The Promised Land (All My Love, Detrick Series) (All My Love Detrick Book 3)

by Roberta Kagan

  “You don’t want to?”

  “I do, I do want to . . .”

  “Then, will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” she said, turning over and kissing him, then laughing, “YES . . .”

  Chapter 91

  Frances Lichtenstein woke up to the ringing of the telephone. Her heartbeat increased to a rapid pace. Her daughter was in Israel. They had agreed that Janice would telephone once a week, on Sunday. If it was her, then something must be wrong.

  “Hello.”

  “Mom?”

  “Who is it? Is it Janice?” Mr. Lichtenstein asked, awakened by the phone.

  “Yes, Ron, it’s Janice,” Frances said to her husband. Then she spoke into the receiver. “Are you all right? Is everything ok?”

  “Yes, Mom, it’s better than okay. I’ve met someone. I am getting married. He’s an Israeli, and the most wonderful man I’ve ever met.”

  “What, Janice? Who is this man? You are far too young; you have to come home and go to college. You hardly know this boy, you haven’t even been in Israel for a year and you’re going to marry someone you just met? You promised if we would let you go for a couple of years, you would come home and go to college. Now this?”

  “I can’t leave him. I love him. I am going to stay here and live in Israel.”

  “This is ridiculous. You can’t do this. You’ve only been gone a few months. You hardly know this boy,” Frances said. “Please Janice, don’t do anything crazy.”

  “What’s going on?” Ronald asked.

  “She met some boy in Israel. Now she wants to marry him, and to stay there.”

  “Give me the phone,” Janice’s father said.

  “Here, you talk to her. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Janice, it’s your father.”

  “Hi, Daddy.”

  “Your mother told me you want to get married and stay in Israel?”

  “Yes, I do. I am going to get married and stay in Israel.”

  “Who is this boy? What does he do? Is he in college?”

  “His name is Elan, he is an Israeli, he owns a fruit-stand in the market, and he's a little older so no, he’s not in college.”

  “A fruit stand? Come on Janice.” Her father’s voice was raised. “And . . . older, how much older?”

  “About ten years.”

  “Listen to me. You come home and then you spend a year apart from him. You go to college and then in a year, if you still feel the same way, I’ll make you a beautiful wedding,” her father said.

  “I’m sorry, Dad, I know you mean well. But I’ve made up my mind. I am going to marry him. Now, the only decision is whether we get married here in Israel and have a small ceremony or whether we come to Chicago and have a wedding.”

  “Janice!” her father yelled.

  “You and mom can decide.”

  Chapter 92

  Once her parents agreed to the marriage, Janice went home to put things together for the wedding. She would need a gown, something that did not require much alteration, which was difficult because she was short. However, her figure was slim and, therefore, the only necessary alterations were the length. Then, there was a problem with the rabbi. Rabbi Shultz, who she had known her entire life, was booked every weekend for the next six months. This substantiated her mother’s argument, that she needed more time to plan a wedding. But Janice took control. She found another rabbi to officiate the ceremony, and although the hotel where the wedding would take place was not her first choice, it was available for a Saturday night and so Janice booked it. The florist Janice chose was a little known flower shop that was eager to please. So, with a lot of effort, and Janice’s strong will, the entire event was put together and would take place in three months. Barbara, Janice’s sister, tried to convince Janice to change her mind, to give herself more time. Barbara felt that Janice was rushing things, but it was no use. Janice had made up her mind.

  While she was in Chicago, busy with the wedding plans, Janice called Elan every evening, charging the calls to her parents. Elan protested, because of the cost. But she insisted that her father would not mind and that money had never been an issue. So, Elan gave in, and quite frankly, he was glad to hear her voice. He missed her. He missed their evenings together. Janice was wonderful company. Elan enjoyed having someone to share meals with other than his mother. He relished the time they spent making love, teasing, and laughing. He missed their afternoons at the beach, and her witty jokes. She was well-read and kept him abreast of world events with interesting insight and lively conversation. Yes, he missed her very much.

