Operation Bethlehem, page 25
“What are you talking about, Yael?” Daniel still refused to believe her. He sat down. “What are you going on about?”
Yael sat down. “You thought I gave up on you when you left. But no. I didn’t. I just left you alone for a while. I thought you’d calm down and come back. I was in touch with your mother the whole time.”
Daniel’s eyes widened in shock. “My mother?”
Yael nodded. “Yes. All the time. And she told me what was going on with you. I even came to France once to speak with her, to try and get you back. But seeing you, I realized –”
“Seeing me?” Daniel yelled and looked at her in disbelief. “What do you mean?”
“Yes. I was very close, and you weren’t very sharp. I realized that if I tried to talk with you in the state you were in, you would just be embarrassed and distance yourself even more.”
Daniel started to process what he’d just learned. He stared at the stained floor and muttered to himself in French.
“I came back to Israel because I had to. But I knew it wasn’t the end of us, that I had to do something. I kept thinking about it, and I remembered all those boxes from your grandfather that you’d left... I started reading everything I could find, to understand. I knew how important he was to you, how significant he was in your life, and I came to a decision. To give you a little push to continue on his path.” She stopped talking when Daniel got up and started pacing around the room. His body language signaled irritation and anger.
“Yael,” he said impassively, “if what you say is true, I never want to see you again. You played me.”
“Don’t you dare judge me!” she admonished. “When you left just before we were supposed to get married and you told me to get an abortion, I didn’t judge you for that. I understood what you were going through. You’d killed two people, that isn’t easy to cope with. But I loved you and wanted to raise a family with you and I didn’t lose hope. You did!”
They stood silently staring at each other.
“Why did you choose the West Bank?” he asked finally, as if he still didn’t entirely believe her.
“I didn’t. Your grandfather was convinced that the treasures, after they had gone around half the world, had come back to Jerusalem to some church or monastery, and after a while, when they weren’t safe there, they were taken to Bethlehem. He didn’t have time for more.”
“And the hospital?” Daniel continued, sounding suspicious.
Yael smiled. “I looked for a place that was built over ruins.”
“There are many others in Bethlehem, why there?”
“Yes, there are others, but all the other sites are active monasteries, churches, or privately owned. I wanted a place that you could get access to. I did some research and saw that the hospital was looking for volunteers. I knew that if the map pointed you there, you’d find out all you could about the place. And when you discovered that you could volunteer there, you might consider it. I didn’t think you’d go that far and turn it into a whole operation. All the rest is coincidence. I had no idea the Shabak was monitoring what was going on there and I didn’t know that it used to be the site of a dig. I just wanted you to come to Israel to check it out, and then maybe you would get in touch with me.”
Daniel nodded and sighed. He was confused and wasn’t completely convinced; he didn’t know what to believe anymore. It was the busiest day of his life; Ibrahim, Ibtisam, escaping, and now this. “I’m tired, Yael,” he said. “I want to sleep. Call the officer to handcuff me and take me to the police car, to keep up the story for whoever sees me outside, and then take me to a hotel. Tomorrow or the next day I’ll take the first flight to France, and we’ll forget this whole thing.”
Yael looked at him, and he looked at her to see her reaction. She looked hesitant and uncertain. Then she came up to him. “Not yet,” she said softly. “You have to meet someone first.”
“Meet someone?” Daniel glowered. “Who?”
“This is the last thing I’ll ask of you. Then you can go back to France, if that’s what you decide to do.”
Daniel stared at her silently.
“I get what you’re feeling right now. But think for a minute. Your life was at an extreme low. I had to do something extreme to get you back to yourself, to this country, to your home! And look at you now,” she said sounding proud, her eyes glistening. “Look at what you’ve done. I just gave the first push – the rest is all you.”
Daniel listened to Yael and his expression softened. She was right. What she did had rebuilt him, brick by brick. It was much more than restoring his self-confidence. Suddenly he realized that she had done it all to bring him back to her.
“Who are we going to meet?”
“We’re going to Haifa,” she replied.
Probably to meet her parents, Daniel thought, I owe her at least that.
5
It was almost five am, the radio was playing soft music, and the sky was getting brighter. The further north they drove, the more cars were making their way in the opposite direction, to start a new work week. Yael drove and Daniel sprawled in the front seat, his head slumped against the window. He was exhausted, emotionally and physically, and was half asleep for most of the drive. From time to time, his eyes fluttered open just enough to get a glimpse, then closed again. They didn’t exchange a word.
When they arrived, Yael touched his shoulder to wake him. He opened his eyes, stretched his arms as he yawned, and looked outside to see where they were. Yael was already standing out in the street, and he joined her in the chilly morning air with the smell of pine trees typical of the Carmel Mountains. It was a residential neighborhood, not the one that her parents lived in or one that he was familiar with. He stole a glance at Yael and saw she looked anxious. “Come on,” she said and crossed the quiet street. He followed her silently along the narrow sidewalk that led to the well-kept yard of an old apartment building. Now he was really curious. At the entrance to the building, they passed an elderly woman coming down the stairs with a small dog. She said good morning and gave Yael a disapproving look. Daniel wondered why. They returned her greeting politely and climbed up to the second floor. Yael went to a white door with no name on it, rummaged through her purse and took out a keychain. She opened the door slowly, as if trying to keep quiet. Daniel followed her in and immediately knew that this was her apartment. There was no doubt – the familiar scent gave it away. Yael hung her purse on a hook by the door, took off her fleece jacket and turned to Daniel. “This is mine,” she said, her voice trembling. “Make yourself at home,” she added, pointing at the sofa in the living room. “I’m making tea – do you want some?”
