Chapter 22: New Year's Around September

It was the second day of Rosh Shannah, and Tifara and Yulogia arrived at the bridge with bread. They looked for the spot to throw bread crumbs, yet they had difficulty finding it. Their eyes spotted numerous people standing at both sides of the edges of the bridge, throwing pieces of bread at the lake.

People's chatter echoed all around them. The Jacaranda trees stood by the sidewalks, and the bluish-violet petals rained down from their tree branches. The police just stood by and watched people, never minding them throwing bread crumbs over the bridge as long as there was no chaos. While Tifara's eyes searched for a place to throw pieces of bread at the lake, Yulogia crossed her eyes and turned right with her annoyed face.

"Um…uh…which spot should we throw the bread out of the bridge?" Tifara asked.

"How should I know?!" Yulogia snapped without even looking her elder sister in the eye.

Tifara sighed and frowned at Yulogia. "You still mad at Elohim?"

"What do ya think, Tifara?!" Yulogia angrily turned to Tifara with her fists clenched. She then turned her face away from Tifara and recrossed her arms. "I still can't believe Elohim still hasn't helped us so far and I'm surprised you still have faith in Him. I don't even feel like throwin' some bread crumbs out of the bridge today."

Tifara excused Yulogia's attitude. "Look, you still need to have patience with Him. Yes, it takes a long time for our prayers to be answered. I mean, jus' looked at Abraham and Sarah as well as Isaac and Rebecca throughout the book of Genesis. They asked Elohim for a son and they waited years for their prayers to be answered."

Yulogia turned to Tifara and uncrossed her arms. "R-Really?"

Tifara shook her head. "Yea, of course! If we keep havin' faith in Him and be patient with Him, our prayers will be answered in no time."

Yulogia smiled at Tifara and shook her head, closing her eyes. "Mhn!"

Then Tifara continued to look around, this time with Yulogia searching with her, walking forward while people walked past her and her sister in opposite directions. "Alright, now where's our spot to throw some bread out?"

"Yea, it's gettin' incredibly difficult to find one," Yulogia said.

They looked everywhere and they still couldn't find any. Man, where the hell's our throwing spot? It's gotta be here somewhere, Tifara frustratingly thought as she and Yulogia continuously looked around their surroundings, until they finally found it.

Tifara gasped when she saw an unoccupied spot that was standing at the end of the sidewalk. I finally found it! She excitedly thought while Yulogia curiously turned to Tifara.

"Huh?" Yulogia asked. "What is it, big sis?"

"Look." Tifara pointed her finger at their throwing spot. "There's our throwing spot. Let's go there quickly before someone else takes it!"

Yulogia shook her head right after she turned and gazed at their throwing spot, shaking her head. "Mhn!"

Tifara and Yulogia dashed toward their throwing spot. And once they got there, Tifara pulled out four pieces of bread and gave two to Yulogia. "Here!"

"Thanks," Yulogia said, grabbing a couple of pieces of bread from Tifara's hand.

"You're welcome," Tifara said, tying up the bread bag, placing it on the bridge wall.

She and Yulogia broke the bread into crumbs and threw it out to the lake. They smiled when they were glad to throw it. Ah…my favorite time of the year…Tifara thought, I wish things were like this forever, y'know.

"Yo!" David's voice echoed to the left of Tifara and her little sister.

Huh?! David?! What's he doin' here?! Tifara curiously thought as she quickly turned to the left. She gasped with her eyes broadened.

"Huh?!" Yulogia heard her sister's gasp and curiously turned to Tifara. "What's wrong, big sis?!"

Yulogia also turned left to investigate what her sister was looking at. There they saw David smiled and waved at them.

"What's up?" David grinned at Tifara and waved at her.

It is! Tifara excitedly thought, waving at him. "Hi, David! Happy new year!"

"Oh, I don't celebrate Rosh Shannah," David said.

"Oh…really?" Tifara questioned as she and Yulogia gave David a blank stare.

"No, I don't," David said. "I celebrate New Year's on January 1st, not around September or October."

"Oh…I see…" Tifara said with a blank stare.

David glared at the sisters. "What, you guys have a problem with that?!"

"Oh, no-no-no! Not at all. Honest," Tifara answered. "It's jus' that I've never met a person who doesn't celebrate Rosh Shannah before. That's all."

David stopped glaring at the sisters. "Oh, I see…"

"Um, Tifara?" Yulogia asked, looking up at her sister.