  Once the wedding was planned and the date set, Elan and his family made plans to travel to Chicago. Elan closed his fruit stand for two weeks. Then he, his mother, his brother, his brother’s wife, and his niece, all flew to Chicago for the wedding. Although Janice’s parents were upset that she was moving to Israel, they knew their daughter. Janice was stubborn. She had made a decision, and she would not be swayed. So, rather than lose their daughter entirely, their only alternative was to welcome her husband and accept their new family of in-laws.

  Elan and his family were excited about the trip to America. They arrived several days before the wedding. Between parties and dress fittings, Janice drove them around, showing them the Field Museum of Natural History and the Art Institute of Chicago. She took Brenda shopping at her favorite store, Marshall Field's while the boys stayed at home with Aviva.

  The wedding was scheduled for a Saturday evening. On that afternoon, Janice and Elan did not see each other. It was tradition that the bride and groom be separated until the moment the bride walked down the aisle in her dazzling white gown and veil.

  The chuppah was made of large cabbage roses in pink and white, and the bridesmaids wore pink dresses of the exact same shade of pink. A harpist played as each of the bridesmaids walked down the aisle. Elan’s brother, in a black tuxedo, accompanied Janice’s sister and then Janice’s best friend, Bonnie, was escorted by a close cousin.

  Next came Elan. He was handsome in the black tuxedo that fit his broad shoulders and slender waist.Then the music stopped. After a moment of silence the harpist began playing “Here Comes the Bride." Janice entered. She looked elegant in her white lace gown inlaid with pearls. Elan watched Janice approach. He smiled as she winked at him from beneath her veil. Yes, he’d made the right decision.

  Janice joined Elan under the chuppah, and then they turned to face the rabbi. As they took their vows, Janice’s mother wiped a tear from her eye. Then the rabbi handed the glass of wine to Janice. She took a sip of the wine and handed it to Elan. He finished the wine and then returned the glass to the rabbi, who wrapped it in a white napkin and placed it on the floor. Elan stomped on the glass, and the sound of the shattering filled the room. Then the entire crowd of guests yelled “Mazel Tov.”

  In honor of their Israeli guests, Janice’s parents served all Israeli foods during the cocktail hour. The bar was open all night, and only the best liquor was served. Then the dinner was served. Plates overflowing with food were carried to the tables by white-gloved waiters. The band played and the couple had their first dance as man and wife. Then, after dinner, there was a long, extensive sweet table with an ice sculpture and every imaginable dessert.

  Elan and his family had never seen such opulence.

  On a lovely spring evening, Janice Lichtenstein became Janice Amsel.

  The Amsel’s stayed in Chicago for a week. Janice took her new family sightseeing. They went to the Museum of Science and Industry, where they saw a futuristic telephone. The phone had a screen attached to it, and the parties who were talking could see each other on that screen as they talked. Amazing! It was mind-boggling to think about what wonderful inventions the future could hold. They took an elevator down through an actual coal mine. Then they left the museum and had lunch at a kosher deli on State Street, with sandwiches so thick that none of them could finish.

  America, the land of plenty.

  Chapter 93 />
  The newlyweds moved into the house where Elan lived with his mother.

  There was some tension between Janice and her mother-in-law. Both were strong-willed women, secretly competing for dominance of the home. Elan was at work during the day, and that was when the competition was in full swing. But, because she was afraid that her son and his wife would move out, at night his mother made an effort to be as well-behaved as possible.

  Elan found that his wife was a wonderful help with his business. She had a good mind, and she was a wonderful artist who painted signs that attracted customers. She didn’t mind hard work, and many days she came to help him at the market. They shared the same sense of humor and, as time went by, Janice grew to be more and more beautiful in Elan’s eyes.

  And so a year passed.

  One night, as they lay in bed, she turned to him, “I have a special surprise for you.”

  “Oh?” He put his arm around her.

