The Peace Process by Bruce Jay Friedman

Author:Bruce Jay Friedman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2015-04-27T18:05:13+00:00

The Peace Process

A Novella

PART ONE

1990

From his reasonably comfortable room in the King David Hotel, William Kleiner looked out on the old walled city of Jerusalem and tried without success to love Israel. It’s true that he had only been in the country for a few hours, but his first impressions were not encouraging. At JFK, when he’d told the security guard that he was in the movie business, her nose had twisted to the side as if she’d smelled rotten fish. Then she’d questioned him for hours. Who gave him the ticket? Why Kleiner and not somebody else? How long had he had it and did he keep it in his suit jacket when he went to restaurants? Did he happen to be a Frequent Flyer? Kleiner understood the sensitive security needs of the beleaguered state, but was it necessary for them to know that his second cousin’s name was Dworkin? Why, the woman needed to know, did his mother get out of the stocking business on Hester Street?

He was tempted to tell them to forget it—in Japan, they could hardly wait to let him into the country—but the truth is, he needed his current assignment. Once a respected film director, his career had gone into the toilet after a string of turkeys. He was now officially considered burned out. He had been lucky to land a job as a location scout for a picture that had been described to backers as a Jewish Star Wars.

Finally, as if they were doing him a favor, he was allowed to board the plane. The intifada was at its height. As a result, there weren’t many passengers on the flight. He introduced himself to a slim, well-dressed man in Business Class who said he was employed by a think tank in Haifa. Kleiner saw in the man a compatible soul. Delighted by his good fortune, he prepared himself for a stimulating transatlantic conversation.

“I’d love to hear about your work.”

“And I’d love to tell you about it, but unfortunately my plan is to do a little thinking.”

Graciously, the man recommended a few good restaurants in Jerusalem, then turned away, thoughtfully holding his chin in one hand.

Disappointed, Kleiner settled in and watched Misery, the only selection, and a film he felt he’d had the skills to direct, if only they had given him a shot at it.

After a huge dinner and a successful nap, he found himself staring at the flight attendant and realized the man reminded him of Gil Fleugel, a friend who had committed suicide. The man had Fleugel’s hairline, the same powerful trunk, an identical smile. A charming individual, Fleugel throughout his life had sought out and enjoyed the company of celebrities, although it weighed on him that he himself, a shoe salesman, had never done anything noteworthy. When he realized he never would, he took a car off a cliff in Locust Valley, Long Island, leaving instructions that he be cremated. Kleiner attended his funeral. Speaker after speaker admitted they didn’t know what to make of the man.

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