Mikhail Rosen - Jewish happiness in Israel

© Mikhail Rosen, 2018

© SUPER Publishing, 2018

Olga stood in front of a large mirror. In the mirror reflected her tanned face, golden hair, thin waist and steep hips. Boris called Olga’s figure The «sexual guitar.» Olga met Boris in the army. They served together in the border police or abbreviated as «mahav.» In the «magav» only accepted volunteers. Olga enrolled there when she saw how tall and handsome the guys were there. Boris was not tall and handsome. The son of a large official, Boris became a soldier of the «magav», wishing to decorate his ordinary biography. However, Boris did not differ in bravery. The soldiers of his platoon did not want to be with Boris in the patrol in dangerous areas. They did not trust him. Olga knew this well, because the whole service was working at the headquarters of the border battalion. After the demobilization from the army two months passed. But Olga has not yet decided what she will do next.

Olga often remembered her mother recently. Five years have passed since the day of their sad separation. In the first year of her life in Israel, Olga received letters from her mother. The letters came rarely, but a year later they completely stopped. Olga sent letters, telegrams, parcels, but there was no answer. Olga understood what that meant. Before her eyes there was the same picture. The native Saratov. Old park. On the grass, men and women with blue swollen faces share a bottle of vodka. From this picture, Olga’s heart contracted.

Olga’s mother graduated from a trade college and worked as auditor in the city market. This post made her the center of attention of the natives of the Caucasian republics, who sold citrus and other «fruits» on the markets of the city. Saratov was big city and among many shortcomings suffered from a lack of citrus. Caucasian men supplied ordinary citizens with these fruits, born by the sun of the Caucasus. The merchants from Caucasus the dwellers Saratov called «Georgians». Didi was the dexterous Caucasian merchant. He liked Olga’s mother. But he was attracted not only by the beauty of the girl.

He deployed whole network of speculation on the Saratov market. Didi brought from the Caucasus a large number of shortage carce food, shoes and clothes, and with the help of Olga’s mother solded this wares on city market, without taxes and registrations. Speculation gave big profits, therefore Didi decidedi to enter into marriage with Olga’s mother. The marriage was false, but the authorities recognized it as an official one. Didi had another family.

Didi was fond of card games. He earned a lot of money on speculation, and he lost them in of the card games. As the result, he was arrested as of the speculation and went to jail. His «wife» was also brought to criminal liability, but she was pregnant and her not arrested.

Didi did not return to Saratov after his release from the prison. Olga never saw her real father. Didi was not the Georgian in fact. He was the Caucasian Jew by the surname of Galakhov. Olga found out about this at the age of 16, when she received the passport. In her passport was written, the nationality – She is Jew.

Olga’s childhood passed like hundreds of thousands of Soviet children, who had no fathers. Mother was sorry for her and was affectionate with her. Mother changed a lot when Olga began to grow up. Mother lost her job at the plant, during the «perestroika», and again returned to the market. She began to get drunk there. Drunken men began to appear in their one-room apartment. The drunken mother was went to bed with them. Sometimes there were disgusting scandals and fights.

When mother was sober, she cried, was knelt before her daughter, begged to forgiveness, but then it all began again.

Olga’s neighbors were the childless, Jewish family. When Olga was the child, the neighbors loved the girl. They invited Olga to her room, treated them with sweets, gave toys.

In one apartment with his mother it became impossible to live. Olga often came to the neighbors. One night Olga’s mother got drunk to the point of unconsciousness. Her partner – a bald manclimbed to a 14-year-old girl in bed. Olga ran to her neighbors in horror. All night, the neighbors reassured the frightened girl. The morning head of the family Chaim said with a sigh: «You can not let the child perish! Still, the Jewish blood!» Soon he arranged Olga for a boarding school, which was organized by the Jewish Agency in Saratov.

The creak of the door was interrupted by heavy reflections. Olga was surprised. She saw Boris’s mother on the threshold. Her name was Zlata. Zlata’s view did not bode well. She was not at all like Zlata, whom Olga saw first, when Boris invited Olga to celebrate Rosh-ha-Shana (the Jewish New Year) in his family. Olga spent holiday holidays in a hotel for single soldiers. She gladly accepted Borka’s invitation. She really wanted to feel a little family warmth.The family of Boris accepted Olga with respect. Olga was sitting at the festive table between Boris and Zlata. After the holiday, Boris and Olga went to their military unit. At parting Zlata embraced Olga, kissed and said: «My sweet girl! Take care of Borya! He’s like your own now! I like you as a mother!»

Unexpected visit of «mother» surprised Olga. She decided to remain silent and find out the reason for the visit. Olga continued to comb her hair. «How long will you show me your charms?» «I’m not a man with whom you immediately go to bed!» Zlata could not stand the silence. Tears welled up from Olga’s eyes. But she already expected such insults from Zlata and prepared for them.

– Zlata Abramovna! I have a gift for you, – said Olga calmly, – I’m pregnant with yours from Boris! Soon two months!

Zlata jumped up like a snake bitten, and cried:

– Did something hit you on the head?

But Zlata’s head hit. She blushed like a cancer, and sat down on an uncleared bed. Olga continued the offensive:

– I know that you think your Boris needs another wife! So be it! Your Boris is not a great treasure! I’ll live without it, just give me this apartment! You have many apartments and lots of money, but I have nowhere to live!

Olga took a meaningful pause, and continued:

– Mammy remember, if in two weeks this apartment is not mine, I will not go to an abortion! Your Borya will pay me the elements for a long, long time.

When Zlata came out of the apartment Olga shouted after her:

– Whatever Borya comes near me any more! – and burst into tears, pressing herself against the door.

Every morning the bus drove Olga to the factory, where she soldered parts for microprocessors.

Boring time was when she came home from work. In the beginning Olga was very pleased with her own apartment. She got this apartment from Boris’s parents. All her life she was deprived of her own housing, so Olga was very pleased to equip her «nest». Soon she was sick of it.

The only entertainment was visiting, at the end of Saturday, the famous disco «Aquarium». «Aquarium» was a unique disco and differed from similar discos with a luxurious dance hall and deft disc jockeys. Disco was located on the beach next to expensive high-rise hotels. «Aquarium» was the most popular place for wealthy tourists and «golden» Israeli youth. Girls, repatriates from the former USSR (in Israel they were called «olims from Rusia») were the center of attraction of this disco. The price of tickets in the «Aquarium» was available only to wealthy people. Young and attractive «olims» in the «Aquarium» was allowed free of charge.