Volvo waved his hand regal y to indicate his consent, and Alex fol owed me to my at. We sat on the sofa and Alex took my hand and held it in his lap. His transparent blue eyes danced because of his astigmatism, but made him look as if he was concentrating hard on what you were saying and deliberating upon every word.
“Listen, Alex. I’ve found Daniel.”
“You found him! Where? Have you seen him?”
“No, not yet. In the end it was so easy. I could have found him years ago. I don’t want to think about that.”
“I was sure he was hiding in some cave in India. I never thought we’d find him. Wel , where is he?”
“He’s in Qal’at al-Maraya.”
“Real y!”
“Yes. He doesn’t know I’ve found him. And I haven’t told anyone. I have to see him first, before I let anyone know.”
“How did you find out, after al this time?”
“The army knew al along. Someone high up gave it to me.”
“That simple …Poor Dana, after al your ef orts. Crazy. Qal’at al-Maraya. What was he thinking?”
“I’m going to ask El a to help me get to him.”
“Good idea.”
“I should let you get back to Volvo.”
“He’s fine. Are you?”
“Of course! I’ve never been happier in my life—I don’t know how I’l survive until I see him.”
“He’s not going to be exactly the same, honey.”
“I know. But he’s stil Daniel.”
“Yes, but people change. You have to be prepared for that. People go through things, their lives change, they’re not the same people. Look at me. Twenty years ago I was wandering from party to party like some lost minstrel, stoned out of my mind most of the time. Now I’m a member of the bourgeoisie, and I spend my days worrying about my credit rating.”
“The basic things stay the same.”
“Wel , it’s true I’ve always been gay! By the way, our friend Volvo has just decided he’s gay, too.”
“Oh yes, he mentioned something. Wel …I guess it’s possible.”
“He wants me to take him to a gay bar.”
“That’s great news! Final y, a sign of life. Who knows, he might meet someone.”
“For sure he’l meet someone. He’s quite good-looking. Dana, be careful. I’m not happy about you wandering around Qal’at al-Maraya.”
“I’l go with El a, everyone knows her.’
“That’s a good idea, angel. Though you know, our marvelous army shot at El a’s car a few months ago. It was a miracle she wasn’t kil ed.”
“Yes, I remember.”
He shook his head. “Poor Daniel. Living in what is at the moment one of the planet’s hel holes.”
“Some parts of Qal’at al-Maraya are real y beautiful—it’s not like he’s living in a refugee camp. But I guess it’s bad everywhere on the strip now.”
now.”
“Good luck, sweetie. Cal me if you need anything.”
He let himself out, and I stayed on the sofa, motionless, al my emotions on hold.
I was stil sit ing on the sofa and staring into space when Ra came over. He brought food: spices in glass jars, vegetables, an interesting assortment of grains. I watched him as he took the items out of plastic bags. We didn’t touch; we were both shy today.
“So, where is he?” Rafi asked. “And can I get a cup of cof ee around here?”
“Yes, of course. He’s in Qal’at al-Maraya.”
“Qal’at al-Maraya! Wel , that’s interesting.”
“Yes.”
“I wonder how he managed to keep that a secret. Everyone knows everything in this country. Especial y something like that.”
“I’m so angry at the army. They knew al along.”
“Maybe the people you spoke to didn’t know.” He lit a cigaret e; he seemed very tense.
“I had no help at al . No one wanted to help me nd him, not his family, not my friends, no one. Certainly no one in any of the o ces I went to. I didn’t know who to turn to.”
