Heirs by Amos Oz January 22, 2007 The stranger was not a stranger.

Something in his figure repelle but also intrigue Aryeh !elni" at #ery first sight, if it was in ee first sight$ it seeme to Aryeh !elni" that he somehow remembere that fa%e, those long arms, almost own to the "nees. &emembere #aguely, as if from an entire lifetime ago. The man par"e his %ar right at the front gate. 't was a usty beige %ar$ its ba%" an si e win ows were %o#ere with a %razy (uilt of %olorful sti%"ers, all sorts of pronoun%ements, warnings, an slogans with e)%lamation points. He lo%"e the %ar but too" the time to %he%" oor by oor, sha"ing ea%h one #igorously to ma"e sure that they were all properly %lose . He lightly stro"e the hoo , then stro"e it again, as if it were not a %ar but an ol horse, tie to a fen%e an gi#en a frien ly pat to in i%ate that the wait woul not be long. Then he pushe open the gate an stro e towar the front por%h, whi%h was sha e by a grape arbor. His wal" loo"e *er"y an a bit painful, as if he were stepping barefoot on hot san . Aryeh !elni", seeing an unseen from his pla%e in the hammo%" in the %orner of the por%h, ha obser#e the guest from the moment he par"e his %ar. +ut, as har as he trie , he %oul not bring to min who this stranger,unstranger was. -here ha he met him. -hen. On one of his trips o#erseas. 'n the Army. At the offi%e. On %ampus. Or perhaps ba%" in his s%hool ays. The man/s e)pression was wily an *ubilant, as if he ha su%%essfully playe a tri%" an was now en*oying his #i%tim/s agony. +ehin , or beneath, the strange fa%e was the elusi#e insinuation of an irritating, familiar fa%e, a fa%e that unsettle Aryeh !elni". The fa%e of someone who ha on%e treate him ba ly. Or perhaps the opposite0someone to whom Aryeh ha one some forgotten in*usti%e. 't was li"e a ream, nine,tenths submerge , with only the tip still showing. So Aryeh !elni" e%i e not to get up to greet the arri#al. He/ re%ei#e him from here, in his hammo%", on the front por%h. The stranger s"ippe an wo#e hastily up the path from the gate to the por%h steps, his small eyes arting relentlessly left an right as if he feare being is%o#ere too early, or as if he were afrai that a furious og was about to *ump out at him from the thi%"et of thorny bougain#illea bushes that grew on both si es of the path. The insipi , yellowing hair, the re ne%" whose %rumple , sla%" s"in was reminis%ent of a tur"ey/s %rop, the watery, turbi eyes that flitte li"e intrusi#e fingers, the long %himpanzee arms0it all ga#e rise to a #ague an)iety in Aryeh !elni". 1rom his hi en #antage point in the sha e of %limbing #ines, he note that the man was large,bo ie but a bit flabby, as if he ha *ust re%o#ere from a serious illness0as if he ha always been thi%"set an ha only re%ently %a#e in, shrun" within his own s"in. The summer sports *a%"et he wore, a grubby beige with swollen po%"ets, also loo"e too big for him, an hung loosely on his shoul ers. 2#en though it was the en of the summer an the path was ry, the stranger too" the time to wipe his shoes %arefully on the mat at the bottom of the steps. -hen he ha

