Vanished Without A Trace (5 page)

The clerk did everything she could. She entered his details again and again. She even called her boss in the main office in Jerusalem, but failed to find anything. She shook her head with a feeling of sympathy. "Sorry, I don’t know what happened, but you don’t exist."

Daniel held his head. Nothing was right anymore. He got up and thanked the clerk for her effort. The next day, he got up early in the morning. He knew somehow he needed to take care of things regarding his ID. At six thirty in the morning he could be calm. Immigration police don’t work during such hours. That same day he worked vigorously. The fact he was invited to Neta's house gave him energy and enthusiasm. Time flew quickly, and he was glad to lie down in bed after a long day of work and fall asleep without any worries or thoughts. He was awakened by a loud banging at the door. At the entrance were two police officers dressed in civilian suits. "You're under arrest for illegal residency." Daniel couldn’t endure it anymore. There was no way he could defend himself or even speak for himself. He was helpless. He remembered his grandfather's threat, and presumed his hands were the ones driving his life. For the first time, he gave up his destiny. He felt he was at the end of his rope. He felt defeated, cheated and humiliated. He didn’t even have the desire to call Neta, and left her expecting and preparing for his visit. She asked for some recipes from her friends to impress him. She borrowed a table cloth to cover the worn old table. Although she knew Daniel’s condition was worse than hers, she was still bothered by the appearance of her house where poverty was reflected in every corner. She warned her parents not to fight and, just to make sure, she dripped a small dose of sedatives into their drinks.

Neta was so excited waiting for Daniel’s arrival. Every little sound in the house led her to the door, expecting to hear the doorbell. She imagined his handsome face showing up on the doorstep, which was more mature and handsome to her than she remembered. This was enough to overwhelm her with joy and give her butterflies in her stomach. In the last couple of years, she met quite a few men, but they all bounced off and fled just after they met her parents. She was sure Daniel wouldn’t be bothered by them. It was not only because she knew him but it was because of the connection they had that nothing could break apart. She looked at herself in the mirror, pleased with the reflection, and was willing to forgive herself for the terrible expense of buying a special dress and expensive shoes for the event. She straightened her hair and hoped Daniel would love it more than the curls.

It was seven o’clock, the time they agreed to meet. Daniel still did not arrive. Neta believed he would be a little bit late. Time passed and he did not show up. She realized the person who she felt was so close to her soul was a disappointment. He took advantage of her just to get away from the police. Just as the danger was gone, he was gone too. Even though she had no desire to, she joined her parents, who were sitting at the table.

"What happened? Is he not coming?" her mother asked.

"Don’t you see he’s not here? Why are you asking?" her husband nagged at her.

"Shut up!"

‘Here we are’, Neta thought, ‘as if I don’t have enough on my mind.’

"Stop fighting or I will get up from the table!"

"It’s not me, it’s your father," her mother replied.

Neta got up from the table, irritated, and went to her bed. She heard her mother yell at her. "Who are you angry with? It's not our fault he didn't come!" She continued to talk. Neta covered her head with a blanket and fell into self-pity. Who needs a woman with crazy parents anyway? Even if she did find a man who will agree to date her, one petty fight between her parents would cause him to leave her.

7

Daniel had been away from his home for fifteen years. He sat on the plane that would take him back to Romania, trying to recall the memories of the past, different events that happened to him during the course of his life. Neta was the only one on his mind, just as it was when he was in custody for the last three months. All the while, he felt a strong need to call her and explain why he didn’t go to her house that day, but he thought his grandfather was involved and therefore it would be best to keep her out of this. The hard life she had was enough and she didn’t need his predicaments. He was flooded with feelings of revenge against his grandfather.

The long stay in detention helped him improve his understanding of the Romanian language. He was surprised he didn’t know the language as he expected, though he came to Israel at age five, he was already speaking Romanian. The fact he almost never spoke Romanian over the years was apparently a drawback to his mastery of the language. However, while his stay in detention helped him refresh his Romanian language skills, it had been bad for his soul. These were three months of uncertainty. What direction would it lead him? Who or what was waiting for him in Romania, if anything at all.

