Chapter 60, New Best Friend

After giving up on the two youth organizations, there was one more group I wanted to try. “The Scouts,” they were not affiliated with any political party and in fact, they are International. Unlike the organizations in the USA the Israeli scouts were coed.

Walking to the Scouts center took a while. It was on the south side of the town. As I was walking, I could hear the Shabat evening sounds of people’s forks or spoons tuching the plates and the sound of people blessing or singing Shabat songs. I wasn’t sure who to see or who to talk to when I get there. But as soon as I arrived, I realized I didn’t have to worry about it. Shlomit Bar Menahem was there, as well as Nehamah Lerner and Sarah Markovich who smiled at me as soon as she saw me. Everyone was dancing in a circle to the “Bon Fire Dance”. There was no music, so everyone was also singing the melody of the dance. Standing to the side of the entrance was a tall boy who reminded me someone I knew but couldn’t recall. 

“Hi, my name is Haim.” I said and extended my hand. “You look familiar, where did I meet you?” As I was saying those words I realized, I never met him. He looked so much like an Israeli famous singer – Arik Einstein. 

“I am Ephraim, but you may call me Efri.” 

“You don’t dance?” I asked.

“Me? Never! Well, almost never, I dance slow dances with girls. See that long-haired blond in the circle? That’s my girlfriend, Hana. I dance with her,” he said smiling. 

“I like dancing,” I said. “But I am too shy.”

“You like dancing?” Efri asked. “Then, why don’t you come with us after the activity? There is a party at Toshko’s house.”

“I don’t know Toshko.”

You don’t have to know him; we have a party every weekend at someone else’s house, and we don’t have to know everyone. We dance and have fun.”

“OK, I will come but I can’t stay long. I got to be home by 9:30.” 

The party was fun, I got to meet a whole new group of people. They all lived on the southern side of the Main Street (Hertzel) where the middle-class people to upper class families live. They were in a different school. Most of them went to “Itamar Elementary” it is the school where I took the science club classes. The music was also fun, Toshko liked to play “oldies” music from the 50s mostly slow dances. I took a deep breath and asked a girl who was standing in the corner with a glass of red juice in her hand if she wanted to dance. To my surprise she agreed.

Her name was Azriella, she also went to Itamar Elementary. We danced a few slow dances but kept our body in about an arm length from each other. 

“I have to leave after this dance”. I said looking at my new watch I received from Mom and Dad for my Bar Mitzvah. 

“Me too,” she said, “will you walk me home?”

“Sure!”

After saying goodbye to Efri, we walked for a while without talking. Her house was not too far from the party. I walked her all the way up the stairs to the fourth floor where she lived.

“Will you come to the party next week?” She asked. “It will be at Hana’s house.” 

“I think so.”

“Great!” She said, she leaned over, gave me a kiss on the cheek and entered her house saying, “see you there.”

That week I was busy with high school searching. I met with the psychologist and he suggested I try a boarding school up north called “Meir Shfeya” named after a philanthrope Meir the father of the Baron de Rothchild and an old Arab village the baron bought the ground from - Shfeya. It was an agricultural school where you study half the day and work the other half. Dad and I went to check the place. A bus to the old highway, and then another bus to Zikhron Yaakov. From there we took a cab to the school. The road from Zikhron Yaakov to Shfeya was a pretty one. First you had to take the windy road down the hill with small houses on each side. Once we passed the main valley road, we started our climb up. Again, very twisted road but instead of little houses there were fruit groves on each side of the road. Just before we got to the top, we saw the tallest cypress I have ever seen. It was thick and dense, standing just next to the road. I remembered the logo of the school on the pamphlet, it had a drawing of a house next to a tall cypress. I was told it was the second tallest tree in Israel, right after the cedar Hertzel planted in Jerusalem. 

“We have all kind of chores here at the school,” said the school director. He had a wooden left hand. I couldn’t take my eyes from it.

“Will I be working with the cows? Milking them?” I asked.

“Possibly,” he continued. “You might work with the chickens or at the vegetable garden. Depends on what you are good at. But this should not interfere with your schoolwork. You will have plenty of time to do your homework and even socialize with your new friends. Oh, that hand of mine you’ve been looking at...”

