Back to today’s events. At ten o’clock I picked up Hava at the sewing shop and went with her to see Yolek. Rimona and Azariah were already there, he sitting at one end of the couch and she on the straw mat at his feet. In the dimly lighted room, framed by all his books, Yolek indeed looked the gray eminence, veiled as he was by clouds of cigarette smoke. Azariah was puffing away too. Had we interrupted a political argument? A discussion of Spinoza? Azariah’s guitar was lying at his left, between the couch and desk. Had he been intending to play? When he saw us, Yolek’s eyes shone with amusement.

“Well, you tsaddik, you, how are you enjoying yourself?”

“Enjoying?”

“Your new job. How is the secretary of the kibbutz feeling today? Is everything under control?”

“Srulik,” interrupted Hava, “has more brains and human charity in his little finger than you do in your whole world-famous head.”

“Na. What do you say to that? Now my own wife has fallen in love with him too. Ah, well. At least, thank God, he’s taken her off my back. I promise you that he’ll soon wish that he hadn’t. In my own humble opinion, though, it’s an excellent reason to propose a little toast. Rimon’ka, if it’s not too much to ask of you, you’ll find the bottle hiding down there, behind the Hebrew dictionary.”

“Don’t you dare!” Hava hissed at him. “Didn’t you hear what the doctor said?”

And Azariah had an aside of his own. “Stepan gave Alyosha his most precious stones. Alyosha got mad and broke Stepan’s bones.”

I had intended to maneuver Azariah into the other room to ask him to look for Yoni’s map box and bring it to the office, but just then the door opened and in walked the Prime Minister. He entered without his entourage, a bit sheepish-looking, if ponderous, his blue shirt sticking out of his trousers, his shoes spattered with mud. He gripped Hava by the shoulders and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Yolek offered him tea and, without waiting for an answer, told Rimona to bring him some. I was amazed to notice moisture, in fact an actual tear, in Yolek’s hard little eyes. He, of course, was quick to blame it on his allergy. Meanwhile, Hava had dashed off to the kitchen, where she took out a fancy white tablecloth and began preparing hot and cold drinks, fruit, and cake, making use of her best china. I couldn’t keep back a little smile.