by Israel Levy
The realization dawned on her: they were not in Israeli territory but in Jordan, doing actual intelligence field work. She felt every muscle in her body tense and looked around her through the slits.
Two herds of goats grazed in the bushes on either side of the road. A truck or tanker passed by every now and then. Naomi noticed most of the traffic was military. Some of the vehicles entered the gates of the base and others moved on further to the south.
One goat began to wander away from the herd.
“One, this is Two,” she heard a whisper in her earpiece.
“This is One, over.”
“Several quadrupeds and one biped approaching your way.”
They turned off the computer and everyone froze in place. The goat came closer, grazing, up to the dugout slit. The herder stepped up to chase the wayward animal back toward the rest of the herd and as his feet touched the edge of the dugout clods of dirt fell inside. Naomi held her breath so tightly she thought she might faint. Everyone else was sweating and Yaron pulled out his commando knife and signaled to another soldier to take position and be ready to leap out in case the herder noticed the dugout and started yelling. After two minutes that felt like an eternity, the goat made its way back to the herd, and the herder followed.
A collective sigh of relief filled the dugout, the computer was switched back on and work continued.
At dusk Naomi felt her bladder was about to burst. Her right arm kept going numb and she tried to change position over and over again. She heard the sound of running water and saw one of the soldiers lying on his side and peeing into an empty canister.
When he was done, he passed it to Ziv, who in turn passed the canister on to Yaron. When Naomi was handed the canister her face turned so brightly red she was thankful for the cover of the night, but she knew she had no choice. She tried to scoot as far as she could to the side of the dugout and as everyone looked away she managed to relieve herself into the canister, wetting her pants a bit.
Still blushing, she handed the canister to the soldier who, without batting an eye, sealed it hermetically with a lid and placed it in his backpack.
Dinner was a feast of more snacks. Naomi noticed how they made sure to pick up every little crumb and wrapper so as not to leave a trace behind them. Their observations and night footage, taken with the help of a starlight enhancer device, were sent to their destination via satellite.
At noon on the second day the heat, sweat, and smell of urine were beginning to take its toll. The air in the trench was stultifying and increasingly difficult to bear, but no one complained.
As the third night descended upon them Yaron gave the order to start packing up. With great skill and speed they removed the soil from the cover, folded the canvas, removed the pegs and packed all the equipment while Naomi and Ziv stood guard. The soldier in the upper dugout also broke down his shelter, and gathered his gear. They packed the unearthed soil back into the trenches, scattered some brush on top of it and began to retreat. Yaron and two soldiers stopped to examine every patch of ground, making sure no sign of their presence was visible. With the final “go” from Yaron they started marching towards the pickup point.
They took a slightly different route back. After a five hour walk they arrived at a rise overlooking a narrow valley. Yaron made radio contact with the other teams and with the helicopters. Four minutes later they heard the sound of the rotors and saw the silhouettes of the choppers approaching them. Landing in the dark was done using a miniature tracker which Yaron held in his hand. The minute the choppers touched the ground the teams sprinted towards them and within thirty seconds they were back in the air.
Yaron turned to the team as soon as they touched ground at the landing strip next to the Matkal base.
“OK, guys. Let’s go to the debriefing area and analyze the action.”
The other three teams were already gathered in the staff room, including the chopper pilots, the Matkal unit commander, his deputy, and several other officers Naomi did not recognize, some wearing infantry uniforms and others air force. Naomi was so exhausted she found herself dozing off during the debriefing (“Well, this is awkward”) and could hardly remember what was being said. Each member of the Matkal teams gave the most accurate account of events from their point of view. When the soldiers were done, the team commanders spoke, followed by the chopper pilots and the Matkal operations men who had been responsible for receiving the collected data and overseeing every step of the action, as well as the Air Force operations men. The individual stories came together, forming a mosaic which coalesced into an accurate and meticulous recounting of the entire operation.
(“I am most definitely witnessing that impressive level of uncompromising professionalism that earned the Matkal unit its well-deserved reputation”) The Hatcher people did not undergo questioning or take part in the debriefing and analysis.
“In conclusion,” said Yaron, nearing the end of the meeting, “I would like to congratulate Naomi and Ziv who joined us. I don’t need to say much about Ziv, we all know him, but Naomi was a real surprise (“Surprise? Why? Were they expecting some kind of wuss?”). Her performance was truly exceptional and I’d be happy to bring her on as a permanent member of team Yaron.”
“I second that,” said the other team commanders. Naomi smiled at Yaron, grateful for the gesture, and finally, the meeting was over.
At home Naomi reveled in the best shower of her life. She never imagined she would get so much pleasure simply sitting on a clean toilet. She threw her clothes in the washing machine, rinsing away the dirt and effort. Twenty unopened emails appeared on screen when she turned on her computer. (“No way am I reading those now, where are you Tuscany…?”). She passed out on the living room carpet.
