A Diamond in the Rough

by Marilyn Land

  Everything was in order and Jake realized that if not for the chest of diamonds, a trip to Cape Town would have been unnecessary. “You have carried out all of my uncle’s final wishes, and I thank you. I didn’t really know my uncles having met them only once as a boy when they visited London before their brother’s family, my family, was killed in an air raid.

  “Since I am the last surviving Lyons, I came to Cape Town in an effort to learn about the uncles I never knew solely for my peace of mind. In a letter Benjamin left me, he indicated that his good friend Franz Schiller had predeceased him not too long after Sidney died. Is there anyone else here that he was close to you can suggest I speak with?”

  “Yes, of course there is.”

  Jake left with directions to the synagogue; a good place to start.

  He met with the Rabbi and learned that Benjamin was a lot like his father. His trade was important to him, and he took great pride in his accomplishments. He was full of love and would do anything to help someone. His sole regret in life was that he never married and had a family. When Jake stood up to leave, the Rabbi beckoned him to follow.

  They walked out of his office down a hallway and took the stairs to the classrooms below. He stopped before a door where Jake could see that a class was in session. “Please wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  The Rabbi returned with the woman teaching the class. “Jake Lyons, let me introduce Jamilia Botu; she teaches English to Jewish immigrant children here at the synagogue. She was a good friend to both your uncles.”

  It was a surprise Jamilia never anticipated. Finding herself face-to-face with the nephew Ben Lyons hoped to join in England was unnerving, but she quickly regained her composure. “I’m am so pleased to meet you. Ben and Sidney spoke of you often throughout the years, especially when they returned from their trip to London.”

  “Likewise, I am pleased to meet you. I wonder if we could perhaps have a chat when you are not teaching. Would this evening be convenient?”

  Jamilia hesitated. Was he seeking information about the diamonds? Was he looking to claim ownership of the cottage? No, not if he was Ben’s nephew. He most likely just wanted to get to know his uncles, and she would like to get to know him too; after all it was she that had made the decision to bequeath the diamonds to him.

  “Where are you staying?”

  “I’m at the Metropole Hotel on Long Street. Why do you ask?”

  “My classes end at 4:00 p.m. Meet me here, and we can have our chat.”

  “Thank you so much. I will be back at 4:00 p.m.”

  Jake stopped in to thank the Rabbi before he left. He decided to walk through the town and up and down the side streets. He found himself in front of Zeller Jewelers; a sign in the window noted Under New Management. There were many colorful shops selling books, clothing, giftware, and more. He came to a small Café and stopped for a bite to eat—the very one that Benjamin had frequented for breakfast his early days in Cape Town.

  Promptly at 4:00 p.m., he arrived at the synagogue. As he started down the stairs, she was coming up to meet him. “I’m sorry, I should have told you to wait for me in the lobby.”

  “No apology necessary. Are we meeting here?”

  Jamilia smiled. Jake noted she was quite beautiful; he hadn’t realized she was so young. “My first thought was to meet here, but they lock up by 5:00 p.m. and not knowing how long we would be, I thought you might like to come to my cottage; it’s close by.”

  Jake thought of Benjamin’s Will; could this be his uncle’s cottage? “That will be fine, but I certainly don’t want to inconvenience you.”

  “No inconvenience at all. It’s home.”

  He stayed longer than he anticipated. Jamilia was pure delight. They made plans to meet again.

  In the following days he learned more about his uncles than he could have imagined. Her story began with Franz Schiller coming to her aid after her husband’s sudden demise that left her with a small son to care for. Franz befriending Ben when he came to work for Zeller Jewelers at the Annex, and Sidney’s arrival in Cape Town to work alongside Ben were the good times.

  The War years taking its toll when they learned their brother and his family were killed, worrying about their nephew, Sidney’s sudden death, followed by Franz’ passing, and Ben’s illness contributed to the downward spiral. With Ben’s ultimate death, the journey came to an abrupt and final end.

  On days when she had no classes, she ushered him around the town and took him down to the Annex that was also under new management. They couldn’t gain access, but he learned where his uncles had spent their days cutting and polishing the roughs into beautiful diamonds.

  She told him how she had cared for Sidney while he recuperated from his heart attack, and how she had readied the cottage for Ben’s homecoming that wasn’t meant to be. She also cooked him a meal or two noting they were his uncles’ favorites.

  She bragged about her son Afram attending the South African Native College where he would soon be graduating with degrees in both Political Science and Economics, giving all the credit to Franz and Ben for helping him.

  When it was time for him to leave, although he had learned all about the uncles he never knew, he had learned nothing about the diamonds. What he had gleaned from his conversations with Jamilia was that her friendship with Franz had led to her friendship with his uncles. His uncles were associated with diamonds, not Franz. Therefore, he simply saw no connection between Jamilia and the chest of diamonds, completely forgetting about the cloth pouch and its contents.

  Jamilia was sad to see Jake leave. With Afram away at school, she was lonely, and although hesitant at first, she welcomed the days she spent with him. She was the only person who could relate what she told him about his uncles, and she was glad she had the opportunity to do so. She answered all his questions honestly; he had not mentioned the diamonds nor had she.

