book

When Chanie hands back Tzippora's book at the end, Tzippora reads the pages.

Most of them say the same thing. Have a great summer. Stay sweet. See you next year.

One page is different. Rochie wrote: You were the one who saved me a seat on the first day, when I did not know anybody. I did not forget it.

Tzippora reads it twice. Her throat feels warm.

She remembers saving the seat. It took two seconds. She did not know it mattered.

Chapter 4The thought

Tzippora looks at the blue notebook, with its pages she has already written for Chanie.

I wrote something nice, she thinks. But it could have been for anyone.

Another thought arrives. Chanie will read it and see that it is the same as everyone's. It will feel like nothing.

Then a third thought. It is not too late. The page is not full.

Chapter 5What is true and small

Tzippora finds Chanie by the water cooler. Chanie is holding eleven notebooks.

"Can I add something to yours?" Tzippora asks. "I wrote a quick line. I want to write a real one."

"Sure," says Chanie, and hands over the blue book.

Tzippora does not know what to write. She makes herself think of one real moment.

On Tuesday, the bus was late. Everyone was grumbling. Chanie handed out a pack of crackers from her bag and did not say anything about it.

Tzippora writes it down. She does not write that Chanie is the nicest girl ever. She writes what happened.

Chapter 6The new line

Under the quick line, she writes: On Tuesday, when the bus was late and everyone was cranky, you passed around your crackers like it was nothing. I noticed. It made the wait easier.

She stops. It feels a little exposed. It is plain and true.

She hands the book back.

Chanie reads it standing up. She does not say anything for a moment.

"I did not think anyone saw that," Chanie says.

"I did."

Chapter 7The rest of the books

That evening, Tzippora does not write the same line again.

She goes through the pile, one notebook at a time. For each girl, she thinks of one small thing she actually saw. Sara, who stayed to stack chairs. Malky, who laughed at her own spilled juice. Dina, who asked a quiet girl a real question.

Some pages take her a long time. Some are only two sentences.

At the end, Tzippora sits with her own book on her lap. She decides that next year she will begin with the true line.

She begins with the word that was true, and not the word that was easy.