Next Year in Israel

by Sarah Bridgeton

  “It feels different in Israel,” I said. “More special. It’s impossible not to notice all Hanukkah signs everywhere.”

  “Let’s go to the beach when Shira gets back,” Jordyn yelled from the bathroom. “It must be seventy-five outside.”

  Mia reached for her sleeping bag. “Ben said he and Jake might come down tomorrow.”

  “I thought this was a girls’ trip.” There was excitement in my voice. If Jake saw me in my bikini, he’d be sorry for picking me apart. Jordyn opened the closet. “What are you doing?” I asked.

  Jordyn held up a blue bikini. “Look at her clothes. She’s got two Gottex suits and an exquisite cocktail dress.”

  “Don’t go through her things,” I said. Shira’s clothes were organized by color; her shoes were lined up neatly on the floor.

  Jordyn touched the silky fabric of Shira’s black strapless dress. “This is my size. Someday, I’ll be a bestselling novelist with a closet full of designer clothes.”

  “Don’t forget the gorgeous boyfriend who worships you,” Mia said.

  My list was longer. I wanted to be working at a job I liked, and for sure, have the gorgeous boyfriend. Only our relationship would be equal. We’d know everything about each other, and never fight. We’d eventually get married—not right away, though, because Mom and Dad said they’d jumped into marriage without getting to know each other. “I’m hungry.”

  The fridge was bare except for milk and butter. I took out Choco, an individual plastic bag of chocolate milk that was the same size as a toddler’s juice box. There was nothing in America like the milk bags of Israel. I bit off a corner and drank through the tear like I had seen Avi do at his house.

  The door handle turned.

  Shira walked in and tossed her change purse next to the Menorah. “Forgot my list.” She picked up the mail stacked on the counter. “It was here. Maybe it’s on my bed.”

  Mia picked up a pillow. “I don’t see it.”

  Shira walked toward her closet. “It must be in my other purse. The one I used yesterday.”

  I hoped Jordyn would get out of the closet quickly.

  “Maybe it’s on the floor.” I looked at the carpet.

  “It has to be in my purse. I put it there yesterday.”

  I took a breath. Maybe Shira wouldn’t care that Jordyn was trying on her clothes. After all, she was on her way to the store to get us groceries.

  “What are you doing wearing my dress?” I heard Shira say. “I did not say you could try on my clothes.”

  It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. I walked closer. Jordyn’s shorts and tank top were on the floor. Jordyn unzipped the dress. “You have nice clothes.”

  How obnoxious. Jordyn needed to apologize, even if she didn’t mean it. I noticed that Jordyn had misplaced the bikini by a red tee shirt.

  Shira’s phone rang.

  Jordyn stepped out of the dress and dropped it on the floor.

  Shira watched Jordyn. Her phone rang again.

  Mia picked up the dress and put it on its hanger. “I’ll put it back in the proper place.”

  Shira stepped out and answered her phone in Hebrew.

  “Bitch.” Jordyn picked up her shorts. “What’s the big deal about looking at her clothes?”

  I glared at Jordyn.

  “Say you’re sorry, Jordyn,” Mia whispered.

  Jordyn snapped on her shorts.

  Shira kicked Jordyn’s sleeping bag to the front door. “Hold on.” She looked up for a second. “Avi’s friends are leaving.”

  I wasn’t sure what to do. We had nowhere to go.

  “You’re leaving,” Shira said again. “Bye-bye.”

  Jordyn picked up my sleeping bag and lugged it out along with hers, like she was doing me a favor. I clutched my backpack. “What are we gonna do now?”

  “Let’s go to the youth hostel,” Mia said. “I think it might be near the bus station.”

  Jordyn lit a cigarette, walking ahead of us. “I remember the way to the station.”

  I followed her, wanting to punch my sleeping bag. She had been rude to Avi’s cousin, and she acted as if nothing was wrong. Mia walked beside me calmly. “The hostel was our original plan,” she said in a low voice that Jordyn couldn’t hear. I walked next to Mia in silence, annoyed at her change in alliance.

