Three women cheer him. He smiles, making her angry. What are they cheering him for? And what the heck is he smiling about?
“Now,” he climbs back over the rock and continues, “before you give it a shot, I want to go over a few basic rules: First of all, like any other decline, when you take a drop, your fingers are always on the brakes, right? But it’s important to understand—you brake before and after a drop but don’t forget to release the brakes during the drop! It’s important. And while you’re releasing them, keep your fingers on the handles. If you brake with the front brakes, you’ll overturn. If you brake with the back brake, you’ll lock the wheels and lose control.”
“Sounds really encouraging…” she whispers to Anat. Anat giggles but keeps her eyes on Koby. She doesn’t want to miss a word.
“This is why the combination of your front and rear brakes is so important. Now, please note: If the drop is steep, it’s okay to land on the front wheel first. But remember, it’s always better to land straight on both wheels. In any case, when you do land, try to use your body as a damping system. Clearly all of you, or at least most of you have a full damping system in your body.” The group laughs.
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have spent so much on my bike…” a large man says, creating a wave of laughter.
“Avi, we’ll lay you out on the trail, after the drop, and you can serve as a shock absorber plus a damping system for everyone,” Koby says, and everyone burst out laughing again. “Now,” he tames the laughter, “a few last important tips before we begin: I recommend you stand something like six, seven feet from the drop and look for a suitable landing spot. You’ll see the drop from about twenty feet away, but when you get a little closer, you have to be able to scan the trail, and before you jump, try to focus on a landing spot, okay? Don’t jump blindly—”
“Or on Avi,” Erez remarks, sparking another rush of laughter.
“—Or on Avi,” Koby repeats. “Keep your eyes ahead at all times. That’s vitally important, and one more thing: If you arrive at the drop too fast or too slow, change speed. Adjust your speed to the drop. Don’t lose control, that’s vital. And by the way,” he adds, “anyone who wants to practice drops on their own in their free time can do so on stairs or by jumping off sidewalks. It’s a good height for practicing.”
“Enough, we want to practice with you already!” Avi calls out.
“Then let’s get a move on,” Koby responds and jumps down again, to the point he wants the group to reach. His bike is lying to the side. “Who wants to go first?”
Avi volunteers immediately and hops onto his bike. Everyone clears the way for him.
“Move further back,” Koby advises. He stands ready and alert, trying to keep the riders in his care safe.
She looks at him and wonders if there is any way to protect a rider. To her, it looks like Avi is going to crash straight into Koby. She’s not going to do it, that’s for sure. But on the other hand, what will Koby think? Maybe she’ll try and risk the embarrassment? The full woman with the braid flies forward. Koby manages to help her stop with his two hands. It’s not a serious crash, but she appears mortified.
“You didn’t shift your weight back like you should have,” he explains patiently, “there was too much weight at the front of the bike.”
“There’s too much weight overall,” she says with a wink and a short, embarrassed giggle before sitting on a boulder to examine the scrape on her leg. Koby bends over her to see if she needs help.
Hagar watches them as gray silk panties, narrow strips of sweat, rough fingers caressing her body and Amnon’s innocent eyes when he asks if everything’s all right float into her mind.
***
“Any chance you’re in the area?” she receives a message in the middle of work. She’s sitting by her desk staring at the computer screen. The vibration on her desk startles her.
“What area?” she asks.
“I have to take my son to the doctor. My car’s at the repair shop today.” He doesn’t waste time. She sits up. Of course she’ll take them, what else?
“Sure,” she answers straight away, “I have to finish something here and I’ll leave. Are you at your place?”
“I’m home,” he replies, “come here.”
She disconnects. Her heart is racing. She’s about to meet his son. There are two whole days until their private lesson, and another four until the group lesson. Even so, she can barely contain herself. Her thoughts revolve around him almost all the time. She closes the computer program, takes her black purse and leaves her small office.
