Chapter 21Ruth stared, unblinking, at Samuel as Rabbi Kalman wrapped up his message and the machine clicked off.
The room fell silent but for the deafening clatter inside Ruth’s head.
“Ruti?”
Samuel’s voice hummed through the racket as if he were shouting from across a crowded railway station. Ruth, suddenly dizzy, turned toward the desk and gripped its edge with both hands.
“Petition to convert?” His words came out with an uneasy laugh. “Why would your rabbi be calling you about that?”
Ruth sunk her head between her arms. Her first impulse was to lie—Rabbi Kalman must have gotten her mixed up with someone else—a startling indication of just how natural the practice of lying had become.
“Ruth?”
She straightened and gestured to the sofa. “Please, sit.”
To her surprise, Samuel obeyed
