Are You Alone on Purpose? Read Online Free PDF

mother swept right on.
    â€œBut you know what? At least now I don’t have to wonder where your son learned right from wrong. Like father, like son. Or don’t you know about what Harry was doing to my Alison at school last year?”
    Alison winced. For an instant, Rabbi Roth’s eyes fell on her. Then they returned to her mother.
    â€œBecause the way I see it,” Alison’s mother had gone on, “it’s your son who’s handicapped. Not mine. And you know what I wish, Rabbi Roth? I wish your son were even more handicapped. Then you’d be forced to pay attention to your own problems, and you’d have a little more understanding about other people’s.” Mrs. Shandling paused, and then added, deliberately, “Although, come to think of it, perhaps you don’t have the facilities or the experience to do anything about your own problems, either.”
    She stopped, finally, and Alison dared to take a breath. Rabbi Roth said nothing. He sat unmoving, as if he had magically been transmuted into cement.
    â€œCome on, Alison,” said Mrs. Shandling, standing up. “We’re through here.”
    Alison nodded. But at the door, she paused and looked back at Rabbi Roth. He was looking straight at her. Then he looked down.
    Alison would have sworn he was going to cry.

HARRY
    August
    A t the same time that Mrs. Shandling was confronting his father, Harry, at camp, was trying to figure out how he should handle the Rachel Pearl situation. The previous evening had given Rachel the wrong idea.
    â€œThere she is,” said Mark Titelbaum, nudging Harry. Mark had the upper bunk next to Harry’s in Cabin Gimel; the Rachel dare had originated with him.
    â€œYeah, yeah,” said Harry. “I see.”
    Rachel, in a red two-piece bathing suit and flip-flops, was leaning against a pine tree on the path leading down to the lakefront, holding a towel and pretending not to be watching the upper path.
    â€œHey, Rach,” said Mark as they neared her. He smirked at Harry.
    â€œOh, hi there,” said Rachel. She joined them, falling into step beside Harry, elaborately casual. “Going down for free swim?”
    Harry slowed his walk, and so did she. Then he speeded up. So did she. She was smiling brightly.
    Great. This was all he needed.
    Of course, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to discourage her entirely. Rachel Pearl was okay-looking, even with the big teeth, and Harry supposed he wouldn’t say no to another “walk” like last night’s. There were a lot of ultrareligious kids at this camp, and he’d definitely established that Rachel wasn’t one of them.
    But it wasn’t as if Rachel really liked him. Harry had given her no reason to do so, had barely ever said hello to her before last night, and then only because Mark had told him Rachel had been talking about him. Harry had had to pursue her then, a little. It was expected.
    Rachel wasn’t hard to figure out; she’d come to camp this year with an agenda. Harry was the fourth boy she’d told her girlfriends she “liked.” It wasn’t her fault none of them had worked out.
    Harry even supposed he wished her luck. He just didn’t see himself as part of Harry and Rachel, cute camp couple. Cute fake camp couple, using each other.
    Not that he cared about that. It just wasn’t worth it. He just didn’t want to start anything.
    After all, his father would probably be thrilled about Rachel. He’d met Harry’s mother at this very camp, all those years ago.
    Not that the rabbi talked about that with Harry. Harry wasn’t even sure how he knew it. Maybe his mother had told him once. He couldn’t remember.
    He was tired of camp, anyway. He wouldn’t come next year. It would be counselor-in-training year, and Harry had already been taken aside by the camp director. They didn’t think Harry was counselor material.
    But, Harry knew, they also