Chapter 70, Decisions

“It is something to think about,” I was sharing my thoughts with Efri. “I know I can get my High school diploma at Shfeya, but will I have a profession?”

“Didn’t you say you liked to work with the tractors? Next year they will give you a driving license.”

“Well, as much as they say they like me, they still give the most important tasks to the Ashkenazi kids, or the stronger kids. All they give me is to wash the trucks. Don’t forget, I still want to be an electronic engineer.”

“Yes, I know.

So, I’ve been thinking about the military option.”

“Didn’t you try that already?”

“Yes, but this is a different school. I have the option to go to the Navy School to become a marine mechanic, or to the Airforce Academy and study electronics which was what I wanted to do all the time.”

“So? What do you think? Will you leave Shfeya?”

“I think so, but I have to make up some math and physics classes and pass a test before I get admitted. Oh, there is one more benefit, instead of paying for my education like I do now, I will have to serve two extra years in the military”

“Two years?”

“Yes, but I will get paid very well.”

“When will you decide?”

“I have a month, I either go back to Shfeya for the half of the summer work or go to the special prep course in September.”

Do you remember Sarah and Yaakov Garon our previous neighbors? Their aunt Aliza who lived 3 floors above them worked at a supermarket in the southern side of the city.

“Hey Haim!” she said when she saw me walking back from Efri’s house. “How are you? I haven’t seen you for a long time.”

“I was away at boarding school.”

“That explains it, what are you doing now?”

“Looking for a job.”

“Oh, really? I work as a cashier at the supermarket you know; they are looking for a delivery boy. I can give them your name if you want.

“That would be nice, thank you.” It wasn’t easy getting a job in Israel those days, you needed someone to recommend you.

“I’ll come visit your mom tomorrow and we can talk more. It’s been a while since I have visited with her. I love her cookies.”

“Can you ride a bike?” Zalman the assistant to the butcher asked. 

“Yes.”

“How about a Tricycle?

Zalman showed me a big tricycle with the two wheels in the frond and a big flat bottom to carry crates of groceries. My job was to get to the supermarket early and put groceries on the shelves, help the butcher clean the floor and stock the freezer shelves. My most favorite part was to help the bread delivery. Every morning, the bread truck will come with freshly baked bread. The smell was so strong, it overpowered the sweaty smell of the truck driver. On Friday mornings the smell was even better with the delivery of the fresh Hallahs. But my real task was to load the tricycle with crates of groceries, deliver to customers’ homes, and hope to get some tips. The heavies work was on Friday’s afternoons. Most of the ladies were shopping for Shabat but they didn’t want to carry all their groceries home. This is where I came in. I had to take it to all the customers in that neighborhood. Except for one who was living about 30 minutes ride north, and then I had to climb to the seventh floor with five different crates. One of them with about 10 glass buttles of coke ½ a gallon each. By the time I got the tip, and it was a good tip, I wondered if it was worth it. My muscles were getting stronger, my back, my arms and specially my legs. Climbing stairs while carrying big crates add to my physical shape.

When I was in middle school, I had a tutor not too far from the supermarket. Her next-door neighbor was a very pretty girl. I think she was a year or two older than me. She looked very much like the actress Ali McGraw, just with bigger breast.

 “So, you like Naomi?” My tutor said when I asked her about the pretty neighbor. “I really don’t know much about her except that she is older than you. And she seems nice.” 

Working at the supermarket I got to see Naomi every other day walking in for some shopping. And as usual I chickened out and hid somewhere and stared at her from behind the shelves. 

One Friday as I was leaving the supermarket, I had the tricycle loaded with 6 crates full of goodies and a lot of coke buttles. Across the street I could see the skinny shape and the unusually big breast. Her dark long hair, reaching below her small round behind was blowing in the wind. She was walking closer toward me yet looking almost above me. But I was looking at her, a little too long. She didn’t, she didn’t even realized it or see me, when I hit the curb and all the stuff in the front load just kept on going forward and crashed on the sidewalk. All the soda buttles broke and spilled all over the sidewalk. Naomi didn’t even look back, I was glad, she didn’t see my embarrassment. Zalman came out yelling at me and calling me stupid, apparently someone told him about the incident. He helped me pick the stuff up, replace the soda and sent me on my way. 

Two afternoons per week I had to take the bus to Tel Aviv and go for the Math and Physics class. There was one more student from Netanya in that course. His name was Yossi Cohen. He was very friendly and within two weeks we were taking the bus together and comparing notes from our class. It wasn’t easy, we had a tough teacher with very high expectations. We had a test every class and we had to get at least 90% to be able to stay in the course.

“You’re destined for a special team, and we expect very high results from you, or you will be just a simple electricians or mechanics.” The teacher kept saying. “I will expect nothing less than 90% from you, so keep working.”

And we did. Yossi and I kept at it on the way to Tel Aviv and the way back including some other afternoons, and we made it. By February we boarded the train to Haifa and got off at the station right next to the Airforce Academy.

 

***

 

Coleslaw

 

  I never really liked cabbage; my mom didn’t cook with it. I was introduced to it later in life when I was at the boarding school. They stuffed the cabbage leaves with rice and meat. I didn’t like that either. But when I was introduced to coleslaw, it was served to me with a hot dog. It was pickled for a long time. I also saw other fresher salads. Here is my version of cabbage salad.  

 

Ingredients:

½ Cabbage

1 Green Apple

2 Scallions

½ Cup Lemon

¼ Bunch Dill

1 tsp Salt

2 TBSP Olive Oil

 

Preparation:
  Shred the Cabbage and Apple. Chop the Scallion and dill. Mix with lemon juice salt and olive oil. Let sit for an hour before serving.

 

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