A haphazard dateA Story by Haim KadmanA double meeting in rather a short time.‘Haven’t you seen the notice in the dining hall?’ Ami
his best friend asked him with a surprised smile. They were both in their
squad’s tent right after the day’s training, some fifteen minutes before
supper. Ben had no intention to stay for supper, he was already wearing his A
uniform ready to leave; as he usually did when there were no night trainings or
guard duties or worse some punishments, such as reporting before his sergeant
in full field gear every couple of hours up to midnight. With a pass or without
it he was ready to leave, to cross the fence and sneak out �" to the bright city
lights, to forget for a few hours his daily routine, the camp and its barbed
wire fences, the military discipline and the non-commissioned officers from
lance corporal on, who could push him around whenever they wished to �" and to
think that he was so eager to enlist and serve his country just a few months
earlier. ‘What notice?’ He asked his friend with indifference,
almost ready to take his leave. ‘There’s a dancing ball tonight, and it was said that
they’ll fetch a group of intern nurses from the local hospital. You know the
one not far from our base.’ Ben sat down on his
bed undecided. ‘You aren’t pulling my leg, are you?’ ‘Of course not, it’s still posted there! Come and see
it yourself, if you don’t believe me.’ ‘Should I stay then, eh? ‘Sure it’s going to be fun, those poor nurses are
starved just like the female recruits of training base twelve.’ ‘Okay I’ll give it a go,’ Ben muttered clearing his
throat. He did not like unexpected changes. In just a few seconds he would have
crossed the fence and be on his way. ‘You reminded me something though, I’m
hungry.’ At about seven
thirty pm Ben entered a second time the camp’s dinning hall, accompanied with
several friends who shared the same tent with him. The interior of the one
story building that served as the camp’s dinning hall was completely changed,
the tables simply vanished and the walls all around were decorated with
colorful paper ornaments; a low stage was erected at the far corner. The place
looked like some dancing club in town. The whole company
gathered including the staff, the atmosphere was very pleasant, the platoon
commanders and the non-commissioned officers were very friendly towards their
inferiors. The sergeant-major was roaming all over the place �" all smiles,
treating each one as if he was his own buddy. The company commander and his
second in command arrived without the usual strict ceremony �" no shouts of
attention were heard no salutes. The company
commander stepped upon the small stage to have his say and ask each one present
to behave and be friendly towards the company’s guests, in a rather a rare
speech so unlikely to their strict and taciturn commander.’
‘The days of the Messiah are on our threshold.’ Ben
whispered to his best friend Ami, sitting beside him. ‘Really,’ Ami turned to him with a sardonic smile. ‘I
bet you won’t have such thoughts tomorrow morning, or even right after our
female guests would take their leave.’ ‘Let’s hope it would last up till tomorrow morning
then.’ Ben replied smiling. ‘Thank god some of the staff aren’t present, we
might get a dance or two with the girls after all.’ A truck engine’s
regular noise was heard getting nearer, just as Ben was about to add a few more
words. A sudden hush fell over the crowded dinning hall, but it did not last
more than a friction of a second �" the
chattering din was resumed with much more excitement. They could hear
what was going outside. The truck reached the dinning hall and was unloading
the precious cargo. When their guests
started arrived and started to enter, the lucky ones who were close to the
entrance stood up applauding their guessts with beaming faces.
About two dozens of
young females entered the dining hall and stood huddled together in it’s middle
�" waiting with somewhat embarrassed under
the scrutinizing eyes of their young and eager hosts. The company commander
greeted them with a few kind words and asked them to be seated along the walls,
to join his subordinates. ‘I say this one is quite a good looker.’ Someone noted
aloud. ‘What do you know, that’s my ex girl friend.’ Ben
exclaimed excited. ‘Your ex, you wanna tell me you’ve given such a pretty
chick up? You must have some loose nut in your brain.’ Ami said, watching all
that time his friend’s ex girl friend with amazement. ‘Do me a favor
introduce us.’ ‘She’s all mine, I've changed my mind!’ Ben replied and
stood up smiling towards his approaching ex, that has identified him. She was not exactly
his girl friend, they were on friendly terms in high school �" that’s all. It
was thanks to her for truth sake, she liked him; but he could not make up his
mind, there were two more very pretty girls in their class, which he fancied
and did nothing about it. Her name was Ilana
Belkind, she was belle indeed, with her dark eyes and her black glossy hair. he
has not forgotten her, her red lips and her whitish skin, a lovely contrast
with her raven black hair. God almighty,
was I blind, or what? He wondered as
he watched her. She did not smile
as she approached him, but kept watching him curiously. She sat between the two
of them and after Ben introduced her to Ami, they were silent for a minute or
two �" paying their attention to what was going on, the music, the few couples that started to dance, and then she
turned to him ignoring poor Ami completely. She kept questioning him about the
time that passed since they parted, he watched her beautiful features quite
encouraged �" as if he was seeing her for the first time in his life. Thus time passed
by, she did not wish to dance, and refused politely all those that came by to
invite her. At about midnight the music stopped and the company commander
declared formally the the ball was over. When Ben escorted her to the truck among
her female colleagues, she asked him to come and visit her. ‘When and what time?’ He asked her surprised and
delighted at the same time. ‘Any evening when you’ll have the time.’ She said with
a slight chuckle that lighted up her beautiful face. The very next
evening Ben crossed the camp’s fence, under the surprised gaze of his platoon
commander. But the latter was some thirty yards away, and Ben could not care
less �" he was on his way to see her. He crossed the fields towards the asphalt
strip that led to the main road, and after a short while got a lift to her
hospital. A stranger in an old sedan on his way the the next town picked him
up. The hospital gate
was close to the main road but Ben preferred to walk along its fence up to the
apprentices’ dormitory, where he climbed the fence and jumped down on the lawn
between the fence and the long row of wooden huts that were in fact the
dormitory. What’s a six
foot fence for an airborne? He mused
nonchalantly, as he crossed the lawn and hit the narrow road in front of the
brand new Swedish wooden huts’ entrances. He walked on along the narrow road
wondering where her room might be. The fourth hut's door
was open, and he saw her sitting next to a mirror combing her long black hair.
He went straight in with a big smile all over his face, but she watched him
without uttering a single word with a stern gaze. In any case she
didn’t object but still it’s quite a strange welcome. He thought as he sat behind her watching her face in
the mirror. They exchanged a few words now and then, and while he was wondering
what could be the matter with her, an American car moved on the road outside
and stopped before her door. A young dandy appeared attired in a jacket and a
colorful tie. He watched Ben with the kind of look that radiated the very clear
question: who the hell are you? The young dandy
that was no doubt a few years older than both of them, turned to Ilana with a
short question:’ Are you ready?’ He made it very clear that Ben for all he
cared was not present there or did not exist. Ilana laid down her
brush and rose to her feet. She did not even turn round but watched Ben through
the mirror, and said rather dryly: We’re leaving, sorry.’ Well that was
some visit, some fiasco! Ben told
himself quite distressed, and having been caught red handed I’ll have to pay
for it very dearly. He left the
hospital through its main gate this time. © Haim Kadman 2008 �" all rights reserved © 2011 Haim KadmanFeatured Review
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1 Review Added on August 16, 2011 Last Updated on August 16, 2011 AuthorHaim KadmanPetach-Tikva, IsraelAboutProfile: A few words about myself: being a native of a small country whose waist is seventeen kilometers wide in a certain area; and in seven to eight hours drive one can cross its length, I was amaze.. more..Writing
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