“So, what was that sudden trip abroad all about?” was Yael’s first question. “And who’s the guy who called to let us know? He wouldn’t talk to anyone but Leibowitz. Well, c’mon, tell me all about it.”
“Not now, Yael, I’m sorry, I really have some crazy catching up to do.”
Naomi entered her office, trying to readjust following from the previous three days in the field. These drastic changes were almost becoming routine.
“Yael, do me a favor, I could really use a cup of coffee. And if you’ve got any of your mother’s croissants, that would be amazing.” In less than three minutes she had a steaming hot coffee and a scrumptious looking croissant on her desk.
“What have you done to your hair? And your hands, they’re all covered in scratches. I take it you have a feisty new lover in your life” (“Why just settle for one lover when you can have multiple ones…?”) Naomi smiled to herself.
She turned to the window in her seat, relishing every sip of coffee and bite of croissant. Just two minutes of quiet time to relax before –
“Yael, call Rami in please? And I need the Rosenstein vs. Meshulam case, from Leumi Bank, I need to get cracking on that.”
She focused on her work and by lunchtime made it through most the pile that had accumulated on her desk, getting caught up with Rami, Michal and Nirit.
The minibus was abuzz with lively chatter as everyone exchanged stories and experiences, all the way to the Matkal unit base. In the debriefing room, which was now in pristine condition after last night’s events, the team commanders were already waiting for them. Yaron looked like he had showered but not slept. They smiled and patted each other on the back.
“Thank you for your kind words last night,” said Naomi to Yaron, but before he could answer Abraham walked into the room.
“OK, everyone, I understand the excitement after such a successful reconnaissance action, but let’s keep our focus. We’re approaching our final stage before go time. Naomi and Ziv, you’re starting a series of training sessions now, focusing on camouflage, field intelligence and direction of snipers using lasers. Aaron and Gila, you are attached to an outside team from th
e Bank of Israel, specializing in transactions computing, computer security, secured online activity and international banking. Yaniv and Keren, you’ll be taking a skydiving course and an advanced navigation course.”
All the Hatchet team members exchanged smiles. “This training component will prepare each duo for their specific positions within the overall attack scheme. You must all take a month of unpaid leave from work. Come up with whatever cover story will work best and we’ll provide all necessary backup. Training starts five days from now, on Sunday. Good luck everyone.”
Naomi found herself with the afternoon off. She decided to call Moshe as soon as she got in her car and then stop by Shuli’s.
“Hello,” Moshe’s voice sounded a little hesitant as he picked up.
“Moshe, it’s Naomi. What’s up? Don’t you recognize my number? Did you miss me?”
“Hi, Naomi,” his tone of voice changed (“So he is happy to hear from me, I’m glad”) but he still sounded somewhat stressed. “I missed you so much I can’t bear it. But there’s something I need to tell you.”
“So let’s meet at my place tonight, please. I’ll make us something special. You’ll bring the wine, we’ll toast to the memory of Tuscany.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be there at ten.”
She decided that talking to Leibowitz about having to take a leave of absence could wait until the next day and called her sister.
“Hey sis, how’s everything?”
“A lot better. What’s up with you? You keep disappearing on me. I’m your sister, remember? The one who used to always know everything that went on with you, and I feel like you’re going through something really weird right now.”
Naomi was two seconds away from telling all but took a deep breath and went on.
“Come off it, Shuli. There’s nothing going on. Except I want to have a special dinner tonight.”
“So, what’s the problem? You need the number of that sushi place?”
“No, this is a special dinner. I want to cook.”
There was a long pause at the other end of the line. “I’m sorry. My sister, the lawyer, in the kitchen, slaving over a hot stove? What will the Revisionists say? What will the feminists say? My sister, the one who torched her bra when she was sixteen years old, is going to cook dinner? I have to tell Mom.”
“Don’t you dare tell her! She’ll show up here wanting to meet the man I’m having over.”
“Oh, so it’s a man. Is it Moshe?”
“Yes, it’s Moshe.”
“Very nice, very nice. So, at least tell me more about him.”
“I’ll tell you more when there’s more to tell. By the way, work’s sending me overseas for some educational program.”
“Nice, a few days?”
“Longer than that. I’ll have to spend an entire month in Belgium, working from there.”
“Wow, that’s great. Have a great time and forget all about your little old invalid sister. I’ll just stay here with the kids and Mom… I guess I’ll have to wait another month before going out for a beer with you.”
“How about some encouragement, Shuli? I really need some simple recipes I can handle for tonight.”
The conversation turned culinary and they decided on a cream of artichoke soup to start, followed by lemon infused celery stuffed with meat. They argued about the main course for a bit before agreeing on marinated chicken breasts with creamed broccoli. Naomi decided it was too much for her to try and make her own desserts and said she’d just pop by the Victoria for some crème brulees.