Daniel nodded and Yael disappeared into the kitchen. He looked around curiously and went over to sit on the sofa that used to be his favorite. It felt good. Although he’d never been in this apartment, everything was familiar. It was all from their old apartment, when they’d lived together, only now it was in Haifa and not Tel Aviv, and his personal things weren’t there. He looked around at Yael’s oil painting landscapes on the wall, and remembered how he would watch her paint, amazed by her talent. He smiled. Forgotten memories emerged, and he closed his eyes to try and recreate them.
“Hi.” He was surprised to hear an unfamiliar voice behind him, “Good morning.” He turned around and saw a young woman looking at him awkwardly.
“Good morning,” he replied, wondering who she was. It was clear that she had spent the night there.
“Where’s Yael?” she asked.
“In the kitchen.”
She replied with a giggle and went to the kitchen. She looked around twenty, maybe just after her army service. Maybe she was a roommate, he thought. A minute or two later they both came out of the kitchen. Yael carried two glasses and offered one to Daniel.
“Thanks, sweetie.” Yael kissed the woman on the cheek who picked up a tote bag from the floor by the front door and hurried out. “I’ll call you,” Yael called out after her. She sat on the sofa facing Daniel and warmed her hands on the glass.
“Your roommate?” Daniel asked, sipping his tea. She still looked on edge.
Yael laughed, shook her head, and took a sip. Her face relaxed a bit. “No, not exactly. I’m not really into living with roommates anymore,” she said after a pause, checking the time on her watch.
Daniel shrugged. “So, why am I here?” he asked, looking at the coffee table and wondering why it was so far from the sofas. He looked for a place to set down his glass, and finally just held it. The table was right up against the television, leaving an open space with a carpet between him and the other sofa.
Yael had a serious look on her face. She glanced at her watch again and stood. She took a deep breath. “I’ll be right back,” she said, sounding anxious.
Daniel felt his heart start to speed up and followed her with his eyes as she disappeared into the hallway. Something was happening, he thought. He finished his tea, got up, took a few steps, and set the empty glass on the coffee table. Then he stood looking at a painting he wasn’t familiar with.
“Daniel?” He suddenly heard Yael behind him.
He turned around and his heart dropped. He broke out in a cold sweat and his legs felt weak. Yael stood there nervously, holding a little boy wearing a blue onesie decorated with yellow teddy bears. He had messy light brown hair and was sucking hard on a pacifier. His big innocent eyes examined Daniel with curiosity.
“Say hello,” Yael said to the boy.
Daniel was trembling. He looked into the boy’s eyes and felt like he was looking into his own. “Hello,” he said in a shaky voice. He touched him gently.
The boy stuck his head in Yael’s neck and peeked at Daniel from the corner of his eye.
“What’s your name?” Daniel asked, his eyes moist.
“Don’t be embarrassed, sweetheart,” Yael said, gently pulling the pacifier out of his mouth. “Tell him.”
“Fael,” the little boy said so quietly he almost couldn’t hear him.
“Rafael?” Daniel’s eyes widened, filling with tears. It was his grandfather’s name.
“Yes.” She also couldn’t hold back her emotions. “I always knew I’d bring you back to us.”
Daniel came closer and kissed her forehead. “I don’t know what to say...”
“Tell him who you are,” she suggested, wiping away her tears.
Daniel held his hands out to Rafael, “Come here.”
Rafael kept peeking at Daniel from his mother’s neck, and after a few seconds, held his arms out.
Daniel held the boy and kissed his cheek. “Rafael, my sweet boy, I’m your daddy!”
“Mommy, mommy!” Rafael cried, holding his arms out to Yael.
She held him in her arms and kissed him. “I have to get him ready and take him to preschool.”
“Preschool? Why can’t he stay home today?”
“If you want, you can have all the time in the world with him. He loves school and I don’t want to disrupt his routine. Will you come with me?”
Yael sat Rafael in his highchair, and Daniel looked at him, hypnotized while he ate banana yogurt. When he finished eating and making a mess around him, the three of them went to his room. Yael changed Rafael’s clothes and organized his small toddler’s backpack. Daniel watched her in awe. She moved quickly and confidently, exactly as she had with a paintbrush or a gun.
Daniel lifted Rafael, who didn’t object this time, and they went to his preschool together, a short walk from the apartment. They said goodbye and he went straight to play with the toys.
“Daniel,” Yael said as they walked out, “take your time and –”
“I don’t need time, Yaeli,” he cut her off. “I’ve wasted enough. I realized that a few weeks ago, at a time and place that surprised me. I knew it then and I’m sure of it today.”