“I have to go,” she shoots, an apologetic tone in her voice.
Two men look up at her in surprise. “Is everything okay?” one asks.
“Absolutely,” she replies, remembering Amnon.
Koby is already waiting downstairs, in his faded jeans and gray T-shirt. She stops and he jumps into her car.
“You’re a lifesaver,” he says and buckles his seatbelt.
“What happened?” she asks.
“Let’s go, I’ll tell you on the way. Do you know the schools in the area?”
She’s has to say no, and he turns on Waze to type in the name of the school. She turns right and then left at the square, carefully following the robotic voice emanating from Koby’s phone. “Where’s the jeep?” he asks.
“Amnon has it,” she says and asks, “Go on, tell me what happened!”
“Noam fell during sports class,” he tells her. “They called from the school and told me that he twisted his ankle. His useless mother couldn’t possibly take care of it, so they know to call me straight away. And just this morning I took my car to the repair shop for servicing. It’ll only be ready this afternoon…so straight away I thought of you.”
She smiles. Why didn’t he take a taxi? What is she, a shuttle service? Or maybe he just wants an excuse to see her. Well, here she is, ready for anything. She stops at the entrance to the middle school.
He leaps out of his seat. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”
She waits. What else can she do? The questions keep gnawing at her: Does he see her as his girlfriend, or as a supportive friend? Does he need her the way she needs him? That feeling, that someone needs her other than her immediate family makes her feel good.
He returns a few minutes later supporting a gawky, limp teenager. His face is covered with red pimples and a mane of messy hair. “Sit in the back,” she hears Koby say as he opens the back door. Noam gets in and throws his backpack beside him. Koby closes the door and gets into the front passenger seat. “Buckle up,” he says and buckles himself in.
“It’s great to meet you, Noam,” she says softly, looking at him through the mirror, “I’m Hagar.”
Noam mumbles something unintelligible and nods.
“He’s a teenager,” Koby whispers in a deliberately loud voice, “they don’t really respond at this age, and if they do, it’s only with growls…”
She laughs, “Boy, what do I have in store for me!”
“Just you wait,” he agrees, “you know what they say: big kids—big problems!”
“So where am I taking you two?” she asks.
“To the urgent care center,” Koby says and enters the next stop in Waze.
“Your course is ready,” the robotic voice reports, and they set out.
“It’s just a sprain,” Koby reassures Hagar, who’s waiting outside the doctor’s office. Noam seems annoyed. He’s still leaning on Koby. His foot is bandaged up and looks huge.
“Well, that’s good news,” she says consolingly, “it’s better than a fracture…”
“A few weeks without sports, and bandaging and painkillers if necessary,” Koby recites. He takes the medical report that the doctor printed for him and slips it into the back pocket of his jeans. “Let’s get going, okay?” he suggests and they begin to move s
lowly toward the elevator.
She glances at her watch. It’s almost two. There’s no point in going back to work. “Do you feel like a bite to eat?” she offers kindly.
Koby hesitates, “What do you say, Noam? How about it?”
Noam shrugs.
“You won’t have to walk far,” she reassures him, “there’s a nice little restaurant right across the road. It’s on me…”
Noam nods and says thank you. She’s pleased.
They sit in the middle of the restaurant. Here, there’s almost no chance of being spotted. Who even comes to this area? And at two o’clock in the middle of the week.
Noam studies the menu. She watches his hands, trying to learn more about him. He’s Koby’s son and for that he’s treated with great importance.
“Have whatever you like,” she offers generously, “steak, or a hamburger, or…”
“I’ll go for a burger,” Noam decides, his mood beginning to improve.
The waitress comes over and they order. Koby tells Noam that Hagar rides with him, and about the upcoming trip to the desert. “It’s on a weekend that you’re with Mom,” he clarifies.
Noam nods.
She takes a quick sip of her diet soda, thrilled about the special circumstance and wondering how to inspire Noam to talk.