  “I got tickets to see Menachem Zilberman in Tel Aviv. He’s coming next month. I got us a hotel room. Why don’t you take off for a couple of days, we can make a little get away of it?”

  “I hate to leave the business . . .”

  “ELAN!” she said, disappointed.

  He laughed. “Of course, I’ll take off. You silly girl. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

  She laughed and reached up to kiss him. He turned her over and began kissing her neck.

  “I love you so much,” she whispered.

  “I know you do, and I love you, too.”

  Chapter 94

  On the way to the comedy show Janice turned to Elan, “Honey, please, pull over. I’m sick to my stomach.”

  He looked at her, his eyes filled with concern. Then he swerved the car to the side of the road. She got out and vomited.

  “You’re sick. Let’s go home,” he said.

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Janice. You just threw up. You’re sick. I insist that we go back to the hotel.”

  “No, we’ve been looking forward to this evening for a month. I want to go.”

  “I don’t care how long we’ve been looking forward to it. You’re more important to me than a show. Now, let’s go back home, so that you can lie down,” he said.

  “I feel better.”

  “I’m worried. Maybe it was food poisoning from the restaurant where we had dinner.”

  “Elan”

  “Yes?”

  “I was going to wait to tell you. I wanted to surprise you after the show tonight. But I guess I’ll tell you now.” She smiled at him and rubbed her belly. “I’m not sick . . . I’m pregnant.”

  “Janice! Oh MY GOD! I am going to be a father!” He reached across the seat and took her into his arms. “How long have you known?”

  “Only a few weeks. I wanted to wait until tonight to tell you.”

  “OH, JANICE.”

  “You’re happy?”

  “Elated, I am on top of the world.” He laughed and kissed her.

  She laughed. “I am happy, too. We’ll have to think of names.”

  “I’d like to use my father's name. I thought Aryeh would have named their daughter for him, but before my father had passed away, Aryeh had already promised Brenda to name the child for her mother, who died a year earlier. So, I would be so grateful to you if you would agree to name the baby for my father. His name was Gidon.”

  “Then if it’s a boy, the baby’s name will be Gidon.”

  “You would do that for me?” Elan asked.

  “Yes, of course. I love you,” she said.

  “And if it’s a girl?”

  “I don’t know, we’ll have to figure it out,” she said. “What is the female form of Gidon?”

  “It doesn’t need to be the same name, only the first letter.”

  “So her name will begin with a G?”

  “If it’s all right with you?”

  “Of course it is. Do you like the name Gabby?”

  “An American name? Yes, I like it very much,” he said. “We’ll have to give her a Hebrew name, too.”

  She reached over and squeezed his hand. “We’ll figure it out together.”

  “Well, since it is June, the baby should come in February.”

  “Yes, the doctor gave me a due date of February 15th.”

  “February 15th," he said, and smiled.

  The theater was filled with people. There were lines to get inside, and then more lines to the seats.

  Once they were inside, Janice turned to Elan.

  “Elan, I have to go to the bathroom,” Janice said.

  “Are you sick again?”

  “A little. I guess it’s to be expected.” She smiled.

  “All right. I don’t want to get separated with all these people, so I’ll wait right here outside of the bathroom until you come out. Then when you come out, we’ll go and find our seats together.”

  “All right. I’ll be right back.”

  She turned and walked through the door with the sign above it that said Women.

  Elan waited just outside the bathroom door. It seemed to be taking a long time. He watched the door open and close, women coming out and more going in. The lines into the theater were growing. He was worried about Janice; perhaps she was really ill.

  Then the bathroom door opened. Elan saw a flash of honey-colored curls dripping down slender bare shoulders, eyes as blue as the Mediterranean Sea. The blond woman turned and her eyes locked with his. Those eyes, those celestial blue eyes, they brought back memories of making love, of looking down and getting lost in their depth, as they shined back up at him like stars, leading his way through the darkness. Those eyes had never stopped haunting him.

