The History of Love

Bird’s journal starts on September 28. He says that his therapist, Dr. Vishnubakat, told him to try writing his thoughts and feelings in his journal. First, he writes about how he tried to buy a plane ticket to Israel. Bird left a note explaining his departure to Alma and his mother. He tells them there will be a flood, but he built an ark in the vacant lot so they will be safe. When his mother bought tickets for Alma’s Bat Mitzvah, they were $700, so Bird sold lemonade until he made $741, but when he went to the airport, the cost was $1200. When the attendant at the airport wouldn’t sell him a ticket, he told her he might be the Messiah, and the police came to take him home.

When the rain stops, the police take down Bird’s ark. He is upset because he wrote God’s name on some of the pieces, meaning they can’t be thrown away. When he goes to retrieve them, however, they are already gone. The next day, he visits his only friend, Mr. Goldstein, the janitor at Hebrew School. Bird worries that he disappointed Mr. Goldstein and also God by revealing that he is a lamed vovnik.