The short interview

An excerp of the novel The Thrilling Adventure.

The short inteview

The Thrilling Adventure

An excerpt

Lieutenant colonel Erez Roghel the military attaché' was reading the telegram that announced Elad Daphni's arrival when Josh Paldi knocked on his office door and entered; Paldi did not wait for Roghel's invitation to come in, and sat down opposite Roghel without a word.

They were not too fond of each other, but they had to work together and get along somehow.

'I've just left him at the Ghenet hotel after picking him up at the airport.' He reported to Roghel the minimum he had to tell him.

'Well how is he?' Roghel asked him raising his eyes from the telegram with the few necessary details about the new comer.

'He seems okay and I'm about to bring him to meet his two team members, and brief the three of them. Do you want to see him, or…'

'Yes of course I want to know what's he's made of, a few words with him would suffice; by the way, I didn't expect them to send us another red beret instead of an engineering corps officer.'

'Well he's a demolition expert as far as I know.' Josh a red beret himself hastened to defend his junior comrade, although he did not know a thing about Elad's capabilities yet.

'Was he under your direct command back home?'

'No I saw him in the camp from time to time, and heard enough good things about him. I believe he'll fit in and I'll personally see to it.'

'Well it's your problem,' Roghel muttered while fishing a cigarette package out of his desk drawer. He pulled a cigarette out of the package, sniffed it while holding it with the fingers of his left hand, as if hinting to Josh that he expects him to leave.

'Alright I going to pick him up,' the military delegation's head said and stood up and left the military attaché's office.

What the hell has he got against red berets? We're the best soldiers of our army and he complains in my face, as if he doesn't know me and my background? Josh thought angered while driving on his way to pick up Elad. He can get on one's nerves that son of a b***h… What's his battle experience I would like to know; I doubt if he'd such experience at all, the bloody armchair warrior? He kept thinking frustrated pushing down hard the accelerator, frightening the passersby that crossed the street running for their lives.

At about five minutes past two pm Josh Paldi entered the Ghenet hotel's lobby, made a sign with a raised hand to Elad to join him, and they went out to the hotel's parking lot and to Josh's car.

'You'll have a short interview with Colonel Erez Roghel our military attaché,' he turned to Elad on their way to the Israeli embassy. 'He's in charge of our delegation here just formally, and you won't see him much except when we gather here on holidays all of us. What you should know and be aware of is the fact that he isn't an easy going type, so just listen to him patiently and don't forget to say "yes sir" before leaving his office.'

'Okay I'll be careful,' Elad promised him with an amused smile.

As they reached the embassy Josh slowed down and parked the car in the embassy's parking lot, and they got off and entered the embassy building; they crossed the local clerk behind the reception counter and mounted the steps to the first floor.

'I'll introduce you to some of the embassy's staff with which you'll have to meet and settle your various formal arrangements, but only after the interview with our military attaché'' Paldi added and led him to Roghel's office.

He knocked on Roghel's office door and entered, while Elad shut the door and followed him inside, and stood beside him in front of Roghel's desk.

'This is Captain Daphni.' Josh introduced him laconically to Roghel.

'Sit down both of you,' Roghel said while weighing up Elad with a long stare.

'So you were sent to us as an infantry and a demolition officer, well that's a fine combination. But do tell us in a few words your background and what's your experience as an officer.'

'I was a platoon commander in an airborne regiment, a company commander second in command and an instructor in a military school, which was my last assignment.'

'What's your experience then as a demolition expert?' The military attaché wondered without trying to hide his doubts and distrust.

There's enough time After all he thought to send the red beret back home, and demand an engineering corps officer as a replacement instead of that green horn.

'I'd a full month training at the engineering corps training base, particularly for this assignment sir.'

Although they did not wear uniforms and ranks according to the locals' demands and the general atmosphere between the delegation's members was informal, but the military attaché's cold and unfriendly behavior offended Elad, and he had to do his best to appear calm, modest and obedient as much as he could.

Roghel kept watching him a few silent seconds holding the cigarette's filter between his teeth, before he wished Elad good luck with a short sentence, and freed him and the delegation's head.

All rights © belong to Haim Kadman �" 2017.

You can read the 1^st 3chap. of each of my 23 books and thrillers in this link:

https://www.amazon.com/Haim-Kadman/e/B009Z7XL8C 

You may read just as well the 610 excerpts of my books and thrillers, at this link:

www.writerscafe.org/hkadman