This was the last month of Ramona’s pregnancy. The boy was having the meals with his parents in silence. He did not interfere in their talks. Kaplansky was telling Ramona, how many more people had come to his shop on that day, to order a repair and/ or copy old photos of their beloved ones- mainly dead soldiers. He would avoid asking them who and where. Other people – like Ramona had done just a year before, would arrive in his shop with pictures from the pre-Nazi era, also requesting to re-shape them. “I’m a leech,” complaineid Solomon, “a person who’s making his living from the dead. I hate it. I won’t do that for long. I’ve already declared: I will take all of us out of this mud.”
“But yesterday you told me,” said Ramona, “that you had a joyful job, to take some shots of new comers. They were standing near their new hut, that the Government has deliverd them. Or also you have taken photos of some wedding… All were smiling there–you’ve said- with a hope on their faces; then you’ve added: O.K., maybe they really bring some hope to us.’
“Yes, by ‘us’– I’ve meant the majority of population, not including our small family.”
Nahumik was smiling inside himself from the tragic humor hidden in Kaplasky’s words. Then he heard him saying, while he had shown Ramona some paragraph from the famous newspaper ‘Davar’(meaning: a talk): “It’s very sad what a politician had said to the soldiers, who are still fighting in the bloody southern front. It’s a cursed enigmatic saying: ‘Our defenders were very few, but their spirit had blocked the breaches.’ A ‘hutspa’ of a man to talk like that: My son’s spirit had been destroyed, it didn’t block anything!” Solomon was stretching his hand like a speaker, and his face became furious.
“Oh, dear Solomon,” said Ramona, “why blame anybody? A politician’s task is to say something like that for the newspapers. Some readers would like to read it: The paper does not suffer pain from anything printed. You have to remember, that young men, especially soldiers, like very much to hear that they are appreciated as heros. They love such words, that would give hope and bring their victorious message. That’s the nature of mankind, is’nt it? Why disparage that?”
“I swear,” he said ,”that I would also like to be a resilient and hopeful optimist. But I can’t. Yes, the leaders think that most people understand they are right, and so all are ready to sacrifice themslves for even a vague future. The so called leaders think, that they are taking an excellant care of the situation… But no. And Prime Minister Ben Gurion- soon will bring here a million of Jews , from the European survivers and from the Arab countruies. He will throw them all here – into a storming sea of starving and ignorance, and order them to swim?…”
“Listen to what Solomon is trying to say,” remarked Ramona, turning to her son.
Nahumik was pretending not to hear; he was counting his ‘glass balls’ for playing at school. He was afraid that his Mom would snatch them from him, and just put them back into his trouser’s pocket. He nodded.
“What do you think, Ramonka, about escaping from here?” Solomon asked his wife, all of a sudden. “Where will all the new comers to Israel- find even a black bread, or a rotten onion? We should run out of here. D’you hear me, Nahumik?! With our new baby, that will be born soon. You will join us, boy. We have already talked about that – myself and your mother.”
Ramona nodded, and looked at her son, whose face had reddened out of fury.
“No, no! I would not come with you,” shouted the heart bittered boy, “I like this little town, and its people. I love my scoolmates, and the orchards, and the woods. And you both– just despise everything, and throw mud on the land, on the leaders, and on the people. I hear your discussions - and understand. I am not a baby any more, Ma. ”
“We will go to America, big boy,” said the Photographer rudely, ”I am a good photographer – since a long time ago. I have a great experience and capability. I will enter the film industry one day. You like movies, don’t you? Maybe one day I’ll even become a film Producer. The principle is – keeping a good, thrilling plot and ensure that it’s structured well, and developes with a movement of conflicts toward some top. So it will appeal to the audience. I understand the material very thoroughly, and I’ll succeed – for sure. I have found some friend there.”
A fire of hatred was burning in Nahumik’s eyes. He looked at Kaplansky and at his mother, rose from his seat, took out his glass- balls, and rushed out to his room. He wanted to be alone, to play by himself, hear the ball-glasses collide with each other in a noise, and scatter on the floor… His tears were streaming shortly, and he wiped them, silently mumbling and cursing: ‘the devil will take you’. That curse he had learned at school. His teacher agreed the pupils would use it, being not too much abusive or profane…
A day after that – Nahumik discovered to Rabbi Aron that his new father would cause him and his family to leave Israel.
“When?” asked Rabbi Aaron, “today?”
“Within half a year,” Nahumik said. “And they have ordered me to stop studying here. From now on.” He dropped his eyes. “They also said, that instead of Talmud, I will begin learning English; and the time is short, as soon we have to leave.”
“I don’t suggest you would run away from your Mom,” shot Rabbi Aron his tough words, “She had taken care of you and fed you and educated you…An irresponsible step. I mean, to have such a new husband, a criminal and corrupt, that for a few Dollars would emigrate to sinful America.”
PART 3
CHAPTER 28
To America and Back Page 27