A Remarkable Kindness Read Online Free PDF

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    â€œAviva, what are you going to tell your husband later?”
    â€œHe won’t ask. He knows there are certain things I don’t talk about.”
    She looked down toward Rafi, catching his eye, holding his gaze. She felt full of love and gratitude for the way he’d washed up onshore just as Eli was receding. Aviva knew she’d loved Rafi for all these years, but she hadn’t forgotten the white curtains swelling out and in, or Eli’s voice close to her ear, the way his breath coursed through her. “Eli, just now when you jumped up to stop the boys, I saw the way you used to be. When you had this spark—”
    â€œThe spark’s gone out.”
    â€œDon’t tell me you regret all that you’ve done.”
    â€œWhy would I regret anything, considering the way the world’s turned out?” He stopped. “I remember you told me that story about the guy you met at the restaurant in Paris. You said you were having a nice conversation with him—until you mentioned that you were Jewish and he asked you, ‘Aren’t you ashamed?’”
    â€œThe idiot thought I’d be ashamed.”
    â€œI’m never ashamed about who I am or what I’ve done. We didn’t have a choice. Still don’t.”
    â€œWhat does that have to do with you and me?”
    â€œIt’s like this. Every morning, I take a run through the fields behind our house,” Eli said. “When I start running, it’s dark outside, and then the sky grows lighter. But the sky isn’t blue, it’s all white, and the hills out in the distance are black. It’s really quiet in the fields. Sometimes all I hear is the wind blowing across the earth, and the birds flying overhead, but they’re black, too. That’s all there is, just black and white. I can live with that.”
    â€œThe world isn’t black-and-white. We can still meet, even just for coffee.”
    â€œAviva, you know as well as I do that it wouldn’t be just for coffee. And then everything would go gray.”
    â€œPlease, Eli; I want to feel something else besides pain. Just for once, I want to feel something else.”
    â€œBut I don’t.” He paused. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
    Aviva sat back in her seat and turned from Eli, hardly noticing the quiet that had swept through the gym. Rafi was waiting with Wahid in the center of the court as Noam and the other coach made their way toward them. The boys shook hands like complete strangers who had nothing to do with each other, and then they turned and walked back in opposite directions.
    â€œIt would have been nice if they pretended they could be friends,” Aviva said.
    â€œIt would have been nice if they even looked at each other. Ever notice how none of the Arab parents come to these games?”
    â€œJewish parents don’t come, either. You’re about the only one who’d travel to see your son’s basketball game. There’s not much school spirit. No cheerleaders or marching bands.”
    â€œBut find me another country where everything stops for two minutes on Memorial Day. In America, who thinks about fallen soldiers? It’s all about barbecues and sales.”
    Aviva didn’t need those two minutes to remember Benny. She didn’t know exactly what she needed. “We can still exchange numbers—you never know.”
    â€œWe’ll do that, just in case, but I’m not going to call.”
    Rafi’s head tilted up just as Aviva and Eli finished punching in one another’s numbers. Eli returned the phone to his pocket, 180 degrees from his hidden pistol. He walked down the stairs andAviva followed. “Rafi,” Aviva said, switching to Hebrew, “this is Eli Rothfeld. His son was playing point guard on the other team. We met each other in Paris.”
    â€œAnd by some crazy coincidence, again right here.” Eli extended his arm. Took