The discovery

An excerpt of my fifth novel 'An irretrievable step'.

Rose Dinevitch went to the bathroom in her daughter's apartment to wash her hands that was what she has told her daughter. Her daughter's changing moods during the last week worried her, she seemed so happy lately up to last week. So she decided to check her daughter's small medicine cupboard in the bathroom; to her surprise she revealed there evidence of the existence of a man in her daughter's life. She knew very well that her daughter never shaved her legs or her arm pits, besides there were much more suitable means to do it, if she was wrong and her daughter needed such treatments. She was terribly upset and left the bathroom very perturbed.

'Tamar, you're carrying an affair with someone and you haven't told us a thing. Why is he married?' She asked watching her daughter's face with an accusing gaze.

Tami was shocked her secret love was revealed, she told her parents that she is going out with her friends, she never mentioned the existence of a relationship with a male individual, and this morning her mother came to see her rather early, and she did not have time to hide the few things that belonged to Eli. She realized at that moment that her mother's early visit was not a mere coincidence.

'He isn't married he's young about my own age.' She muttered at last in a low and shaky voice.

'What's all that secrecy for? Why didn't you introduce him to us?'

'He didn't want to and didn't introduce me to his parents…'

'Why, is he an outlaw or what?' Her mother wondered raising her voice angrily.

'He's an army officer and we don't know if we'll keep seeing each other… He's supposed to serve abroad in about a month time from now…'

'How long have you been living with him, you're living with him as a married couple, right?'

'…About two years now…'

'So why can't he marry you and take you abroad with him? If you love him we'll accept him, no matter who he is.'

Tears were running down Tami's cheeks, and she could not answer her mother some several seconds.

Her mother crossed the short distance between them and hugged her.

'It's complicated to explain mom, he's supposed to travel alone and stay abroad several years…'

'What makes you sure that it isn't some kind of a hoax and he's exploiting you?' Her mother interrupted her in a soft voice and as gently as she could.

'No he isn't that kind he pays for our entertainment and whenever we eat outside… He wanted us to part after the first three months that he dated me, when he was ordered to start his training for this job.'

'How long will he serve abroad?'

'He doesn't even know how and where mom, I guess it might be in a country in Europe or the Americas and then in our region; and it may take a decade or even more, it depends on unknown circumstances, you know.'

'Yes I know,' her mother replied caressing her daughter's hair. 'We're travelling abroad your dad and me next month on Passover for about ten days, we'll take you with us, it won't interrupt your studies okay?'

Tami nodded her head agreeing to her mother's suggestion, and thankful to her for not mentioning the need to cut off her relationship with Eli.

 Haim Kadman J uly the 4^th (Happy 4^th) 2013 " all rights reserved.