Between Friends Read Online Free PDF

a deeper point of contention: did the babies belong, in principle, to their parents or to the entire kibbutz? David Dagan fought for the second position while Nahum Asherov sided with the first. For three nights, the members argued until one o’clock in the morning about whether to decide the question with an open vote or a secret ballot. David Dagan supported the open vote while Nahum Asherov advocated a secret ballot. In the end, they agreed to form a committee consisting of David, Nahum, and three women who were not yet mothers. The majority of the committee voted that, although the children belonged to the kibbutz, at the beginning the parents would take turns minding the children at night. Although their opinions differed, Nahum secretly admired David Dagan’s consistent and unyielding ideological position. David, for his part, respected Nahum’s gentleness and patience and was surprised that Nahum, with his quiet persistence, had actually beaten him. When Yishai was killed in the raid on Deir al Nashaf, David Dagan had spent a few nights in Nahum’s apartment. This strengthened their long friendship. Sometimes they’d meet in the early evening to play chess and talk about whether or not the kibbutz was living up to its principles.
    David Dagan’s apartment was located near a stand of cypress trees at the end of a row of houses. He had moved after leaving his fourth wife. Everyone knew that he’d left her because of his relationship with Ziva, a young teacher from the city who stayed on the kibbutz three nights a week. He’d ended things with Ziva when Edna had taken her belongings from the dormitory and moved into his new apartment. Anyone in my shoes, Nahum Asherov thought, would storm in, slap David, grab his daughter, and drag her home. Or the opposite: he’d go in quietly and stand in front of them, broken and distraught, as if to say, How could you, aren’t you ashamed? Ashamed of what? Nahum asked himself.
    And, meanwhile, he lingered a few more minutes in the feeble rain, on the path leading to the door, pressing the book tighter against his chest, the raindrops on his glasses blurring his vision. Distant thunder sounded and suddenly it began to rain harder. Nahum stood under the overhang at the entrance to the apartment and waited. He still had no idea what he would say when David opened the door. And what if Edna answered? David Dagan’s neglected front garden was filled with weeds and thistles, dotted with hordes of white snails thanks to the rain. Three pots of withered geraniums stood on the windowsill. Not a sound came from the apartment. Nahum wiped his shoes on the doormat, took a crumpled handkerchief from his pocket and dried his glasses, replaced the handkerchief, and knocked twice on the door.
    “It’s you,” David said warmly, and pulled Nahum inside. “Wonderful. Come in. Don’t stand outside. It’s raining. We’ve been expecting you for a few days now. I was sure you’d come. We have to talk. Edna!” he called out toward the other room. “Make coffee for your father. He’s finally here. Take off your coat, Nahum. Sit down. Edna was beginning to think you were angry with us but I told her, You’ll see; he’ll come. We turned on the heater half an hour ago in your honor. Winter turned up all of a sudden, didn’t it? Where did the rain catch you?” He put his large fingers on the sleeve of Nahum’s coat and said, “We really have to talk about this annoying business of all the youngsters just out of the army who now want to skip working and go straight to college. Maybe at our next meeting we should vote about making it mandatory for them to work on the kibbutz for three years before they enroll at college. What do you think, Nahum?”
    Nahum, still wearing his cap, said in a flat voice, “But I don’t understand how—”
    David interrupted him by putting a wide hand on his shoulder and saying, “Hear me out; just give me a minute to set things straight. I’m not