  Grace had changed alliances, too. In the spring of tenth grade, Grace was my only friend left. Others had gone on to different cliques or moved away, and nobody at school wanted anything to do with me. Grace was the one person I could count on, until Emmy entered the picture and befriended Grace when they were assigned to a science project together. Sometimes Grace would still sit with me at lunch, but other times she’d be with Emmy, and I’d be alone.

  Mia stopped in front of the café next to the bus station. “I’ve got to use the bathroom.” She darted inside as two soldiers zipped by on a moped. Jordyn watched the traffic.

  “The hostel might be a few blocks from here, “ I said, wanting to settle the Where-do-we-sleep? question.

  “All the hostels are full,” said a foreign accent that wasn’t Israeli, British, or American.

  I turned around. Four blondes in string bikinis were smoking and drinking coffee from tiny porcelain cups.

  “We saw hotel vacancies,” one of the blondes said.

  “Where?” Jordyn asked, her tone wavering.

  “If we pitch in our traveler’s checks, we might be able to get a room,” I said. None of us had credit cards. The kfar packing list specifically stated not to bring them. “My dad will wire us money.” As much as I hated asking him, it was a valid emergency.

  “Don’t call him,” Jordyn said. “He’ll tell Leah. She’ll call my mom.”

  “I’ll ask him not to tell her.”

  One of the blondes let out a puff of smoke. “The vacancies were up the hill, past the shopping center.”

  “Thanks,” I said, feeling empowered. I would solve the crisis.

  Mia walked out, smiling. “New game plan. The waitress said sleeping on the beach is safe.”

  I hadn’t considered camping. Apparently it was safe, if the waitress recommended it. Still, it wasn’t something I wanted to do. I had quit Brownies after a wet sleepless night on the ground. That had been the camping trip from Hell, when a boatload of rain killed the fire and soaked our dinner.

  “Let’s go to a hotel,” I said. “I’ll call my dad if we need money.”

  “Why not sleep on the beach?” Mia shimmied her hips. “Save our shekels for food.”

  “Excuse me,” the nosy blonde interrupted. “We’re sleeping on the beach past the Hilton Hotel. You can sleep next to us.”

  “Are you from Sweden?” Mia asked.

  “Yes.”

  “The waitress said they’re okay,” Mia whispered.

  I shifted my weight nervously. The bed and bathroom would be primitive. No, they would be non-existent.

  “Please,” Mia begged. “It’ll be fun. We’ll go to a hotel tomorrow if you don’t like it.”

  I was stuck. Ending world hunger wouldn’t have bribed her to go to a hotel.

  “Yeah, you say hotel in the morning, and we’ll go,” Jordyn joined in.

  There’d be complications if I refused. Mia would be irritated, and who knew how Jordyn would react. Besides, sleeping outside couldn’t be that bad. We had sleeping bags. I shook my head from being outvoted. “I’ll try it for one night.”

  Mia jumped up and down. “Thanks, Rebecca.”

  Jordyn and I laughed.

  Later, we approached the Hilton and saw guests eating on the patio. A dolphin-shaped fountain spouted in the background. I peered through the mammoth sliding glass door into a banquet room. Clean dishes were wiped off and arranged on the end of a buffet. Cloth napkins were folded, and the silverware placed just so.

  A block away, we changed into our bathing suits at a grungy public restroom. The sand felt grainy under my feet, like it had at the Dead Sea.

  “Look, there’s a
red paisley shirt attached to a sleeping bag,” Mia said. “One of the blondes had a red paisley bandana in her hair. It’s their spot.”

  We set down our backpacks and spread out towels. Heads turned when Jordyn pranced to the edge of the pebble rocks in front of the water. She smiled at two guys playing paddle ball. “Water’s icy. Let’s get food.”

  “One of us should stay here with our backpacks,” I said.

  “The Swedes left their stuff alone,” Mia argued.

  There was no point in taking chances. “I’ll stay back. Get me a falafel and a Coke.” Lying on my stomach, I thought about Avi. Shira had probably called him with a report five minutes after the incident. Tova would not only tell Grandma, but she would probably call my parents too. Mom would yell at me for traveling unsupervised and associating with rude friends. She might even tell Leah to put a note on my record as a consequence. Dad would lecture me about lying to Leah, but he wouldn’t be upset about the incident at Shira’s. His friends frequently stayed at his house, eating his food and borrowing his stuff. Grandma, on the other hand, would never get over me disgracing our family.