finishe , he lifte ea%h foot in turn an too" sto%" of the %leanliness of his soles. Only when he was satisfie i he as%en the steps. He e)amine the s%reen oor at the top, then, after "no%"ing politely a few times without re%ei#ing a response, he finally re ire%te his eyes an is%o#ere the man of the house #egetating pla%i ly in his hammo%", surroun e by large potte flowers an planters of ferns, in the %orner of the grape arbor. The guest imme iately put on a broa smile an almost bowe , then hemme an %leare his throat before opening with a e%laration3 4A lo#ely pla%e you ha#e here, 5r. !el"in. +reathta"ing6 't/s really the 7ro#en%e of the state of 'srael6 7ro#en%e. Tus%any6 The #iew6 The woo s6 The #ineyar s6 Tel 'lan is (uite simply the most en%hanting #illage in this entire 8e#antine %ountry. 9ery ni%e6 :oo morning, 5r. !el"in. 2)%use me. ' hope that ' am not, by %han%e, isturbing you *ust a tiny bit.; Aryeh !elni" returne a ry 4:oo morning,; an %orre%te the error. His name was !elni", not !el"in, an he was sorry, but in our house we on/t buy anything from salesmen. 4<uite right6 Absolutely right6; the man sai appro#ingly as he wipe the sweat from his forehea with his slee#e. 4After all, how are we to "now that the man before us is a salesman an not a swin ler. Or, :o forbi , a %riminal who has %ome to %ase the territory for a gang of burglars. +ut ', 5r. !elni", am, in the matter at han 0' am (uite %ertainly not a salesman. ' am, ' beg you, 5aftzir6; 4-hat.; 45aftzir. -olf 5aftzir, attorney,at,law. 1rom the firm of 8otem,7rozhinin. 't is my pleasure, 5r. !elni". ' ha#e %ome to you, sir, with regar to a sub*e%t that, how may ' put it0or perhaps it woul be best if we i not ma"e any attempt to efine the sub*e%t but simply got straight to the matter itself. 5ay ' sit own. 't will be a more or less personal in(uiry0not personal for me, %ertainly not$ ' woul ne#er are intru e an isturb you without a #an%e noti%e about my own personal affairs, although of %ourse we trie , we efinitely trie , (uite a number of times we trie , but your telephone number is unliste , an you i not see fit to respon to our letters. -e therefore e%i e to try our lu%" with an uns%he ule #isit, an we apologize profusely for the isturban%e. This is %ertainly not %ommon pra%ti%e for us, to in#a e a person/s pri#a%y, in parti%ular if the in i#i ual in (uestion li#es in one of the lo#eliest spots in the entire %ountry. 'n any %ase, as ' mentione , this is efinitely not *ust a personal matter of ours. Absolutely not. =n er no %ir%umstan%es. 'n fa%t, (uite the opposite. The purpose is0 how may we put it eli%ately. 7erhaps we shoul say it this way3 the purpose is a personal matter, sir, of yours. A personal matter of yours an not *ust ours. 5ore pre%isely, it tou%hes, in fa%t, on your family. Or on your family in a general way an , in parti%ular, on one member of your family, 5r. !elni", a spe%ifi% member of your family. >ou won/t ob*e%t if we sit an tal" for a few moments. ' promise you that ' will o my best to insure that the entire matter not ta"e us more than ten minutes. Although, in fa%t, it really epen s on you, 5r. !el"in.;

Aryeh !elni" sai , 4!elni".; An then he sai , 4Sit own.; An imme iately a e , 4?ot there. Here.; +e%ause the fat, or formerly fat, man ha *ust lan e on the ouble hammo%", thigh to thigh with his host. A miasma of thi%" smells surroun e his bo y li"e an entourage0 smells of igestion, of so%"s, of tal%um pow er, an of armpits. Sprea o#er all these smells was a faint netting of pungent aftersha#e lotion. Aryeh !elni" su enly thought of his father, who ha also swathe his bo y/s smells in the pungent aroma of aftersha#e. The moment Aryeh !elni" tol him, 4?ot there. Here,; the guest rose an staggere a bit, his ape arms pulling at his "nees. He apologize an mo#e the rear of his o#erlarge pants to the spot esignate for him, on a woo en ben%h on the other si e of the gar en table. The table was a %ountry type, ma e of half,plane boar s, li"e the ties un er railroa tra%"s. 't was important to Aryeh that his si%" mother shoul , un er no %ir%umstan%es, see this guest from her win ow0not e#en his ba%", not e#en his silhouette against the grape arbor. So he pointe him to a pla%e that was not #isible from the win ow. She woul be shiel e from his fat, %antorial #oi%e by her eafness. Three years earlier, ?a/ama, Aryeh !elni"/s wife, ha gone to #isit her best frien , Sara :rant, in San @iego. She ha n/t returne . She i not, in her letters, say e)pli%itly that she wante to lea#e him but, instea , first hinte at it ta%tfully3 4'n the meantime, ' won/t be %oming ba%" as planne .; Half a year later, she wrote, 4'/m still staying with Sara.; An , a few months later, 4There/s no nee to "eep waiting for me. '/m wor"ing with Sara in her re*u#enating stu io.; An in another letter, 4Sara an ' are goo together0we ha#e similar "arma.; Then she wrote again, 4Our spiritual tea%her feels that it is right for us not to gi#e ea%h other up. >ou will be fine. >ou aren/t ma , are you.; Their marrie aughter, Hila, wrote to him from +oston, 4@a , ' suggest, for your own goo , on/t pressure 5om. 1in yourself another life.; An be%ause he an his son, 2l a , ha long ago se#ere all %onta%t, an be%ause apart from this family he ha no person %lose to him, he ha e%i e last year to li(ui ate his apartment on 5t. Aarmel an go ba%" to li#e with his mother in the ol house in Tel 'lan, to li#e off the rental in%ome from the two apartments in Haifa that he owne , an to e#ote himself to his hobby, buil ing mo el airplanes. 'n this way, he ha foun himself another life, as his aughter ha suggeste . 'n his youth, Aryeh !elni" ha ser#e in the marine %omman os. 1rom his earliest %hil hoo , he ha been unafrai of anger, un aunte by enemy gunfire or %limbing up %liffs. +ut, in later years, he ha e#elope a potent fear of ar"ness in an empty house. So he finally %hose to go ba%" to li#e with his mother, in the ol house where he was born an grew up, on the outs"irts of the #illage of Tel 'lan. His mother, &osalia, was ninety years ol , eaf, an e)tremely bent o#er, an she sel om spo"e. 5ost of the time,