But Noam has his head buried in his phone and never raises his head.
“I’m off to the bathroom for a sec,” she says and carefully pushes her chair back.
“I also need to go,” Koby jumps up from his seat. “Noam, will you keep an eye on the table for us?”
“Yes,” Noam doesn’t even lift his eyes from the phone. His fingers are moving at a dizzying speed.
She pushes on a black door with a sign for the bathroom and a picture of a man and woman. It’s left for men, right for women. Before she can turn right, he catches her hand and pulls her to him. They’re alone. The light is dim inside. Beside them are two large sinks, also black, and there are fancy soap dispensers and a hand dryer. He bends his head to hers and then tenderly kisses her lips. She responds, opening her mouth.
For a moment he withdraws. “I missed you,” he whispers, stroking her hair, “you saved me today.”
She doesn’t answer, only kisses him, urgently, before they have to return to the table. He presses her against the wall with his body. His erection is bulging in his jeans.
“You drive me crazy,” he whispers and keeps kissing her lips, her earlobes, her neck, “I can’t go on this way…”
She giggles. “We have to go back to the table,” she whispers.
“Noam will wait,” he says and nibbles her earlobe.
She giggles, enjoying his touch, “You have no shame,” she whispers and stands on tiptoes to kiss him back.
“If you only knew what you do to me,” she says between kisses, “I can’t control myself around you…”
She giggles again and kisses his face, “We really have to get back,” she whispers, “someone might come in.”
“We have to finish what we keep on starting, at least once,” he kisses her shoulder, reaches out a hand, leans back and spins her. She feels dizzy from his words and the unexpected movement. But she can’t do it. She has Amnon. Someone opens the black door and enters one of the men’s cubicles. She hurriedly washes her hands and splashes cold water on her flushed face. He waits for her.
“You have lipstick on your cheek,” she indicates. He goes to the mirror and wipes it away. That’s it. It’s over.
“Where’ve you been?” Noam asks while chewing his burger, “I’ve almost finished eating!”
“Sorry,” she apologizes and Koby adds that there was a queue.
They eat the food in silence. It’s cold. She glances at her watch. Maybe today she’ll be able to fetch Ilai from preschool earlier than usual. He’ll be overjoyed.
***
She leans her head against the window pane of the jeep. Amnon is driving and she allows herself to drift into thought as she stares at the landscape, watching it change. Dusty olive trees, thorn bushes, countless bright pale stones gleaming in the sun. As they drive south, the dusty green vegetation is slowly replaced by a flat, yellow landscape.
Amnon rests his hand on her thigh, keeping his eyes on the road. “We’re going to have a great time!” he says enthusiastically.
“Ami, you’re such a child,’ she laughs, shaking her head.
They locked the house up after sending Ofer to school and Ilai to preschool. Ofer received precise instructions to go directly to Grandma Esther after school. Grandpa Nissim promised to pick up Ilai from preschool in the afternoon. On Saturday morning, the two will be delivered into Grandma Anucha and Grandpa Menachem’s trustworthy hands, just like pass-the-parcel. They’ll stay there until the evening, when Hagar and Amnon return from their cycling trip. Both pairs of parents, who know just how important relationships are, were more than happy to help.
When Anucha and Esther spoke on the phone the day before, to make the final arrangements, Anucha dared to ask if Esther had noticed any change in Hagar. “She’s having a hard time at work,” Esther clicked her tongue, “she works too hard.”
“So does he,” Anucha agreed. “They don’t have enough quality time together.”
“Well, that’s why this trip is so important,” Esther said, “she’s just worn out, that’s all. This trip will do them both good.”
And so, things were settled. Anything for the children. Anything for the grandchildren.
They arrive at the meeting point around nine in the morning. The dusty parking lot is crowded with cars. Those already there are sitting on peeling brown wooden picnic benches, drinking Turkish coffee out of disposable cups. She steps out of the jeep and closes the door. Suddenly she sees him, running from member to member pouring coffee out of a finjan. It’s bigger than his usual finjan. Amnon is by her side.
