The Last Rain (16 page)
Authors: Edeet Ravel
Naftali: | I have nothing to contribute to this discussion. Neither |
| | does Varda. Come on, Varda, let’s go. |
[They leave.] | |
Yael: | I’m sorry, but everyone is expected to follow the rules |
| | that we all agreed on as a group. Naftali broke the rules |
| | unilaterally. |
Tamir: | If he’s allowed to come and go as he pleases, then the |
| | voting procedure is meaningless. |
Oded: | It’s not as if there was even a reason. He wanted to write |
| | a novel. That is entirely against everything we believe in. |
Martin: | When exactly did we stop believing in art? I think I |
| | missed that day. |
Isaac: | We do in fact have a policy that artists get extra time to |
| | work on their art. |
Oded: | Yes, but not a whole year. Besides, you have to prove |
| | yourself first, publish at least a story or a few poems. |
| | Anyone can call himself a writer. Has anyone read |
| | his book? |
Coco: | The fact is, it was published. |
Oded: | I’ve heard he paid to have it published. |
Isaac: | We’re getting off-topic. The literary merit of Naftali’s |
| | book is not the issue. |
Nurit: | I agree. The issue is that he stayed away and the reason |
| | is irrelevant. Even if his parents were dying, let’s say, it |
| | wouldn’t be relevant. The point is that an extension was |
| | not approved. |
Isaac: | It may be difficult for the younger members to grasp |
| | what Naftali contributed from day one, what sort of |
| | conditions we endured. Ten years of devoted hard |
| | labour, day in day out, count for something. |
Martin: | “Saint Peter don’t you call me, cause I can’t go …” |
Isaac: | I suggest we set up a special committee to see what other |
| | Shomer kibbutzim have done in similar cases and pro- |
| | ceed from there. All in favour? |
Dori
In Canada I had two dresses I loved. Pioneers aren’t supposed to like dresses but I couldn’t help it. One was a red velvet jumper with a white lace blouse. The red was the most beautiful red in the world and the blouse had a lace collar and pearl buttons. When I wore it I felt like a piece of cake with icing.
The second dress had black and white stripes and buttons like jewels. I wanted to keep it for the rest of my life but I don’t know where it is now.
I wish I still had it. I wish I wish I wish.
Our First Year
3 May 1949.
A number of our comrades accepted an invitation to see a play staged by the schoolchildren of Jish. Another enjoyable experience in cementing Jewish–Arab friendship.
Dori
It’s Sukkot today. What a
balagan
!
46
We’re supposed to decorate a sukkah but we don’t know which one or where. We go to the older Group’s sukkah but they don’t want us there. We go to the younger Group’s sukkah but it’s already decorated. We run back and forth back and forth all day long looking for a sukkah to decorate.
In the end I go to the Room and Daddy gives me some figs but they’re the dried kind. I haven’t had a fig from a tree in a long time. They’re hard to find.
Mummy comes into the Room. She looks very tired. She sits down on the sofa and we read from the English rhyme book. She loves that book.
47
The drawings only have three colours—red and blue and yellow—but most of them are pretty. Mummy likes rhymes I don’t really understand—
The king of France
With forty thousand men
Rode up the hill
And then came down again
or
Hickory dickory dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The mouse ran down
Hickory dickory dock
There isn’t much of a story there. There’s a beginning and an end but nothing in the middle. But they make Mummy laugh.
Then we sing Au clair de la Lune—
Au clair de la lune
Mon ami Pierrot
Prtmoitplmprecrirunmo
Ma chandelle est morte
Jnpltfeu
Ovrmtprt
Pour l’amour de dieu
Now that is a good story.
Thy Neck with Chains of Gold
RITA | I once told you I don’t want anyone watching over me. |
| | You act as if you have special privileges. |
RICKY | I thought I |
| | imagination, but didn’t we at one time take long walks |
| | in the field and talk about our dreams? Before you |
| | started going into town to visit your |
RITA | Look, Ricky. I want my own room, I want to do what I |
| | want when I want. I don’t want to be tied down. |
RICKY | Don’t give me that claptrap. I know you better than any- |
| | one around here. You always asked me to be with you |
| | when you were alone, to listen to your thoughts, sympa- |
| | thize with your aches and pains. I read Omar Khayyam |
| | to you to help you fall asleep. And when you quarrelled |
| | with one of the girls, on whose shoulder did you cry? |
RITA | Ricky, maybe you should find— |
RICKY | Let’s get married. How about tomorrow? |
Dori
Jonathan’s leaving Eldar! He’s going to another kibbutz with his parents.
I think it’s because of his father. His father who eats blood. Because when I told Daddy about the blood he didn’t want to talk about it but he believed me and he said
nothing about Oded would surprise me
.
Jonathan’s leaving tomorrow morning. This is our last time in the same Group.
Baby Diary
July 14
The doctor saw the rash, suggested putting [illegible] for a few days. He said it’s not serious, rather something that is common to many babies. She’s very cute. She’s quiet, easy, sleeps well, and is growing. She already doesn’t look like a new baby. Her face is pretty, sweet. The order of her feedings today was: I gave all the feedings 4:00 a.m.–8:00–11:00–3:30–6:30–midnight–6:30. [sic]
Today Naftali took David to Nahariya. I don’t feel pressured to spend time with him. It’s completely different with two children. Even though I feel more confident and calm with Dori compared to my experience with a first child, I want to spend time with David. I also worry about him but I can’t devote myself to him as before. Sometimes it works out that I can be with him the entire evening and sometimes almost nothing at all.
And also all Dori’s accomplishments, I don’t manage to switch with Naftali at the moment that she does them. With David we were always together in the evening. Now I’m completely alone. Naftali visits during the day but it’s not the same.
Dori
That whole business with tying Elan to the bed again. I’m really getting fed up with that business.
At least this time we didn’t have to watch.
Our First Year
4 May 1949.
Most of the ploughing for the vegetable gardens has been completed.
The 60 dunams or so of Arab grapevines have been pruned.
One of the buildings has been converted into a chicken run.
A new machine and tool shed is under construction.
Sturdily and attractively designed new tables have been finished by our carpentry shop for the new Dining Hall, which will soon be ready for use.
Our first fifty pullets arrived, and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a thousand chicks.
Dori
That Alice in Wonderland.
If you’re going to turn into a pig dear I’ll have nothing more to do with you.
I laugh and Daddy laughs and we both laugh until we can’t stop.
Daddy puts on the radio to hear the news. I don’t understand a single word. It’s in Hebrew but not the kind I know.
The man on the radio says
good evening
and Daddy answers
good evening.
I ask Daddy
why do you say good evening—you know he can’t hear you.
Daddy smiles and says
it’s friendly
.
I make a fist and bang the bump on Daddy’s forehead because that doesn’t exactly make sense. I ask
why is Jonathan leaving?
but Daddy doesn’t want to say. I ask
can we go visit him on his new kibbutz
and he says
it might be hard to get there
. I ask
is it far
and he doesn’t know what to say. Finally he says
it might be complicated to get there.
I guess it’s far away across the mountains.
The
pundak
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song comes on. I love that song. It’s my favourite song in Hebrew—
And the balladeer said
Never mind never mind
And he raised a glass
To the heroes of the past
In the smoke—whistle, cluck—of the small
pundak
I don’t know all the words and I don’t know what a
pundak
is or a balladeer but I love the tune and how the balladeer says
never mind never mind
and the whistle and cluck. I asked Daddy what a
pundak
is but he shrugged his shoulders and didn’t know what to say. Finally he said
a place where people sit.
Why would there be a word for a place where people sit?