she let him ta"e %are of the house without interfering, almost without %omment or (uestion. Sometimes it passe through Aryeh !elni"/s hea that his mother might fall ill, or age so mu%h that she %oul not sur#i#e without %onstant %are, an he woul ha#e to fee , %lean, an iaper her, or bring in a nurse, an then the house woul lose its serenity an his life woul be bare to strange eyes. On the other han , it also o%%urre to him that his mother/s e%line might gi#e him a logi%al an emotional *ustifi%ation for transferring her to an appropriate institution, an then the entire house woul be his. 'f he wante , he %oul bring in a new, beautiful wife. Or not a wife but, instea , a series of young women. 5aybe he %oul e#en "no%" own the insi e walls an re o the house. Another life woul begin. +ut, in the meantime, both of them, the son an his mother, li#e in the mur"y, anti(uate house, in pea%e an in silen%e. 2a%h morning, a %leaning woman %ame, bringing with her the gro%eries he/ re(ueste . She %leane , %oo"e , put things in or er, an then, after ser#ing mother an son their lun%h, went (uietly on her way. 5ost of the ay, the mother sat in her room an rea ol boo"s, while Aryeh !elni" listene to the ra io in his room an built airplanes out of light woo . The stranger su enly ga#e a "nowing, ingratiating smile, a smile li"e a win", as if he were proposing to his host, 48et/s sin together6; +ut, also, as if he were apprehensi#e that his proposal might get him punishe . An he as"e warmly, 42)%use me, perhaps, if you on/t min , ' might ta"e a bit of that, please.; An be%ause it seeme to him that his host ha no e his hea the man pi%"e up the glass pit%her of i%e water with a sli%e of lemon an a few sprigs of mint that stoo on the table an fille the single glass, Aryeh !elni"/s glass. He then brought the glass to his fleshy lips, finishing it off with fi#e or si) lou , e)pansi#e slurps, poure himself another half glass, an gulpe that, too, thirstily, then imme iately set out to *ustify himself3 45y apologies6 't/s *ust that, here on your beautiful por%h, one oesn/t feel how hot the ay is. 't/s a #ery hot ay6 ?e#ertheless, espite the oppressi#e heat this spot is simply %harming6 Tel 'lan is really the lo#eliest #illage in the entire %ountry6 7ro#en%e6 7ro#en%e. Tus%any6 1orests6 9ineyar s6 Hun re ,year,ol farmhouses, re roofs, an su%h tall %ypresses6 So what o you thin", 5r. !elni". -oul it be more %omfortable for you if we were to %hat a while longer about its lo#eliness. Or will you allow me to go straight, without any %ir%umlo%ution, to our little agen a.; Aryeh !elni" sai , 4'/m listening.; 4The !elni" family, the es%en ants of 8eon A"abia !elni". >ou were, if '/m not mista"en, among the #ery first families in the #illage. Among the earliest foun ers. ?o. ?inety years ago. Almost a hun re , e#en.; 4His name was A"i#a Aryeh, not 8eon A"abia.; 4Of %ourse,; the guest enthuse . 4The !elni" family. -e so greatly esteem your family/s illustrious history. ?ot *ust esteem, %herish6 At the beginning, if ' am not mista"en, the two ol er brothers arri#e 0+oris an Simeon !elni". They %ame from a little hamlet in the Bhar"o# istri%t in or er to establish an entirely new farming %olony

