Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 33 of a new online serial novel, If Anyone Is Listening, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week. Click here for previous chapters.
Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications.
“Moni has turned himself in.”
The message popped up in front of the CEO of Centrabank, Jean Preisler, a second after he took the first sip of his ice water.
He picked up the phone to call Roy, nearly choking on his drink. “You’re not serious!” he said. “Where is this information from!?”
Roy chuckled. “Don’t get too excited—he didn’t actually turn himself in. He just informed us of his exact location. He’s in Pennsylvania, in one of the remote villages where the Amish people live.”
“And is he really the brain behind the hack? So he’s also a genius, in addition to being so charismatic?”
“According to his message, yes.”
“That’s strange. The Amish people don’t even use computers. They’re anti-technology.”
“You’d be surprised—there are exceptions among them, too. In any case, as we speak, the FBI is very close to there, but he warned them that he is barricaded inside his cabin, and he’s armed, so they shouldn’t even try to storm the place. At this point, they’re only going to negotiate with him.”
“Sounds like he’s totally nuts.”
“Yes. Ideologically, it definitely makes sense that someone from the Amish should preach against luxuries and progression. On the other hand, Moni was never quite so radical. He spoke in a strong and persuasive manner, but he was reasonable.” Roy was quiet for a moment before adding, “Okay, for now, coordinate your position with the other CEOs. I don’t know what the FBI will be able to do with Moni at this point, but I really hope that very soon, the key will be in our hands.”
“Moni didn’t sound so crazy,” Preisler mumbled.
“You’ve heard him speak?”
“Once,” the CEO of Centrabank admitted. “My son liked hearing him here and there, but I only listened for the first time after his name was mentioned in connection with the computer hack. And let me tell you, I never thought for a second that he was Amish.”
“That’s the issue, that the FBI claims that the profile they built of Moni is totally different from the impression they’re getting now. The only thing that’s a bit similar to their profile is the age.”
“How old is he? Twenty-five, thirty?”
“Something like that. Moni from the recording sounds a bit older, maybe thirty-five. But first of all, there can always be mistakes in this type of thing, and it’s also possible that the recordings go through voice-editing to make the person sound older. In any case, no one will draw conclusions before he comes out of there, and they see who we’re talking about.”
“I assume it will be the end of his career.”
“Why? You know, a new speech was supposed to on the hotline yesterday, and for the first time in history, it didn’t happen. Those who are addicted to his speeches don’t know what to do with themselves! I think his public approval has only gone up since the allegations against him were publicized.”
“But the sane people are probably fuming at him,” Jean spat out.
“Not particularly. His sane admirers claim that it’s all allegations, and that it’s not even him. Let’s see what they say now, when he’s going to get arrested.”
“Either way, he won’t be able to broadcast any speeches from prison—that’s for sure.”
***
“Take him away from here,” Ruchi sobs, covering herself with a blanket all the way above her eyes. “I have no energy. Enough. I can’t take care of him.”
Yudi stands near Isamar’s cradle and stares at him in distress. “What should I do with him?” he asks helplessly. It is four in the morning. Ruchi’s parents are sleeping, and Isamar is wailing loudly. Who is crying louder? The baby or his mother? Yudi can’t decide. He’s afraid that instead of deciding, he’s also going to start crying now, and then they’ll be a trio. But that’s impossible, of course. He is a father, and fathers are not supposed to cry. Mothers are allowed to, more so than fathers.
“I don’t know what to do,” he says with a sigh, carefully picking up the baby and settling with him into the rocking chair. Isamar calms down for a few seconds, before starting to wail again.
“First of all, be careful with his crooked leg—we don’t want it to get worse! And I think…” Ruchi rubs her forehead and thinks. “Maybe make him a bottle of formula.”
“He’s hungry?”
“I don’t know, but make the bottle anyway.”
“And you’ll feed him, okay?”
“I can’t. I’m too tired. The lady who stole my jewelry said I’m not going to be able to take care of him, and she was right.”
“But she’s a criminal!” Yudi argues back. Suddenly he has an idea. “The lady is a liar and a phony! She told you that she’s from…that office that watches over kids, but she didn’t belong to them at all! So why do you believe the other things she said?!”
“I don’t believe her!” Ruchi cries. Her voice is rising from one minute to the next, and Yudi doesn’t know if he should be happy or sad. He’s sad that she’s crying, but if her parents wake up from the noise and come…well, that might be good. “I don’t believe her! It’s just that I know this myself!”
“And before she came, you didn’t know?”
“What didn’t I know?” She is tired and weak and confused. But so is he. And he wants to sleep, but Isamar is crying. Oh, he needs to make him a bottle.
