But it turned out I was wrong. I discovered this on the day of the big demonstration in support of those Africans. You probably heard about it, it was on every channel. While I was shouting into the camera that Israel is an apartheid state, the whole neighborhood showed up. Apparently they decided to take over the place and fight back. Once I realized this I tried to hide, but it was too late. Someone saw me and started yelling—Look, it’s Anita, and soon enough everyone was yelling traitor and leftist and enemy of Israel. And the funny thing is that the pro-Africans also started yelling at me because they thought I was a mole. People were pushing me out of the demonstration and I found myself standing smack in the middle between those for and those against, shaking. And the worst part is that I suddenly saw Meir standing in front of me. He didn’t say anything, only took a few steps closer and whispered in my ear, Say, are you with us or against us? And I instantly shouted as loud as I could, to make sure he heard me, I’m with you, I’m with You.

Meir grabbed my hand and pulled me out of there. Everyone kept shouting at us, but he told me I shouldn’t listen to anyone. We got on a bus, and Meir said he was inviting me to a restaurant uptown, that he felt like pampering me. I yelled that I couldn’t, since I didn’t even have nice clothes on, but Meir said there was no point arguing because he’d drag me there if he had to. He also said I didn’t need to shout anymore ’cause he could hear me perfectly fine now.

We got off on Ibn Gvirol Street and went into one of those really nice French restaurants, the kind I’d never been to before. He ordered for the both of us, appetizers and main courses and wine, said today we’d eat like kings. I yelled that he was the most romantic person I’d ever met, and he blushed. Then he asked me again to speak more quietly, ’cause it was a fancy restaurant and shouting isn’t very appropriate.