Mitla Pass - Leon Uris [59]
The air grew thick from too many people and too much cigarette smoke. As the moments oozed by, a surrealistic pall dulled the place further. With each new rumor sudden flurries of loud talk broke out above the whispers.
Eleven o’clock ...eleven-thirty ...the rest rooms were becoming unusable.
Numbness set in. It became unearthly quiet.
Gideon put Roxanne on his lap and hugged her and rocked her.
“Where are we going, Daddy?”
“I’m not sure, darling. Probably across the sea. Italy, or maybe to Germany.”
“I’m scared.”
“Well, that’s natural. But you’ve got a lot of people watching out for you.”
“How?”
“There are a lot of planes out there making sure the skies are safe. It’s going to be a while before we know the rights and wrongs of this thing. But you’ve got to be proud you’re an American. Why, your country thinks so much about one little girl, they’re coming from thousands of miles away to take you to safety.”
“Why can’t you come?”
“I ...I’ve got work to do, darling. Mom and I decided you ought to go because of Grandma Jane and your zayde.”
Midnight.
Valerie dosed the girls up with Dramamine and a mild sleeping prescription and soon they fell into a deep slumber curled up on the seabags.
Val and Gideon were wordless, their thoughts jumbled and disconnected. Val’s hair had become disheveled and her eyes listless.
She was unaware of Gideon’s patting her. Her mind was on the list. Did I put a note for him to cancel my hair appointment? Not to bother, the hairdresser is in a reserve unit ...did I pack Penelope’s medication ...sure I did, I must have ...the minute we land I’ll find the nearest U.S. Naval facility and they’ll get a message through to Mom ...
She studied him in the low light. The weight of the world seemed on his shoulders. He needed a word. He needed to be comforted, absolved. Oh Lord, what was he facing up ahead? Dammit! Gideon and his God-damned ambition. Comfort him, hell—comfort me. I should talk to him. Honey, don’t do anything foolish. You can’t write the book if you’re dead. Come back to us, honey. I love you. Why can’t I say I love you?
Gideon tried to work himself up to a pep talk. Someday, he thought, you’ll be so proud of this. It’s all going to be worthwhile. I’ll write the greatest—oh shit, forget it, Zadok. That’s all she needs now, a rah-rah Zadok speech from me. Val, I’ll make it up to you. I swear it ...
Wordless, numb.
One o’clock.
Rich Cromwell tapped Gideon on the arm and signaled for him to follow. They went into a side office. Gideon looked at the assemblage. The three military attachés from the embassy glared at him as Cromwell closed the door behind them.
“Shit,” Gideon said, “the KGB interrogation team.”
“Two hundred French six-by-six trucks arrived at the Haifa port about four hours ago. Somebody is getting ready to transport a lot of troops somewhere,” the naval attaché said.
“I didn’t clear the shipment,” Gideon snapped.
“On the other side of the field here,” Rich said, “a dozen French Ouragan fighter planes have landed and they’re painting the Star of David over the tricolors.”
“Are they going to attack Egypt or not?” the army attaché demanded.
“Is this why you told me to bring my family here? To hold them hostage?”
“We’ve got a message the Egyptian fighter planes are off the coast,” Rich said.
“If I knew,” Gideon snarled, “do you think I’d let my wife and daughters fly into them?”
Cromwell’s nerve snapped. “You God-damned Jews had better get this question settled of whether you’re Americans or not!” His pinkish cheeks turned crimson as their little red veins bulged. He shook his finger at Gideon menacingly. “Now listen, Jew boy, you’d better give it to us and give it to us right.”
“Go fuck yourself, you rumheaded cunt. We Jews have paid our passage to be Americans, to make America great. We are the most loyal community America has. You mother-fucking Nantucket-Pasadena lily-white plaid-pants pious Jesus bigot. Up yours, Cromwell!”
Gideon turned to leave.
“Don’t go away mad,” the naval attaché said. “We were just trying