“She’s been here the whole time, if you haven’t noticed. All the while you were hunting her husband.”
“I hunted you?”
“Didn’t you?”
“No.”
“I must have hunted you, then, right?” he said with his typical cynicism.
“What?” He was starting to piss me off again. I knew it was coming. Here we were in Australia, orchestrating with our own hands world change, and he sat here sulking.
“Maybe you should take your pills, what do you say?”
“I thought they were Australian property today.”
His smile left me incapable of deciding what to do. I wanted to punch him. Or rape him. I really didn’t know which one to choose.
“But if I’m here, and you are too, so are your pills,” he said and stared at my chest, hypnotized. “Your amazing eyes are like seventeen different colors and all the rest… fuck all those Australians.”
“Why are you talking like this?”
“Will you come over here and shut your mouth already?” he asked while massaging my shoulders in rough strokes.
“What’s up, Eran?”
“It’ll be good.”
“What will?” I asked, feeling myself luxuriate in his touch. He knew nothing, but the things he did, he did perfectly. Massaging was one of those things he knew well. That spoiled brat. It also came from experience. His father used to treat him every once in a while to an older Swiss woman who used to massage even his grandfather. He told me she lives in the occupied territories. He also said all the cats are fat as fuck there. He always says that with that woman’s Swiss accent. Hilarious.
“Listen, Noa, the money will be wired to you in the Deutsche Zurich bank. I’m taking a flight back to Israel. I’m still only getting paid as a civil servant here.”
“Me too,” I said.
“Right,” he replied. “Only your pay is times two-hundred higher than mine. Not that I care about that, because you love me anyway. Civil servant, you know.”
“A true hero,” I said sarcastically.
“A working middle class hero is something to be, Noa… Being a hot piece of ass civil servant who asks for what she deserves from her employers is an even better thing to be.” He winked.
“That’s because I’m smart.”
“I’ve also always said that about you.”
“How do I get the money to Israel? That’s against the law, you know.”
“Firstly, you’re right. Secondly, there are diplomats who smuggle things you couldn’t even think up in their bags. They aren’t checked. Maybe they should be…. That damn money blinds people left and right. Thirdly, Timothy will be waiting at the airport and will get everything sorted. Timothy will also take care of all the permissions you need so you’ll actually be able to use the money. If you blow fifteen-million on restaurants, you’ll only get fat.”
“Okay.”
“We’re flying out in three hours. Get yourself ready.”
“What?”
“What you heard, Noa. I got earlier flights.”
“Why?”
“To cut the risk and time here. Your flight is forty minutes after mine. Watch yourself, otherwise you’ll have to seduce Sagi.”
“Who is… oh. That’s nothing.”
“I know, Noa.”
“I can’t wait to tell my parents I’ve covered their mortgage. And my two brothers… I’ll take Shakedi for a trip around the world. I already know all the places on the globe, why not show her, too?”
“The money they count in stages, Noa.”
“Are there stairs in the Deutsche bank?”
“Yes, and you’re the highest level.”
I smiled again. He had a special way of giving compliments, not only of doling out insults.
“Be careful when you get off the plane. Get down slowly. You’ll be carrying a carryon, and you’ll have extra baggage in the front. Lean back when you go down.”
“What are you laughing at, you idiot? There’s a connecting wire between them—what, didn’t you ever go through a course to dismantle explosives?” I gave him my upwards-of-four-million-dollar smile that was so close to being mine.
“I did actually.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, and here I am, joking around with a bomb.”
“Listen up, you… you’re annoying, that’s what you are.”
“As are you. So, it’s a perfect match.”
“You’re right.”
“I’m always right. That’s not the problem.”
“So what is?”
“That I’m also wrong, just like everyone else. Though I am mostly right, and that is what matters in the end.”
“What do you want to do then? We’ll need to check out soon.”
“Give a guess.”
“Goodness… it’s hard.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.”
“You pervert.”
“You have two dozen of me for breakfast.”
“So shut up and say thank you.”
“Tha—”
“Shut up.” It didn’t take much, believe me… and he was wrong before. There aren’t any other women like me.
We reached the airport where we would part ways.
We would see each other in Israel again, at some point. Who knows when it comes to this life. Maybe we won’t. Maybe I’ll end up crashing in Zurich because of a depressed Swiss pilot.
If you think El Al doesn’t have pilots who were fighter pilots, including one captain who killed himself over getting fired, then you’d be mistaken. I personally know someone like that who used to play basketball at the court of the country club I used to swim at. His name was Avi. I remember him well. He was beefy and wide, though he was close to sixty, perhaps even older. He committed suicide because he had been laid off from El Al. To his credit, he didn’t take an additional seventy people with him.
We went into the airport an hour later.
“Do you want to eat something before the flight?”
“Are you serious? It’s expensive as fuck here.”
“Really? You’re such a cheapskate. I’ve never encountered something like you before. It’s lucky you can’t take that mineral water of yours onto the plane… you’re locked down so tight. You just scored four-million dollars. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
“Nope. Money for a rainy day.”
“What are you on about? It’s millions! You’re fucked up, absolutely insane. A hot mess.”
“True. And true. It’s why you love me.”
“That only goes to show that I’m just as fucked up.”
“Well, that’s for sure. What can I do… I’m screwed.”
“Excuse me, mister… do you want your balls painted blue again? Chill out. Is nothing good enough for you? Annoying Pole…
“I’m
