A Wall of Light - Edeet Ravel [43]
Carmella says she’s too tired to get up. She asks one of us to fill her cup and bring her water. I really like this Carmella.
Minders
In one study, only one of twenty Minders rated at the “excellent” level in a competency test based on the YG Federation’s educational standards, including patience, understanding and commitment. Six rated very low, and one was seen to be a “tragic error.”49
Dori
My brother David tells me there’s going to be a movie near the carpentry shop. I’m on my way to the Room but I go with him instead. It’s Saturday so I don’t have to worry. On Saturdays we have the whole afternoon and evening to visit our parents.
Maybe the movie will be Popeye. I love Popeye. I love his funny voice and how he always saves Olivoil. I’m Popeye the sailor man I’m Popeye the sailor man—ta dum ta da dum ta da dum ta da dum—I’m Popeye the sailor man.
I help with putting the chairs in rows. Then we have to wait for the projector. It’s a long wait.
Then the projector arrives but it’s not working and someone has to come and fix it. I’ve never been so bored in my life. David is talking to his friends. Lulu shows up but then she leaves. She doesn’t want to wait.
Finally the movie starts. It’s called For Him the Bell Tells. I sit next to David so he can explain it to me. First a train explodes then a lot of Enemy soldiers chase two men with their rifles. Then one of the men gets shot and his friend has to kill him because he’s going to die anyway. Then there’s another explosion and parts of the ceiling fall down. After that there’s a very long conversation. Very long. All David says is now they’re talking which I can see for myself.
I leave and run to the Room. When I get there Daddy says it’s time to go back.
That’s it. I’ve had it. I’m completely fed up. I have a big tantrum.
A tantrum means you lie down in the doorway on your back and cry as loud as you can. The rule in Eldar is to ignore a child who has a tantrum. Just wait until the child gets tired.
That’s fine with me. The longer I can keep up my tantrum the longer I get to stay in the Room. So I’ll miss supper. So what.
Drinking and Crying
Dori
In Galron we get to make buns on Fridays. You braid the dough and put on egg yolk with your fingers and poppy seeds and Carmella bakes it in the oven. Then out it comes—a delicious bun. You can eat it or take it as a present to your parents.
That’s hard to decide. Very hard. I eat half and save the other half for Daddy. But he only takes a very small bite. He says it’s delicious and tells me to eat the rest.
I’m not as nice as Lulu. She shares her little round box of candies with me even though they’re just for her. I’m not sure where her parents find the candies or how they’re allowed to give their child candies that are just for her. My favourites are the pink ones with almonds inside.
The truth is that if my parents gave me a treat I wouldn’t share it with Lulu. I wouldn’t share it with anyone. That’s the truth.
Our First Year
3 June 1949. The garage is finished—a construction of aluminum sheeting on I-beams salvaged from the village. It’s located in one of our oldest olive groves, some of whose trees we’re told were planted in the days of Caesar. Imagine one of the old boy’s phalanxes in our garage …
Dori
School is a lot of fun. We go on long Hikes or we play in the yard or we play indoors. We copy words. Then we go back to playing. I can write my name now but I can’t read it.
Everyone says that Gilead pulled out a child’s fillings playing dentist but I don’t know if it’s true. I’m not sure a child can pull out a filling.
My brother David and Noam and Amnoni have been singing a mischievous song lately—
Yes we are cavaliers
Though we have no horses
If you ask on what we ride
We ride on our lasses
The song makes them laugh but I don’t understand why. Why is it mischievous to ride on lasses? Maybe it means sex but how is sex mischievous