To Be An Israeli: The Fourth Book in the All My Love, Detrick series

by Roberta Kagan

  “What do you think about taking a couple of weeks and going away? It would be deliciously lovely to spend all day doing nothing but making love, sightseeing, and eating too much.” She giggled. “Seriously, Elan, I think maybe we need the rest,” she said.

  “I’ve never really given it much thought.”

  “We’ve never had a real honeymoon. What do you think about going somewhere?”

  “Where would you like to go?”

  “I’d love to go to Paris, but I know it’s too much money. How do you feel about spending a week or two in Eilat? We could do some touristy kinds of things and spend plenty of time making love. It would be so much fun just to leave this all behind for a little while. What do you think?” She ran her fingers through his hair, and he felt an electric current of desire run through him.

  “I think it would be a great idea,” he said and meant it. He loved the idea of having her all to himself for two glorious weeks.

  “We’ll spend hours on the beach doing nothing, just being lazy. We’ll take long showers together until our skin wrinkles up like old people. Then we’ll eat at fancy restaurants until we get sick from the rich food,” she said, giggling.

  He laughed. He loved to see her happy and excited. “I wish I could take you to Paris. You know I would give you the world if I could. So we’ll go to Eilat, then.”

  “You do. You give me the world every day. Well, my darling, one thing you can count on is love on this trip. I am going to make love to you day and night until you are sick and tired of me…”

  “That will never happen.”

  “What? The making love or you getting tired of me?”

  “You know which one. You just want to hear it; that’s all.”

  “You’re right, I do.”

  “I love you, Elan. And…I could never get tired of you or of making love to you.”

  CHAPTER 69

  Elan told all of his coworkers that he and Nina were going to Eilat for two weeks. They understood how badly their two friends needed to get away. Elan also confided that he wished he had enough money saved to take Nina to France as that was where she really wanted to vacation.

  There was no problem for either Nina or Elan to arrange time off. They had plenty of vacation time that they had never used. The trip was planned quickly. They were to stay at a romantic hotel located right on the water.

  Since they’d both traveled so much for work, they were accustomed to packing quickly. It was early June, and the sun was shining brightly as they loaded the car. Elan felt a sense of well-being come over him. Nina was so beautiful with her hair caught up in a high ponytail that swung behind her as she moved. So beautiful… He was so fortunate to have found her and even more fortunate that she actually loved him.

  It was almost a four-hour drive to Eilat, but Elan never minded driving. He turned the radio on to the station that played the American music he loved and sang along. Nina read her book, occasionally looking up to smile at him.

  The hotel was perfect. It looked just like it did in the brochure that Nina had picked up from a local travel agency. They had a room overlooking the pool. There were cotton robes in the bathroom, and the bed was large, clean, and comfortable. The salty fragrance of sea air drifted through the open door leading to a balcony.

  They unpacked and made love until dinner. The following day, Nina insisted that they get up early and take a ride over to the Red Canyon. Elan would have preferred another day making love, but he dragged himself out of bed and got dressed.

  They hiked the canyon. Elan found a small, private cave. He pulled Nina inside then he took her into his arms and began kissing her passionately. As he kissed her neck, his hands traveled the length of her body. Both of them were breathing heavily, and the sweat was beginning to form on Elan’s forehead. He pushed her up against the wall and reached under her shirt. She moaned with longing for him. Their eyes were glued to each other. “I love you,” he whispered, “more than the sun, more than the moon.”

  “I love you…”

  His hands were under her tee shirt just as a group of tourists came around the corner. They were young teenagers with a guide. Elan and Nina saw the look on the faces of the hikers. They were shocked. Elan looked at Nina, and they both burst out laughing. Then, hand in hand, they ran away.

  “Were you embarrassed?” he asked her, holding hands as they continued to walk.

  “Yes, a little.”

  He kissed her forehead.

  “But I’d do it again,” she said.

  He laughed.

  By eleven that morning, the sun became too hot to continue hiking, so they returned to their hotel room, showered, and went out for lunch. After lunch, they took a nap by the pool then spent the rest of the afternoon back in bed together.

  The following afternoon, they heard a commotion outside the window of their room.

  “Look, Elan. It’s raining!!! It never rains in Eilat. I mean, once in a million years…”

  “It’s not that rare, but pretty darn close. Come on, let’s go get wet,” he said.

  They were wearing nothing but their robes. However, Elan grabbed Nina’s hand and pulled her down the stairs and outside into the lightly falling rain. Elan took Nina into his arms and kissed her.

  “Have you ever kissed in a rain storm?” he asked.

  “No, have you?”

  “Actually, no,” he said. “Let’s kiss until we’re drenched.” And they did.

  Every day was overflowing with joy, lovemaking, and romance. Nina had never been so at ease, so in love, and so happy. One day they spent the entire day shopping in the stores in Eilat. Elan hated shopping, but he wanted to make Nina happy, so he wandered the stores with her for hours. On another day, they visited King Solomon’s mines where Elan bought Nina a sterling silver necklace made by a local artisan. It held a blue-green gemstone pendant which was supposed to have come from deep within the mine. They found a vendor on the street that sold the most delectable chocolate. Once Nina tasted the chocolate, she wanted to go and visit the chocolate stand every day, and Elan obliged.

