Tentatively, I walk over to Moron and hold out a piece of material. "It's a bandana," I explain. "With a peace sign on it."
He takes the material from my hand and studies it. "Todah, thank you."
"They told me I should give you a piece of advice, too," I say. Then I clear my throat. Everyone is looking at me, even Snotty. And it makes me feel all sweaty inside. Talk about pressure.
"My piece of advice is ..."
I swear, I had something to say, but forgot it. I'm on the spot here and my mind draws a blank. Shit. I look at the horizon, where the sun is falling into the water. The first thing that comes into my mind and out of my mouth is, "don't swim on a full stomach."
Oh my God. I can't believe I just said that. The guy is going to the desert for basic training. What are the chances that he's going to be swimming in the middle of the desert during military training?
My advice is met with silence.
"That was very ...deep, Amy," Snotty says, clearly making fun of me.
I hear Doo-Doo ask O'dead, "Is she joking?"
If I knew how to get back to the moshav, I'd run there right now without turning back. But I can't, so I sit back down and try and shrink as much as I can into the sand.
"Well, I guess I should say something," Moron says, then stands. "Thank you for this great party, the gifts, and advice. Your friendship means a lot to me. Now, I know you're supposed to throw me into the Kineret, but you better not even try it."
"You have to get wet," Avi says matter-of-factly, gesturing toward the lake.
Doo-Doo and O'dead are ready to back Avi as he chases Moron around the beach.
I'm shocked when they tackle him and throw him into the water, making a huge splash. Moron is soaking wet, but he's not pissed. I would be if my friends tossed me, clothes and all, into a lake. But he's laughing right along with the rest of them.
Ofra goes to help Moron out of the water, until he grabs her arm and pulls her in with him.
Snotty joins the group. I watch as she puts her arms around Avi, and they both splash in the water together.
Hel-lo. Don't these people know it's usually the custom to swim with bathing suits, not fully clothed? Of course I'm not jealous they're in the water, laughing and having fun. I am absolutely content to stand here all alone.
"Amy, join us!" Moron calls out to me.
"Yeah," Ofra says. "The water's great."
I'm a land person, and don't particularly love water. "No, thanks," I say.
The first one out of the lake is my cousin. She stands straight in front of the bonfire, warming herself. I try to avoid making eye contact with her--I'm afraid if I do my mouth might get me in trouble.
But maybe I should try, like Ron said, to get to know her. Even though she's been rude, it could be because she doesn't know what a great and fun person I am. I guess I really haven't given her much of a chance. I'll attempt to soften her up a bit first. "Osnat, I really enjoyed meeting your friends," I say, thinking of how Ron said her name is spelled.
I swear, I deserve a medal for being so nice. She's probably going to say how much she's glad I opened up the lines of communication. Maybe by the end of the summer she'll be like the sister I never had.
My wayward thoughts are squashed as I watch her turn to me with a toss of her hair and say, "Just remember, Amy. They're my friends, not yours."
And just like that she goes back to being Snotty.
CHAPTER 10
Sometimes we have to prove to others we're strong even when we're not.
I've been in Israel for three weeks now.
Thankfully, I'm able to avoid Snotty and Avi. That means I'm spending a lot of time in the house with Safta, which is just fine with me.
She relayed stories about when she was a kid here in Israel and more about my grandfather, who died before I was born. She also told me about her parents, who escaped from Germany during World War II. Learning about my extended family has opened my eyes to another world.
As I wake up one morning to Ron's cheery, "Rise and shine, sleepyhead," I just want to go back to sleep.
What time is it anyway?
SD's words are buzzing around in my head like one of those bees that wouldn't leave me alone. I glance at my watch.
"Six thirty!" I say with a groggy voice. "Please have a very good reason why you're waking me before the sun shines through that window."
Now I know I'm being crabby, but I'm just not a morning person. Never have been, never will be. In my opinion, six thirty isn't even morning; it's still the middle of the night.
"Amy, we've been here a while now and I've left you alone. If you keep sleeping all day, you'll never get over your jet lag. Besides, work needs to be done around here and everyone pitches in. I want you to at least act like you're my daughter and help out."
I sit up and say, "Listen, I'm still tired and cranky. Just come back in, let's say, a couple of hours and we can discuss whatever you want."
"You're always tired and cranky and you need to get out of bed so Yucky can wash the sheets. There's probably mushrooms growing on them."
"Very funny."
"I've promised to help your uncle sell some of the sheep these next few weeks. After that, I want to show you my country."
"Yeah, let's do that. In a couple of weeks," I say just so he'll leave me alone.