  She liked Jake Lyons; he seemed a fine young man both genuine and sincere, and she wished him the very best. She told him there was no better way to honor those he had lost than to get married, have a family, and live a good life.

  When Afram came home, she would tell him of Jake’s visit, making a mental note to affirm her decision to send the cache of diamonds to him. She had no doubt whatsoever that Jake Lyons would see that the diamonds ended up with whom they belong.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Zoe was the light of Lexi’s life, her reason for living. Her studies were going well, and she loved working with the children at the hospital, but as month after month passed by with no word from or about Jake, she grew despondent. The news that Ivan had been killed in the final days of war in the Pacific only added to her already fragile state of mind. She cried for days unable to imagine that the cousin she had been closest to was gone. It was hard for her to believe, eleven years had passed since Ivan had introduced her to Jake at his party.

  For many survivors of WWII, the Zionist dream of a Jewish homeland was their anchor of hope; a place to rebuild their lives and gain material security and safety. When Manny was invited by a fellow physician at the hospital to attend a Zionist meeting, he had no idea that the speaker’s message would change the course of his life. Fighting for their cause soon overtook him. By March, only one year after accepting the position as Head of the Pediatric Department at the Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus, he stunned everyone by resigning.

  Though he was not a survivor of the Holocaust, his sympathy for his fellow Jews who had suffered under the Nazis led him to become a member of the Irgun, a Zionist paramilitary organization. Viewed as a terrorist organization, its tactics appealed to a certain segment of the Jewish community that any action taken for the cause of the creation of a Jewish State was justified, including terrorism.

  Lexi was horrified; she no longer recognized her father. The gentle compassionate yet strong man that for her entire life had been the backbone of
their family no longer existed.

  Her Pops had vanished into thin air.

  To Lexi, Eva was a godsend; she spent more and more time with them as Manny spent less. In her father’s absence, Eva often spent the night, not wanting to leave Lexi and Zoe alone.

  The King David Hotel bombing was a terrorist attack carried out on Monday 22 July 1946 by the Irgun on the British Administrative Headquarters for Palestine, which was housed in the southern wing of the hotel—91 people of various nationalities were killed and 46 were injured.

  Disguised as Arabs, the Irgun planted a bomb in the basement of the main building of the hotel. The huge explosion caused the collapse of the western half of the southern wing, and was the deadliest attack directed at the British during the Mandate era.

  Lexi began having thoughts of leaving Palestine and returning to England. She had left a war-torn London only to find herself in the middle of another war, a war that was closer and deadlier, and she was now responsible for Zoe. Who could she turn to for help? Her brothers had no idea what was happening in Palestine; if they did, they had never voiced their concern.

  Returning to England would take a great deal of planning. Leaving her father and Palestine would be no easy task, and she found the thought of traveling alone with Zoe on a ship for days daunting at best. She had only her brothers to rely on for help to get settled in London. Mark and Rosalie had welcomed a son in the spring, and Sam was in Residency. It seemed not a good time.

  In September, Zoe turned two. Lexi and Eva did their best to make it a happy occasion, but Manny was nowhere to be found as Zoe held up two little fingers and proclaimed as she danced about the room, “I’m Zoe Elise Lyons and I’m two years old.”

  The year came to an end quietly, but 1947 started off with a series of Irgun attacks that grew deadlier with each passing month. In January, the bombing of British Headquarters resulted in four fatalities; in March 17 British officers were killed during a raid; April saw four British policemen killed in a bank robbery; and the ensuing months saw the number of fatalities steadily rise. Only days before Zoe’s third birthday, 13 were killed and 53 wounded in an attack on a British police station.

  Throughout the year, Lexi continued her efforts to arrange passage back to London for her and Zoe. She had finished the courses she planned to take, and when she wasn’t working at the hospital, she was home with Zoe and Eva, who for all general purposes was living with them.

  Following the vote in the UN General Assembly in favor of the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan on 29 November 1947, the Jerusalem Riots occurred. The Arab Higher Committee declared a three-day strike and public protest against the vote; the riots began on 2 December 1947.

  Arabs marching to Zion Square were stopped by the British, causing them to turn instead towards the commercial center of the City at Mamilla and Jaffa Roads, burning buildings and shops. The violence continued for two days.

  January 1948 began with good news, which Lexi welcomed with a sigh of relief. She had secured passage on a supply ship similar to the ship she had arrived on. The only drawback being the ship’s arrival was not due in Haifa until March. It was scheduled to embark on its return trip three days later carrying not only Lexi and Zoe but also several additional passengers.

  She felt bad about leaving Eva who assured her that she would be fine just knowing they were safe and back home; it was the right decision. The time for them to return to England was long overdue. For better than a year, the situation in Jerusalem had been explosive, and with the conflict centered on Mount Scopus, they found themselves living in the middle of it.

  Lexi’s attempts to get word to her father went unanswered until the end of February when he suddenly showed up at the house. At first glance, his disheveled appearance was frightening to Zoe and she began to cry. His visit did not go well.

  “I’ve been trying to reach you for months. Have you gotten any of my messages? Where have you been? I’ve been so worried about you.”