She spent a long time shopping at “HaShikma” delicatessen on King George Street and even more time in the kitchen, and by eight p.m. found herself surrounded by mounds of chopped vegetables, fresh meat, and a bottle of red Chilean wine she used for cooking but also sipped from every few minutes. At nine she started to tidy her apartment. She changed the sheets, set the table, lit a few incense sticks, jumped in the shower and put on clean, casual clothes.
She was just putting on her necklace when the intercom buzzed.
“It’s me.”
Two minutes later, and before Moshe even had a chance to knock, she opened the door and there he stood in his jeans, black shirt untucked, tie and red Converse shoes. He looked as tanned as ever, smiling his usual, embarrassed half smile (“My god, he’s hot”), holding a bottle of red wine in one hand (“Oh, that’s one of the bottles we got in Tuscany”) and a large paper envelope in the other, glued together with sticky tape.
She threw herself into his arms, kissing his face and eyes, making her way to his lips and clinging to them like a breath of fresh air.
“Whoa, hold on,” he tried to catch his breath. He put aside the envelope, wrapped his hands around Naomi’s waist and gently pushed her towards the living room sofa. “Wait a minute, Naomi. I want us to talk for a while.”
“No way, not after I’ve slaved to make us this gourmet meal. I wanted to show you some other aspects of myself. Take a seat at the table, and enjoy.”
She pulled him to the dining table, made him sit down, lit the candles and poured them each a glass of wine.
“To our undying love,” she kissed him on the lips.
“To us.”
“This is truly delicious, just like the Italian lady promised.”
She poured two bowls of steaming hot soup.
“Looks amazing,” he said.
They sipped in silence, drinking in each other’s gaze. When they were done she brought the two plates of stuffed celery from the fridge, refilled their wine glasses, bent down and kissed him again.
“Here’s to us, my love.”
“To us, love,” he practically purred with enjoyment.
The celery dish was very good (“Mom should see this”) and Naomi couldn’t help but giggle.
“What’s so funny?”
“I was just imagining my mother’s reaction if she saw all this.”
Another glass of wine and she was starting to feel a bit light headed (“Well, I did drink while I was cooking too”).
“And now, the main course.” It tasted so good she was actually surprised herself.
“Amazing,” he said.
“You know what, I’m pretty impressed with myself, turns out I’m a real cook.” She looked up at Moshe and couldn’t help but notice the deep pain in his eyes. All the delicious food and excellent wine couldn’t mask that.
“Naomi, I have to tell you something. I can’t keep quiet any longer,” he looked at her, and the tone of his voice made her heart stop.
“I’m leaving, and we can’t see each other anymore.” Naomi felt as if all the blood had drained from her body, her heart freezing in her chest.
“What are you talking about? What happened? What do you mean, you’re leaving? What do you mean, we can’t see each other anymore? I don’t understand. I thought you loved me, you loved being with me, just like I love being with you. I, I, I…” she started to stammer, “and Tuscany. What was that all about?”
He stood up, came closer to her, placed two fingers on her lips and pressed his lips against her forehead, stopping the avalanche of words.
“Shhh, Naomi, stop. I do love you. Nothing’s changed about that. But things have happened in my life and I’m forced to make a change.”
“What things? You’ve never shared anything.”
“I know, and I can’t tell you everything now either. I don’t want to hurt you, so I better not, but some of it has to do with the disappearance and the death of a close friend.”
“What disappearance? What death?” Naomi’s voice was now tinged with that of an inquisitive lawyer.
“My cousin studies architecture at the Sorbonne. There was a good friend of ours who studied there with her, was diagnosed with cancer and recently passed away. After his funeral she disappeared and hasn’t made contact wi
th anyone in the family.”
Naomi sympathized with his pain (“It’s amazing you can spend so much time with someone, loving him, and still know so little about him”).
“I’m so sorry. She must be in so much pain she found some secluded place where she could be alone. That’s what I would do. But what does that have to do with us not seeing each other?”
“Before our friend died we talked about me enrolling for my masters’ degree and living with them there, in France. This was before I met you. It seems like ages ago now. My friend handed in my application and I was accepted. I didn’t want to leave my family, but now that he’s gone they’re pressuring me to join my cousin in Paris. I’ve agreed to do that and I’m going to start school there. Between your work and my studies we won’t be able to see each other at all, so I think it’s best for both of us if we just end things now.”
Naomi leaned back in her chair. This was not how she’d imagine the night to be. Her entire body ached for him. If anything, she felt closer to him than ever before. She’d even thought about opening up to him and sharing something, anything about what she was really doing (“Control yourself Naomi, keep calm”) but now she knew it was not the right thing to do. She felt this strange connection, that had been born at the beach, was coming to an end.
She allowed her emotions to settle in, knowing what her reactions were like under pressure. Her mind kicked into action, cold and calculated.
“Naomi, I know we’ll meet again. My heart tells me our love will find the way, but this is something I have to do.”
“I’m not going to argue with you. I’m sure you’ve taken everything into consideration.”