Apples from the Desert by Savyon Liebrecht

Author:Savyon Liebrecht [Liebrecht, Savyon; Paley, Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781558616448
Publisher: The Feminist Press at CUNY

IN THE COOL and pleasant office of the travel agency, where the walls were suffused with a faint odor of wood and cigars, Yehiel greeted her with an amused look. “So help me, Hassida, you made it! And in only forty minutes. We’re really proud of you. Aren’t we proud of Mommy, Yuvali? Now, listen to what’s going on here. This is Mr. Williams. He has some good news for us.”

The agent, with gray temples and a tan like a model in an advertisement, smiled when he heard his name and furrowed his brow. He straightened his collar, rose from his chair in a gesture of respect, and said to Hassida pleasantly, “Good morning, Mrs. Harari. I hope you’re feeling better. I was telling Mr. Harari and your young man here what good news I have for you: ten minutes ago, I received an answer from the head office in Salt Lake City. The company will collect the car from the place where it broke down. I hope you appreciate it, because you were not supposed to drive on a dirt road. It says so specifically in the contract that you, Mr. Harari, signed. But the head office decided not to hold you liable. Please see it as compensation for any inconvenience you may suffer due to our inability to supply you with another car at this location. The nearest place you can get a car is St. George, but we’ll provide the transportation there. I’m sure you’ll find this arrangement to your satisfaction. We’ve got you a minivan that will take you to St. George. There will be a short stopover at our office in Cedar City. Only one other couple will join you in the minivan. Now, here’s the good news: your fellow passengers are also from Israel. A young couple from Jerusalem. I’m sure you’ll have a pleasant ride with our company. Your driver, by the way, is our most popular driver. He’s a very friendly guy and one of our most experienced drivers.”

Hassida, her lips pursed, her eyes circling the room, deliberately avoided looking at the agent. Directing at him the anger accumulated inside her against the other two, she said testily, in Hebrew, “I thank him very much for the good news. I can’t stand Jerusalemites.”

Yehiel Harari put on an indulgent smile, the kind of smile he wore when imitating their neighbor, Mrs. Reisman, in front of his children. “Hassidale, maybe next time you’d better stay home with the cats. These trips seem to have a bad effect on you. You become terribly unsociable. Unlike you, I rather look forward to meeting some people from home. Maybe they’ll tell us what we’ve missed. And you’ll notice, this is not just a couple from Israel, but from Jerusalem, our capital. Just imagine, there’s a chance they can tell us how our soccer team is doing. Maybe they even know Yuvali’s girlfriend. We’ll be able to hear something about her family tree.”

Pouncing at the opportunity offered her

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