CASE 165: THE BAFFLED BABYSITTER PART IV: A SUKKOT FESTIVAL
The Yellow Mediterranean Wednesday morning sun cast its warming embrace across the historic city of Jerusalem, as the jovial populace frolicked festively back and forth carrying out their pre-holiday errands.
Busying themselves with untold preparations, the Bermans enlisted Sara their favorite babysitter to care for Hanna and the twin boys, and tie up some loose ends. Mrs. Berman handed Sara a plastic container of dried sweetened fruit should she deem it fit to treat the children.
The foursome made their ways joyfully down the white stairs to examine their lovely wooden holiday structure and to add their own unique decorative flavors to their makeshift seven-day abode. The background music in the air only added to the emotionally charged atmosphere swelling with smiles and good will.
Four Succahs decorated the Jerusalem cobblestone courtyard in front of the Berman residence; belonging to the Fried, the Gold, the Hartman, and the Berman families respectively. In general, the neighbors were on favorable terms with one another, though affairs with Mrs. Berman and Mrs. Hartman had recently been somewhat strained and compromised.
Quite handy herself, Sara and the children began to hang some beautiful photos along the lightly colored wooden Succah wall when they suddenly ran out of hooks. Hanna ran outside found a jar of metal hooks alongside the Gold Succah. Without thinking too much, Hanna took some hooks from the jar to "borrow" for the holiday. She handed them to Sara and told her to remember to tell daddy to return them to the Golds after the holiday.
Meanwhile, fifteen-year-old Danny gold came down to lay some more support beams across the top of his Succah. His electricity yet to be connected, he figured the Frieds would not mind if he used their outlet and extension cord for a half hour to complete the job. Nor for that matter would they mind if he charged his cell phone in their outlet.
In the Hartman Succah, Mr. Hartman and his four children were installing their light fixtures, when their electric drill ran out of power. Hartman went next store to the Berman's and asked Sara if he could borrow their drill for two hours, to which Sara graciously consent. Shortly thereafter, the twins come barging into the Berman Succah laughing hysterically. Sara and Hanna turn around and their faces dropped. The twins' faces were adorned in chocolate. Some rudimentary investigation led to the discovery of an empty jar of dried fruit and a depletion of Hartman's chocolate bar stash. The Berman twins had usurped the jar of dried fruit, and convinced the Hartman kids to barter their Torino bars for a stash of sugared pineapple.
After Mr. Hartman finished installing his light fixtures, he sat down on the courtyard bench to reply to some last minute emails before the holiday borrowing or rather making use of the Gold's WiFi.
Are these scenes familiar to you?
