this all along?â his mother asked, eyes blazing.
âFor a while,â Daniel hedged.
âHow could you not tell me?â she cried. âI feel like such a fool! I never anticipated this.â Her hand was gripping Samâs sleeve hard, and he was murmuring, âHoney.â
âI must tell you something important,â the lawyer said, raising his voice over the clamor of distress and incomprehension. âIn Israeli wills, the disposition of property is always upheld. But not necessarily the disposition of children.â He spoke in Hebrew.
Daniel saw understanding slowly dawn over Yaakovâs face, and a flash of hope. âWhat are you talking about?â he demanded.
âThe government considers what is the good of the children, in family court.â
âWhat?â Daniel cried. âTheir own parents wanted this for them. The court would go against the parentsâ wishes?â
âIâm afraid so,â Assaf said gently. He stood with the papers dangling in his hand, and Daniel suddenly hated him, this hypocritical pose of gentle advocacy, his big sorrowful eyes blinking out of those ridiculous glasses. âIf they thought it was for the good of the children.â
His mother had Daniel by the sleeve; there was the clamor for translation, and he shook it off, he was trying to think. âYou canât be serious,â he said to Assaf, and then whirled at his parents and spat out an irritated translation. âAnd Iâm sure,â he said, his lips curled, âthat living with two queers is exactly what the Israeli state thinks of as for the good of the children.â
âDaniel,â his father said.
âWhat are my chances?â Daniel demanded in Hebrew, ignoring his father, fixing Assaf with a cold look. He remembered something. âTheyâre American citizens; doesnât that count for something?â
âNot necessarily, Daniel,â Assaf said. âYouâll still need a court order to take them out of the country.â He reached forward and clasped Danielâs shoulder. âBut donât assume anything, either good or bad. There are many factors.â
His father gripped his elbow. âDonât worry, son,â he said softly. âWeâll fight this.â
Daniel shook his arm free. âI donât understand this,â he said. âThe parents decided what was for the good of the children.â He felt he was about to cry and, mortified, covered his face with his hands. âPoor Joel and Ilana,â he moaned. âItâs what they wanted .â
âThis is crazy,â Lydia was saying, looking to Sam for corroboration.
The lawyer crouched and tried to take them all in with his gaze. âEverybody, please be calm,â he said, first in English, then in Hebrew. âLook. We are shocked by these terrible deaths. When we recover a little bit, I know that weâll all do our best to make sure that Gal and Noam have lives that are as safe and normal as possible.â
Normal? Daniel burst into tears.
Malka was clutching at Yaakov and asking him how Ilana could do this to them, and he was urging her, with increasing impatience, to calm down, to try to understand that the court would surely be on their side.
CHAPTER 4
H E COULDNâT FIND Matt anywhere. Their bedroom was empty, the sofa bed made up, with the bed pillows, in worn pillowcases, stacked upon it. The window was open and the curtain billowing. He checked the bathroom and the balcony, and went back into their room and sat down on the sofa. He unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt and stared at the desk till his vision blurred. There was a knock on the door frame; Yaakov stood there with his jacket on. âMalka doesnât feel well,â he said. âI must take her home.â
Daniel nodded numbly.
Yaakov turned away, and Danielâs parents came to the door of his room. His motherâs face was tight;
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