The Covenant (38 page)

E
LISE LOOKED AT
the four women who stood around her bed. Ariana, with her flamboyant makeup and glamorous flowing dress, covered in jewels, her long gray hair pinned back into a French knot, her green eyes mesmerizing; Esther, the famous businesswoman, chic in her black suit and long string of pearls, her silver hair expertly done, framing her still amazingly youthful face; Maria, straight-backed and proud in the unstylish white blouse and black skirt, the gray curls cut short around her tan and weathered face, her eyes still sparkling with life. And last of all, her
Bubbee
, simple and matronly in her flowered Sabbath dress, the gray wig pulled down low on her forehead, her smile as comforting and full of goodness as a warm glass of milk on a cold, dark night.

“You all came!” she finally managed to whisper, the knot in her throat almost painful. This is what had become of them, those four teenaged girls who had walked into the worst blizzard of evil in modern history and had emerged to tell the tale. This is what survival looked like. You got to grow old. To smile.

It was the most beautiful sight in the world. She reached out to them.

They all reached back, knocking into each other and crowding the bed. They laughed at their clumsy eagerness, pulling back a little sheepishly, allowing Ariana—the only childless one among them—to bend down first. She took Elise gently in her arms.
“Ma cherefille.”
She kissed her on both cheeks. “Courage! We pray for you, for your family. This terrorist, the one in Paris, we take care of him.
Bien sur!”

”What did you say?” Elise gasped.

Esther put a restraining hand on Ariana’s back. “Maybe, Ariana, we should wait with the details,
non?”

Ariana considered this. “Perhaps you are right.”

Before Elise could pursue it, Maria came forward,
“fiak sie masz?”
she said, hugging her. She smelled of wildflowers, clothes hung in the sun, ironed carefully with starch, Elise thought, hugging her. Maria of the thousand stories. Maria who had gotten her
Bubbee
the job in the sorting room that saved her life. Who had given her bread when she was starving, a scarf when she was bald, a warm drink when she was freezing.

“She doesn’t understand Polish, Maria,” Esther reminded her, turning to Elise. “It means: ‘How are you?’”

“Przepraszam!
Excuse me! My English, not good very.
Modlmy sie!
We pray!” She kissed both Elise’s hands, taking them into her own. Elise studied the swollen fingers: these were the hands my
Bubbee
held, she thought, comforting her in her darkest hours, and now they hold mine. Dear hands! she thought. The kindest, most beautiful hands in the world.

Esther sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing back Elise’s hair into her head scarf, studying her face. “This is the face your grandmother had when I first met her. Of course,” she glanced at Leah, “she had less hair”

A titter went through the women.

“This is true! We were bald!”

“But we had our heads, and so the hair grew back. This you told me, Maria, remember?”

“Tak, tak
, my Leah. And now you cover your hair with a wig!”

Leah made a dismissive motion with her hand. “These days, the wig is nicer, believe me, Maria.”

I have only been suffering days; they suffered years. I have not yet lost anyone I love, and they lost almost everyone. Yet, they had not only survived; they had triumphed. Nothing could have brought her more comfort. “I… can’t… even… say how much this means to me,” Elise choked, motioning for each of them to come closer. One by one, she kissed them. “Thank you for saving her, for saving my
Bubbee.”

“Elise, you have a lot more than that to thank them for…” Leah told her granddaughter.

Elise turned to her grandmother, surprised.

”Tell her All of you,” Leah urged them.

“The head of Hamas in Europe sent a message from Paris to the kidnappers to treat Jon and liana well. I saw him send it. He did it from my club,” Ariana said.

Elise was flabbergasted. “Really?”

“A friend of mine—an arms dealer—invited him to dinner and a show at our club. But once he got there, he found a different kind of show… That he himself is the star.” She chuckled. “The Israelis, they were waiting for him. They give him—how do you say?—the ‘treatment.’ In the end, he did exactly what we told him.”

“But how did you know who he was, where to find him?”

Esther stepped closer. “I hired a private kidnap service to free Jonathan and liana. They were able to pick up the Hamas person who delivered the videotapes, to threaten him until he talked and admitted who was giving him orders. My granddaughter, Elizabeth, and her husband were also very helpful. They gave us this man’s address and phone number in Paris. Otherwise, it would have taken weeks to track him down.”

“Esther didn’t even mention it, but she spent a fortune on that kidnap service…” Leah pointed out.

Esther waved her hand dismissively. “They didn’t do much, believe me. Got themselves arrested and deported by the Israelis. All they wanted to do was help! But you know Israelis… they never think they need any help. But at least they got that BCN driver arrested and interrogated. Turns out he wasn’t only picking up those tapes, he was a member of Hamas… Who knows how long it would have taken the Israeli politicians to decide to let their army go into Arafat land to pick him up otherwise? And it was your grandson, Maria, who found this out. Milos put himself into real danger. Hamas were recording his calls, tracking him…”

Maria shuddered. “But he’s safe now, right?”

“Yes.”

“How did Milos find out?” Elise asked.

“He made friends with that BCN reporter… that Julia…”

“Julia Greenberg… The one I gave the interview to? It was her driver who worked for Hamas?” Elise said in shock.

Leah nodded. “But I don’t think she knew that. You know she was badly injured in today’s bombing on King George Street?”

Elise leaned back, stunned. “I heard there was a bombing… I can’t believe it. How terrible!”

Slowly, she leaned back, looking at the four elderly women who milled around her room, letting it all sink in. They’d found the person who knew where Jon and liana were being held and had gotten him into Israeli custody. They’d gotten to the head Hamas operative in Europe, forcing him to move the deadline… “You were able to do all this…?” She hadn’t taken anything her grandmother said seriously. She felt numb. “I never believed… How can I thank you all? Where do I begin?”