  Elan knew that Nina had always wanted to go to a very expensive steak house. They didn’t go to extremely fancy places very often. But he knew how much Nina would enjoy going, so he decided to take this opportunity to splurge.

  He left the room that afternoon while Nina was taking a nap, walked three blocks to the restaurant and made a reservation. Then he raced back to the hotel and upstairs to his room. He was hoping that she would still be asleep, but she was standing at the window looking out.

  “Where did you go? I was looking all over the place for you. I was getting worried,” Nina said.

  “I have a surprise for you. I went to make reservations at a very special place. You know the steak house we saw when we were coming into Eilat, the one that is a few blocks from the hotel? Well, that’s where we are having dinner.”

  “Can we afford to spend so much money on one dinner?” she asked, but he could see that she was excited, and he knew how much she loved to get dressed up.

  “Anything for my beautiful wife.” He smiled at her and thought that he would spend any amount of money to see her so happy.

  Nina spent an hour getting ready. She sat at the dressing table in the hotel room and studied herself.

  “Elan, do you think I am pretty?”

  “What? Of course, you’re beautiful.”

  “No, I’m not. Not really. I mean not in the classic sense.”

  “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. What is bringing all of this on?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just feeling insecure all of a sudden. I mean, there are so many incredibly gorgeous women here in Eilat. I was just wondering if you ever fantasized about being with any of them.”

  He walked over to her and took both of her hands in his. Then he knelt beside her and looked directly into her eyes. “Nina, I love you. To me, there is no one as beautiful or as wonderful. But I not only love your lovely face and i
ncredible body, but I love your kind heart and your brilliant mind.”

  “Now we both know who wants to get laid tonight.” She laughed. “You know the old saying…flattery will get you everywhere.”

  He kissed her. “Too bad we have to be at the restaurant in ten minutes.”

  “Yes…too bad…”

  They arrived at the restaurant five minutes late and almost lost their reservation. Elan had to tip the maitre d’ a fifty shekel bill to assure that he would still honor their time slot. The restaurant was filled with people, most of them tourists from all over the world. Even with the reservation, they still had a fifteen-minute wait.

  “Come, let’s go have a drink,” Elan said. He could easily have walked out. He would have loved to have told the maitre d’ to take his restaurant and go to hell. The guy was an arrogant jerk. Elan wasn’t impressed with all of the pretentious BS. He would have been happy to have dinner in a quieter place. But he knew that Nina was looking forward to this dinner, so he shut his mouth and found them both seats at the bar.

  “Whiskey, straight,” Elan said.

  “A glass of white wine,” Nina told the bartender. She knew her husband was irritated, and she smiled a knowing smile at Elan. “It won’t be too long before the table is ready. By the way, thank you for not telling him off.”

  “Who, the host?”

  “Yes. Thank you for not starting a fight.”

  “I’m not that bad.”

  “I’ve seen you when you’re mad, Elan.”

  “I’m not mad. I can swallow my pride and take a little crap if eating here makes you happy. You are my guilty pleasure. Everyone has something that they love and adore. You are my indulgence.”

  She laughed. “You say the craziest but sweetest things.”

  “Amsel, table for two…”

  “See, our table is ready,” she said. “It took less time than we thought it would.”

  They sat at a round booth in the corner. Using the tablecloth as a privacy screen from the other guests, Elan slid his hand under the table and caressed her knee.

  “My Nina,” he whispered in her ear as they read the menu. Gently he moved the hair away from her cheek and kissed her.

  After they ordered, Elan looked around the dining room. “So many tourists here… I suppose we should have expected as much in Eilat.”

  “You don’t like it here?”

  “I do. It’s just that, sometimes, when I see people from other countries that have come here to visit, I know that they have no idea what it really means to be an Israeli. Israel is like no other country in the world. It’s built on the blood of its people. The Sabras are the survivors. We know that if Israel falls, it is only a matter of time before the Jewish race will be wiped off the face of the earth. As you know, Nina, we Israelis go through life as if everything is normal. But always in the back of our minds, we know that at any time, we can be called up to war. And without question, we will go because we are Israelis.”

  “Yes, it’s true. I don’t think there is anywhere else in the world where people feel the way we do toward their country.”

  He felt his eyes well up with tears.

  CHAPTER 70

  As the two weeks were nearing the end, Nina was sure that her period was late. As soon as she got home, she planned to make an appointment with her doctor to take a pregnancy test. It was probably too soon to tell, but she was keeping her fingers crossed, hoping and praying that it was true. Her cycle had always been regular. She’d missed her period which was a good sign, but she didn’t want to get Elan’s hopes up until she was positive that she was pregnant.

  On the final day when they were to leave Eilat and return home to Tel Aviv, Elan had gone into the bathroom and was taking a shower. There was a knock at the door. Nina dropped the rest of her sundresses into the suitcase and went see if it was the front desk bringing a copy of their bill.

  As Nina opened the door, Elan came out of the shower with a white towel wrapped around him. His tan skin made a healthy contrast against the stark covering.