here, in the heart of the untame lan s%ape of the forsa"en 5enashe highlan s. There was nothing here. A esolate plain of thorns. There weren/t e#en any Arab #illages in this #alley$ they were all on the other si e of the hills. 8ater, +oris an Simeon were *oine by their young nephew, 8eon, or if you insist on it, A"abia Aryeh. Then, at least a%%or ing to the %on#entional story, Simeon an +oris went ba%", in turn, to &ussia, an there +oris mur ere Simeon with a hat%het, an only your gran father0your gran father. Or your gran father/s father.0only 8eon A"abia stubbornly remaine . ?ot A"abia. A"i#a. 2)%use me. A"i#a. To ma"e a long story short, it/s li"e this3 +y %oin%i en%e, we, the 5aftzirs, are also from Bhar"o#6 1rom the forests of Bhar"o#6 &eally6 5aftzir6 7erhaps you/#e hear the name. -e ha a #ery famous %antor, Shaya 8eib 5aftzir, an there was one :regory 5oise#it%h 5aftzir, a #ery important general in the &e Army. A #ery, #ery important general, but Stalin ha him e)e%ute . 'n the purges of the nineteen,thirties.; The man stoo up an imitate a firing s(ua with his two %himpanzee arms, ti%"ing off a #olley of bullets an isplaying, as he i so, sharp but not entirely white front teeth. He reseate himself on the ben%h with a smile, as if he were please with the way he ha %arrie out the e)e%ution. 't loo"e to Aryeh !elni" as if the man e)pe%te a roun of applause, or at least a smile, in e)%hange for his own sa%%harine grin. The host, ne#ertheless, %hose not to smile. He pushe asi e the use glass an the pit%her of i%e water an sai , 4>es.; 5aftzir %laspe his left han in his right han an presse it *oyfully, as if he ha not seen himself for (uite a long time an this une)pe%te meeting ha raise his spirits %onsi erably. +eneath the gush of his elo(uent #o%abulary in%essantly burble a subterranean effluen%e of ine)haustible mirth, a :ulf Stream of self,satisfie glee. 41ine. 7erhaps we shoul start laying our %ar s on the table, as they say. That ' allowe myself to intru e on you to ay is with regar to personal matters between us, an , asi e from that, perhaps it also tou%hes on your ear mother, may she li#e to be a hun re an twenty. 'n other wor s, the #enerable 5rs. !elni". Of %ourse, of %ourse, only on %on ition that you o not ob*e%t in any parti%ular way, e#en a tiny bit, to my broa%hing this eli%ate sub*e%t.; Aryeh !elni" sai , 4>es.; The guest rose from his pla%e an remo#e his irty, san ,%olore *a%"et. 8arge perspiration stains showe at the armpits of his white shirt. He hung the *a%"et on the ba%" of the ben%h, settle into his seat, an sai , 42)%use me. ' hope you on/t min . 't/s *ust that it is #ery hot to ay. -ill you allow me to remo#e my tie as well.; -hen his host remaine silent, the man sli off his tie with a single pull, in a mo#ement that remin e Aryeh !elni" of his son, 2l a , an propose , 4As long as your mother is on our han s, we will not, as you "now, be able to realize the asset.; 42)%use me.; 4=nless the two of us fin her an e)%ellent arrangement in a #ery e)%ellent institution. An ' ha#e *ust su%h an institution in min . That is, ' on/t ha#e one, but my partner/s

brothers o. All we nee is her %onsent. +ut perhaps it woul be easier for us to get %ertifie as her guar ians. An then there woul be no nee for her %onsent.; Aryeh !elni" no e two or three times, an s%rat%he the ba%" of his left han with the nails of his right han . He ha in ee pon ere re%ently, on%e or twi%e, the (uestion of his in#ali mother/s future3 what woul happen to her, an to him, when she lost her physi%al or mental in epen en%e, an when the moment %ame to ma"e a e%ision. There were times when the i ea of parting from his mother fille Aryeh !elni" with sa ness an shame, but there were other times when he almost loo"e forwar to her e%line an to the possibilities that woul open up before him when she was ta"en out of the house. These suppresse hopes ma e him feel guilty an e#en isguste with himself. +ut the strange thing to him was that this repellent man seeme to be rea ing the ignominy of his own thoughts. He therefore re(ueste of 5r. 5aftzir that he go ba%" to the beginning. -hom, pre%isely, i he represent. -ho ha sent him here. -olf 5aftzir %hu%"le . 45aftzir. Just %all me 5aftzir. Or -olf. 'n the family, after all, C5r./ is entirely superfluous.; Aryeh !elni" got up. He was a large man, mu%h taller than -olf 5aftzir, an his shoul ers were broa an strong, although both men ha long arms that rea%he almost to their "nees. &ising, he too" two steps, so that he was stan ing at full height abo#e his guest, an sai , 4So what o you want.;

