For his part, Yonatan went on waiting in silence for some turning point, some change or omen to mark the beginning of a new era. Yet the days remained all rainily alike and Rimona too. Azariah had taken to dropping in on them practically every night, frequently sleeping on their living-room couch. Yonatan thought, so what? I’ll soon be gone. Besides, Rimona’s not exactly a woman, and he’s just a poor homeless guy. He plays the guitar and a little chess, even if he usually loses. He takes care of Tia now and then. He helps Rimona clean house every week and does the dishes. What the hell! As soon as winter is over and I’m my old self again, I can beat the crap out of him if I feel like it. In the meantime, let him be. As that poor jerk said in one of those Russian proverbs of his, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

At the Lifshitzes’ the music sometimes went on until late in the night. From outside came the groans of the wind and the muffled lowing of the cows. In the living room, the blue flame of the heater flickered cheerfully. Rimona sat curled up in her armchair, her feet tucked under her, her hands pulled up in the sleeves of her nightgown, as if pregnant with her own self. Yonatan smoked with eyes closed or else built and demolished match castles on the table. Azariah, at the far end of the couch, played to all hours and now and then sang along softly.

We might as well be in a forest, thought Yonatan. I promised her a child and I’ve found her one. Now I can go. Etan has those two girls Smadar and Brigitte in his room by the swimming pool and doesn’t give a damn what anybody says. Udi is going to bring an old Arab skeleton from Sheikh Dahr in the spring, wire it up to make a scarecrow, and tell whoever doesn’t like it to fuck off. And so if the three of us, being of sound mind and body, have decided to start our own little commune, it’s nobody’s business but ours. Where does it say we can’t? Let the rest of them talk themselves blue in the face. Let that voice from the past sneer all it wants at the joker who couldn’t hit a bull. For once our heart is true and to hell with the rest. I’ll be gone before long and whoever wants to file a complaint can look for me a hundred thousand miles away. To quote that jerk again, “The dogs keep barking all the night, the moon keeps quiet and shines bright.”