“I’ve already decided what I want to dress up as for Purim,” Evyatar announced when he returned from soccer. “Something from Star Wars.”
“Cool,” I said, quickly swallowing my cornflakes before Mom could say, “Don’t talk with your mouth full.” “Which character?”
“Darth Vader,” Evyatar replied.
“Cool,” I said. I know all the Star Wars characters. A few weeks ago, on a particularly rainy Saturday, Dad, Evyatar, and I sat in front of the computer all day watching all the Star Wars movies, even the ones that came out before Evyatar and I were born.
Darth Vader is the most important character in Star Wars. He is the commander-in-chief of the Galactic Empire’s army and a servant of Emperor Palpatine. He was originally a young Jedi Knight, but due to his anger over his mother’s death and fear for the fate of his wife, Padmé, he turned to the dark side of the Force.
“Great,” Mom said happily. “Last year, you only decided on the morning of Purim what you wanted to dress up as. We were lucky to have something at home.”
“I checked the store in the mall,” Evyatar said, “and the costume costs 250 shekels. But,” he quickly added when he saw Mom’s expression, “I also checked online, and if you order now, it’ll only cost 170 shekels.”
“We’re not spending that much money on a costume,” Mom said. “You’ll wear it for exactly an hour.”
“Wrong,” said Evyatar. “There’s a school parade on the street, plus a costume contest with a prize for the winner!”
“The parade only happens if it doesn’t rain,” I said. “If it rains, the parade is canceled, and everything takes place in the school gym.”
“Nobody asked you,” Evyatar said, kicking me.
“Ow!” I yelled, maybe a little too loudly, even though it didn’t really hurt.
“Evyatar!” Mom scolded him. “The decision not to buy a costume for 200 shekels has nothing to do with whether or not there will be a parade at school. And don’t kick your brother for any reason.”
“Sorry,” Evyatar muttered.
“I don’t have a costume either,” I said, scooting a little farther from Evyatar, just in case.
“Show me what this Darth… Ryder looks like,” Mom requested.
“Vader!” Evyatar and I shouted together, and I opened a Star Wars webpage with all the character pictures.
“Darth Vader,” Mom said, emphasizing the name, “wears a black suit, a black robe, and a mask.”
“That’s because he was injured by his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. As a result, he had to wear a mask and black armor,” I explained.
“Good to know,” Mom said with a smile.
“Black pants, a black shirt, and a robe—we have those,” she continued. “And you even have a lightsaber in that box of toys you don’t play with anymore. We just need to find a mask and some armor.”
“You can just buy a mask,” Evyatar suggested. “I saw one in a store at the mall for 60 shekels.”
“That’s reasonable,” Mom said. “I’m willing to spend up to 100 shekels on a Purim costume for each of you.”
“We have armor at home from when I dressed up as a Ninja Turtle,” Evyatar recalled. “We could paint it black.”
“Great idea!” Mom said. “No need to rush out and buy something new. A little thought and creativity, and we can find a solution for everything.”
“If I don’t dress up at all,” I asked, “can I just get the 100 shekels anyway?”
Mom laughed. “We’ll see when Purim comes.”
