Chapter 95, (Rated R) Girls Girls Girls

     “Montana?” asked Nehemiah when we finished the rehearsal.

 “Are you crazy? It is cold out there,” Said Tzvika.

 “Yes, I know, that’s the whole idea. Tibi can’t say no to ice cream. I love seeing him shiver.”

 “Are you paying?” I asked Nehemiah.

 “No, it is Giyora’s turn.”

 “Let’s go.”

 

     Montana was a soft ice cream parlor in Netanya. We called it American Ice Cream. The Israeli ice cream was a little harder and mostly lactose free. Being lactose intolerant didn’t stop me from loving that ice cream and even in cold weathers I could never say no to an offer. My friends would take me to the parlor and buy me the biggest sundae they offered with the nuts and cherries and chocolate fudge on top. Because they loved seeing me enjoying it and shivering. The bigger the portion, the longer I shiver.  

 

   After the freezing experience I walked home and as soon as I walked in, I couldn’t believe my eyes. 

 “You have guests,” I heard Avi saying from behind the counter. He was watching something on the small TV I got him. Next to the first tray in the main room two girls were sitting and one of them was very familiar. Leah the younger daughter of the logistic officer and a friend of hers, got up to greet me.

 “Tibi! Surprised?”

 “How did you find me? Us…”

 “A friend of mine was here and told me about it. Oh, this is my friend Anna. We decided to stop by before we join the military.”

 “It is so nice to see you and it is nice to meet you,” I said looking at the new girl. And she was a hot girl. A little shorter than Leah, blond short hair light green eyes and very broad shoulders for a short girl. “Maybe she was a swimmer” I thought to myself.

 “Why don’t you join us?” I yelled at Avi who was still sitting in front of his TV. He and Tali were on a break, which mad me kind of happy. Whenever she was here, Avi and I were finding reasons to argue.

 

    Avi came and sat next to Leah who became enamored with him. 

 “Can we stay over here for the night?” Asked Anna while caressing my arm, “The last bus has left already.”

 “Of course,” answered Avi who was always happy to spend the night with a girl. “We will close the tea house in about half an hour, we’ll figure something out.”

 “Show me your room?” Asked Anna, “I heard so much about it.”

 “We spent the night together; Anna in my room and Leah stayed with Avi. Anna was very exciting, she loved playing in bed, but I respected the fact that she just met me and didn’t want to take advantage of her.

 “What do you think?” I asked when we were both naked, “we can wait until next time, when we know you really want to do this.”

I think it was the same deal on Avi’s side of the house.

 

    The next morning, I drove them back to Ramat Gan where Leah lived. The girls left me their numbers and we promised each other to keep in touch. But when I called Anna two days later, she didn’t pick up. I called Leah and she informed me that Anna didn’t want to keep in touch, she had a boyfriend.

    Walking toward my parents’ home for lunch, I met Miriam – the girl who couldn’t go out with me because her mom thought I was Yemenite – too dark for her.

 “Hey Tibi!” 

 “Hey! I said turning back to see who was calling me. “Miriam! How are you?”

 “Great! Thanks! How are you?”

 “I see you got married.” I said pointing at her rings, one of them with a nice size diamond.

 “Yes, it’s been almost two years.”

 “Happy?”

 “You might say so, what are you doing now?”

 “I’m on my way to visit my mom for lunch, why? What do you have in mind?”

 “Go there later, come over for coffee first.”

Curious about her place, I agreed, and we walked to her new apartment, not too far from my mom’s house.

 

    “I’ll be right back.” She said after showing me to her living room. The apartment looked nicely decorated with soft colors and was almost as clean as my mother’s house.

 “How do you like your coffee?” she asked as she walked back from her bedroom wearing only a light transparent bath robe.

 “You know what,” I said as I was getting up. “I think I better go. I am getting hungry.”

 “Don’t you want to continue where we left a few years ago?”