On the plane, a large respectable-looking man in his late thirties sat next to him; perhaps it was the suit that gave the impression of his build. The stranger looked intently through the window of the plane as if there was something to see other than the white clouds on a blue canopy that hid the earth from sight. Daniel did not feel like talking to him, but it was necessary in this position. He had to gather information to understand where he was headed. Will he be homeless? Maybe there were organizations that could give him temporary shelter or anything else that could help him, at least during the first days.

Half an hour had passed until he had worked up the courage to speak with the man beside him. He began with the most banal question, "Excuse me sir, do you know how long the flight to Romania is?" He enjoyed getting used to the Romanian language.

"Two and a half hours," the man replied, without taking his eyes off the window, demonstrating an unwillingness to continue the conversation. But Daniel continued, "How's the weather there?"

The guy looked at him with a serious expression. "Enough snow," he replied briefly.

"By the way, I am Daniel," he was quick to shake the hand of the man who identified himself as Mikhail, but the strategy did not help. Mikhail did not expand the conversation. Daniel had to stop his attempts. He took out a paper and read.

"Do you read Hebrew?" he asked. ‘Just when I decided to stop talking, he started to talk,’ Daniel thought.

"I studied at the boarding school for a few years," he replied, and hurried to ask a question so the conversation would flow. "Did you also work in Israel?"

"I was in Israel for five years." Mikhail smiled and released a sigh. "I was a foreman. I was responsible for the Romanian workers, including getting the job done."

Daniel folded the paper, "A tough job, but is it not more difficult to be away from your family for five years?"

Mikhail released an unexpected laugh. The silent fellow turned out to be a friendly man. "No, on that matter, I handled it well. My wife also worked in Israel as a housekeeper for the contractor. We registered her as one of the workers, more accurately as an architect." Mikhail smiled again. "It was convenient for the contractor, and comfortable for me, of course."

Mikhail continued to talk enthusiastically about his work in Israel and the profits he managed to make. From his life in Israel, Mikhail began to talk about his future and told Daniel he was going to work as a foreman in Constanza. The money there might not be as big as in Israel, but he could not refuse the contractor’s offer to be the manager of the site. Mikhail did not need someone to pat him on the back. He did it himself pretty well. When he was done, they were already preparing for landing. Daniel failed in the mission he had set out for himself. He obtained more information about Mikhail than succeeding to get any information about life in Romania.

"Well, it’s enough to talk about myself. What about you, where do you live?"

"I really don’t know. It’s complicated." Daniel smiled. "Do you know a cheap hotel where I can stay until I find a room to rent?"

"Yes, I'm going to a hotel now. I live in Brasov, but it’s a little bit late to travel now. Aside from that, a little entertainment with young Romanian ladies before I return to my wife might benefit my relationship with her. What do you think, maybe we can rent a room together? That way, we will pay less."

Daniel could not hope for a better solution.

They continued to talk all the way out to baggage claim.

"Don’t you have a suitcase?" Mikhail asked surprised, as he opened his bag and pulled out a coat. "It’s big for you, but it will warm you."

When they reached the hotel, Mikhail put his clothes in the closet and asked Daniel to go with him to the bar to eat, and watch the dancers. Daniel was surprised to see such a high level bar. He thought Romania was closer to the third world countries than Tel Aviv. Media and communications always emphasized the dark side of Romania after the time of Ceausescu. He looked at Mikhail who vigorously engaged with the dancers, sticking some paper bills in their clothing, and then received hugs. At one point Daniel, saw a women coming towards him. "Choose!" Mikhail said.

Daniel was embarrassed, "No, thanks," he stammered.

"C’mon, are you a man or a rag?" Mikhail blew out.

Daniel did not feel he could refuse, but he could not think of women right now. He had enough of a mess going on in his head. Mikhail left with two girls while Daniel stayed at the bar. After two hours, he went back to the room. He found Mikhail sleeping with the girls. Daniel moved one of them and lay down on the bed, though it was crowded.