  “Katja?” Elan said, his mouth was suddenly dry.

  “Elan?” her voice cracked. They had not seen each other since the break-up.

  He stood staring at her, stunned; he could not move. He wanted to speak, but no sound would come out of his mouth. Katja. She was more beautiful than he remembered. He had to say something, anything, before the moment passed and she was gone forever. Just as Elan was about to speak, Janice walked out of the bathroom. Janice took Elan’s arm, “I’m sorry it took so long, there was a heck of a line in there. Let’s hurry. The show is about to start,” Janice said.

  Elan nodded as Janice led him away. As they were walking towards the auditorium, Elan could not help himself, he had to turn back, he had to see her again, even if only for a second. Their eyes met. Katja, he thought . . . Katja.

  Katja entered the stairway to the expensive box seats she shared with her husband, Mendel. Her muscles felt tense as she sat down beside him. He took her hand in his own, and kissed it gently. The four-carat emerald cut diamond caught the light and sparkled in a rainbow on the wall. She turned to him, smiled, and thought “Mendel, God bless Mendel.”

  On the other side of the auditorium at the entrance to the balcony, Janice handed the tickets to the usher. “You’re up in row R, straight up the stairs, and then to the left,” the usher said.

  “Come on, Elan; why are you in a daze? I want to get to our seats before the lights are dimmed.”

  Elan nodded, forcing his head to turn back to his wife. Then he followed Janice up the stairs of the theater to their seats, right on the aisle. Janice slid into her chair. Elan sat down beside her.

  “This is going to be fun. I just love Zilberman. I listen to him on the radio all the time.” Janice reached over and patted Elan’s hand. “What a perfect night this is, isn’t it?” she said.

  Elan felt his breath catch in his throat, a bead of sweat trickled down his cheek.

  Before Elan had a chance to respond, the lights in the auditorium flickered twice, and then the room went dark. Zilberman took the stage. The crowd roared with applause and the show began.

  Chapter 95

  On the following day, which was June 5th, 1967, Israel surprised her Arab neighbors who had been threatening to attack her. Instead of waiting for their assault, Israel took t
he reins. She turned around and seized the Gaza Strip. And so, the Six-Day War began . . .

  Coming soon: To Be An Israeli

  Epilogue

  On May 23, 1960, the Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, made an important announcement to the world . . .

  With the assistance of Simon Weisenthal, Mossad had found Adolf Eichmann. They had kidnapped Eichmann and brought him to Israel, where he would stand trial.

  The world watched as Eichmann’s crimes were revealed. Eichmann took the stand in his own behalf, pleading for forgiveness. However, at the end of the trial on a Friday at 9:00 a.m., Adolf Eichmann was convicted and sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. Then, on May 31st, 1962, a noose was placed around his neck and Adolf Eichmann was executed by hanging.

  Mengele, the Angel of Death, was never caught. Right after the war, he had several close calls; he was even imprisoned and escaped. Later, when he was hunted by the Avengers, whenever Mossad came close to capturing him, he disappeared. In 1979, he was living in Brazil. One morning, he went out for a swim and drowned. It is speculated that he had a stroke. But, there is no definitive evidence. Perhaps a Mossad agent finally caught up with him.

  Please visit www.RobertaKagan.com for news and upcoming releases by Roberta Kagan. Join the email list, and have a free short story emailed to you!

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  “I always enjoy hearing from my readers. Your feelings about my work are very important to me. Please contact me via Facebook or at www.RobertaKagan.com. All emails are answered personally, and I would love to hear from you.”

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  Acknowledgements

  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

  First, I’d like to thank Ellen Sunshine, my editor. She took my messy manuscript and worked on it tirelessly, even through the holiday season, and now it is a novel that I am proud to have written. Ellen’s meticulous attention to all of the details, not only the grammatical errors, which were plentiful, but also the historical details and the consistency made this novel a credible work. She has been my special angel on this project and I cannot thank her enough.