“Me?”

“Yes, I lost it in the war of independence.”

“Wow! A war hero!” I thought to myself. “The school’s director was a hero.”

 I had a lot to think about, leave home and be independent, no more Mom on my case for doing my homework or giving me curfew. But then, I will be missing my brothers and my friends. Well, I will think about it, now I have to get ready for the party. Efri and I were meeting at his place and from there we will go to his girlfriend’s house. 

“So, what do you think?” I asked Efri. “Should I go to that school?”

“I don’t know, how is your new girlfriend Azriella?”

“She is not my girlfriend, we just walked home together.”

“Hmmm…”

“Anyway, want to go to the beach together tomorrow?”

“Which one?”

“Ein HaThelet, with my father, my Mom doesn’t allow me to go to the beach on my own.”

“There is your answer, you need to get away from your mother. At that school she will not get on your case.”

“Hmmm…” I nodded. “Anyway, have your father drop you off at my place. We will go fishing and we will have sandwiches and have fun.

“Sure, now go dance with your girl, she keeps on looking this way.”

It was fun on the beach, Efri was late, but we managed to get a nice spot next to my father’s favorite fishing spot. Avi showed Efri how to catch worms. The sea was calm, we had no problems swimming in between the rocks and look at the pretty fish. After two hours we had our tuna sandwiches and took a long walk on the beach. 

“Hey, do you have special sex education in your class? Asked Efri.

“I am not sure; I know that the nurse came to talk with the girls while we were having arts and crafts.”

“I picked at their class the other day,” said Efri. “They were talking about something the nurse called the time of the month.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember when Hana was yelling at me last party and we almost broke up?”

“Yes, I also saw Shulomit looking at you at the same time.” 

“Shulomit Hacarmeli? Really? Not important now, Hana was having her time of the month.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“Every month girls have a few days when they kind of bleed and, I don’t know, but it hurts them, and they act weird. So, whenever I see Hana acting up, I stay away and carve my soap. Look at it,” he said and showed me a piece of soap he was carving, trying to make a ship.

“Nice! Doesn’t it melt in the water?”

“Yes, but I don’t use it to shower.”

“My Mom would never let me; I better find something else to carve as soft as soap. I love carving. Did you see the Soldier’s head I carved at arts and crafts? It is hanging on my wall. I also made a Hanukkiah with Uzi bullets my uncle gave me from the war.”

“Show me when we get back home. Shulomit, you said?”

“Yes, Shulomit the red head.” 

 Efri stayed for lunch and after an afternoon nap we walked toward his house.

 “So, are you seeing Azriella again today?”

 “Yes, we planned to meet down under her building at the Rio ice cream place.”

 “And then what?” He asked

 “I don’t know, we will probably take a walk on Hertzel Street, I don’t know.”

It was 10 minutes after 7:00 and I was on my second ice cream cone. Azriella was supposed to be downstairs at 6:30. I thought I saw her in her balcony for a moment, but she never came down. The gate to her building’s entrance was locked, I couldn’t go up and knock on the door. I couldn’t call her; I didn’t know if she had a phone, (not everyone had a telephone yet). I waited until 8:00 and went to Hertzel Street for a long walk before going home. For the next few weeks Azriella didn’t show up to any of the parties and by the end of the summer I was ready to go to high school. I said goodbye to Efri and promised to write and visit him on the holidays. I was sure there would be many other girls to meet at the new school.

 

 

***

Baked Tilapia

 

  Inspired by Russian recipe. When you need a quick and light dinner, this could serve you well.

 

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia fillets

1 Onion 

1 Carrot

¼ Cup Lemon Juice

2 TBSP Olive Oil

½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Mustard

1 tsp Dill

Preparation:
Mix oil, lemon, salt dill and mustard. Spread on top of the fish and bake for 8 minutes at 400f.

Shred long strips of carrot onion and blanch it in boiling water for 30 seconds. Put on top of fish and grill for 2 minutes.

Serve hot or cold next to mashed potatoes or rice.

 

 

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