  “Are you Rebecca?” asked a male voice with an American accent. It wasn’t Ben or Jake.

  “How do you know my name?” I asked suspiciously. Whoever he was, he was awfully friendly.

  “I met your friends at the falafel stand. Here’s your Coke.”

  “I’m not thirsty.” Since he seemed valid, I twisted my head around.

  His arm muscles were bulging out of his camouflage tee shirt. “My name’s Markshane.”

  I turned over on purpose.

  “Most white girls call me Mark.”

  “You can call me Becca.”

  “Does your boyfriend call you that?”

  “Don’t have one,” I said with a smile.

  “How do you like Hebrew U?”

  “I like it,” I answered in my best I-know-what-I’m-talking-about voice.

  “Jordyn says you’re going back in two weeks.”

  “Yes. Are you in the Army?” He had to be in the US Army. There wasn’t any trace of a Hebrew accent in his English.

  “Yeah, I’m at the Egyptian border.”

  I swallowed my Coke, wondering what to say that wouldn’t sound childish. “Who did you come to the beach with?”

  “My friend Todd. That’s him with your friends.” They were walking toward us. Short Todd had a wide nose, although he wasn’t that bad looking. He just looked like an elf next to Markshane.

  Jordyn lifted her eyebrows at me and sat down next to Markshane. “Here’s your food.”

  I took the pita from her. Tahini overflowed from the top.

  Markshane smiled at her. “Todd and I are going to get some drinks.”

  Jordyn waited until they were out of earshot. “Markshane’s hot. Did you see his body?”

  “I told Todd about Ben,” Mia said.

  Jordyn eyed me. “Todd’s your type.”

  Who was she to decide which one was for me? I chewed my falafel and tried to let her comment roll off my back. “I’m not interested in either one.”

  “Don’t screw up our college fib,” Jordyn said.

  She didn’t need to be snotty. I was wearing the bathing suit she picked out, and I hadn’t called my dad. I put on Mia’s cover-up and waved to the four blondes across the street. “I’m going for a walk.”

  By the water, I sat on the rocks. A boat carrying an empty parasail motored by. There wasn’t a soul swimming in the clear water. Back at our sleeping bags, the blondes passed out beer. Mia twisted off her beer top as though it were a soda cap. Jordyn threw Markshane a bottle, which he caught before it dropped into the sand.

  I pictured Dad’s getting-sober friends, smiling at me like they knew something I didn’t. Mia and Jordyn would tell me to chill out if I refused to drink, but if I nursed my bottle slowly, I could get away with one beer. Tiny waves crashed on the rocks by my toes, and I shivered in the cool breeze. Daylight was fading.

  “Take my jacket?” It was Markshane’s voice. “You look freezing.”

  It was a leather jacket, bomber style. I put it on, noticing it smelled like Polo aftershave. “Thanks. Where are you from?”

  “Las Vegas.”

  I wondered what to say next. I had never been to Las Vegas. Bringing up gambling would be a mistake. I didn’t bet or play fantasy football. He sat down next to me.

  “What kind of music do you like?” I finally asked.

  “Alternative rap.”

  How could I keep the conversation going? I wasn’t familiar with alternative music.

  “Jordyn likes alternative rap,” I lied. She had Taylor Swift in her iPod.

  “We aren’t talking about Jordyn. We’re talking about you.”

  I glanced over my shoulder. Mia, Jordyn, Todd, and the blondes were huddled around a bonfire. Jordyn had everybody’s attention, telling a story while Mia laughed.

  He handed me a bottle of Maccabee beer. “Want some?”

  I sipped it, ignoring the aftertaste.

  “What’s your major?” he asked.

  “Accounting.” I thought of Mom’s framed diploma from the University of Connecticut that was packed away in a cardboard box. “Thanks for your jacket.” I put the bottle in the sand.

  “It’s too big on you.” He fingered the sleeve and touched my wrist. My heart zigzagged. He leaned over, grazing my lips. I closed my eyes and kissed him back. I couldn’t resist. He had the best body I had ever seen. His hands traveled down my neck, inside his jacket. I touched his tongue with mine, wanting to be sexy. He eventually moved his hands underneath Mia’s cover-up, to my straps, and slowly pulled them down. “You’re beautiful.”

