by Odeda Yaari
The conversation moved to lower tones. They had all heard fragments of information about a newcomer being added to their team, and wondered whether the new Israeli guy, Joseph, was indeed such a big promise. Especially given the fact that at staff meetings, he was always quiet, hiding in his chair. And was there a connection between Joseph and Bob’s urgent trip to Israel, right after that harsh, unpleasant staff meeting?That whole time, Yossi had been sitting in the corner of the room. He felt unwelcome. He heard his name, Joseph, being whispered by someone, followed by an awkward silence. Since the day he had gotten there, he had made several unsuccessful attempts to get closer to the other members of the team. He knew that being parachuted into that position at his young age made the senior staff members feel intimidated.Yossi had always been somewhat of a loner. The few friends he had were a collection of similar outsiders like him whose companies no one else wanted. He remembered the days when he had gone to university in Israel, when he would enviously watch the large groups of people sitting together and listen to their bursts of laughter and lively chatter, while he sat with Ron and David, who like him felt distant and undesirable. For a moment, he regretted turning down the offer to join them and start a company that would continue to develop the project they had started in school. The thought of being a central figure in a young company and the possibility of creating something of his own appealed to him. But at the end of the day, he had to abide by his father’s wishes and had agreed to take on the job at the American company, to gain experience and status, and to try at a later stage to build something of his own.
When he left work late in the evening, he called Ron.
The phone at Ron’s office was ringing off the hook. For ten minutes, he ignored the pestering ring. He was busy getting ready to meet Dana. There wasn’t actually anything he had to do, but he felt like he needed to do something. He told David he was going out and took a shower in the bathroom they had at the office. He tried to pass the rest of the time in a failed attempt to do some work and to ignore the phone.After twenty minutes, he gave up and answered it. To his surprise, Yossi was on the other end of the line. At any other time, he would have enjoyed talking to Yossi, but this was bad timing and he had to muster all his patience so as not to hurt Yossi’s feelings.“So, have you decided to accept our offer?” asked Ron, half formally, half-jokingly.
Yossi took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about it, actually, but you told me you changed the purpose of the research we had started together, and I don’t know what that means. Can you give me some more details?”
“I gave you plenty of details and you know that. Considering the level of secrecy this whole thing is being handled at, I’ve been extremely upfront with you. Because you were an integral part of the beginning of our research, we would really love to see you as a partner in the leading team, if the change of strategy suits you. As I’m sure you understand, we’re talking about significantly less money than we talked about at the time, and I’m guessing it’s a lot less than what you’re making at APC.”
“Yes, I figured as much. To tell you the truth, I envy you guys. With all the prestige and money I’m making here, I miss you two. You guys are the only people I spent whole nights with.”
Ron tried to laugh, but kept looking at his watch.Yossi went on. “So, how are things going? Any change since the last time we spoke?”
“When was that, Yossi? A few weeks ago? I told you we were about to conduct an experiment, and that we’re hoping for good results. We’re in progressive stages. There are setbacks here and there, but we have a great team of young, open-minded people working here. I believe that we’ll soon find the solution to some of the problems that have been bothering us and stopping us from reaching the finish line. Yossi, the door is always open for you. Even if we’ve reached much more advanced stages than what we focused on at university, I promise you’ll get credit for the development along with us.”
Ron was getting impatient and was worried he was about to say something he shouldn’t. In his heart, he was already on the date with Dana. “Yossi, I’d love to talk more, but I have to run to a meeting.”
Yossi wanted the conversation to go on. Ron was so nice to him, but he could hear the restlessness in his voice and didn’t want to bother him too much. He had to be careful. He had a real golden opportunity in front of him, and he didn’t want to mess things up.
“I’ll talk to you some other time. Good luck, for now,” said Yossi and hung up.
Ron breathed in relief. He checked his watch. It was ten thirty. He didn’t feel like driving, so he called a cab and was heading toward the boardwalk within ten minutes.
8
It was a beautiful day. Ron couldn’t remember the last time he had left the office, just like that, in the middle of the day. The sun was up high in the sky, but it wasn’t too hot. He rolled down the window and breathed in deeply. The driver tried to make conversation, but Ron was too immersed in his sense of floating. The wind caressed his face, and the intoxicating smell of the beginning of summer filled the air, blending with the salty smell of the sea.When he stepped out of the cab, his eyes searched for a beautiful woman in a red top. He walked slowly along the boardwalk, checking every woman who reminded him of Dana. Or maybe she had worn something else? This troubling thought crossed his mind. Then how was he going to find her? But, to his surprise, the spy game and the search filled him with a pleasant sense of anticipation and suspense. Then he saw her, on a lone bench on the slope of the boardwalk leading down to the beach, staring at the ocean, her hair blowing in the wind.
“Dana,” he said softly, and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
She turned toward him, smiling. “Wow! You look good!” She flattered him as she rose and kissed him on the cheek naturally. “Come on! We’ll go for walk. What do you say? It would be a shame to spend such a beautiful day indoors.”
