Chapter 4: NIMROD
God's Little Drop of Water
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Taliya awakened the next morning, eager to continue her studies at her very own university. Her plan was working to perfection. She was learning far more than the children in Gal’s classroom at school, who were surely trapped there against their will, much like Hansel and Gretel in the story Abba had read last night.
Taliya donned her American Jeans overalls, tied her pigtails with her favorite red ties, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and went to the kitchen, passing a half-dressed Ima along the way.
“Are you wearing those overalls again?” Ima inquired. Ima possessed a truly heightened awareness of appearance when it came to her children.
Ima disappeared into her bedroom and Taliya made her way to the kitchen.
Abba was busy preparing sandwiches.
The oatmeal was waiting.
Taliya grabbed her spoon and dug to the bottom of the bowl. To her delight, she’d struck it rich! For there was a lovely pool of warm, melted chocolate there waiting for her, and she took a hearty bite, managing as always to deposit a fair amount of chocolate on her face.
She smiled at Abba, grateful that he’d remembered.
From the bedroom, Yaroni was saying something about stripes and plaid. Yair had yet to appear, as he was most certainly still fast asleep. Taliya felt a panic at the thought of him being late. She wanted to go and wake him. But the pull of the warm, sweet chocolate was too great. Perhaps when she had finished.
A few minutes later, Yair appeared, dressed and ready for school. He ate quietly, until at last it was time for everyone to be on their way.
Taliya and her brothers walked up the sidewalk with Abba until he made his turn to go to the bus stop.
Taliya took Yairi by one hand and Yaroni by the other and led them up the hill. They were passing the beit-knesset when Taliya realized how warm the morning air had already become. It would be a warm day. Perfect for studying at home rather than being trapped in the sweaty confines of Gal’s classroom.
Once Yaroni had been given into the care of his preschool teachers, Taliya and Yair continued on to their school.
Taliya again lingered near a bench, pretending to search through her backpack until Yair had entered the building, going so far as to give him a confident wave before he went inside. After that, she strolled casually from the school grounds and hurried home.
Once there, and with her books and notebooks and writing utensils properly arranged, she fetched a glass of chocolate milk and two pieces of chocolate from the refrigerator. She would need her strength for a long day of intense study.
Gabby and Debby appeared right on time and Taliya eagerly journeyed with them on their quest, courtesy of the Magic Stick.
Today, the stick took them to the Wild Wild West of the American Frontier. Taliya was fascinated by the Old West because her grandfather, Sabba, positively adored it. Sabba had had what Ima and Abba called a stroke, so he could no longer speak. But he smiled often, and he listened intently when Taliya spoke with him. Sabba was very tall and was always well-dressed.
Taliya paid extra attention today, learning everything she could about cowboys and their adventures in 18th- and 19th-century America, so that she would be able to tell Sabba everything she had learned come Saturday when everyone gathered for Shabbat.
All too soon, however, it was time for Gabby and Debby to leave the Old West and return to their home. Taliya was pleased that she would have so much to discuss and share with Sabba.
♦♦♦
That afternoon, while Taliya and Yair were walking home from school, they encountered Nimrod. Nimrod was the same age as Yair, despite being nearly twice his size. Nimrod was the biggest boy in school, and everyone was afraid of him. Nimrod often used this to take advantage of other children. Taliya had witnessed such things firsthand.
Taliya and Yair approached Nimrod, who was leaning against a low wall made of hewn Jerusalem Stone. Taliya waited for Nimrod to open his big mouth.
And that’s precisely what Nimrod did.
Nimrod began to tease Yair because of the pants he was wearing. The pants were perfectly acceptable, of course. They were merely an excuse for Nimrod to be cruel.
Taliya waited for Yair to tell Nimrod so. But Yair remained silent.
Taliya and Yair passed by Nimrod and were soon out of sight.
Taliya wished Yair had stood up to Nimrod. She vowed that if ever again Nimrod opened his mouth to insult her brother, he would regret it. She didn’t care how big Nimrod was.
♦♦♦
Once at home, Taliya and Yair sprawled upon the stone floor, savoring its coolness against their skin. They waited until Ima arrived home with Yaroni, after which Taliya and her brothers hovered near the balcony in the hopes of seeing Abba appear down below, making his way up the sidewalk.
“Abba! Abba!” they cried out when they saw him. Abba smiled and waved up at them. The children were excited because Abba had a small paper bag in his hand.
Once Abba was inside, they discovered that the paper bag contained delicious treats. Abba distributed them one at a time. The children thanked their father profusely. Taliya and Yaroni devoured theirs immediately, while Yair stated that he was going to save his. Taliya did not understand how Yair could resist eating his confection now.
The children sat themselves before the small television and concluded the enjoyment of their candy. Soon it was time to watch The Six Million-Dollar Man, a program they enjoyed immensely.
With the adventures of Steve Austin concluded, it was time to eat dinner. Taliya took her place at the short side of the L only to discover upon her plate lay a round, steaming meatball surrounded by a small pool of its own fatty juices.
Ima explained that there had been a few meatballs left over and that she needed the large pot in order to cook for Shishi, the Friday dinner.
Taliya immediately considered her options. On her plate there was also several slices of baked yam, several slices of baked eggplant, and a small pile of salad consisting of chopped cucumber, tomato, and onion, all dressed with freshly-squeezed lemon juice combined with olive oil and a bit of salt. With these items Taliya felt no dietary qualms. For it was only the meatball she preferred not to eat nor even to look at, to even have resting upon her plate. Its greasy juices were coming perilously close to the refreshing and delicious salad.
Taliya began to eat the yam, the eggplant, and the salad.
When the time was right and no one was glancing her way, she steeled herself and picked up the meatball. She hid it in her palm in the manner of a world-renown magician well-practiced in the art of sleight-of-hand.
Taliya slid from her small white wooden stool and pretended to be on her way to the sherutim.
But the meatball was quite large and was unlikely to flush.
Therefore, on her way to the sherutim, Taliya went to the far side of the apartment, to the window beneath which were the laundry lines belonging to everyone who lived there. Taliya took a measured position, evaluated the size of the opening, calculated the appropriate speed and trajectory, and hurled the meatball through the open window and out of sight.
She proceeded to the washroom, where she flushed the toilet in order to maintain the illusion, after which she quickly, but thoroughly, washed the meatball grease from her hand. She returned to her seat at the dinner table and enjoyed the remainder of her meal, careful to push her food to the outermost perimeter of her dinner plate where it would be safe from the ever-creeping fluids left behind by the now-vanished meatball.
When everyone had finished eating, Taliya assisted in the clearing of the table while Abba washed the dishes in the kitchen sink.
Upon her exit from the small kitchen, Taliya procured two pieces of chocolate from the refrigerator, pleased to have scored another victory in the battle against the meat.
Later, when it was time for bed, the children pleaded with Abba to read a bedtime story to them, which he did. This evening it was Little Red Riding Hood. Taliya adored this story.
After the reading of the bedtime story was complete, Abba tucked each of the children into bed and kissed them goodnight.
Taliya once again called “Lyla tov!” to everyone, and was heartened when they called back to her.
Taliya began to think about the front door of the apartment. Was it locked? And the windows, were they securely fastened as well?
Very quietly, Taliya slipped from her bed and tiptoed across the cold floor like a little mouse. She verified that the front door was locked and that all the windows were secure. She hurried once more to her room and dove into bed, where she was once again safe beneath her warm and fluffy blankets.
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