 “Not my cup of tea.” I said as I was walking toward the door. “Thanks, and it was nice seeing you.” She leaned forward gave me a kiss on the cheek and I closed the door behind me.

“What is wrong with you women?” I was thinking to myself. “All the women that are after me are taken.”

 

   Yuval Avi’s best friend came to visit us one Friday afternoon with another friend of theirs and two girls. One tall blond with long hair and an American brunette. We sat all together drinking tea and I made mlawah for everyone. I pulled my guitar and played some popular songs. The American girl had the most fun since she didn’t know all the Israeli songs and couldn’t tell my mistakes.

 “She likes you” whispered Yuval in my ear. “Ask her to come over again.” 

“As I understand she stays in Jerusalem, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt. What’s her name anyway?”

 “Susan, and the blond is Orna.” 

 “Come to the movie night,” I asked the girls as they were leaving, “It’s on Wednesday, we are showing Blazing Saddles.”

 “I like that movie” said Susan, “but I will be in Jerusalem. Maybe next weekend.”

 “I will come,” said Orna.

 “That would be nice, See you then.”

 

    Blazing Saddles was hot, and I am not talking about what we showed on the screen. Orna who was an avid horse rider was sitting on my laps through the whole movie and after that in my bedroom. The following Friday Orna arrived without Susan.

 “What happened?” I asked, “Susan promised to come with you.”

 “Oh, she got busy.” I wondered if it was Orna who convinced her to stay busy because we didn’t get out of the bedroom much the rest of the weekend.

 “I will not be able to come over the next two weeks,” said Orna before she left late Saturday night. “I am on duty up north with the Paratroopers.”

 “I will miss you,” I couldn’t hide my disappointment, we really had a lot of fun under the sheets. “Can you send Susan instead?”

I don’t think she liked that comment, because she never called back, and I never found out how much Susan really liked me. 

 

    What can I do? I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, after Aviva it wasn’t easy for me to fall in love again, and I was trying to stay honest with all the girls I was involved with.

 

    The first elementary school to open in Netanya was called after the famous poet Haim Nachman Bialik. I remember visiting his house when I was in second grade. Every Sunday evening at this school we had an Israeli folk-dance session. A tall, skinny, lightly bolding man called Israel was in charge. The choice of the dances he picked weren’t the most advanced or popular, but it was a good warm up for the rest of the week. I tried going to his sessions whenever I could. Most Israeli folk-dancing sessions have a few sets of circle dances, line dances and partners dances. Most Israelis come with their own partners to the session. But for some reason, not at this session. It was a good place to discover new dancers, form new partnership or just come and learn the basics.

 

    A very pale looking girl, about my height, with two very long black braids approached me.

 “Do you have a partner for the next set? She asked.

 

    “They call me Tibi,” I said as we danced the first partner dance together.

 “I know,” she said, “My name is Hadar.”

We danced together the rest of the evening and walked home together.

 “You were Aviva’s boyfriend,” she said suddenly as we were getting close to her house.

 “How do you know?”

She kept silence for a moment. “I was Arnnon’s girlfriend.”

 

***

    

Coconut Curry Chicken

 

 A simple and easy chicken dish with an Eastern Asian flavor. 

 

Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken Cutups (cut the breast in half)

1 Cup Vinegar

3 TBSP Kosher Salt

3 Cups of Water

1 Cup Coconut Milk

1 Can Crushed Tomatoes 

1 Medium Onion

3 Garlic Cloves 

1 tsp Crushed Fresh Ginger

1 tsp Turmeric

¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Big Fresh Tomato

¼ Cup Chopped Parsley

 

Preparation:

  Marinate the chicken in salt vinegar and water over night in the fridge. 

Place the chicken in tray and roast the chicken for 30 minutes 400f. Flip the pieces in the trey and pour the coconut milk over the chicken with ginger, garlic, crushed Tomatoes, and spices. Cover with tin foil and bake for 1 hour at 350.

Cut the fresh tomato to big pieces place on top of the chicken with the chopped parsley, serve.

 

-----