The punishment

An excerpt of the novel Summer Tempest.

The punishment

Summer Tempest

An excerpt

On Saturday eve after a frustrating kitchen duty Riva Etsioni was lying in her bed in the empty platoon hut, and despite her fatigue and depressing mental tiredness, she wasn't able to fall asleep. The humiliation she had to suffer at the leave line at midday was still vivid in her mind, as if it was engraved in her brain with hot iron; after a short and excited call to her mother through her mobile, while she was standing at the third line Sivan her squad leader said a few words to her, which she did not grasp she was in such euphoria…When the platoon leader arrived and passed over the lines and the ceremony was about to end, Sivan the squad leader turned to the platoon leader and exchanged whispers with her.

Riva did not suspect anything yet, for these were the very last moments of her company in this base. It was just a furlough parade but a parade that signified the end of their recruitment training stage, and taking their leave from the staff that accompanied them during the last eight weeks. These were eight weeks of exhausting basic training, a time Riva tried to forget as quick as possible, despite the feelings of relief from the last moments of that last line up, and the repression of all the unpleasant experiences she had to pass; while she was buried in her thoughts engulfed in day dreaming, how she is passing through the base gates and leaves behind her all the bad memories she did not wish to remember; she heard suddenly the voice of Dikla the platoon leader calling her to report before her, she was told that she was punished because of her insolence to her squad leader in front of the  entire platoon,  Dikla canceled her leave and sent her to the hut to change and report for duty in the base kitchen.

I've behaved insolently towards Sivan? Riva thought frustrated and angry, and with these words she answered Dikla without any ceremonial etiquette. She did not understand after all what it was all about, and she did ask Sivan what she said, but Sivan did not bother to answer her; while Riva was convinced that because it is their last day together, Sivan would put a sour face and won't shake her hand, and that would sum up that trivial matter.

Riva pale, humiliated and with a crucial effort not to burst out crying before her platoon comrades, managed to restrain herself up to the hut's entrance, and only then she freed up her emotions.

While changing her cloths Dikla the platoon leader appeared at the entrance and came closer to her. Riva thought hopefully that maybe the platoon leader has changed her mind, and came to announce the cancelation of her punishment; as the lineup was dispersed just at these very moments and the joyous shouts of her comrades reached her ears, and have started to decrease and to fade slowly away.

What for had they to be that harsh towards me, at my last moments in this damn base? Riva thought bewildered watching her platoon leader's face with expectancy.

But the platoon leader did not change her mind, and she was not short in time either. The base regular transportation was due to leave in twenty minutes time, and maybe she was waiting for her boy friend to come and pick her up.

To Riva's disappointment her platoon leader came to preach her, as if she needed subconsciously to release sadistic urges and to spread salt on Riva's open wounds.

If she would have come to see how I'm doing out of sincere care, to make it easier to me to pass that Saturday; to explain to me why I was punished, why she'd to accept my squad leader demand to punish me…Why, what have I done? They took me for a conceited indulgent type, and that was their last opportunity to teach me a lesson…

She started to cry again seeing in her mind's eye that scene and that conversation, or more accurately the platoon leader monologue, for she did not dare to contradict Dikla's words; she did not open her mouth during Dikla's stay in the hut, afraid she will accuse her in disobedience and have her face a court martial before the base commander. Who knows maybe this was Dikla's purpose…

Riva called her parents several times already. They encouraged her, 'get over it' they said and forget this unpleasant episode, tomorrow we would call you and on Sunday morning we will come to pick you up. We shall drive you to your new unit don't you dare to board a bus do you hear?'

It did not help much and that somber wave of her humiliation almost drowned her. The sharp passage from feeling of euphoria on the verge of leaving this hateful base, to the scene of her humiliation depressed her terribly.

Why not call Yoske? I must speak with someone. With mother and father I talked several times and it didn't help me much. The question is would I reach him at all? Riva thought desperately.

It was a subconscious urge to establish a close relationship with Yoske, who was for her a trustworthy authority, in contrast to her own father who was not able to solve her problems; problems that she herself did not comprehend their full significance yet.

She sent her hand forth to her mobile that was lying beside her bed on her kitbag, she switched it on and dialed Yoske's mobile number. She copied his number from her father diary, at the same evening in which Yoske rejected her pass in her parents' home.

After a short excited delay, Nehama's suspicious voice answered her.

'Hello who's this?'

Riva switched off immediately her mobile and smiled embarrassedly with childish delight in the darkness.

I'll cross the wall of fire with which she surrounds Yoske, whether she likes it or not. Riva thought encouraging herself. I'll phone to him ceaselessly tomorrow, and if I won't reach him I would annoy her at least the jealous b***h. She won't suspect me for to her I'm just a problematic indulgent child that hasn't matured yet… She has never hidden that contemptuous attitude towards me. She thinks that I don't understand a thing, but from Sunday on I'll be every evening at home and free to reach Yoske by hook or by crook.

© Haim Kadman 2007 �" all rights reserved.

Summer Tempest �" Synopsis
The plot of this novel relates the era of the late 90s up to the beginning of the current century. It's the era of hope for peace following the peace agreement between the State of Israel and the P.L.O. organization that was signed in 93, and the disillusion and despair that followed from 95 on with the outburst of the disturbances and the terror attacks.
The two protagonists are Yoske (Joseph) Solan and Erella Zingman Abrahams, both of them and their relatives and friends represent the generation that was born at about the time of the State of Israel war of Independence, during the late 40s and up to the beginning of the 50s of the previous century.
Both the protagonists are married, they were in a romantic relationship during their youthful years; Erella is married to an American tycoon and lives in New York City, while Yoske is married to her best friend Nehama.
Erella lands in Ben-Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, in the midst of this stormy era, to visit her relatives, and with the desire to renew her romantic relationship with her old flame Yoske. 
This novel includes 206 pages and 124,212 words

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