Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 48 of a new online serial novel, Outside the Bubble, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

Dov and Hinda left the room. “He’s talking sensibly,” Dov said. “At least, in my opinion. It’s not an unusual response for someone who experienced a trauma from the death of someone he was close to. Or even relatively close to.”

Hinda nodded. “Right.” She leaned on the wall, and instinctively, Dov offered her the cup of water he was still holding. But once again, the cup remained in his hand, untaken. Hinda slowly walked over to the couch and sat down. She looked at the painting of the swans on the pond that Mali had drawn when she was thirteen, but didn’t really see anything.

“According to the dry criteria, there is not supposed to be a connection between schizophrenia and depression,” she said hollowly. “But I feel like, in this field, everything is connected, and everything is sensitive. He once began falling into a depression, and just about got out of it. And now again…?” She took a deep breath, and this time, she did take the cup of water that Dov was offering.

“First of all, I think that right now you don’t need to panic about this,” her husband said. He kept glancing at the door to the room, which was ajar. “At this point, it’s not depression. It’s normal grief.”

“For someone he knew for two days?”

“We don’t know what this person did for him. Sometimes the shortest encounter can be very deep.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 47 of a new online serial novel, Outside the Bubble, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

“Mali!” Chani stood at the open door, gaping at her sister in such shock that Mali started laughing.

“What’s the matter, Chani? Aren’t you going to let me in?”

“Of course I’ll let you in!” Chani moved aside, and Mali stepped into the tiny hallway of the apartment. Immediately, she dashed right over to little Bracha’s cradle.

“I haven’t seen her in so long!” she exclaimed as she picked Bracha up. The baby burst into wails of protest.

“Hey!” Mali pretended to be offended—or perhaps it was genuine. “Are you crying because your aunt picked you up?!”

“If her aunt would come by a little more often, she would recognize her and wouldn’t cry when you pick her up,” Chani said as she patted Mali’s shoulder and took her baby with the other hand. “So, maybe you can clue me in on why we have the privilege of a visit? I don’t think you’ve been here since Bracha was three weeks old.”

“We had a photography project at the National Park,” Mali said, stroking her niece’s cheek. Bracha was now studying her with big eyes. “I decided that if’ I’m so close to Bnei Brak already, why shouldn’t I pop in for a visit?”

“Great!” Chani smiled and walked over to the counter. “So tell me, how are you doing?”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 46 of a new online serial novel, Outside the Bubble, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

Dr. Jerry Skulholt’s office was designed with clean lines, and was rather empty—in line with Michoel Perl’s taste. The wooden chairs were simple and straight, and actually pretty comfortable. The square desk was perfectly matched to the closet, and together, they blended in with the large window frame that took up most of the western wall. Perl felt a strong urge to examine the room more closely, but he knew that it was not a good idea. He was sitting and waiting for the doctor to come in; in the meantime, out of boredom, he studied the three square, framed pictures on the wall opposite him.

Someone closed the door.  Michoel turned around. “You are Dr. Skulholt?” His arched eyebrows almost knitted together when he saw the man who, in the early days of his stay, had called him “Dad.”

“Yes, I’m Dr. Jerry Skulholt. Pleasure to meet you.” The man smiled and shook Michoel’s hand. Then He turned to the closet, opened the top door, and with slow movements—Perl did not know if it was deliberate or not—he took out a large purple binder. Michoel despised the color.

The man sat down on the other side of the desk. “I’m happy to see that you feel better, so that we can really get to know each other,” he said as he pulled a gold pen out of his pocket.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 45 of a new online serial novel, Outside the Bubble, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

In the morning, Michoel felt much stronger than he had in the past few days. Almost all the products that Rob, the male nurse, had bought him last night bore familiar American hechsherim, and that confirmed his conclusions regarding which country he was in.

The good meal was having the right effect, baruch Hashem. He washed his hands and stood up to daven, happy to see that he was able to remember most of the davening by heart. He felt bad that he hadn’t remembered to put on tefillin for a few days—and that he had no idea where they were. But he would demand from the staff again to get his belongings. And if they were not here—maybe he really had come here following a serious trauma—he would ask them to get ahold of tefillin for him somehow. Maybe from the other guy who kept kosher.

He passed the nurses’ station and went down to the director’s room. The door was locked again, and this time, no knocking or turning the handle got it to open. He studied the door, from the floor to the top of the doorpost, and went back up to the ward. This time he stopped at the nurses’ station.

“Yes, sir?” a dark-skinned nurse asked sweetly.

“I’d like to speak to the people in charge here,” he said. “Where is Skulholt now?”

“Do you mean the director or the CEO?”