The World Outside Read Online Free PDF

the building, carrying axes.
    “I hope nobody is hurt,” somebody beside me said. I realized it was the same girl. “I’m Jade,” she said.
    I stared at her, uncertain if I should reply, but then she grinned at me. She was one of those people whose smiles reach their eyes.
    “I’m Chanie,” I said.
    “You live around here?” She spoke with a flat accent I didn’t recognize.
    I pointed to my house. “Over there.”
    She looked surprised. “So do I. I’m visiting my mother’s sister, Rita Mae Orville. I’m from Boston.”
    “So that’s why you’ve got an accent.”
    She laughed. “I guess I do.”
    “We live next door to the Orvilles.”
    “Oh, I’m so glad I met you! Maybe we could hang out sometime. I have so many questions for you. Auntie Rita Mae told me that you are Lubavitchers. Is that why you wear such a long skirt?” She clamped her hand over her lips. “Sorry! I talk too much!”
    I couldn’t believe my ears. An African-American girl wanting to spend time with me? Black kids hung out with other black kids, while we Hasidim stayed with our own kind. Mama would never agree to let me be friends with somebody who wasn’t a Lubavitcher. She would never trust this girl—not even if she was Mrs. Orville’s niece.
    I was spared from answering by a commotion in the crowd. One of the firemen emerged from the building with a white cat cradled in his arms. A weeping woman ran up and grabbed the frightened animal. She was followed by a man with a little girl gripping his hand. The girl’s eyes were like saucers. When the woman handed the cat to the child, she covered its sooty fur with kisses.
    “Everythin’s gone! Everythin’s gone!” the woman cried. “We lost everythin’!”
    The man put his arm around her shoulders and tried to console her.
    “Could be worse,” said an old lady with cornrows in her hair. “You coulda been burned to a crisp in there.”
    “You lucky!” said a man on her left.
    The woman cried even harder.
    Jade tapped me on the arm. “Somebody is waving to you.”
    It was Mama. She was at the back of the crowd, with Baba hanging on to her arm.
    I elbowed my way through to them. “What happened?”
    Mama shrugged. “There was a fire in her kitchen.” She nodded at the crying woman. “The fire trucks got here quickly, but that poor family lost everything. I think Elliot is their name.”
    She stopped talking when the fire chief began shouting through a bullhorn.
    “Attention, everybody! The fire has been put out. Fortunately, it didn’t spread to the rest of the building. You may return to your homes.” He lowered the bullhorn and turned to Mrs. Elliot. “Everyone can go back except for you, ma’am,” he said to her. “I’ll let you in to get what you’ll need for the next few days, but you can’t stay there. It’s not safe.”
    “Oh Lord, where will we go?” Mrs. Elliot cried.
    The woman with the cornrows walked up and tookher hand. They were too far away for me to catch what she was saying, but whatever it was, it helped Mrs. Elliot stop crying. She seemed calm by the time the woman led her into the apartment house.
    The rest of the tenants also began to stream into the building.
    “Time for us to go home too,” Mama said. She patted Baba’s hand. “You okay, Baba?” She was always so gentle with my grandmother.
    Baba nodded, and we all turned and made our way slowly toward our house.
    Moishe gurgled with happiness when he saw me.
    “I’m sorry I’m late,” I said, giving him a big hug, “but there was a fire across the street. Want to see?”
    I pushed him to the window and pointed to the fire trucks that were just leaving. His head bobbed up and down excitedly. His arms flailed.
    “Enough time wasted,” Mama said in a tired voice. “We have a visitor tonight. Yossi is bringing his new study partner home to learn Torah together. Avrohom Isaac and his family will also be with us tonight. I moved dinner back half an hour. That should give you