Vivi

Hardly two minutes passed and her young sister stood at the hotel’s restaurant threshold, looking for her. As soon as she located Erella a rather easy task, as Erella was the only guest at that late hour, she rushed to her excited with blushed cheeks.

Erella bothered herself this time to leave her seat, and embrace warmly her young sister, she exchanged kisses on both cheeks and affable smiles  with her young sister.

‘Sit down Vivi, sit down,’ she said pushing her sister gently toward the nearest chair. ‘How’s Itsik and the kids?’

‘They’re fine… You’re coming to us now, aren’t you?’ Vivi asked with a sudden sense of alarm.

‘Sure just as we’ve agreed, I’ll stay the weekend with you, and you’ll see me to the airport.’

‘It’s such a pity that you’re already flying back, I wanted you so much to stay with us at least two more weeks…’

‘Maybe next time Vivi,’ Erella replied raising her arm, to summon the lone waiter that was left to serve them. The latter rushed to their table, causing Erella to smile with much satisfaction.

‘More coffee and what sort of pastry do you have? What would you like to have Vivi?’ She turned to her sister before the waiter managed to answer her.

‘With your permission I would recommend our…'

‘Okay, okay fetch us your full assortment.’Erella ordered him briskly, sending him off.

‘Have you bought some presents for our kids, you promised them, do you remember?’ Vivi asked her as soon as the waiter left their table.

‘Oh come on Vivi do you think that I’ve got time for such things? Besides, I don’t know what to buy for them. Alright don’t put on that Yom Kippur face of yours, we’ll buy it on our way, okay?’

‘Okay,’ Vivi agreed relieved, watching the approaching waiter.

They were silent while the waiter unloaded his tea cart and placed a steamy coffee pot, cups, the assortment of cakes on the table, made a polite slight bow towards them and left.

‘I’ve bought tickets to the Safari for Saturday morning.’ Vivi said while Erella was pouring the hot coffee into their cups.

‘What, a Safari what are you talking about? What kind of a Safari one can do over here?’

‘We’ve got an open zoo not far off some years already, where visitors may enter it riding their cars.’ Vivi remarked quite offended. ‘Do me a favor Erella, don’t treat us like some third world country. It isn’t maybe the level that you’re used to in the states, but we aren’t lagging behind you in this country.’

‘Okay don’t get excited, what can one see over there?’

‘It’s a large and a fine zoo, with numerous kinds of animals, lions, elephants, even giraffes, and for the kids it will be an exceptional experience.’

‘They haven’t visited there yet?’

‘No they haven’t, and it will be a wonderful opportunity to be together and make the kids happy.’

‘Sure thing, where is that zoo exactly?’

‘Near Ramat-Gan not far from Mesubim junction, you know along the Geha road…’

‘Don’t talk to me in riddles Vivi, how long does it take to get there?’

‘I'd guess about half an hour, or a few more moments.’

‘How do you expect us to get there? You’ve sold your car some three months ago, haven’t you? That’s what you’ve told me.’

‘Well, that’s no problem at all, we’ll take a cab.’

‘Oh come on Vivi, a cab with a driver, we won’t be able to talk freely. We’ll hire a van with enough comfortable space. You’ve got a license as far as I know, so will load my luggage and drive straight to your home. We’ll hire it for a full week, thus you’ll see me to the airport on Saturday and enjoy it a few more days – What do you say Vivi?’ There’s a solution to every trivial problem, and that would surely be the right one. Erella thought watching her young sister’s worried face.

‘But I can’t drive a van I’ve got just a B license.’

‘Calm down will you, how about Itsik?’

‘He’s got such license but he’s at work, and they’re so strict on working hours over there…

‘Well call him Vivi, I’ll talk with his boss.’

About an hour passed and Itsik arrived. During that time Erella checked out, hired a van at the car hire agency next to the hotel, and supervised the loading of her luggage in it. Itsik found them waiting for him in the hotel’s lobby.

To leave the town on their way to her sister and her brother in law new apartment in Herzelia, wasn’t too difficult; but as soon as they hit the highway they have encountered a traffic jam, at first they were crawling in first gear hardly half a mile, and then in a rather short time they had to stop, bumper to bumper – with no possibility to move ahead or retreat back.

Erella lost her patience. ‘What’s going on here for God’s sake?’

‘It must be a suspicious object, if it was just a security check we would have been driving on without a hitch…’ Itsik told her clearing his throat with embarrassment. ‘Yes that must be it, they’ve stopped the traffic in the opposite direction too.’ He added coughing lightly.

‘I should have hired a caravan with a shower and a lavatory, how can you live in such conditions?’

©Haim Kadman 2007 – all rights reserved.