  It was his voice that got me. Deep. Sexy. Someone I didn’t know. “We should stop,” I mumbled. He led my hand to his zipper, and I unsnapped his pants, then hesitated. We’d never see each other again. He’d remember me as some girl on the beach, and I wanted to be more than that. I wanted to be with someone who knew I was Rebecca. He’d know I was an only child, and my favorite color was pink. We’d listen to music together and talk about our hopes and dreams.

  “What’s the problem?” he asked.

  I pulled my hand off. “I haven’t been honest. I have a boyfriend.”

  “Don’t tell him.”

  I pushed myself away.

  He bent forward. “You’re into it.”

  “Stop.” I adjusted my straps.

  “Fuck,” he said.

  I shouldn’t have gone along with the college lie.

  “You tease.”

  I threw his jacket at him and tripped on a seashell on the way back to Jordyn and Mia. At the bonfire, I flung off Mia’s cover-up and put on my jeans and a sweater.

  “Hey,” Mia smiled at me. “I was just telling them how much I like Jerusalem.”

  “We’re headed there tomorrow,” said the nosy blonde.

  I sat down next to Mia.

  Jordyn handed me a beer. “Where were you?”

  “In Neverland.” I held the bottle but didn’t drink.

  Markshane walked up to us. “Hey.”

  Jordyn shot me a dirty look. He should have waited longer before making his appearance. Jordyn would be livid if she knew I had kissed him.

  Markshane crouched down by Jordyn. “Becca says you like rap music.”

  She swallowed her beer. “What else did Becca say?”

  He gave her a toothy smile and whispered to her. She laughed loudly.

  I turned to Mia. “What did I miss?”

  “You look upset. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.” Jake was right. I was Mia’s fake sidekick. She didn’t know the real me. “When are Ben and Jake coming?”

  “I’m supposed to call Ben in the morning. I thought you were mad at Jake?”

  Todd smiled at us from across the bonfire. The nosy blonde spoke Swedish to her friends.

  I lowered my voice. “I’m not mad at him.”

  Mia crossed h
er legs Indian style. “I don’t get it. What is it about him?”

  Todd sauntered over.

  “He knows me,” I said.

  “He’s a player,” Mia said.

  Todd pushed a pile of sand in front of me. “What are you two talking about?”

  “The kfar,” I said. “My boyfriend’s there.”

  Mia scrunched her eyebrows at me.

  Jordyn kissed Markshane’s ear.

  The nosy blonde stood up. “Toilet break.”

  “I’ll go with you,” I said.

  ~ * * * ~

  The next day, I woke up covered in sand. I figured it would get into my hair, but I hadn’t expected it to get into my nose and ears. I had a throbbing pain in my back, because the sand had felt like a mushy mattress.

  “Wake up.” I nudged Mia’s arm, which was sprawled out of her sleeping bag. “The sun is shining, and I want to go to a hotel.” I had been up for two hours, waiting for Mia or Jordyn to move. I couldn’t stand it any longer. I wanted a hot shower and a real bed.

  “Five more minutes,” Mia peeped. “Wake up Jordyn first.”

  Jordyn was wrapped up in her sleeping bag like a mummy. “Jordyn.”

  “What time is it?” she mumbled. A ship signaled in the distance.

  “Seven. I couldn’t sleep last night. Let’s go to a hotel.”

  Jordyn peered at me through her eyelashes. “What’s the deal with Markshane?”

  Couldn’t we forget about him? She had given me the silent treatment after he and Todd had left. “Nothing.”

  “That’s not what he said.” She opened her eyes into a full stare. “He said you made a move on him.”

  I took a breath. “Whatever.”

  “It’s funny.” Jordyn fake-laughed. “That you thought he’d be into you?”

  “Yeah, kind of.” I kept my voice soft. She could have him. He wasn’t worth a fight.

  “So silly.” Jordyn pierced me another look.

  “Silly.” I rolled my eyes. She could believe whatever she wanted. I knew what had happened. He’d come down by the rocks because he saw me there.

  “I mean just ‘cause you look better than you used to. You’re still a skank.”