Ron nodded. She was so beautiful, it made him speechless. He took a deep breath, smiled, and let her lead the way as she took his hand in hers.
They strolled along the shore, hand in hand. Ron relaxed a bit and began to understand what Dana meant by “going with the flow.” As they strolled up the small streets leading up from the beach, they were already in deep conversation. To Ron’s surprise, Dana listened intently and asked about his work. He told her about his time in university, about the research of plants, about the secret work they used to do at nights, waiting for the experiment results. And Dana listened. He wanted to tell her everything, but stopped himself from going into specific details. The thought of Dana knowing they had developed formulas to enhance the production of drugs sent chills down his spine, so he kept emphasizing the fact that his and David’s development was meant to create real, positive change. Even without him going into detail, it was clear their company was on the verge of a true breakthrough that would fulfill his dream of making a real difference and changing the world for the better.“It must be so exciting to know you have the power to change things in the world,” said Dana quietly. “Not everyone gets that opportunity, or the ability to see the world and understand it through small details. In my line of work, I meet a lot of people. I’m always in the center of things, but I’m not changing the world. I just know how to connect the right people to one another, and to represent their truths.”
Ron felt proud. She was right. And it had been a long time since anyone had paid him a compliment. He wanted so badly to tell her of their current research, about the unbelievable possibility of them destroying the drug market. For the first time in his life, he felt the need to brag about his hard-earned accomplishments.“You’re right, it is truly an opportunity that not everyone gets to have. I wish I could tell you what I’m working on right now… It’s a dream I know will come true.”
Sophie smiled. Here comes the moment of confession. Perhaps later she would tell him about the company she represents. When the time is just right. When Ron needs some more information to go on.
For Ron, this
was just the right time. The little alley was quiet, there was a soft breeze coming from the sea, and their breath mingled. He stepped closer to her.“You’re so beautiful. You’re not just beautiful, you’re also an amazing person.” He got mixed up for a moment. He didn’t want her to think he liked her only for her looks, and the moment was almost gone. Sophie was the one who saved the situation. She kept holding his hands and stroking them gently, then stepped closer to him and looked into his eyes. Ron leaned over and kissed her tenderly, a lovely, slow kiss.
***
They spent their light lunch in quiet conversation. Ron told Dana about his dream: to one day stand on the podium at the Nobel Prize ceremony.“I want my parents to be proud of me, to see who I am and what I’m worth. Sometimes, between my father’s legal career and my mother’s important work and all their parties, they forget they have a son.”
Sophie was touched. Ron was holding in so much pain, and he was so different than all the other men she knew in her life.
“It’ll happen someday. Things take their time. And besides, when it comes to the whole ‘parents’ thing, you’re not unusual. Everybody wants their parents to be proud of them. Take me for example. I spent most of my life doing the exact opposite of what my parents wanted me to do, but they kept showing me how much they loved me. Still, I feel guilty about letting them down,” said Dana, sneaking in real details from Sophie’s life. This guy was getting to her, no doubt. It felt good to connect with him, to share truths about herself that couldn’t hurt either of them, but rendered the conversation more honest.
When they left the little coffee house, it was getting late.
“Where do you need to go?” asked Ron, hailing a cab.
“I’m meeting my sister in the center of town. You can drop me anywhere in the area, and she’ll pick me up from there,” said Dana and got in the back beside him.
Before she got out of the cab, she turned to him and kissed him again. She gave him a charming smile and left without saying a word.
9
A few minutes before three, Sophie was at the office. She made sure to be there on time because she knew how strict Yoni was about these things.“It’s the little things that can ruin an entire operation,” he would say, and rightfully so.
In the conference room was a team of eight people, some familiar faces from former jobs and some new. Yoni did a brief introduction, stating each person’s function in the mission, and began a general overview.“The American vitamin and food supplements corporation APC has approached us to help them urgently recruit Ron, a doctor of molecular biology and genetic engineering and the owner of a startup company here in Israel. Their sources tell them that Ron holds the solution to the development of a substance called ‘No-Drug’ or ‘Anti-Drug,’ which APC has also been working on for the past two years.“They believe,” Yoni went on, “that there’s no chance of Ron agreeing to join their company, not for any amount of money, and that he won’t give up the fame he stands to gain if the development is under his name.” Yoni paused for a few seconds and went on. “Our mission is to find a way to get Ron to join APC before publishing his findings. Our main obstacle is time. The mission must be completed a month and a half from today, to allow them to complete the development presentation by the end of December.”Yoni turned to Sophie. “Sophie is our contact with Ron, and she’ll tell us in a minute about the results of her first meeting with him. I understand there was a second meeting today already.” He winked at her privately. “Which means we’ll have to gather information as soon as possible to allow her to keep up the pace.”
Sophie looked around the room. She was the only woman on the team, which didn’t stop her from being calm and centered.
