Chapter 14- Bombings and Bad News.
A/N: I know in the movie that it was Karen who Ari had to carry away, but for this story I wanted it to be Hadassah who loses it when the King David Hotel is bombed. It's another instance where she has to face one of the demons from the war.
A loud explosion filled the air, getting all of their attention. Ari looked in shock. It was the King David Hotel where he and Hadassah had met Karen and Kitty!
"It's the King David Hotel," Ari said in a hushed voice. The silent moment was broken by a loud scream of anguish. It took a second to realize that it was his normally, calm daughter screaming loudly. Ari looked at his daughter. Her knuckles were white from the grip she had on the railing in front of her and she looked frozen to the spot.
Kitty looked at Ari and Karen in concern and wrapped her arm around Hadassah's thin shoulders. "Hadassah, let go of the railing," Kitty ordered, trying to pry Hadassah's fingers from the railing. Kitty succeeded and hugged Hadassah as she cried uncontrollably.
Kitty shook her head at Ari in concern. Ari picked Hadassah up in his arm, nearly unhinged by her shuddering sobs. He felt her arms go around his neck and she buried her face in his shoulder as they went back to the mental hospital.
Ari sat down, putting Hadassah on the chair next to him. Hadassah still held onto him, crying into his chest. Kitty sat down on the other side of Hadassah and Karen stood in mute shock. "It's all right, Hadassah. It's all right," Ari whispered softly as he kissed the top of her head gently.
"It has to be more than the bombing that has her so terrified. Hadassah, what's wrong? You weren't like this a few days ago when you told us your prison history," Kitty said as Hadassah raised her face from Ari's chest, tears dripping down her cheeks, and sniffling. Ari handed her a handkerchief.
"It's been 7 years and I can still remember it as if it was yesterday. I was living in Rotterdam when the invasion of Holland happened; May 7th 1940. I was 7 years old then and thought my life was over. My grandfather was a Rabbi and he had preached about hell the Saturday before. I had thought that when the first bomb fell that that had to be what hell was. I heard so many people screaming; Mama and Aunt Shoshanna among them. I even heard my Uncle Micaiah say that this had to be like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that John the Revelator saw in the last book of the Bible," Hadassah said, her voice breaking at the memory.
Ari stroked her hair gently and gently kissed her salty-wet face. "Papa, please don't leave me. I can't lose you like Mama," Hadassah begged. Ari stroked her face and smiled at her.
"I'm right here, Kichel. It's going to be all right. I'm not leaving you," Ari said, looking into her tear-filled eyes.
"Mr. ben Canaan, who do you think bombed the hotel?" Karen asked, changing the subject.
"I have an idea, Karen. I think it was the Irgun, headed by my uncle, Akiva. He said he would continue to bomb places," Ari explained, twining his fingers in Hadassah's hair.
"Why would he do that, Ari?" Kitty asked.
"He told me he would, but I had hoped he would change his mind," Ari said.
"But why the King David Hotel, Ari? Isn't that a neutral ground since not only the British go there, but Arabs and your own people?" Kitty asked.
"It sounds as if the Irgun are vultures, Kitty. We had some of those during the war too. The Nazis would tell Jewish men that if they "helped" arrest us and select us for the death camps their families would be spared dying with the rest of us. I saw a man from the Jewish police once beat a little old Jewess senseless. I often wondered if he would beat his mama like that. My uncle was offered a job like that, but he said no. He said there was no honor in helping a person you despised to kill your own people," Hadassah said forlornly.
"You are right, Kichel, but I also think it is because the British have taken over a wing of the hotel and Akiva wants the British out of our country. To him the King David is a good target. I just hate that it brought the painful memories back, Hadassah. I could throttle Akiva for this," Ari said, smoothing her face gently.
Hadassah buried her face in Ari's chest and grabbed huge handfuls of his jacket. "You don't have to do that, Papa. If it wasn't Akiva it would have been someone else. I just wish I didn't have so many bad memories. I remember when the concentration camp I was in was liberated. The soldier carrying me out said that time would cure the bad memories. I could say one better. I think only God can do that. That soldier was mocking Yeshua anyways while carrying me to the Red Cross tent," Hadassah said as a man came in, a fearful look on his face. Judging from his dress he looked like a British soldier.
"All clear, ladies and gentlemen," he said crisply.
"Are you certain?" Hadassah asked, standing up.
"Yes. The smoke is still in the air, but if any of you need to get home and your homes are outside the city it would be a good idea if you left now," the soldier explained, saluting and doing an about-face. He left the hospital without another word.
"Well, that's that," Karen said as they went outside.
"I guess it is. Ari, will they capture Akiva?" Kitty asked.
"I guess they will look for him. Right now let's get you three home," Ari said, ending the subject.
The drive back to the Valley of Jezreel had taken hours. Before this afternoon's bombing it had taken less than an hour to get to Jerusalem from Gan Dafna or Barak's farm.
