Limassol by Yishai Sarid Page A

was furious, that I didn’t behave with restraint. Who was he anyway? A stranger who works for them. You can never be sorry for silence, only for chatter.
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    I drove to Ikhilov Hospital in the midst of the evening rush hour, past the towers on the banks of the Ayalon Freeway, between the street lights, and I thought how all that electricity damaged us, and we’re in a bad way if we send the people who are obliged to be harsher than others to psychiatrists.
    I caught the doctor as he was leaving, on the way to his private clinic. He had enough time to tell me they had brought Hani out of the coma; all the tests were done; he had a metastasized tumor that would kill him soon, but he might have a few weeks left to live. From a medical perspective, he could soon be discharged from the hospital, if there was someplace he could rest. “Don’t send him back to Gaza,” he requested. “There they won’t give him medicines and he’ll die in awful pain. You can go see him now,” he chuckled. “Just leave the pliers outside.”
    â€œNo,” I said. “I don’t want to disturb him now. And I’d drop the jokes.”
    â€œA spy without humor,” he blurted out. “Too bad.” Before he took off elegantly for his lucrative evening occupations, he stopped and looked back. “His girlfriend was here again. A very impressive woman. They’re close. Maybe he can stay with her a few days.”
    â€œThanks,” I said. “Thanks for everything, doctor.” My plans were spread out for the whole world to see. Everything happened at its own pace, as if an internal motor was guiding things, without any outside interference, and instead of moving the plot along, I became its instrument.
    Daphna announced on the phone that she would take Hani to her place; she arranged for a bed and medical supplies. Everything’s going well, I said to myself, with no effort on my part.
    â€œTomorrow I’m coming to you for a lesson,” I said smugly. “The etrog man is progressing well.”
    There was a brief silence, and then she said: “I don’t think tomorrow will be convenient. Tomorrow I’ll be busy with Hani.”
    â€œThen I’ll come the day after tomorrow, in the morning,” I said. I stood at the entrance to the hospital, the halt and the lame passing by me.
    â€œI’ll call you,” she said coldly. “I don’t think it’ll work this week.”
    â€œWe’ve got an agreement, Daphna,” I said quietly.
    â€œWe had an agreement about Yotam,” she said firmly. “And I don’t see that you’re keeping to it. He’s still stuck there in Caesarea, and they still want to kill him, the thugs come to me every day. That’s not what we agreed. I thought you had more power.”
    â€œI told you I’d take care of that, but the two things have nothing to do with one another.”
    â€œThere aren’t two things,” she burst out. The sidewalk on King David Boulevard was covered with red flowers falling from the trees. “There’s only one thing. One whole. One deal. Go to Yotam now, then talk with me. I’m not willing to talk about any lessons before you take care of Yotam.” And she pressed the mute button, instead of slamming down the receiver with all her might.
    The child was sleeping at my mother-in-law’s that night, because Sigi had meetings and preparations for the trip. I meant to go to her, read the child a story and put him to bed. I told her I couldn’t come, something had come up. Anyway, I felt we had already separated, and it tore me up inside.
    â€œWe shouldn’t walk around outside? Somebody’s going to blow himself up?” asked my good mother-in-law anxiously.
    â€œMaybe somebody is going to blow himself up,” I said. “But I don’t know much about it.” I calmed her. She was still fond of me, or perhaps she