Menage a Trois

'Well, we'd better go inside, Hilla' already entered and lunch is ready...' Priel said, putting his hand on Shatz's shoulder. 'You know, last month she was terribly nervous; the packing and the arrangements did get on her nerves - the thought of leaving this place in particular. But thanks to you during this last week she's become quite another person... It's a pity really, we should have served the same term together...'

With quite an effort Shatz smiled back to him, while the astonishment that Priel's openhearted declaration added a touch of sadness to his face; as if he was sorry that Priel's wish couldn't come true.

'Yes, that flight is going to be real fun,' Priel praised on the precious deal's advantages. 'Some two hours ride to Avouka in a Quat-Cent-Quat and a chauffeur provided by the agency, cold drinks, lunch at the Intercontinental - and all this on the company's expenses...' He added while they were crossing the living room's threshold.

Hilla was sitting next to the table holding her little daughter in her lap, talking to her in babies talk, while Priel kept on telling Shatz the advantages of that deal, which he has accomplished all by himself.

These two days in the suite of that plush hotel, will be for us the start of our journey - and that's some start, isn't? But you can count on Hilla to spend all the money we would save in a shopping spree.'
On hearing her husband Hilla stopped the baby parley with her daughter, and kept listening to him without expressing her own views on husband's opinion.
'
What makes me happy about this deal, is the fact that we'll fly in a modern jet plane and we won't repeat that torture flight we did from Paris, when we first landed here.' She interrupted her husband monologue, turning to Shatz 'But why don't you sit down the two of you?' She added with wonder, looking up to them. 'I haven't finished yet, but I won't go on till you'll sit down.'

As they sat down opposite her, Pascal arrived and started laying the table, manouevering between them; each time that the boy stepped between Shatz and Priel, Shatz ventured to flood Hilla with his beseeching eyes, while she was talking on.

'...and we won't have to wait at the airport with all the embassy's staff, up to the last moment before boarding the plane. I don't know what I would have done with myself in such a situation.' She laughed gaily watching both of them each one in his turn. 'That's the deal's greatest advantage. 'Reuven would take us to the KLM agency and from there we'll ride straight to the embassy, to take leave of all that dear gang without getting off the car... and that would be it; within two minutes all that embarrassing issue would be behind us!'

The explicit description of their future departure depressed Shatz with a sudden unexpected shock, after having repressed that unavoidable fact for quite a while. He lost his appetite and had to feign hunger attacking his plate as if he was famished. The Priels kept on talking, where they would stay more time and where less; where they would do their shoppings and some more such details, which are so characteristics to such kind of conversation - Shatz could hardly hear and comprehend the sounds that enveloped him, except the very fact that they were leaving in two days time and he will never see her again.
'Well, let it be... He told himself forcing himself to clean his plate. If Priel's wish had come true, our love affair would have been exposed sooner or later. Being her lover in that forlorn hole is one thing, and she doesn't have even the slightest notion of leaving her husband. I'd rather prepare myself mentally to see her off.

At the end of the meal Hilla took the little ones upstairs to their bedroom, for their noontime nap. When she returned and sat down opposite him, she watched him with a scrutinizing look for a few seconds.
'
How are you getting along with Abe, haven't you had a tackle with him yet?' She asked him exchanging a smile with her husband.'

'There were some trivial misunderstanding, nothing much really,' Shatz answered as if he was excusing himself for not having expressed himself more drastically. He was still affected by his bad mood. 'But what shall I say, I'm doing my best and my apprenticeship in this part of the world is getting on fairly well...' He said laughing. 'That's what the head of the delegation himself says, and let's hope he won't change his mind... He added managing at last to cheer the Priels up.
'
Your academic title is your insurance policy.' Remarked Priel sneaking a look of expectation at his wife, waiting to her approval.
'Do you know that he was a holocaust refugee?' Hilla turned to Shatz ignoring her husband.
'Who Everon?'
'
Yes Everon, he was brought up as a Christian during the Second World War. His parents left him under the care of some Jesuits monastery in France, they themselves perished in some concentration camp.' She went on updating Shatz nonchalantly.

'Are you serious, it's incredible, I wouldn't have believed such a thing!' Shatz called out surprised.

'I don't know how his identity was revealed and who did find it, in any case he was brought to our country by the Jewish Agency; they settled him with some foster family I don't know exactly where and during the war of independence the Hagana sent him to France, to raise funds and buy arms...'

'That's why he's so fond of French culture and the French community over here; and that's explains his extravagant character.' Shatz remarked as if he was thinking aloud. 'I thought that he was born and brought up in Israel.'

'That's exactly what we thought at the beginning.' Priel noted turning once more to his wife, smiling to her. Hilla smiled back but didn't bother to add anything more. As far as she was concerned the issue was done with.

'Well, we'd better plan our departure tomorrow,' she turned to both of them, to her husband and Shatz. 'I want us to leave as soon as possible.'
'Sure thing, we shall leave early,' answered her husband. 'We'll see how things...'

'I don't want to hear anything of the kind!' She retorted raising her voice. 'I want us to leave this place at nine o'clock, do you understand? And if you'll start wasting the whole day on the few arrangement left, you'd better leave me and kids at the hotel's swimming pool, and you can come back to pick us up at night fall as far as I care!'
'But we're supposed to drive to Everon's villa...' Answered her Priel in alarm.

'I've no intention to stay there during the preparations, can't you disregard him just once and do as we please and what's good for us?'

'Alright, so nine o'clock is our fixed hour, fine...' Shatz hastened to put an end to her scoldings. 'Right now with your permission I'll leave a bit early today.' He declared with exaggerated politeness, as if he was their close acquaintance for years..'

'Where to, what's the rush?' Hilla wondered. 'I didn't mean to drive you away.'

'I've got to buy a few things, tennis balls, a racket and a new bathing suit.'
'Well, we won't keep you too long; I just want you to stay a few minutes longer.' Hilla noted with a short laugh. 'You do look tired you know. Moshe' pour him a double scotch, we won't let him leave exhausted as he seems to be, would we?'

'Oh come on... I'm not exhausted!' Shatz answered her utterly surprised.
'He isn't that pitiful,' Priel remarked laughing but got up and went over to the bar.

Shatz sneaked a glance at her face. She was watching him with that yearning look, reminding him last night when she yielded to him, when she was embraced in his arms.