He pronoun%e these wor s without a (uestion mar", simultaneously buttoning one button in his shirt, through whi%h his gray,haire %hest showe . -olf 5aftzir %hirpe in a tiny, pla%atory #oi%e, 4-hy o we ha#e to hurry, 5r. !elni". 't/s best to pro%ee with our matter %autiously, with mo eration on all si es, so as not to lea#e open a single loophole, not e#en a %ra%". -e %annot affor to err in any etail.; To Aryeh !elni", the guest loo"e a bit fla%%i an limp. Apparently, he ha been fat, an ha only re%ently, perhaps ue to illness, shrun" an %a#e in. He loo"e as if his s"in were a little too large on him. His eyes were watery an somewhat turbi . 4Our matter.; 4That is, the problem of the el erly 5rs. !elni". That is, 5rs. !elni", your mother, in whose name our property is still registere , an will be to the en of her life0an who "nows what she thought to write in her will0or until the two of us manage to get appointe her guar ians.; 4The two of us.; 4This house %oul be emolishe an a sanatorium built in its pla%e. A health farm. -e %oul e#elop a pla%e that has no peer anywhere in the %ountry3 %lean air, pastoral tran(uillity, rural lan s%apes the e(ual of 7ro#en%e an Tus%any, me i%inal herbs,

massages, me itation, spiritual gui an%e. 7eople will pay goo money for what our pla%e %an offer them.; 42)%use me, when, pre%isely, i we ma"e ea%h other/s a%(uaintan%e.; 4Oh, but we are alrea y a%(uaintan%es an frien s. ?ot *ust frien s, my ear3 relati#es. An e#en partners.; +y getting up, Aryeh !elni" may ha#e inten e to for%e his guest to get up, too, an get out. +ut the guest i not rise$ instea , he %ontinue to sit in his pla%e an e#en stret%he out his han an poure more i%e water with lemon an mint lea#es into the glass that ha been Aryeh !elni"/s until he ha appropriate it for himself. He leane ba%" on the ben%h, an now, in his sweat,staine shirt, without his *a%"et an tie, -olf 5aftzir loo"e li"e a tra er with time on his han s, a sweaty li#esto%" tra er who ha %ome to the #illage to negotiate with its farmers, patiently an artfully, a %attle eal from whi%h, he was %ertain, both si es woul profit. He e#in%e a furti#e *oy in the misfortune he was %ausing, a "in of surreptitious euphoria, an it was not entirely foreign to his host. 4',; Aryeh !elni" lie , 4ha#e to go insi e now. ' must ta"e %are of something. 2)%use me.; 4',; -olf 5aftzir sai , smiling, 4am not in a hurry. 'f you on/t min , '/ll sit an wait for you here. Or perhaps it woul be better if ' went insi e with you an ma e 5rs. !elni"/s a%(uaintan%e. After all, ' must gain her %onfi en%e (ui%"ly.; 45rs. !elni",; Aryeh !elni" sai , 4 oes not re%ei#e #isitors.; 4',; -olf 5aftzir insiste , rising from his seat, rea y to a%%ompany his host into the house, 4am not e)a%tly a guest. After all, we are, how shoul ' put it, somewhat relate . 2#en partners.; Aryeh !elni" su enly re%alle the a #i%e of his aughter, Hila, to gi#e up on his wife an begin a new life. The truth was that he ha not ma e mu%h of an effort to get ?a/ama ba%". After they ha (uarrelle bitterly an she ha gone to #isit her best frien , Sara :rant, Aryeh !elni" ha pa%"e all her %lothes an belongings an shippe them to Sara/s a ress in San @iego. -hen 2l a ha %ut off all %onta%t with him, he ha pa%"e up his boo"s an e#en his %hil hoo toys an sent them to him. He ha %leane away all tra%es, the way you %lean out an enemy position at the en of a battle. A few months later, he ha also pa%"e up his own belongings, li(ui ate his apartment in Haifa, an mo#e into his mother/s house here in Tel 'lan. ?ow he wante , more than anything, absolute rela)ation3 he wante ea%h ay to be li"e e#ery other, an its hours free. Sometimes he went for long wal"s aroun the #illage an e#en outsi e it, o#er the hills that en%ir%le the little #alley, through or%har s an us"y pine gro#es. Or sometimes he/ wan er aroun the yar for half an hour, through the remains of his father/s farm, whi%h ha been li(ui ate many years before. Some e%aying stru%tures still stoo 0 %hi%"en %oops, %orrugate aluminum she s, a hayloft, a barn for fattening %al#es. The stable ha be%ome a storeroom for the furniture from the apartment on 5t. Aarmel, in

