Recap: Aida’s piano teacher asks her questions about her father, and she slips out the information that he went to Canada. The questions made her very uncomfortable. They still haven’t heard from her father.
Time passed and I still had not returned to school and I had no intention to ever go back. Ima told me that I had to set up a serious schedule of study, as we already had for Jewish subjects, to include secular ones in the afternoon. When she was feeling well, she sat with me and guided me in math and history.
No word at all from Aba. It was like this constant ache that wouldn’t go away, worrying why we hadn’t heard. I had an extra worry that I might have endangered him with my piano teacher. I told Ima that the teacher was asking a lot of questions, but I didn’t tell her what I’d said. I felt too ashamed.
Ima said we couldn’t just end the lessons abruptly because it would look suspicious to her. We should just tell her you were thinking of stopping soon and taking up a different instrument.
It was late afternoon, around the time I would have come home from school, when there was a light knock at the door.
Ima was resting upstairs. I hurried to answer, so they wouldn’t knock again.
Vanna stood in the doorway. “Vanna, whhh––“
“Can I come in?” she asked. “I don’t want anyone to see me.”
I nodded.
“I feel so bad about what happened.”
“You mean Mrs. Abbar, uh, you mean about the test?”
“Mrs. Abbar is my aunt. I don’t know if you knew that.”
“She’s your aunt! Woah, I didn’t know that.” I thought how lucky I was not to have a mean aunt like that.
“She wanted me to have the top math score so it would be an Arab student who wins the prize. It was wrong. I know you didn’t cheat and, well, I don’t want to disparage my aunt but—” She hesitated. “I know you are an honest girl and you’re smart.”
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t believe she’d come here like this to apologize.
“Vanna, it’s so nice of you to come and I know it’s not your fault. Thank you for believing me. It means a lot.”
“I was so ashamed,” she said.
I understood she was ashamed of the hatred her aunt spewed but she couldn’t say it.
“I am sorry you haven’t come back to school. Maybe you should come back and maybe—”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “Vanna, I can never go back but I thank you so much for what you said.”
Vanna headed towards the door. “If we were in a different time and place, we could be friends,” she said. “Maybe, one day, I can do something for you to repay you for my taking your award.”
There wasn’t anything she could do for me, but it was nice of her to say that.
I escorted her to the courtyard.
I tried to stifle the anger I felt, like a burning volcano inside, against her aunt who had deliberately accused me so her Arab niece could win. Ima was in the living room on the couch. “Who was that?” she asked.
I told her what Vanna had told me.
“It’s so low and mean what her aunt did,” I said.
Ima adjusted the pillow behind her back. “Aida, we have to always remember that Hashem is running the world. Hashem will give ultimate justice. It is not for us to control. It does seem very unfair, but look at the message Hashem sent you through this teacher’s niece. She said, ‘I believe you and I know you’re honest.’ Now, isn’t that a message from Hashem directly meant for you?”
I thought about what Ima was saying. “Vanna took a big risk to come here. I can’t believe she did that.”
“She is a person with a good heart and a conscience. If only that goodness could spread to everyone here who is blinded with hatred.”
I kept telling myself that Hashem is in charge and Hashem sent me this message through Vanna. It still hurt inside like a fresh wound, but I asked Hashem to take away the pain and anger.
…
Later, I headed over to Stella’s house. The October sun slanted over the courtyard, glinting off the stones and causing them to sparkle like gems.
Stella let me in. “I miss walking with you to school.”
“You’ll be leaving soon anyway.” The concert was in three weeks.
“Have you heard anything yet from your father?” she asked.
“Nothing. I’m worried sick.” I had confided in her what I’d told the piano teacher and how ashamed I felt.
“Look, everything is from Hashem. You didn’t do anything wrong. Hashem will protect your father and, ultimately, He will destroy our enemies.”
“Amein. Or at least let them do t’shuvah.”
“Aida, I don’t want to alarm you, but I heard something very disturbing.”
I felt my stomach clench.
“There was an arrest four days ago. It was kept secret. We are just now hearing about it on the news. You know how the news is here. “Jewish Spy Captured” is the headline of their notorious paper.”
My thoughts went immediately to Aba.
“You think they arrested my father?” I whispered. Saying the words was like stabbing myself with a knife.
“I hope not, but I don’t like the timing. Rabbi H told me about it and that he’s been trying to get the authorities to allow him to meet with the prisoner.”
“They won’t let?” I asked.
Stella shook her head.
I thought of the horror stories I’d heard about Syrian prisons. They tortured Jews. What if my dear father was stuck in that horrible place.
“How can I find out if they are holding him prisoner?” My stomach was knotted in a million knots.
Stella shook her head. “I don’t know. It is risky to ask too much. Better not try to find out.”
“Stella, it could be my father in prison. I can’t stand by and do nothing.”
I had to do something. I am not the kind of person who can sit back and wait. I had to try to contact Aba.
I thought about Ima. Hearing this news would frighten her, and in her state of health she shouldn’t get upset. I didn’t know if Aba was the one arrested. I needed to verify. I had to find out.
And if it was Aba, would I tell Ima?
“Stella, I have to go. I’ll see you later.”
“Don’t do anything that will put you in danger,” she cautioned. “The best person to go to for help is Rabbi H.”
“Don’t worry.”
I hurried towards the Rabbi’s house.
To be continued…
Susie Garber is the author of an historical fiction novel, Flight of the Doves (Menucha Publishing, 2023), Please Be Polite (Menucha Publishers, 2022), A Bridge in Time (Menucha Publishing, 2021), Secrets in Disguise (Menucha Publishers, 2020), Denver Dreams (a novel, Jerusalem Publications, 2009), Memorable Characters…Magnificent Stories (Scholastic, 2002), Befriend (Menucha Publishers, 2013), The Road Less Traveled (Feldheim, 2015), fiction serials and features in Binah Magazine and Binyan Magazine, “Moon Song” in Binyan (2021-2022), and Alaskan Gold ( 2023-2024).
