A CROSS THE CHASM 

By Tessa Harvey

    Ariella walked into the room, humming, clearly expecting only her mother to be there. Her stepfather, Daniel felt the old bitterness rise. 
    But before he could say a word, Ari said, "dad, I need your help, and yours too, mum." The young woman turned to face them both. "There is a sick old lady in my car and she needs this family to help her. Before you start," she added, "she wants "Uncle" Gavin to be her lawyer. For some unfathomable reason, she believes he is a good man - a good Jewish man."
    "Now, let's get her immediate needs attended to. You worked in a medical centre." Ari faltered, her breath hitching in her throat, chest tightening as she fought the asthma. 
    Esther moved first. "Okay, Ari. Relax." She glanced at Daniel. "We've got this. Questions later."
    The family trio tried to hide their shock when they saw the very frail elderly lady. Ari and her friend, Shayla had rescued her on impulse. Now the adrenaline rush of doing something different and possibly noble fled.
    But Renate was born with an indomitable spirit. As a very young woman, she had read the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling. In secret she had studied the books of the Torah. Her older brother had struggled to memorise all those Bible verses and when his sister had offered to help him, he accepted eventually, first testing his silence on the subject. They learned Genesis together and she had breathed no word to anyone, not even her friends. Actually, there were few friends. In those days, there was no room for a genius female - and after a fashion, Renate believed.

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