“When was that?”
“At the Dome of the Rock,” he replied, and saw the smile in her eyes. “I went in there and that was it. Of all places, surrounded by thousands of Muslims, I understood. I don’t want to live anywhere else in the world.”
“I’m glad,” she said. “I’m happy you understood that even before you knew about Rafael.”
“What now?” he asked her.
“Let’s go to the grocery store and get some bread. Then we’ll make breakfast. I’m starving.”
“Great, me too.”
They crossed the street, now loud with morning traffic, and went into the store. When they walked back out, he turned to her, “Tell me, I didn’t get the chance to ask you yesterday – did you tell the Shabak what I told you about Ibtisam?”
“Yes,” Yael replied, “but they decided to send her back to Bethlehem without questioning her. She probably crossed back this morning with the other illegals.”
Daniel was surprised, “Really? Why?”
“Because the decision to raid the lab was already made. If they arrest her and she really knows something, Hamas might get worried and take preventive measures, and that might screw everything up.”
He nodded, “That makes sense. And Rashid? What’s the plan? Arrest him?”
“From what I understand, Rashid... will probably drown,” Yael replied dryly.
“Drown?” Daniel was dumbfounded. “What do you mean, ‘drown’? Where? In the sea that Bethlehem doesn’t have?”
“It’s just a term... Jonathan explained that Hamas can be trusted on this. After the raid, the Shabak will make sure to spread the word that Rashid is the one who sold them out. They’ll settle things with him their own way. They’ll probably tell his family that he went swimming and drowned or something like that... you know, so that they won’t be shamed. After all, his brother is a shaheed and a hero.”
The image of Rashid’s elderly father flashed in Daniel’s mind, and he felt for him. “And the raid?”
“I think it’s a matter of days,” Yael said, “I’m sure they’ll call you to fill in some of the details they’re missing.”
“And we have to wrap things up in Bethlehem.”
“They’re taking care of that too. Don’t be worried. Your escape with that girl set things up for an excellent excuse to deport you from Israel back to France.”
He nodded, “That’s what I thought.”
They entered the apartment, made breakfast, and sat down to eat. Yael told him everything about Rafael, and Daniel hung onto every word. When they were done, they turned the TV to a morning show while they did the dishes.
“I’m going to take a shower and then take a nap,” Yael said, “After the night we had, we should get some sleep.”
“You think I can fall asleep now? I just found out I have a son!”
“In a few hours you’ll discover that a little boy is much more tiring than an all-night operation.”
A breaking news announcement caught their attention. “A suspected terrorist attack at the Rachel Border Crossing,” the news anchor reported. “A young Palestinian woman attacked IDF soldiers standing at the barrier and tried to stab one of them. The soldiers responded quickly; she was shot and killed.”
Daniel’s heart skipped a beat. He hoped that Ibtisam hadn’t been that desperate.
“Daniel? Are you alright?”
He took her hand and played with their engagement ring. “Yaeli, you’ve done so much, but you haven’t really told me... do you want me back?”
“You know the answer to that.” Yael put her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Epilogue
Two years later
She climbed the stairs from the Metro up to the bustling street level, squinting in the sunlight. It was early afternoon; the sky was blue, and the street was full of people casually strolling along the street of designer stores. The noisy traffic didn’t bother them much. She looked at the beautiful buildings, the facades blending into one another. Too often, when she walked past Muslim women with head coverings, she felt as if they were giving her accusing looks that said, you won’t get away with this. We know who you are! It was frustrating. Who could have imagined feeling threatened in far-off Paris. Muslim immigrants stood out everywhere, and although it had been almost two years, the fear that they would find her never went away. It was a daily struggle to combat the fear and not give into it, and whenever she got out of work early, she took long walks along the streets of Paris. She dressed differently now, hair dyed and styled, and she thought that was enough, that the demons were just demons and weren’t real.
Wearing fashionable large brown sunglasses she wandered past the boutiques, window shopping. When she walked by a bookstore, she glanced at the display in the large window. One of the books caught her eye. Copies were arranged in rows showing the same program in every window. The cover was turquoise and the title, Insane?, was printed in large letters in Arabic and French, in black and white. It piqued her interest, and she entered the store.
The bookstore was huge. Customers stood around or sat at small tables, browsing through books that interested them. There were endless rows of books on different topics, in different colors. Her heels tapped as she walked on the light wood flooring until she found the right shelf. There was a pile in each language. She picked up the book in Arabic and read the blurb on the back cover:
Young Ibrahim arrived at the orphanage when he was four years old, during the Algerian War. When the French army withdrew, the orphanage was turned into a psychiatric hospital. Alone in the world and frightened, he decided to pretend he was mentally ill, so he could stay in the only home he knew.
This novel tells the story of a brave man who spent his entire life in the same compound behind a fortified wall and finds creative ways to stay sane in an insane reality.
With every word she read, Ibtisam felt her heart pounding louder. She was trembling as she read the last line:
About the author: Daniel Ben Atar is a former intelligence officer, born in France, who currently lives in Israel. He is married and has a son and a daughter. This is his first novel.