Two days later, the two separated. Mikhail gave Daniel the address of the construction site in Constanza, and instructed him to tell Igor, the man in charge, he sent him. Daniel ran his hand over the four thousand dollars in his pocket, the money he made working in Israel. He promised himself even in his hardest times he would not be tempted to use it, knowing he would need the money to survive.

8

Daniel walked alone through the main streets of Bucharest. It was very different from the cities of Israel. Streets were paved with stones, interlocking one after the other. Sculptures are scattered throughout the city, showing many portraits of a great nation. He decided to go to the market and buy himself a few items of clothing. He was surprised to find a large market close by. He stopped at a shop and bought two pairs of pants; jeans, and some elegant black pants. He moved from stall to stall, bought far more than he had planned, but paid less than the cost of a hamburger in Israel. The thought of a hamburger thrilled him. He went to a cafe, bought a sandwich and ate it with pleasure, impressed with his new environment. There was something pure in this journey, moving to another country. Daniel hoped it was not some sort of euphoria, and hoped he would adapt well to life in Romania.

He spotted a leather jacket displayed on a mannequin. Daniel knew he shouldn’t desire expensive things like this. He couldn’t take his eyes off the jacket during the whole time he sat in the coffee shop, trying to do some soul-searching. Finally, desire conquered thriftiness. Wearing the coat wrapped him in warm feelings and he decided he shouldn’t be sorry about what he did.

The next day, he boarded a bus to the city of Constanza. All the way, he watched the snow along the mountains, which took his distress away Daniel fell in love with the place. He was convinced he was in one of the most beautiful places in the world. When he got to the construction site, he was happy to find it was located near the sea. Daniel loved the sea. He looked at the massive construction around him, large areas, all earmarked for construction. He had no trouble finding Igor in his office near the site. He was slender and short, with light brown hair and blue eyes. When he saw Daniel, he nodded hello and continued his work. He turned to Daniel only after half an hour. Without any introduction he explained to Daniel the status of things. He was interrupted many times by the employees onsite, but it never made him lose his temper. In a low, soft voice, he explained to Daniel he had spoken with Mikhail about him, but the only job available was to guard the site from theft and the salary was not as good as the construction work.

The pay was pretty low, especially for Daniel, who was still thinking of the Israeli standards. But Daniel was not in a situation to refuse any job. Although money was important, it was more important for him to explore the place and adapt himself to his new environment. He took the job.

Now he needed to find a place to live nearby. He took the bus and got off at the next station, where he noticed a sign for rent in one of the houses. Just like the other houses in the area, the house was surrounded by a wooden fence. He knocked at the door. An elderly woman peeped through the door and opened it up as far as the chain allowed her. After looking him over from head to toe, she opened the door and invited him to enter.

Her house was different in design from the houses he had seen in Israel, and Daniel wondered how long it would take him until he stopped making comparisons between Romania and Israel. The interior of the house was made of wood, the ceiling, the walls and the floors. On the side of the wall was a large sideboard, full of porcelain, flowers, small figurines, and other decorations. Large carpets covered the walls. There were curtains on the sides that decorated the windows with bright colors. 'Shocking design', he thought, and took comfort in the beautiful ceramic kitchen mirror, which turned out to be wallpaper. The woman took him to the room for rent. He was relieved when he saw the walls were bare, except for a pink curtain embroidered with red and black thread. The room was large and relatively attractive. The ceiling was a reddish brown wood, just like the window frame, but the appearance was tolerable compared to the living room.

"Do you like it?" the woman asked, who introduced herself as Sultana.

Daniel nodded.

"Then let's sit down and finalize things." She led him towards a small sofa next to the dining table in the kitchen and went to make tea. He sat on the couch, wondering what the sofa was doing in the kitchen, but he admitted it was quite convenient, especially when he had to listen to the all explanations about the carpets she had woven by hand during the days when she was a homeless gypsy. ‘This is where we find a common ground between she and I,’ he thought jokingly. When she started to talk about the rent,