Part One - 5 "Home Warmth Bound"

Home Warmth Bound

Tel Aviv, Israel

August, 1994

We are going to Israel today! I know I want to wear my favorite shirt with the flowers on it, but I always wait until the last day to pick the animals that I’m going to take with me. I set them in line by the door of the bedroom and I have to explain to them that I can’t take all of them with me because I can only take a small bag. Bobby, the happy-faced bear I’ve had since I was born, is sitting next to me. He always comes with me. He gets scared if I leave him alone. I get them all dressed in their best clothes. My dog that I had to give surgery to because his fluff was coming out is sitting next to my blue bear with the colorful patches. Next to them, there’s the rabbit that my Abuela Susana gave me, so I know that he has to come with me. Finally, there’s the big bear that is very soft, but kind of smells like dust.

“Yali, come on! We have to leave!”

I pick up the rabbit, the monkey, and the dog and I stuff them into my bag. I kind of have to fold them in a little bit because my book and my paper and crayons are already taking up some room. I like to draw pictures for my grandmothers on the plane. The always love it when I bring them the pictures.

Oohhh, our little number one!

That’s what my Safta Lea and Sabba Asher call me, and I know that it’s not only because I was born first, it’s also because I’m special. They tell me that they love me all the way to the sky.

On the way to the airport, I’m trying to get Danielle excited about going because she’s just sucking her thumb on her big white comfort pillow that she calls, la cama. Everyone thinks that it’s funny because cama means bed in Spanish.

“Danielle! We’re going to see Maya and Hila and we’re going to play with them! It’s going to be so much fun.”

She pulls her finger out of her mouth and it makes a slurping sound. She rubs my head from her high chair, and I don’t even care that it’s with the wet finger because we’re going to Israel.

“Can I sit next to la fenêtre?”

Usually I like to sit next to the window on the plane, but I’ve been flying to Israel all by myself already since I was five and half, so it’s okay if Danielle sits there this time.

“Yeah, but you have to let me see also.”

She smiles and her tiny round face fills with the light of excitement. Sometimes, when she’s not crying all the time, I really love this little ball of a cute baby.

While Mami yells at the people to give us seats together and Papi puts our suitcases on the carpet that takes them away, I wander over into one of the stores in the airport. These stores always have funny things to play with in baskets by the front, and in this one I find many Tours’ D’Eiffel with big silly grins on them. I go into the back of the store. I run my fingers along the shelves and there, I see a wooden pencil box with hearts on it, and I really want to bring it to Maya. I turn it over, and I see that the price is more than the three coins I have in my pocket, and more than I can ask Mami to give me. I still remember when we went to the supermarket and she told me that I couldn’t buy a toy because we can’t afford to pay for it. My heart felt sad. I walk around the store with it for a little bit, looking at the books and the magazines. Then, when I think that no one is looking, I stuff it into my backpack. I keep looking around at the magazines, and give the lady behind the register a cute little wave when I leave the store.

“Au Revoir!”

I walk back to where Mami and Papi are still doing what they were doing before.  I keep feeling my bag for the pencil box just t make sure that it’s still there. After what feels like we’ve waited forever, we’re sitting on the pane and I’m showing Danielle how to put her seatbelt on. When I get on the plane, I always read the information packet about what to do if the plane catches on fire, or we have to land in the water. It’s really important to know, and I show both Danielle and Bobby that they shouldn’t be scared. When the plane takes off, Mami holds my hand hard and reaches across the aisle to hold Papi’s hand. I hold Danielle’s hand, and she holds on to la cama. It takes until they turn off the seatbelt sign when we’re flying for Mami to let go of my hand, and so for me to let go of Danielle’s hand.

During the flight, we get to color and watch movies, and the flight attendants bring us toys with the El Al signal on them; these are things that only kids get on the flights. We also get to eat our food before everyone else. I always love the tiny containers of water, kind of like we’re on a special mission and on that mission we get special water. France is not very far away from Israel, only four hours and fifty five minutes, so soon I can feel that we are going down through the sky. I lean over Danielle and she moves over to let me see, I can see the beach in Tel Aviv coming closer and closer.

“There’s Susana’s house, and there’s Lea’s house, and there’s Maya’s house!”

Danielle is straining her neck to see where I’m pointing. I don’t really know where their houses are, but they must be there somewhere. When we land, I can’t wait to get out; I can just imagine everyone waiting for us at the airport and all the wet, lip-sticky kisses that my grandma is going to give me. I pull back the latch to release my seatbelt and jitter on my seat.

“Come onnn…Come onnn…let’s goooo!”

Mami is still sitting down while Papi pulls our bags from the space above the seats; but they’re not moving yet. I think they want to let the whole airplane of first.

“Yali, we have to wait for the suitcases there anyway, no hay appuro!”

I’m in a hurry! I want to see my family! The excitement is bouncing inside my body, and I’m swinging Bobby back and forth in my arms. Mami looks down towards the end of the plane and decides that it’s empty enough for us to go out. We file out, with Papi leading the way and me right behind him and climb into the bus that is going to take us from the plane to the airport.