Maria kissed Elise on her forehead. “You are our child. liana and Jon, the baby. They are our family.”

“Yes, as if we gave birth to you,
compris?”

“When your family is home safely, you may thank us. Until then, we haven’t done anything,” Esther said somberly.

“How is the little one?” Ariana asked, wanting to change the subject.

“Getting a little stronger every day, thank God. He hasn’t had any more problems. And he’s drinking plenty of my milk. He’s going to be fine, God willing. I just know it.”

“Of course he is!

“Nie przejmuj sie!”

“When can we see him,
le petit?”

“I think you could probably go now. I’ll just call the nurses and tell them you’re coming.”

“Yes, we will go to see the baby. And then we all want to go to the Kotel. To pray.”

“I guess I’ll only see you all after the Sabbath, then…”

“After? Don’t be silly! Where would we spend the Sabbath if not with you and the baby…?”

“But…”

The women looked at her, smiling.

“It’s all taken care of.”

“They’ll set up a table for us to eat in the lounge outside. We’ll feast on a Sabbath meal of hospital food. All five of us. Dr. Gabbay, God bless him,
also got us a room with four beds here in the hospital, so we can spend the night nearby,” Leah explained. “Did you even dream we would leave you here alone, tonight, of all nights?”

“Bubbee…”
The words wouldn’t come.

“My pride and joy, my Elise”—she stroked the fine young back—”my darling child.” It was all for you, everything I did. For you and for your mother, and uncle and cousins… You made it all worth it.

“Is that him?”

“Le petit!”

“A
broocha
on his
kepeleh
, little
shefeleh
, little lamb…”

“Jieste retak piekna!
So beautiful!”

Ariana stumbled. Maria and Esther caught her. “Come…”

“I’ll get her a glass of cold water! Fan her, she’s hot…” Leah said frantically.

“It’s all right. It’s nothing.
Rien!”
Ariana protested.

Esther held her hand. “Seeing babies… is that it?”

Ariana squeezed her back. “
Tres difficile…”

“You heard what Elise said. He is yours too. Without you, he wouldn’t be here.”

“Look at all the tubes, the bandages… Will he really be all right? I don’t think I could stand it if anything happened… not to this baby…” Ariana shook her head.

Leah put her arm around Ariana’s waist. “Come, get up. Look at him again.”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on…”

They stood there, staring at the tiny face. He was putting on weight, Leah thought, amazed. “Look, already he has two cheeks and little pads on his tiny shoulders, and that
tuchas…
what a little
tuchasl
Someone should take a picture of that
tuchas
, to embarrass him when he becomes chief rabbi of Israel…!”

“This we leave up to you. This is your specialty!” Esther laughed. “Would I take a
tuchas
picture? Never. This is
your
idea of a picture. Elizabeth and Morrie in the bathtub… A
shandah.”

”Look at the eyes, how they look around already!”

His eyes did seem to be focussing, looking at the bright colors of the tiny bear mobile that swam above him.

“Come, Ariana, put your hand in. Touch him.”

“I couldn’t!”

“Come on.”

She took off her big rings and handed them to Esther, then slipped her hand inside the bassinet, her long, wrinkled finger tenderly stroking the child’s tiny, smooth hand. Immediately, his fingers opened, grasping hers.

“Mon Dieu!”
she gasped, falling instantly in love. “He is very strong, this little one. Very brave.”

“Like his father,” Leah whispered.

Esther held Leah’s hand. “Like his dear father. May God watch over them both.”

“Amen.” Maria crossed herself.

Leah opened her purse and unwrapped a package.

“What is that?”

“It’s a doll. I bought it in Meah Shearim. See the sidecurls? And the yarmulke? And wait, listen to this.” She pressed his red nose. A small boy’s sweet young voice began reciting the morning prayer in Hebrew:
“Modeh Ani…”
(I am grateful before You, living and everlasting King, for returning my soul to me in Your infinite mercy and faithfulness.)

The women laughed.

“But why is it wearing a dress if it’s wearing a yarmulke? Isn’t it supposed to be a boy?”

“Well…” Leah said doubtfully, noticing this for the first time. She examined the label. It said
MADE IN CHINA
.

“I guess that would explain it.” She placed the doll in the corner of the crib.

“It shouldn’t give him nightmares, such a giant!”

“Or gender confusion,” Esther pointed out.

“Vus?”
Leah asked her.

“Never mind…”

“Sleep well, little beauty,” Maria whispered. “And may you wake to find yourself in your father’s arms.”

Chapter Thirty-five

The Old City offerusalem
Friday, May 10, 2002
1 :30
P.M.

T
HEY SAT IN
the taxi silently as it drove toward the Wailing Wall.

Suddenly, Leah turned around from her seat beside the driver, looking at them. “Do you ever think about it?”

There was a gentle rustle in the backseat as the women changed positions.

“I have never, ever stopped,” Ariana whispered. Maria and Esther reached out to her, each enfolding a hand in theirs. “Remember how we all dreamed about the day of liberation? We expected so much joy!”

“Instead, it was like a ton of bricks,
tak
—” Maria agreed.

“It was that way for everyone. All the pain of all the years, all the losses, all coming back to us at once…” Esther shrugged.

“Because we finally allowed ourselves to feel…
Compris?”

“I thought: Why me?” Leah said softly. “Why was I spared? Was it
mazal?
Or a reward? But then, if God rewarded me, why did He punish the others, such good people, my mother and father? . . . I thought: I’m alive because someone else died. Because I took the easier work; because I didn’t give them my bread…”

“That’s what we all thought.” Esther nodded.

“The guilt.” Ariana nodded.

“The anger.” Maria squeezed her hand. “It was the first time we let ourselves mourn…”