To put the drafting committee at ease, I rang to let them know I was on my way. It turned out that the precedents in my hand were no longer needed. Jacob Keren’s secretary had gone back to the office to pick up a parcel she had left behind. With her assistance, they located the old precedents.
As I was no longer in a hurry, I decided to drop into David Misrachi’s eatery. I had been too nervous to take a proper lunch before the meeting. I was hungry but it was getting too late to have dinner before the show to which Rachel and I were going.
The popular lawyers’ haven was deserted at this time of day. It owner, David Mizrachi, who continued to serve on the tables, came over and asked me to have a Humus on the house. He had been forthcoming with such gestures ever since I came up with the name he bestowed on his establishment when its renovation was complete. But although an elegant poster described the place as The Lucky Lawyer’s Haven, the profession continued to use its old name. as David had not raised the prices, the establishment retained its popularity and appeal.
“I’d love a Humus; thanks David. but please let me treat you to one.”
“That’s very kind of you, Mr. Eli; but sorry: I’m not allowed to take it.”
“Why?” I asked without thinking. “It’s the best Humus in town. why can’t you take it?”
David brushed his bushy sideburns thoughtfully. “The doctor says I must not take it. I have diabetes and it is getting worse.” I gleaned that his affliction was of a long standing. The yellowish tinge of his skin suggested that some complications had started to plague him.
“I sorry; really sorry, David. But can you have something else? I don’t know what you are allowed to take.”
“Not a great deal, Mr. Eli. Sarah cooks plain food for: boiled fish and chicken; and vegetables. But I can have a cup of coffee if I take it without sugar.”
“Please have one,” I pleaded. “I am celebrating: a big victory.”
David Mizzrachi came back from the kitchen with two steaming cups of coffee. He placed the one with sugar in front of me and sipped, appreciatively, from his cup.
“That big victory – is it Dahlia Nissim’s case?”
“How do you know?”
“Nathan Nissim was a good friend. Pity he died so young. From time-to-time Rivka and her daughters come to visit us. She told me all about the accident. She wanted to go to another lawyer, but I told her Mr. Keren was Nathan’s friend: so she better go to him.”
“Well, we did what we could for her. And, David, Rotem paid. This is still a secret: so you must not tell.” I was taking a risk, but David Mizrachi was renowned for his discretion.
“Enough for her treatment in America?”
“Of course,” I confirmed. “Everybody including Rotem’s lawyers did their best to get things settled.”
“Nobody likes an accident like this, Mr Eli. They all think about their children and family and hope nothing like this happens to them. This is not like an accident where a driver speeds and runs into a wall or something like this.”
“And everybody had real sympathy for Dahlia,” I augmented. “Her boss sold his house in Herzlia and gave her some of the money.”
To get matters in focus, I told David what had transpired at the meeting. When I finished I asked him whether Dahlia’s personality and courage could have triggered off general sympathy.
“It is possible, Mr. Eli. Everybody likes Dahlia. When she came over – I mean before the accident – all my children made a fuss over her. They loved her.”
“Do you think she’ll remain like this. Won’t the accident, the operations, the pain and sufferings and the remaining handicap turn her into a bitter and unhappy person?”
David Mizrachi weighed his words carefully. He concluded that Dahlia’s warmth and courage ought to enable her to retain her positive outlook on life. A strong spirit is not easily defeated. All in all, David was optimistic.
He smiled benignly when I took my leave. As I stepped out of the door, I saw dusk had set. For a moment I panicked. Rachel and I were going to the theatre. I had to get ready and it was too late to walk back to my parents’ flat to freshen up and to place Harley in my modest show case. Still, had a change of clothes in Rachel’s place and could leave Harley there for the evening.
Notwithstanding the sad case we had handled, I looked forward to my date with Rachel. Tragedies or no tragedies: life had to go on.