“Hi,” she says to everyone and introduces Amnon.
Koby comes over with a broad smile. He transfers the hot finjan to his left hand and holds out his right to shake. Amnon responds. Her heart drops. “Nice to meet you,” they both mumble.
They’re hers, both of them. She aches at the sight of their hands touching. She grasps her stomach. “Are you okay?” Amnon asks as his hand releases Koby’s. She nods. Everything’s fine, she reassures him again.
“Coffee?” Koby offers and Amnon says yes for them both.
Gradually, more and more people arrive, some faces more familiar than others. Some are from her group while others she’s never seen before. Koby puts the Finjan aside and updates the attendance list. Two couples cancelled at the last minute. The others are all here. They can begin.
“Good morning, all!” Koby calls out loudly and folds the attendance list in two. Everyone falls silent and turns their smiling eyes to him. “Glad you could make it,” he begins, “we’re going to have a great trip!”
“We can’t hear you!” a woman yells.
“If you can’t hear, come closer,” Koby suggests and continues. “I want to go over the trail, so give me a minute and a half of your attention please. We will start today from Nahal Kisan…”
Avi, the large man from the drop practice, interrupts and asks in a loud voice if there’ll be kissing there.
She spins around angrily to him. He’s so crude. She can’t stand him, he’s so irritating.
“And from there we’ll continue along Nahal Halamish, across Nahal Zohar to Maale Zaron,” Koby tells them in detail. “The single ends at Maale Zaron, and from there we continue until the entrance to Neve Zohar. I tried to choose singles, flow trails without too many technical challenges, but as I told you, we can expect a few challenging drops. Anyone who has difficulty—just get off your bike. Most of the way is smooth sailing, mostly downhill, a flow trail but with a few parts that aren’t easy, that are covered with stones, and with
a few drops. Later we’ll have cool rock surfaces and then it’ll be a pleasure to ride. In short, some of it’s like this, some of it’s like that, but all in all I think it’s a great trail, one of the most beautiful if not the most beautiful of the Judean Desert trails.”
The crowd applauds enthusiastically.
“For tomorrow, the plan is to do Upper Nahal Tze’elim,” Koby continues, not letting the applause interrupt him, “and on Saturday, if you’re still game for more, Nahal Tzlalit too.”
She prays inside that Avi doesn’t have another wise crack for them. Her prayers are answered and Avi doesn’t say a thing.
“We’ll spend the next two nights at a holiday resort here in the area. Breakfast and dinner are included. I understand that Hannah and Orly divided the list for lunch between you.”
Did she remember to bring the food? Two packets of bread rolls and two cans of pickled cucumbers. She decided to spoil the crowd and picked up a couple of loaf cakes that don’t need refrigeration from her neighborhood bakery.
“I hope that you’ve all stocked up on water bags and energy bars, and sunscreen of course,” Koby adds.
She watches him admiringly as he speaks. So confident, so radiant. Amnon is standing next to her but he’s paying attention to Koby and to Koby alone.
Amnon senses her tension and places his hand around her waist. She doesn’t respond, she wishes he’d leave her alone. He drops his hand.
Soon after, they’re on the first trail. She inhales the desert air, taking pleasure in the arid landscape, the scarred rocks, the quiet, soothing emptiness. What a contrast to her hectic, busy life. Even Amnon is no longer bothering her. He’s riding behind her, watching her, yet unseen. The desert wind throws fine sand in her face, she tastes it and spits, a broad, radiant smile never leaving her face. She even manages to do the first drop. On the second, she hesitates and gets off her bike, as do most of the women in the group. Amnon does them all with impressive expertise. She watches him curiously. This is actually the first time she’s seen him riding. It’s weird. His face blends with Koby’s. they’re so different, yet so similar. She shudders.
Riding Lies Page 7