A Room of Their Own by Rakefet Yarden (best summer reads of all time .TXT) 📕

had passed since my breakdown. You talk a lot about self-reflection, and you work with it too, but you’re also scared of it. Admit it.” She squinted at me, and then returned to her painting, swapping brushes. “I already felt strong enough from my job and the kids and therapy, everything I’d built for myself over the years. Childhood friends are like sisters, remembering everything from years back, like frozen time capsules.”

“Wow.” I collapsed inside. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry. How was it?”

“The Vipassana?” Yulia smiled. “It was the best thing I could have given myself. Even better than a margarita on the beach.”

Yulia peeled an orange and poured tea from the thermos into little glass cups. The scent of oranges arose, and alongside it resurfaced a little girl sitting on her bed for days, waiting for her sister to come back from her school trip. It was the first time she’d slept without her, and it had already been two nights. She didn’t go to school because her legs were weak.

At night, once the sister returned, their father says, “There, your Emily’s come back to you.” The little girl is so embarrassed. Just wants to leap onto her sister and hug her tightly, but she doesn’t budge. In order to conceal the excitement in her eyes, she jumps onto the backpack and asks, “Did you leave me any candy?”

Emily gives a coy smile. “No, it was a long trip and the food was gross, so this is all that’s left.”

She wants to hug her, but instead of wrapping her arms around her, she quickly opens the backpack. It’s indeed almost entirely empty. Nothing but the strong scent of three neglected oranges at its bottom.

No. I shook off my slivers of thoughts the way Snoopy shook off the seawater. I’m not going. I promised myself that I was done with all of that. I’m not chasing her again. I don’t need anything from her. The little girl who’d waited for her for so long, who was so embarrassed to admit she’d missed her sister that she ended up having to talk about stupid snacks − that little girl’s no longer here. Omer can take care of his mother’s affairs all by himself, and besides, even if I’d wanted to go, what would I do with Yotam?

“Come on, Rotem, give in to your love already. Maybe that girl’s grown up, and underneath her is a trusting woman? Look at how you’re still embarrassed to admit that you really love her, even now.”

“You’re the only person in this world who lets herself talk to me like this, sticking the whole truth in my face. You know that, don’t you?”

“I know, of course I know. And don’t worry about Yotam, while you’re away with your silence, he’ll be in full volume with my five little chicks. That way he’ll really learn what it’s like to have siblings. Think about it this way: If the workshop really is open to everyone, then they can’t prevent you from experiencing the great light, right?” Yulia winked, and then added another wrinkle to her wise face in the painting.

Last Night I Met a Jackal

We spoke for a bit. Yes, I know that sounds a little abnormal but he approached me, so what could I do other than answer him?

“A-woooooo,” he howled.

And I answered him in the same manner.

“A-woooooooo,” perhaps a bit longer.

I once got into trouble for howling like that.

What do you mean “like that?” he asked.

Honestly. All these years I was certain that it was like a cat,

but now that I’ve heard you, it turns out that it’s like you.

Lamenting, a long and desperate howl.

I’d searched for a way out. I didn’t know where to lead the sorrow,

the confusion and the helplessness, and what names to give them.

After all, names are a recent invention of ours, the humans.

Jackals such as yourself don’t have to deal with names.

They resided in my body, lacking shape and reason. The entire world seemed to me

to be an unsolved riddle, just like the Poogy Tales.

Poogy leaves on a train from Tel Aviv, and at the same time he also

leaves on a train from Haifa, so the question is, “How long will it take Poogy

to bump into himself, and will he be disappointed?”

More than anything, I didn’t understand why.

Why I don’t feel good, what’s wrong,

and how I can live up to the world’s utterly illogical expectations.

So I did the only thing that could somewhat ease my pain.

I gave one long, continuous howl, a long, agonized howl,

heard by the entire neighborhood.

Predictably, it disturbed the neighbors.

Hoomi, the upstairs neighbor, lacking in humor but equipped

with a potbelly and a standard bald spot, offered to hospitalize me in

the insane asylum in Talbiye. “It’s real close, just down the road.”

It’s amazing how serious one can be when one is named Hoomi.

No, thank you, I politely declined, I’m fine.

No one’s ever offered to hospitalize me, my jackal said.

No doubt there are advantages to being a jackal.

No one would ever think that you’ve lost your mind simply because

you’d tried to relieve a little burden with a good old howl.

Next time, just hang up a sign:

“Lost my mind. Be right back.”

Thank you for the recommendation. I’ll keep it in mind.

We parted in a friendly manner.

I felt relieved. The lump in my throat was suddenly lighter.

Everybody could use a jackal friend every now and again.

Eighth Meeting

Dizziness. I could barely knock on the door.

This wasn’t a good time for such a long walk. Four o’clock, and I’d only had two cups of coffee and a glass of water. I couldn’t get anything else in. I’d left Miko at home. I didn’t have enough energy to wander the streets with him and all his vigor.

“Dani,” Rotem opened the door with a worried look. It got me worried too, but before I managed to say anything, she grabbed my hand, pulled me in gently and sat me down on the armchair as though I were a brittle old woman.

“Stop