I end my last week at work and one of my last few in Israel as well the same way I begun this entire trip – looking back while looking ahead, anxious, hopeful and extremely grateful for the time that has passed. I have survived Israel and benefitted much from the kindness of strangers turned friends.
So this week started with a celebration at a bar somewhere in Frishman, where Danny and I toasted to our newfound friendship and the various handyman skills we have acquired from living in our clunky but otherwise perfectly-located apartment. Drinking exactly like it’s my last Goldstar beer till God knows when, it was almost inevitable that I would forget something when I got home more tipsy than usual at about two in the morning before Sunday – the first work day of the week here in Israel.
It turned out to be my apartment key and my phone. Nevertheless, I spent the whole Sunday oblivious to this fact, and even had a goodbye coffee/chat with Fr David at Jaffa that evening.
My next-door neighbor Shlomi the cook magically appeared at half past ten in the evening, while I fumbled around my bag, wishing for my key to appear. And for the next couple of hours till around three in the morning, we suffered to watch late night crappy movies, while I wished for Danny to come home from partying soon. To keep the story short, I ended up being given a place to sleep, a phone and coffee by a neighbor I’ve never met before for the next twenty hours. And just as I was about to give up and dreadfully prepared myself to shell out an insane amount of money for a locksmith and wreaking havoc in all the daily lives of my co-workers, friends offline like Michael and online like Wuiling, Danny finally came calling using the phone number that Shlomi lent to me. Finally. I never felt so happy to see my summer sanctuary, faulty drainage and lighting notwithstanding.
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