Exodus - Leon Uris [200]
Kitty took the problem to Dr. Lieberman. He had seen many boys and girls like Dov Landau. Dr. Lieberman had observed that Dov was an alert and intelligent human being who showed great talent. He felt any attempts to force attention on him would work the opposite way: so long as the boy remained harmless and grew no worse, he should be left alone.
As the weeks passed Kitty was disappointed that she did not hear from or see Ari. The statue of Dafna and the Yad El moshav below always seemed to remind her. From time to time when she had occasion to pass Yad El she dropped in on Sarah Ben Canaan, until the two women became quite friendly. Jordana learned of it and made no effort to disguise her dislike for Kitty. The beautiful young redheaded hellion made it a point to be rude whenever she spoke to Kitty.
One evening Kitty came to her cottage to find Jordana standing before the mirror, holding one of her cocktail dresses in front of her. Kitty’s sudden appearance did not bother Jordana. “It is pretty, if you like this sort of thing,” Jordana said hanging the dress back in the closet.
Kitty walked to the stove and put on some water for tea. “To what do I owe the honor of this call?”
Jordana continued to look about Kitty’s cottage, at the little touches of her femininity. “There are some Palmach troops training at the Ein Or kibbutz.”
“I’ve heard something about it,” Kitty said.
“We have a shortage of instructors. We have a shortage of everything, anyhow. I was asked to ask you if you would come to Ein Or once a week to give a course in first aid and field sanitation.”
Kitty pulled back the drapes and kicked off her shoes and settled back on the studio bed. “I would prefer not to do anything that would bring me into contact with troops.”
“Why not?” Jordana pressed.
“Well, I suppose there is no graceful way of refusing you, and I would like it better if the Palmach understood why.”
“What’s to understand?”
“My personal feelings. I don’t wish to become involved.”
Jordana laughed coldly. “I told them at Ein Or it would be a waste of time to speak to you.”
“Is it impossible for you to respect my feelings?”
“Mrs. Fremont, you can work anywhere in the world and remain neutral. This is a strange place for you to come to work if you want to stay out of trouble. Why are you really here?”
Kitty sprang off the bed angrily. “None of your damned business!”
The teakettle whistled. Kitty snapped it off.
“I know why you are here. You want Ari.”
“You’re an insolent young lady and I think I’ve taken just about all I am going to from you.”
Jordana remained unmoved. “I’ve seen the way you looked at him.”
“If I wanted Ari, you would be the last thing in my way.”
“Tell yourself you don’t want him but don’t tell it to me. You are not Ari’s kind of woman. You don’t care for us.”
Kitty turned and lit a cigarette. Jordana came behind her.
“Dafna was Ari’s kind of woman. She understood him. No American woman ever will.”
Kitty turned around. “Because I don’t run around in shorts and hike up the sides of mountains and shoot cannons and sleep in ditches doesn’t make me one ounce less a woman than you. You or that precious statue. I know what’s the matter with you—you’re afraid of me.”
“That’s funny.”
“Don’t tell me what makes a woman—you don’t know, you aren’t one. You’re Tarzan’s mate and you behave as though you belong in a jungle. A brush and comb wouldn’t be a bad start at fixing what’s wrong with you.” Kitty pushed past Jordana and threw