I sit next to Mami and she pulls Danielle up on her lap. Papi is standing up, holding on to the hook above him as the bus rolls along the runway. The window feels cool as I lean my nose against it; it’s really hot outside, but the bus has a lot of air conditioning. When I can see the airport approaching, I pull my backpack onto my back and stand next to Papi. The line at the passports is not very long because we waited so long. Mami, Danielle and I go into the  Israeli Passport Line and Papi goes into the other one, because he was born in Argentina.

“Ya-he-li?”

The woman behind the glass has curly red hair with blond streaks going through it like bolts of lightning. Her face is very thin, and she has a long nose. I’m jumping up and down next to Mami so she can see me.

“Yali, my name is Yali!”

She nods at us, stamps our passports, and shoves us along to get our luggage. Standing next to the security checkpoint is my uncle Zohar, Mami’s younger brother. I forgot that he works in the airport now, and he scoops me up in a big hug when I run up to him. He came with Lea and Asher and he is going to stay with us all the way until we go outside.

“Who’s here, Zohar?”

He smiles at me and skin that looks like caramel stretches because the smile takes up his whole face, and even his eyes,

“Here? No one’s here. Why would anyone come to see you?”

My heart drops for a minute, but then I know that he’s joking so I laugh and the laughter further ignites my excitement.

When we get our luggage, Danielle and I climb atop of it as Papi pushes the cart out to the arrivals hall. When we come out, I see rounded water fountains, and lots of faces looking at us. My eyes are darting from face to face as I’m searching the crowd for someone I know. When I see Lea’s smiling face bouncing up and down in front of me. I jump off the cart, accidentally sending it a little bit backwards into Papi’s heels and jump head first into my grandmother’s outstretched arms.

“Yalili, our little number one! Oh I’m so happy!”

Lea has tears in her eyes, and so does my other grandma Susana, who is standing behind her. I peel away from Lea and go to Susana, whose leathery skin feels soothing against my cheek. Both of my grandfathers are there too, and I’m laughing when Asher’s beard tickles my face, and when Roberto taps my head and says,

“You’re so tall! From here to the ground!”

Everyone is hugging everyone, and Danielle is resting her head on Papi’s shoulder as he’s holding her up away from the ground.

We all pack into different cars, but we’re going to Lea and Asher’s house, where everyone is going to meet for dinner to welcome us to Israel.

When we get there,  no one is there yet, but I know that Maya is going to come soon. I turn on the TV to the kids channel, because I know that she likes to watch it. I run to the kitchen to help Asher.

“What can I do, Asher, what can I do?”

He hands me a couple of plates and I take them to the table in the living room. That’s where we’re all going to sit. I run back and forth, helping to set the table that rests atop of the carpet that looks like a volcano fire in my grandparents’ living room. Danielle is sitting in Lea’s rocking chair, falling asleep while staring at the TV. The chirping sound of the doorbell stops me in my tracks,

It’s Maya! I know it is!

Zohar goes over to the door, and a woman comes in, and kisses him. It’s his girlfriend, Dorit. She has lots of wild, curly brown hair, and she can do really cool gymnastics tricks. I think that they’re going to get married, and I tell Maya every year that she’s going to be our aunt. She scoops me up in a big hug and her strong perfume is comforting, and delicious. I run around the room and show her the drawings that I did for Lea and Asher on the plane. She smiles and laughs and it rolls out of her like a big, fluffy snowflakes.

The next time the doorbell rings, it’s Susana and Roberto, also coming from the airport, and even though I’m happy to see them, I want to see Maya! There’s nothing I can do now because I’ve already helped set the table, so I go and sit by the window. I peek out of the blinds to see if I can see their dark green car pull up into the lot under my grandparents’ building. Lea yells from the kitchen that she wants the shutters closed so the air conditioner doesn’t get out.

“Be careful, Yali! Don’t open them too much!”

She comes over to me and gives me a big kiss on the head after she says this, and ruffles my blond curls. Everyone is sitting around the table drinking soda or water, and I’m still waiting for Maya to come.

Finally, the doorbell ring. It’s my cousin Maya, and her two front teeth are missing in her wild, grinning face. She’s at the door alone because she went up the stairs. Her parents and her little sister, Hila, are coming in the elevator. I pull Maya into a tight, long hug, and her long black hair tickles my throat. She barely has a chance to step out of her shoes, before I drag her into the room where I’ll be sleeping to show her the presents I got her.

I pull out a wooden box with hearts on it and I hand it to her. Her eyes go wide with excitement and she pulls me into another big hug. Heat rushes through my body, because she likes the gift I got for her.

“It’s a surprise, just for you, so don’t make Hila jealous by showing it to her.”

She shoves it into her tiny purse, and sets it by the front door with her shoes. Lea and Asher are serving the food now.  I’m starving,;there’s nothing more I want than a very big helping of Lea’s kadurei bassar. Home-made meatballs.