  “I have received messages from you, it just wasn’t possible for me to leave what I was doing and come running home. I’m here now, but I can’t stay long.”

  Lexi was shocked; she had never heard her Pops speak to her this way. “I’ve tried reaching you to tell you that Zoe and I are returning to England. I no longer feel that we are safe here, and my priority as a mother is to protect my child. I don’t want her growing up in the hostile environment that has engulfed Jerusalem. I’m on edge constantly worrying about our wellbeing, and I can’t take anymore. It’s having an adverse effect on every aspect of our lives.

  “When I speak with Mark and Sam, I don’t know what to tell them when they ask for you. They haven’t heard from you in months; and can’t understand the lack of interest in your new grandson and what’s going on in their lives. You’ve abandoned all of us.”

  Manny slumped in his chair. The weight of the world seemed to be on his shoulders. Lexi’s words had cut to the truth. “I know I’ve let you down. I brought you here to protect you and Zoe, and then I deserted you. I’m sorry for that, so sorry. I know these are only words, but they are heartfelt.

  “I’m happy that you are returning home; this was never home to you, and I never meant it to be. I believed that when the War was over, you would return to Jake. Since there has been no word, we have to assume that he is gone.

  “I will stay with you until your ship sails. It will give us precious few days before we must say goodbye.”

  The end of March, Lexi and Zoe boarded the ship in Haifa. During the voyage, they kept to themselves with Lexi helping to pass the time by reading to Zoe and telling her about the new home they were sailing to in a place called London. She was taken aback when Zoe asked, “Is my Daddy in London? Is that where you lost him?”

  “He’s not in London now sweetheart. He used to live there just as I did. I guess you could say that is where I lost him because it’s where I saw him last. When you get a little older I’ll tell you more, and when I show you around the City, I’ll take you to all the same places where we used to go.”

  The child accepted her answer. “Okay Mama; maybe we’ll find him. Maybe we’ll find Daddy in London.”

  Her father had insisted on giving her a sizeable sum, and together with the money she had earned and saved, it would allow her to take the time she needed to find a place to live and secure a job.

  She had not notified her brothers she was coming; she didn’t want to upset their lives or be a burden to them. She planned to stay at the Savoy until she found a flat; then she would contact her brothers. She also planned to pay Marcus Hirsch a visit; it was time she learned of Jake’s fate. She had put off the inevitable far too long.

  On the ride to the hotel, Zoe gazed out the window in awe at the new sights. Her Mama had told her that their new home, London, would be very different from Jerusalem and so it was.

  She held Zoe’s hand as they walked into the Savoy. Suddenly, memories came flooding back; Zoe had been conceived in this very hotel; conceived in Love—Love that promised a million tomorrows. How young and naïve she had been.

  As Lexi and Zoe were checking into the Savoy, Jake was on his way to the Cotswolds. His long overdue trip to Cape Town was now in the past. Jamilia had thoroughly charmed him, and he was thankful for every morsel of information she had fed him. Her prophetic words to marry, have a family, and live a good life remained foremost in his thoughts.

  His journey failed to unlock the mystery of the diamonds, yet he viewed it as successful in other ways. At long last, he felt he knew his uncles; learning about family was always a good thing.

  He couldn’t predict how the many pieces would ultimately fall in place, but at least one clue had emerged. The appraisals were printed on Annex letterhead leading to the strong possibility that his uncles had cut and polished the stones. Nothing he learned indicated either Franz or Jamilia had any connection to them bringing him back to
Benjamin and Sidney which would explain why they were sent to him.

  He had done all he could for now. He had to return to work and get back on track moving his life forward.

  He would ring up Marcus in the morning and tell him he was home and that he would see him soon. If weather permitted, he planned to drop by the aerodrome, take a plane up, and check with Joe to see if there was any word on the delivery of the new aircraft.

  Once again, the diamonds were set aside.

  Lexi planned to spend the first few days in London taking Zoe on a tour of the City. She wanted to show her all the places her parents had taken her as a child, and introduce her to new foods that weren’t available in Palestine.

  But first, they were going shopping: they both needed clothes. Zoe seemed to grow overnight and clothes that fit her just weeks ago were now too small. Their first stop was a children’s boutique; after trying on almost every item in her size, they left with two large shopping bags. Shoes were next on their list; they purchased a pair of Mary Jane patent leather dress shoes and a practical pair of oxfords both to Zoe’s delight.

  They stopped into a café for a quick lunch before heading to Selfridge’s Department Store where Lexi picked up several outfits and necessities for herself.

  Loaded down with bags, Zoe talked and talked all the way back to the hotel.

  “Mama, can I put on my new clothes and shoes when we get back to our room? I like my shiny shoes best. If I get up close, I can see my face in my shoes. Did you know that?”

  Lexi felt better than she had in a long time. To her, this was what being a mother was all about. For the first time in Zoe’s three and a half years, she had spent a delightful day with her daughter—shopping, having lunch, stopping for ice cream, having fun, feeling safe—all basics of motherhood. Best of all was seeing Zoe so happy, and that made her happy too.