The wedding of Solomon and Ramona took place on the roof of the Brown House, in a late afternoon hour. The participants were three of Ramona’s woman friends; and four of Kaplansky’s friends and clients, Dr. Priver, Mr. Weinberg, and another bereaved parent. Rabbi Abraham Rinik and Beadle Izaak Husitcher – accomplished the males’ count to ten (Minyan)- so is the Jewish tradition instruction for having a ‘Kosher Wedding Ceremony’. Of course, the boy Nahumik was attending it also, but no one of his friends. Mike’s father was invited, but he said he had no friendly relations with the photographer or with Ramona, so why should he bother?
Nahumik’s Rabbi came also. However- it was after the ‘breaking glass gesture’ by the bridegroom- (not as a sign for breaking the virginity of the bride Ramona – but as a sign for the Destuction of Jerusalem’s Temple). Aaron Hittin rushed back to the exit very soon, aplogizing that a new pupil was waiting, to having an interview with him.
Nurse Tsipy was one of the attendants of the wedding, also being there for a very short time. She came in her white sister’s uniform and white head-dress, and rushed back to the clinic house. She said that an Alert had been declared by the army, as a multitude of injured and dead were still streaming from the Southern Front. A big military Operation has been taking place in the Negev, and schools plus other public buildings might be needed for the lightly injured.
The two other womean friends of Ramona, had criticized (not confronting her – but beforhand) her decision to hold the embrio in her womb and to marry Kaplansky. They didn’t know for sure what we know, that Solomon was the grandfather. Ramona would deny to them that she had been pregnant to Elkano.
But in the wedding – Ramona’s friends laughed with her and tried to pretend that life is as usual, and that the photrographer looks vividly and fresh, so they said. If she really loves him and became so easily pregnant ‘for catching him’ – God be with her.
In those moments of small talk, Ramona thought: It’s interesting that my friends, who were going out with me to the cinema till a few months ago, don’t imagine that the American movies had a hand in all this. But from now on it’s obvious, that I will watch the movies with my husband, solomon. Yes, he likes to analyse the photographical and technical aspects of each movie, in addition to the structure and quality of dialogue or music, and so on. Now, I should finish with my hens and their eggs, and I’ll not be sorry. Enough with being enslaved by the hens’ coops. I’’ll have to take care of a baby.
CHAPTER 26
To America and Back Page 25