Chapter 13, Hepatitis

 

Our landlord Mr. Okev had 3 daughters. His older daughter was married to Mr. Gamil, she had the 2 boys Itai and Gabi and was about to have a third baby. Mr. Gamil had a sister who lived up the street. She had 3 kids One boy older than me (don’t remember his name) and twins my age. A boy Arnon and a girl Arnona. Arnon wasn’t very friendly, but his sister Arnona was very friendly and very pretty. I loved playing with her, but her brother always interfered, and it was no fun. The only time I could play with Arnona without interruptions was when we were at the kindergarten.

I am not sure how to explain what I was feeling; all I wanted was to cry. It isn’t that I wanted to cry, it is just that I couldn’t stop crying. I felt weak and shaky, my chest was hurting, and it was hard to breath. Both the teacher and her assistant were all over me. One was sticking a thermometer in my mouth and the other was patting a wet towel on my forehead. 
“Arnona!” called Yehudit my teacher “I have a very important favor to ask of you. Will you please walk with Haim home? We want to make sure he gets there safe. Sarah, my assistant will send a doctor to his house and hopefully all will be well.”

I was still whimpering when we arrived home. Mom was feeding Avi in the kitchen. As soon as we walked through the door I fell on the floor and I don’t remember anything that happened afterward.

I woke up in a white room on a white metal bed covered with white sheets and my arm had an IV needle stuck in it that was connected with a clear tube to a bottle full of liquid. My head hurt and I felt weak, but I didn’t cry. Mom was sitting next to me holding a wet towel on my forehead.

“He’s awake!” she called and a nurse waked in to check on me.
  “The doctor is on his way,” she said, “it is time for you to go home. Visitation hours are way over. You may come visit him tomorrow.”
I didn’t even have the chance to protest, I fell right back to sleep.

“You have Hepatitis,” said the nurse when I woke up again. “It is a yellow fever of the liver” you will have to stay here for a while until we are sure it is out of your system. Meanwhile drink some of this soup, it will make you feel better.”
  “Where is my Mom?” I asked as I was sipping the hot chicken broth.
 “She went home a while ago. She won’t be able to come visit every day, but I know, she will be here tomorrow during visiting hours.” 

I had to stay in the hospital of Hadera for a whole month. At first all I was given to eat was chicken broth and slowly, slowly, I was introduced to bananas, salad, and other food. Yet, when it came to meat, they had a problem. I didn’t like meat, and Mom wasn’t there to yell at me or threaten me with the “no dessert” promise. The only animal part I was able to eat was the chicken skin from the chicken soup. It was soft and kind of mushy, and I liked it a little. The nurses had to collect from the rest of the kids at the hospital the skins of the chicken so I could have a decent amount of protein.

What I remember most of my stay at that hospital were two events that scarred me forever. The first was worse than the second. Every Tuesday they had to take a biopsy. of my liver. Two nurses had to hold me down on my bed each one holding a leg and an arm spread eagle, while a third nurse had to insert the longest and thickest needle I have ever seen in between my legs (yes right next to the you know what) all the way to my liver. It hurt like hell but that was the only way the doctor would know if I was ready to go home. The second one was sort of related to the first. One afternoon Mom and Dad came to visit me was on a Tuesday right before the biopsy. I remember crying and screaming for them as I saw them out of the window, walking toward the bus station. I was hoping they would save me from that torture, but they didn’t hear me and kept walking. For many years after that I had nightmares of crying to Mom for help, she simply didn’t hear and kept walking away.

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Pomegranate Chicken 

 

  A Middle Russian dish that is also popular in Iran and Iraq. You may serve it on top of rice with salad on the side. The process starts almost the same as most of my chicken dishes. Marinating overnight in salt and vinegar water.

 Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken Cutups

1 Cup Wine Vinegar

2 Cups of Water (to cover the marinating chicken)

2 TBSP Kosher Salt

1 Cup Chopped Onion

3 Crushed Garlic Cloves

1 TBSP Crushed Ginger 

½ Cup Pomegranate Syrup

1 Cup Cutup Prunes

1 tsp Paprika

¼ tsp Black Pepper

1 Can Chickpeas (or a cup of dry chickpeas soaked overnight and cooked in water for an hour).

½ tsp Table Salt

A Pinch of Cayenne Pepper.

1 TBSP Chopped Parsley

1 TBSP Sesame

 

 

Preparation:
  Marinate the chicken in the kosher salt, vinegar and water over night refrigerated. Drain and place the cutups chicken in a deep baking tray and roast for 20 minutes on 500f. Pull the tray out and flip each piece over and roast for 20 more minutes.

Pour the syrup, ginger, onion, garlic, and prunes over the chicken. Cover the tray and roast for 20 more minutes. Lower the heat to 300 and leave in oven for 2 more hours. 

Bake the chickpeas with salt and spices in a toaster oven for 10 minutes or until it crisps and spread on top of the chicken, sprinkle with the chopped parsley, sesame and serve.

 

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