It was after dark when Karen and Kitty dropped Ari and Hadassah off at Barak's farm. Considering the checkpoints and the length of the trip, both Ari and Hadassah were completely worn out.
Ari had picked up his daughter and carried her into the house when his father opened the door. The bright light of the house blinded both of them momentarily. "Ari! We were so worried! Is Hadassah all right?" Sarah asked as Ari and Hadassah sat down on the couch.
"Yes. She's just tired, Mama," Ari said, rubbing Hadassah's thin back gently.
"And a little hungry, Grandmother," Hadasah said drowsily.
"I figured you would be. So you eat and then you sleep," Sarah said as Hadassah got to her feet wearily. Ari stood as well. He had to make sure Hadassah sat down before she fell down. Hadassah made her way slowly to the kitchen with Sarah.
"Unbelievable. She manages to walk while worn out," Ari said, shaking his head.
"Ari, do you know who bombed the hotel," Barak asked, concern in his eyes.
"Yes. It was Akiva. He told me he would on the night I returned from Cyprus. All I can think of know is Hadassah's reaction. She was so afraid and was screaming. I had to pick her up and carry her away from there," Ari said, looking toward the kitchen. He could hear his mother talking about food and begging Hadassah to take more.
"Please don't try to stuff me, Grandmother. My mother used to say it was bad to eat this late at night," Hadassah's thin voice complained in amusement. Ari smiled. His mother thought that food was the cure to all ills. Her granddaughter had to be an oddity since she wasn't the hardiest of eaters.
"My poor granddaughter. We do not even know half of the hell she's been through. She's very private from what I've seen. She's a lot like you were at that age, my boy," Barak said.
"I don't know if that's good or bad. I always said that I wanted her to never be afraid to tell me if she was hurt or scared. Today she told me the hotel bombing was like when the Nazis invaded Holland. I held her in my arms as she cried like a frightened child. She used to do that when thunderstorms happened when she was little. I told her all the stories you, Mama, and Akiva ever told me when I was little," Ari said with a reflective smile.
"Papa, I think a thunderstorm is different from a bombing or a death camp. I'd even say that it's different from my asthma attacks," Hadassah's voice startled them.
"The asthma does sound better than it did in Cyprus. You haven't been wheezing as hard as then," Ari said, stroking her face gently.
"I've had only one serious one since then, but that's it," Hadassah said wearily.
"Were you ever going to tell me?" Ari asked, amused.
"It passed quickly and I saw no point to say anything since I'm not dead yet," Hadassah said bluntly.
"That's a fair point, but I would rather you told me when something like that happens. Not saying anything is the same as lying and you know I did punish you when you lied to me 10 years ago," Ari said sternly.
"You did?" Hadassah asked skeptically.
"You don't remember? You were barely four and you lied to me. I had to spank you. It hurt me to do it since I hated that it made you cry, but your mother told me I had to punish you. Otherwise you'd never learn that lying to your papa was wrong," Ari said.
"Oh. I probably would have done the same thing if our roles were reversed. I was rarely ever spanked by Opa and Uncle Micaiah, but I think when they did they used a switch and Opa would use his hand. I don't know which hurts worse; the hand or the switch," Hadassah said ruefully.
"I used my hand. I would take you over my knee and hit you two or three times. Your mother told me never to do more than that and to hug you afterward to show you that I still loved you very much," Ari said.
"It must have worked since I wouldn't have hugged you onboard The Exodus if I thought you didn't love me," Hadassah said, burying her face in Ari's chest.
"You are all I have of your mother. I don't want to lose you like I did your mother. You understand why I get upset. I love you too much. If I didn't love you I wouldn't get upset," Ari said, pressing his lips into her hair.
Hadassah had gotten back into the habit of doing chores and waking up before anyone else in the house. She felt like the woman in Proverbs who would go to bed late and wake up while it was still dark. Two days later at 5 o'clock in the morning she had woken up and was busy cooking breakfast when someone knocked sharply on the door.
Hadassah walked to the door and peeked out the peephole. Yehudit and Joshua, a boy Hadassah remembered from The Exodus,was there. "Yehudit, Joshua, come in. Do you two want breakfast? I have plenty," Hadassah said, going over to the skillet on the stove and turning the scrambled eggs.
"No, thank you. Hadassah, Joseph ben Aaron has been arrested," Joshua said, getting to the point.
"What? Why?" Hadassah asked, shocked.
"He joined the Haganah after we got off the ship and 48 members of the Haganah have all been arrested since last night. They think the Haganah bombed the King David when it was really the Irgun," Joshua said.
"That's impossible! Joseph's a Christian. He's incapable of murder. It's not in his character," Hadassah said, feeling faint.
"The British don't care. If Joseph's convicted he'll be sent to Acre Prison with the members of the Irgun and the other Haganah members. The British plan to hang them all," Joshua said.
"I'll talk to my grandfather and Papa. Maybe they can do something for Joseph," Hadassah said as she absently stirred the scrambled eggs in the skillet.