AMERICANISMS
Sorry about the long wait for this update, but life kind of took over. This chapter is a lot less heavy than the previous ones.
Ziva smacked a book against her desk and swore in Hebrew. Gibbs raised his eyebrows and looked up.
"Tony and McGee tell me that is not a good way to fix things."
She glared at him.
"What's wrong?"
She held up the book. "I am studying for my citizenship test. It is not going well. I mean, English is hard enough at the best of times but really, ' After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.' I do not understand."
"What do you not understand?"
"Would you like a list?"
He chuckled. "What parts?"
"Thereof," she replied after a moments hesitation. "What does 'the importation thereof' mean?"
"Of the thing previously mentioned, in this case the liquor," he explained, moving over to her desk to read over her shoulder.
"And that one," she asked pointing. "Rati...rata..."
"Ratification. It is the act of ratifying."
She glared up at him, "I do not know what 'ratifying' means either."
"To confirm by expressing consent, approval or formal sanction."
"Someones eaten the dictionay," she muttered.
"Swallowed," he corrected.
Ziva groaned and put her head in her hands. "You see! I cannot even get a simple expression correct!"
"Ziver, you speak nine languages. I think you can be forgiven for getting confused occasionally."
"But I am not becoming a citizen of Turkey or Russia or Spain Gibbs! I am becoming a citizen of America and I really want to be a citizen of America but I am going to fail this exam. I will never remember what all of this means!" She exclaimed, looking close to tears, and buried her head back in her palms.
"Ziva, what's the American idiom for something being hard to find?"
"Like looking for a needle in a haystack," she mumbled.
"Exactly, you got that wrong for months after you came here but now you have it right without thinking. And when you first came here you were an assasin with no idea of how to solve crimes and now you're a brilliant investigator."
"So?"
"So, that shows that you are intelligent Ziver, and you can learn anything you want if you set your mind to it. And really, if you can store the vocabulary and grammatical rules of nine languages in that brain of yours, you should have no problem storing a few details of the American constitusion in there."
"Do you really think so?"
"I really know so," he replied. "Like I said, you're a very clever girl."
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she smiled.
"But Ziver?"
"Yes?"
"If you ever do need any help, just ask."
She nodded and he went back to his desk with a smile on his face. It was quiet in the bullpen for a few minutes until Ziva looked up.
"Gibbs, what does levying mean?"
He studied her for a moment as she looked at him expectantly before he stood up grabbing his coat.
"Come on."
Ziva grabbed her things and hurried after him.
"But where are we going?"
Gibbs hit the down button on the elevator and smiled slightly.
"To buy you a dictionary."