“I met Ron yesterday,” she started in a clear, confident voice. “The guy seems tense, highly sensitive, and very insecure. He needs a warm and personal connection with a woman, and I intend to exploit that weak side of him to get closer. Ron doesn’t say much about his work. The only information I got was that he’s now in a long process of development that started back in university. He feels they’re making progress, but apparently, at the moment, they’re stuck. A few days ago, they got results from some experiment that weren’t compatible with their expectations.”Sophie smiled. “As to his personal life, he’s been a bit more forthcoming,” she said, and returned a private wink at Yoni. “He’s told me about his childhood and his parents’ house. That’s an angle worth playing. Ron did not have a happy childhood, and he has a bad relationship with his parents. On the other hand, we need to keep in mind that his father was the one who helped him fund his company. Something happened between Ron and his parents when he was young, and hopefully when I figure that out, I’ll be able to get a sense of how best to push him in our direction. For now, Ron of course doesn’t know I represent APC.”
Sophie paused for a moment before going on. “You’re right, Yoni, in saying that fame and credit is very important to Ron. He mentioned it today, and there’s no doubt the chance of international reputation and of changing the world is more important to him than the financial gain.”
“What’s his financial status?” asked someone in the room.
“My impression, together with what we know of his parents, who are public figures, indicates that money is not an issue for him. At this stage, he gets a great salary, drives an expensive car, and lives in an apartment his parents paid for in a very upscale location.”
“Did he mention any hobbies or special pastimes?” someone asked.
“No,” said Sophie. “He mentioned that until recently he worked very long hours, which left him no spare time for personal connections or any other occupations. I want to reiterate that his relationship with his parents sounds very estranged, and he seems very troubled by that.”“Well,” said Yoni, “there’s lots to get done in very little time. I know every one of you understands your part in the system, but this time I can’t stress enough the time constraints we are working under.”He turned to one of the people in the room. “Meir, you’re on Ron’s tail from this moment, whenever he isn’t with Sophie. I want to know what he likes to have for breakfast, when he goes to sleep, who his friends are. Kobi, by tomorrow morning, you have a wiretap on all his phones and listen to everything he has to say. From now on, he’s your favorite radio station. Eran, by tomorrow you and Itamar need to bring me every piece of information about our guy: his bank statements; record sheets from high school and university; details about his seminar papers, his thesis, and his dissertation; anything you can get on his family that we don’t already know. You can assume all we know is what the papers want us to know, which aren’t very reliable.”He turned to Sophie. “And you, my dear, continue to do what you do. Become his best friend. Listen to him. You know how men love to be heard. Be there for him when he needs you. I’m counting on you to be, as ever, the absolute best. I need you to find his Achilles’ heel as quickly as possible. There must be something we’re missing. Everyone has a weak spot, even me, but of course you all wouldn’t know about that.” He ended with a light note to break the tension.
10
Ron got home late. After his lunch with Dana, he went back to work with renewed energy, and sat with David for several hours, trying to come up with possible solutions. He was certain they were close. The answer was right there under their noses, and he kept asking himself what it was that they were missing. Maybe we need new blood, he thought. Sometimes it takes an outsider to see something obvious that’s staring you right in the face.
He was tired, but the date with Dana had filled him with joy. He went over the hours they had shared in his head, re-smelling her delicious scent, re-tasting her lips. In his mind, he could touch every part of her body.
He couldn’t be bothered with dinner and stared restlessly at the TV. Fifteen minutes were enough to make it clear he wasn’t going to be able to relax. With Dana on the one hand and the slight, creeping desperation about finding the right formula on the other, things were taking their t
oll on him. Dana and the formulas swarmed around in his head, and he paced around the house anxiously. He took a steaming hot shower, which helped him unwind for about an hour, but he could not fall asleep. It was almost three a.m. when he decided to get up and busy himself with one of the gambling sites he had often visited over the past few months.
It wasn’t the money that appealed to Ron; he had enough of that. It was the challenge in cracking the method and totally giving in to the game that managed to drown out the noise in his head. He was sure there was a key, a code, a way to break the bank, triumph, and…sure, win a hell of a lot of money!Ron eased into his chair in front of the computer screen and immersed himself in the game, which had become somewhat of a craze with him recently. In his analytical, scientific way, he kept meticulous records of the games, which he would then later analyze. His wins and losses mostly evened out, and in any case, he made sure to gamble small amounts only.
Around five a.m., he felt his eyes closing. Reluctantly, he turned off the computer and went to bed, knowing he was going to get to work tomorrow with bloodshot eyes once again, and raise questions that no one would utter.
11
When the team meeting was over, Sophie rushed home. It was about the same time Garry usually came back from work to be with Matan. He loved finding her home, to serve him a hot meal and tell him about her day, with Matan running around in the background, bidding for their attention.
When she got home, she found Garry dozing on the sofa with the newspaper resting on his chest. Sophie looked at him and thought that there had been days, in the beginning, when Garry would greet her with energy and vigor, trying to make the most of what little time they had together.