"Hm?" Tifara turned to Yulogia.

"Aren't you gonna introduce me to David?"

Tifara widened her eyes and gasped when her hand covered her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I totally forgot 'bout that." She pointed her palm at David. "Yulogia, I want you to meet David."

"Hi there, Yulogia," David said as he waved his hand at Yulogia.

Tifara then turned to David and pointed her palm at Yulogia. "David, I would like you to meet my lil' sis, Yulogia."

"Hiya there, David," Yulogia smiled and waved back at David with her eyes closed. "It's a pleasure to meet ya!"

"It's a pleasure to meet ya too," David responded, leaning his back against the bridge, watching Tifara and Yulogia throw bread crumbs at the lake.

"So how was your day goin' so far, David?" Tifara asked.

"Other than my parents forcin' me to celebrate this damn holiday this weekend instead of January 1st, it's goin' pretty alright so far," David answered. "What 'bout you two?"

"We're also havin' a good day so far as well," Tifara replied, turning to Yulogia. "Right, lil' sis?"

Yulogia shook her head when looking up at Tifara. "Yea, we sure did!" Then she turned to David while Tifara continued throwing bread crumbs at the lake. "So David."

"Hm?" David asked.

"Are ya in the same grade as I am?"

David gave Yulogia his annoyed, angry face when he glared at her. "What?! No! I'm actually in the same grade as your sister! Why the heck do ya think that?!"

Yulogia glared at him back. "Hey! You don't need to be a total jerk, y'know! I asked that because you look like you could be in my grade level, not Tifara's!"

"Well, excuse me for bein' a fourteen-year-old late bloomer. So what grade are you in then?!"

"I'm in Year Dalet of Elementary school, that's what!"

"Okay, okay, okay, you two. Let's not continue on fightin' on a national holiday today, okay?" Tifara tried to calm the atmosphere around her. "Besides, you guys don't wanna get in trouble with the authorities for fightin', don'tcha now?"

After David and Yulogia scanned their surroundings and spotted the police watching over the crowd, they closed their eyes and scratched the back of their heads with their blushed, embarrassed cheeks.

"Yea, I guess, you're right, Tifara," David agreed. "Maybe we should stop fightin' now, would ya agreed, Yulogia?"

"Yea, I guess so, David," Yulogia agreed as they went back to their business as usual.

Tifara sighed out of joy when she heard that and continued throwing bread crumbs out of the bridge with her younger sister. "So, David."

"Hm?" David now turned to Tifara.

"How's your uncle feelin'?" Tifara asked. "Is he gettin' better already?"

"Oh, yea. He sure is," David answered. "He should be healed enough to be discharged from the hospital sometime 'round this week soon."

Tifara gasped excitedly at David. "That's good to hear, David. Give praise to Elohim for that!"

"Oh, you don't have to bring Elohim in to that, y'know," David said, closing his eyes, waving his hands sideways. "Besides I don't believe in Elohim's existence anyway."

Tifara and Yulogia gasped when they heard what came out of David's mouth.

"No way! You really believe that?!" Yulogia asked as she and her sister widened their eyes.

"Yea…I really mean that," David said, giving Tifara and Yulogia an annoyed look on his face.

Tifara then frowned at him. "But why though?"

"Because…" David began to answer, turning his face away from the sisters. "I really don't believe there's no proof that He exists at all, nor even helps people. He's jus' created by power hungry humans wantin' to control people's lives, just like every other god in Adamah."

So that's why he doesn't celebrate Rosh Shannah, Tifara thought as she continuously frowned at David. He jus' doesn't believe in Elohim. But why does he lack faith in Him in the first place? What makes him think this?

Tifara looked up at the sky. Elohim, please help me get to the bottom of David's lack of faith, she thought determinedly. I'll help You restore his faith in Your justice. I'll do it in my own heart. In Yeshua's name, Amen.

Tifara turned to David. "Yes, you're right, David. People do misinterpret and use the Bible for their own selfish gain. That's why I'll help you discover what makes Elohim different from any other god here in Adamah, through research behind Biblical teaching and historical accounts."

"Really?" David asked.

Tifara closed her eyes and grinned at David. "I'm positive."

"Okay, I'll see what you got then."

"Sure."

After Tifara and Yulogia threw crumbs over the bridge and ran out of bread, they waved their good-byes at David and headed home for Rosh Shannah dinner.