“What didn’t you know?” he repeats the question as he stands up. “That you can’t take care of Isamar.”
“You see? You are also saying that!” Her voice rises again.
“I didn’t say it—you said it, and I was just asking you about it.” He puts the crying baby back in the cradle and takes the empty bottle from the changing table.
“You’re just trying to confuse me now.” She’s virtually screaming at this point.
Footsteps sound in the hallway. Yudi hurries out with the bottle, but he stops near the door of the room. Is Ruchi going to tell her parents now that he said she can’t take of Isamar?
His father-in-law approaches, wrapped in his bathrobe.
“You should just know that I never said such a thing,” Yudi says hastily. “Ruchi didn’t understand me right. It’s… I repeated what she said and asked her if she…” He gets confused for a moment. “…if she didn’t know that before. Something like that.”
“Everything is fine, Yudi. We know she’s in a very agitated state right now. You’re not to blame for anything,” Ruchi’s father says tiredly, bypassing him as he walks into the room. Yudi discerns his shvigger’s shadow following her husband, and he hurries toward the coffee station, where’s there’s a can of formula, further down the hallway.
Lukewarm water, four ounces, two scoops of Similac. Close it tight, shake, that’s it. Should he go back to the room now or not? Will he know what to answer if Ruchi starts shouting again, this time in front of her parents?
Well, Isamar needs his bottle, so…
He walks quietly to the room. Ruchi is crying and shouting incoherent fragments of words. Her mother is sitting next to her, and her father is standing in front. Yudi enters silently, puts the full bottle down on the glider near the door, and then sidles out again, to the flight of stairs that leads to the first floor.
“Take him from here, take him away!” he hears Ruchi wailing loudly.
Who’s the “him”? Isamar? Or maybe himself too?
Exhausted, Yudi sits down on the top step and leans his head against the wall to his left. He hears voices behind him. Talking, sounds of cups and metal spoons clinking, Ruchi’s mother’s soothing tone, and her father’s stronger voice. He doesn’t hear Ruchi anymore…
“Yudi?” His eyes pop open, and he shudders in alarm. His father-in-law is standing over him. “You fell asleep here, right on the step.”
“Oh…” He doesn’t stand up. “I think I should just stay here right now. I don’t have the energy to go back to the bedroom.” He sees a slightly panicked look flash through his father-in-law’s eyes, and he quickly adds, “It’s not that I’m insulted or angry, it’s just…I’m so tired that I can’t even stand up.”
Unbelievably, his father-in-law sits down next to him on the step. “You don’t need to be scared, Yudi. It’s a bit of a hard time for Ruchi right now, but b’ezras Hashem you’ll see that it will all pass.”
“If only we could bring Moni here!” Tears begin to flow from Yudi’s eyes, rolling down his face. “Let him give her a chizuk speech. I think that he’s the only one she’ll listen to, at this point.”
“How can we bring Moni here? No one knows who he is.”
“We can ask people to look for him.” He leans his head on the wall again and closes his eyes. “Okay, I’m going to rest here till I have the energy to stand up and go back to my room.”
“Are you sure?” Ruchi’s father stands up and descends two stairs before turning around to him again. “Should I bring you a blanket?”
“No thanks.” He doesn’t even open his eyes. “I’m not cold.”
A few moments later, Ruchi’s mother also passes by him on her way down to the first floor. She’s carrying the baby. Walking into the large living room, she sighs deeply, and then grabs her back with a grimace as she lays Isamar down on the end of the couch, putting two chairs in front of him as a barrier. The baby is sleeping calmly now, ignoring his exhausted grandparents, who are standing and gazing at him.
Mr. Katz speaks first. “We have to do something,” he says, not looking at the stairs. “Look at Yudi. He can’t continue this way; I’m afraid that soon he’ll also fall apart. How will we be able to look his parents in the eye?”
Ruchi’s mother doesn’t raise her gaze. “His parents are not the primary concern here. And I’m too tired to think about them right now. At the moment, we need to think only about Ruchi and Yudi—that’s it.”
“Tomorrow we’ll go to the psychiatrist—that’s first of all.”
“She won’t cooperate. Just look at her!”
“We’ll go without her, and the doctor will have to suffice with our descriptions. We need to stabilize her.”
“And go tell the mechutanim that she always was a totally stable girl! It’s true, her general abilities were never all that high, but it was never a matter of mental health!”
He doesn’t mention her claim that the mechutanim are not a factor right now. He just nods and says, “It’s a tough period we’re going through right now, but b’ezras Hashem, it will pass. We just have to do everything we can to make that possible. We also took responsibility for Yudi, you know.”
***
–No new recordings –
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