Rivka glanced at her watch. “I have to run to camp. Penina, can you put this in my jewelry box?” She handed me her diamond bracelet. “I don’t want to wear it with all those preschoolers tugging at me.”

I clasped the delicate bracelet and watched my sister trudge back towards the cottage. In the summer our family rented a cottage by the beach. We were lucky to have found this frum enclave with separate beaches. Rivka worked as a counselor in a nearby day camp. I was leaving for sleepaway camp in a week. Part of me wished I had taken the day camp job here. I wanted to be in on all the wedding preparations.

Imma said, “Penina, it is only one month away. You’ll be here in August for all the heavy-duty preparations.”

And I did want to be with my best friend Shiri. We had gone to the same camp since fifth grade. This was our first year as staff. Tenth graders worked as junior counselors or waitresses. I was going to be an outdoor junior counselor.

I draped Rivka’s bracelet around my wrist and closed the clasp. I held it up to the morning sunlight, reflecting rainbow prisms on the white sand.

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