  “Who is it?” Elan said, walking over to the door.

  “I have a certified letter for Mr. and Mrs. Amsel.”

  Nina glanced over at Elan. He nodded his head. “It’s okay. Sign it.”

  She signed the receipt and took the envelope.

  “What do you think this is?”

  “I have no idea. Here, give it to me. Let me open it.” He shrugged his shoulders then took the letter from her. If it contained bad news, he wanted to know first so that he could break it to her gently.

  Elan closed the door to the hotel room then opened the envelope. Nina was watching him.

  “What is it?” she asked. “Tell me.”

  Elan read aloud:

  “A very good day to the both of you from your dear friends at Mossad! We all know how much the two of you wanted to go to Paris, and since you are our brother and sister, we decided to take up a collection to make that very dream come true. In this envelope, you will find two plane tickets to Paris. The tickets are for the Air France flight 139 departing from Tel Aviv on June 27th. You will also find hotel reservations for a room in Paris that has been paid in advance for one week. We know you must have spent a lot of money in Eilat, so we included a reasonable amount of French francs to pay for food. Your time off from work has been cleared. And it is with heartfelt love that we wish you both a wonderful time in France. L’Chiam.

  Your friends, your coworkers, your family, at Mossad.”

  CHAPTER 71

  On the morning of June 27th, 1976; Elan and Nina boarded Air France Flight 139 headed for Paris.

  Both Elan and Nina decided it was best to be in disguise when they were traveling outside of Israel. She wore a blonde wig and dark sunglasses that almost covered her face completely. He had allowed his beard and mustache to grow and colored his hair all dark, washing away the salt and pepper color he’d had for several years.

  They sat together on the plane, holding hands like newlyweds. In their missions with Mossad, they’d traveled a great deal. They were used to flying, but they’d never held hands or traveled as lovers.

  A lovely, young, French stewardess brought them a nice lunch, and Nina looked out the window as they drifted through the clouds. For the first time, she did not feel afraid. They were traveling for pleasure rather than for Operation Wrath of God.

  They were booked at a quaint hotel in the outskirts of Paris. According to the brochures, it was surrounded by a garden with an array of colorful flowers in fresh bloom.

  “The weather is so beautiful in France in June,” Nina said.

  “Yes, I think the newspaper said that it’s about twenty-two degrees, Celsius.”

  “I know, not too hot or too cold. I can’t wait to arrive in Paris.”

  He leaned over and kissed her as she looked out the window of the Airbus at the clouds.

  “I hate your beard,” she said.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It scratches my skin.”

  “I know. So I won’t kiss you.”

  “You can forget that idea, Mr. Amsel. You’d better kiss me. Paris is the city of love.”

  “Mmmm and I never get enough of making love to you,” he said into her ear.

  After a few hours, Nina fell asleep. Elan watched her, and his heart was soft with love. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

  “You know, I was thinking, maybe we should quit Mossad. Maybe we’ve tempted fate enough,” Elan said.

  “I’ve thought about that.”

  He was encouraged by her response. “We have enough money to live on if we are careful. It wouldn’t be an extravagant life, but we could retire early and finally be at peace. And I will know that you are safe.”

  “You know, I agree with you, Elan. I’ve avenged my sister’s death many times over. I am tired of fighting. I am tired of blood and death and risks…”

  “Yes, me too. Now that I have you, life has so much more value, so much more meaning.”<
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  He reached over and took her hand in his and gently squeezed.

  The stewardess brought around a cart with coffee. Elan and Nina sipped their cups of the steaming black liquid.

  “This is good coffee, very strong, not like in Israel where it’s that instant shit.”

  She laughed. “Yes, it is good. The food is fabulous, too.”

  “French sauces upset my stomach, but you’re right. The food will be tasty…”

  “It’s a good thing we’ll only be there for a week, or I’d get as fat as a cow.”

  “I won’t let you get fat. Not that I wouldn’t love you anyway because it goes without saying that I would. But since you don’t want to be fat, I’ll make sure that we burn off all those extra calories.”

  “Elan, how crude.” She giggled, shaking her head. “Paris is truly a beautiful city, and I can’t wait to spend a week there with you. But you know, as wonderful as France is, I could never live anywhere but Israel. My heart is in Israel.”

  “Yes, mine too. People who are not Israeli don’t understand how much that tiny strip of land means to our people,” he said.

  “No, they don’t, and they never will. How could they?” she agreed.

  “Not even American Jews. Oh, they think they understand, but they don’t. They might understand in an intellectual sense, but they don’t feel it the way we do. They don’t live it, the daily fear, the pride of our nation and all it has achieved, I mean, all of it,” Elan said.

  “Your first wife was an American. I’m assuming she was Jewish. I don’t think I ever even asked you.”

  “Yes, she was an American Jew. She was a good girl. She was just not for me. And…as much as she wanted to be a part of our country, in her heart, she was not an Israeli.”

  “Yes, it’s a strange life we live. Outsiders will never be able to grasp it completely. Most of us Israelis are willing to die for our land. It’s not like that in America or any other place in the world that I know of,” she said.