"You know I can not go out on Shabbat," Anna sighed, pushing her face into Lorenzo's chest.

Lorenzo wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her coarse black head of hair. "It's after sunset though."

"If I can talk Nathan into coming also, my parents may say it is ok."

"Just let me know, I think it would be fun and my parents asked if you could join us because it's been too long since we've had a family outing apparently. They say it's not the whole family if you aren't there."

Anna giggled. "I will try."

"I know, you always do amore mio."

"Ahuvì, please know this has nothing to do with you, if it were up to me, I would be there."

"It's just hard Annie, every time we see each other it seems like a fight to make it happen. I feel like a dirty secret."

Anna grasped Lorenzo's face in her hands and made eye contact with her love. "Enzo, you knew it had to be like this for so many years now, what is it seven years now? We have been through so much, yet we always find our way to each other. You have shown me not only your love, but helped me find the Messiah and His love, Ahuvì," she pressed a kiss to his lips to silence him from starting to speak. "I promise, it will not always be like this, God has kept us together for some reason, and I think we can handle a few more months of hiding."

Lorenzo sighed nodding his head, his frown morphing into a smile. "Love you baby."

"Love you too."

The couple embraced and parted only because Lorenzo's phone buzzed in his pocket signaling he was getting a call.

"Ciao Mamma!" Lorenzo carried on a conversation with his mother on the phone and it was mostly in Italian so Anna only caught bits and pieces. She started picking at her blush nail polish as she waited for the conversation to end. She glanced up at a large clock on the wall above one of the nearby classroom doors. It was almost time for Drama Club to start and she knew Lorenzo needed to pick up his siblings from their buildings soon.

"Annie?"

Anna jumped a little at her boyfriend's voice, not realizing she'd zoned out pretty good.

Lorenzo chuckled softly, "Mom is picking up the kids today, she got sent home early for some reason, so is it ok if I come to your club with you?"

Anna's face lit up and she let out a soft squeal grabbing onto Lorenzo's arm and started leading him to the theater space.

Thirty minutes later Lorenzo found himself being kissed quite passionately by his girlfriend on a water break.

"You are being quite bold, not that I'm complaining."

"You're not my dirty secret." Anna whispered.

Lorenzo smiled and kissed her again, weaving his fingers into her hair.

"Nathan said he'd go." Anna whispered as they parted, both smiling like the love sick puppies they were.

Lorenzo grinned widely, "That's awesome babe!"

"I got to get back now, we are finally voting between Oliver and Fiddler on the Roof for our production. Too much drama, I tell you."

Lorenzo chuckled and pecked his girl's lips before sending her back to the group of squawking teenage Broadway wannabes.

When Ann finally arrived back home, she knew she was in for a fight, but she never realized how big of one it would be.

"Ema, I thought you knew." Anna whispered as her mother angrily waved a letter in the air.

"No! I did not know, I thought you would have known your duty!"

"This is America and the 21st century ema, my job is no longer to simply be a mother and wife. That is so old world 1800's." Anna never talked back to her parents ever. It was her place as a Jewish daughter to trust their judgment for her, but she would no longer toe that line if it meant she lost her dream to go to MIT and if this was truly an acceptance letter she would fight for her life for this.

"Oh, so you know better than your abba and ema now? I am not good enough? I am old world hm? I am a wife and mother, is that not enough?"

"Just because your abba and ema forced you into an arranged young marriage, doesn't mean you have to subject me to the same fate."

"Such fancy words, I knew America would be bad for our family."

"Then go back to Israel if you think being in the midst of political conflict and bombings would be better." Anna knew she was going way too far, but she had had enough of her mother glorifying their home country.

Miriam gaped like a fish out of water in absolute shock.

Anna took the opportunity, since it meant only one conflict instead of now two separate ones, to tell her ema about Saturday night. "I'm going with Nathan to trivia night after sunset on Saturday."

"Not even the decency to ask, you just tell me now?"

"I am almost 18 ema, you have to let me grow up."

"Not into this akhzbh."

Being called a disappointment was a little much for Anna and she broke into tears. "Ema, I am sorry. I just want to make you happy, and I try so hard, but it is impossible."

Miriam crossed her arms, hmphed and walked away from her daughter, taking the envelope that had triggered this whole mess with her into the kitchen. The next thing Anna knew, she smelled burning paper and she started sobbing and faded against the hall wall and into a panic attack. The worst part is they always lasted longer when Lorenzo or Nathan weren't there to help her back to reality. One panic attack morphed into another until there was just numbness.

Anna forced herself to get up off the floor before her abba could find her there when he arrived home from work, she couldn't stand to disappoint him today also.