Haifa. There, the arm%hairs an %ou%h an %arpets an si eboar an li#ing,room table from Haifa %olle%te ust an a here to one another with thin nets of spi erwebs. His an ?a/ama/s ol ouble be ha also been sho#e into the stable, on its si e, in a %orner. The mattress was burie un er a pile of usty (uilts. Aryeh !elni" sai , 42)%use me. '/m busy.; -olf 5aftzir sai , 4Of %ourse. 5y apologies. ' won/t isturb you, my ear sir. =n er no %ir%umstan%es shall ' isturb you. On the %ontrary. 1rom this moment on, ' will be perfe%tly silent. ' won/t ma"e a soun .; -ith that, he stro e in his host/s footsteps into the house, whi%h was us"y an %ol , an smelle faintly of sweat an ol age. Aryeh !elni" stoo his groun . 4>ou will please wait for me outsi e,; he sai . Although what he a%tually meant to say, e#en somewhat ru ely, was that the #isit ha %ome to an en an that the stranger was re(ueste to lea#e.

+ut the guest i n/t ream of lea#ing. He floate in after Aryeh !elni", an on his way own the hall opene oor after oor, serenely sur#eying the "it%hen, the stu y, Aryeh !elni"/s hobby room, with its mo el airplanes ma e of balsa woo suspen e by stur y %or s from the %eiling an swinging slightly in the breeze, as if preparing for brutal ogfights. His beha#ior remin e Aryeh !elni" of his own habit, ating ba%" to %hil hoo , of opening e#ery %lose oor an %he%"ing to see what lay hi en behin it. -hen the two of them rea%he the ba%" of the house, at the en of the hallway, Aryeh !elni" blo%"e with his bo y the entran%e to his own room, whi%h ha on%e been his father/s. +ut -olf 5aftzir ha no intention of in#a ing his host/s be room. 'nstea , he "no%"e gently on the eaf ol woman/s oor an , sin%e there was no response, he pla%e his palm, as if in a ten er %aress, on the oor han le an opene it softly an entere an saw the woman, &osalia, lying in the %enter of a wi e ouble be , %o#ere up to her %hin with a woolen blan"et, her hea wrappe in a "er%hief, her eyes %lose , an her bony, toothless *aws mo#ing as if she were in%essantly %hewing. 4Just as we reame ,; -olf 5aftzir %hu%"le . 4:reetings, my ear 5rs. !elni". -e misse you so mu%h, an we so "eenly hope to meet you in person6 >ou must, of %ourse, be #ery happy to see us.; An he leane o#er her an "isse her twi%e, long "isses on her two %hee"s, an then he plante another "iss on her forehea , until the ol woman opene her %lou e eyes an stret%he out a s"eletal han from un er her blan"et an stro"e -olf 5aftzir/s hea an mumble something an then something else$ her other han also emerge from un er the blan"et an , with both han s, she pulle his hea towar her, an he a%%e e an leane e#en farther o#er an slippe off both shoes below the be an bent o#er an "isse her on her toothless mouth an lay own besi e her in the be an pulle the e ge of the blan"et o#er himself an sai , 4Here, this way,; an sai also, 4:reetings, my #ery ear 5rs. !elni".;

Aryeh !elni" hesitate a moment or two, turne his gaze to the open win ow, through whi%h he %oul see one of the aban one farm she s, as well as a usty %ypress up whi%h orange bougain#illea ha %limbe with fiery fingers. He %ir%uite the ouble be an %lose the shutters an the win ow an rew the %urtain, an , as he ar"ene the room, he unbuttone his shirt an un i his belt an he also remo#e his shoes an un resse an lay own on the be besi e his an%ient mother. An so they lay, the three of them, the la y of the house between her mute son an the stranger, who i not stop petting an "issing her an murmuring softly, 42#erything will be fine here, my ear 5rs. !elni". 2#erything will be won erful. -e will arrange e#erything.; D ETranslate , from the Hebrew, by Haim -atzman.F ?ew>or"er.%om Aopyright G 2007 Aon H?et.