Serializing a new novel.
Chapter 24: Jerusalem June 2002 — Part 2
As Eli and Fay are in Israel. Fred Smith is also in
Israel. Daniel (Dean) and Esther are living happily in
Jerusalem, but Daniel has never told Esther anything about
his parents.
*
While Esther was preparing the evening meal, Daniel was in a
public phone booth in the tourist section of the city. Each
Shabbos, before Rosh Chodesh and after the prayer for the
coming new month, he always added a silent prayer, a plea for
the safe return of his parents. Then, on each Rosh Chodesh he
would make his way to a public phone, generally traveling
away from Jerusalem, to do this. He would take his
international calling card and punch in the number of the
family lawyer, or of his father's secretary. Disguising his
voice, he would ask if there was any news of the missing
couple Eli and Fay Barton. The answer was always negative.
On this day Daniel had decided that he was foolish to think
he was still being sought. He would still use a public phone,
but he wouldn't waste time traveling out of town. He went
instead just a bus ride away from home and made the call. The
response was the usual one.
However, Daniel had the strangest feeling that he was not
being given a truthful response. After saying, "No, we have
heard nothing." The woman continued. "Who is calling? Would
you hold the line for a moment." Daniel became afraid that
someone would try to trace the call. His old fears came back
to him and he quickly hung up.
Daniel stood for a moment, dejected, deep in thought. Then,
as he was about to walk towards the bus-stop to return home,
he saw a taxi stop a short distance ahead of him — and
who should emerge from it but the same two men who had come
chasing after him that day in New York?
Daniel spun around and walked rapidly in the opposite
direction. He came to a bus stop and took a bus that had just
pulled up, even though it was going in a quite different
direction than to his home. Soon he alighted and then found
he had to take two busses in order to get home.
*
Esther began to worry when Daniel didn't arrive home on time.
Eventually he came in the door. He didn't apologize for being
late. He ate in a distracted fashion, hardly speaking at all.
After bentching he said to her. "I think that maybe
you should spend Shabbos with your family. No, perhaps you
should go before Shabbos, maybe this evening. You should take
some things and sleep there."
"Why? They only live down the road? What do you mean, `you'?
Surely you don't mean that I should go alone?"
The reply came in a heavy, expressionless, low tone. "Yes,
that's just what I mean."
Daniel was insistent. He made her pack a small suitcase. Then
he told her to go to her mother. She heard him say to her,
"Please believe me. This is for your sake, for your safety.
Please don't ask me to explain just do as I say. I will
contact you in a day or so. I need to think. I need to see to
some things."
Esther felt she was living a nightmare, that she would wake
up from it and see the sun streaming in through the blue
curtains. What would she tell her family?
Esther made a decision. She knew where Rav Dov lived. Perhaps
he could offer an explanation for her husband's strange
behavior. She made her way to his house.
Rav Dov received her in his study. His wife brought in hot
steaming tea and sponge cake. Esther began to tell her
story.
Rav Dov recalled the strange feeling he had after that
meeting with Daniel, the feeling of something out of place,
something unresolved. Was the story he had listened to true?
Daniel had spoken not only of himself, but also of a man
called Fred Smith, an assistant to his father, who had gone
to Brazil with his parents but had returned alone. True,
Daniel had shown him his parent's kesuvoh, but anyone
could have handed over a kesuvoh and said it belonged
to his parents. The boy knew so little of Jewish things. Was
he in fact even Jewish?
Rav Dov called to his wife to make up the bed in the guest
room. "Sleep here tonight," he said to Esther. "Tomorrow I
will speak to Daniel and see what it is that is making him
behave like this."
He hoped that he sounded calmer than he felt. After all he
was a man people came to for advice. It would not do for him
to sound unsure of himself and so to worry the young girl
even more. Yet now he felt that he was facing a number of
mysteries — and some of the apparent explanations for
Daniel's strange behavior were less than pleasant.
Daniel sat slumped in a chair wondering what to do. He was
sure now that he had brought danger to Esther. As midnight
approached he could no longer remain where he was. He put on
his hat and walked to the Kosel. He returned to the apartment
for his tefillin and davened at his usual shul
as the sun rose and then made his way back home, tired and
troubled and not knowing what to do.
As he arrived he saw the usual pile of newspapers and cartons
of milk outside the door. The owner of the shop was just
unlocking the door. Daniel greeted him and then began his
daily task of taking the goods indoors.
*
Eli Barchevsky rose early. For forty consecutive days he and
his wife had been going to the Kosel. He felt closer to
despair than he had ever felt in the last years. He dressed,
and walked out of their rented apartment onto the still gray
street. He walked aimlessly, gloomy thoughts going around his
head.
Suddenly, ahead of him he saw a tall young man, walking with
a strangely familiar gait. He went a few paces and watched as
the man began to pull crates of milk into the door of a small
store.
"Dean!" he shouted out.
The young man spun round. Eli realized his foolishness. The
young man had a dark beard. He was wearing a black hat and
tzitzis dangled from his waist.
Then he heard: "Dad, is it really you?"
Eli felt the world spin around him. An old man came up to
him, and led him to a chair in the store, and sat him
down.
"Dad," said the young man. "Dad, is it really you?"
Dean was there, next to him, beaming down at him. It was
real. It wasn't a hallucination.
