“Rakefet’s there? Your mother didn’t take her with her?”
“No, she’s asleep.”
“And you’re all alone with her. They left you all alone with her.”
“What’s wrong with that? Grandpa’s here too.”
“But he’s sleeping.”
“He’ll get up if I ask him to.”
“Gaddi, darling, be careful. Where is she?”
“In her crib.”
“Whatever you do don’t lift her. You might drop her.”
“I won’t.”
“And when your father and mother come home tell them that I just called to say hello and that they shouldn’t leave you alone with the baby.”
“I will.”
“And be sure you don’t lift her. You might drop her and paralyze her for life. You wouldn’t want a paralyzed sister, would you?”
“No.”
“So be careful, darling. Isn’t that her crying now?”
I covered the receiver with my hand to keep her from hearing the awful screams.
“No.”
I waited for her to say something else but she didn’t so slowly I hung up.
The baby really was crying again not just crying but one long loud wail. I didn’t know what to do I went back to her with a pacifier and the bottle and the ring of keys but she just pushed them away so I left the room and turned on the TV to drown her out I watched an English lesson but Rakefet was louder than it she even started calling my name Di Di Di her troubles were making her smarter. I couldn’t take it anymore. I went back to her she was purple tears ran down her face she stank from what she had done. I really felt sorry for her. And so then I made up my mind. I went to the clothes closet and found an old raincoat of mine and put it on I put on a woolen hat and dad’s leather gloves and tied a kerchief of mom’s over my mouth. Then I went to the kitchen and took the sugar tongs and pushed the chair against the crib again but this time I kept on my shoes I climbed over the bars and got back in with her. I opened her diaper without getting too near I turned her on her side with the tongs together with the full wet diaper I pulled it away from her without looking all at once she was half naked and kicking her legs in the air. I threw the tongs into a corner of the room I gave her the water bottle she grabbed it and drank almost all of it right away she was feeling fine now she started to sing. So I said you feel better now don’t you Di Di got rid of all that doody for you she listened and made a surprised sort of sound as though to get me to laugh she turned her head to look at the diaper lying beside her. I took the blanket and covered her to keep her warm and ran out of the room ahead of the smell. It was already five o’clock and still raining. I looked at myself in the mirror I was awfully funny-looking with those gloves and the hat and the coat though they hadn’t scared Rakefet maybe they’d go well with a rifle I thought so I took my gun and lay down behind the armchair in an ambush. Now and then I fired a shot it’s a game that once I liked better. The house was quiet. The baby didn’t make a sound. Suddenly I thought she might be naked and catch cold. So I tiptoed in and saw that the blanket had really fallen off she had moved to another part of the bed and dragged the diaper with her everything smelled pieces of BM were everywhere she was trying to grab one she was talking to it I was afraid that next she’d want to eat it.
So I ran to grandpa’s room to wake him I touched him and said grandpa get up quick something’s happened to the baby. It was weird to be talking to him like I knew him when I’d never talked to him before. He turned toward me he opened his eyes you could see right away he didn’t know where he was he stared at me wondering who I was he put his hand on his forehead he must have thought he was dreaming. I’m Gaddi I said to give him a hint he smiled and held out his hand he pulled me to his warm bed what time is it he asked it’s five p.m. I said but what day is it he asked is it still Sunday. He looked at his watch it said ten o’clock that’s right he said it’s five I’ve been sleeping all this time.
“The baby’s dirty. We have to clean her because mom’s not home and there’s a mess. You’ve got to help me. Mom said to wake you because I’m not allowed to lift her by myself.”
He got up right away in his red pajamas and went to have a look at her it made him smile. Look how she undressed herself he said she must be freezing never mind we’ll run her a bath right away and clean her up. She doesn’t need a bath I said you won’t be able to even dad can’t you just have to clean her with this lotion I showed him the white bottle. Don’t worry he said there’s no problem just show me where her bathtub is and give me a towel you’ll help me a bit and then you can go. Go where I said. Aren’t you on your way out he asked. My way out where I said. He said I thought you were dressed to go out so I took off the hat and the gloves and the coat they were just for some game I was playing I said and he patted me on the head.
It really was strange how a minute ago he was fast asleep and now he was running around the house in pajamas tall and queer with a big head of white hair and bright eyes not stooped or slow hardly old-looking at all. And the baby too who’d been quiet after maybe eating some of her own crap looked curiously at her new grandpa she was finished crying she just babbled on and on. Grandpa wrapped her in a sheet and lifted her out of the crib she kept watching me to see if it was all right.
“It’s all right,” I said. “This is your new grandpa from America.”
Grandpa laughed I’d better drink some coffee first to wake me up he said otherwise I’ll make a mess of it can you find where things are in the kitchen? He had this fast way of talking that reminded me of Tsvi’s I took out a cup and the sugar I brought him milk and instant coffee I even put the kettle on the stove and told him to light it he did with one hand I took some cake from the bread box he smiled I see you know your way around here I didn’t answer though I knew what he was getting at he cut a piece of cake for us both and gave me mine as though the guest was me and not him. The water boiled he poured it with one hand he held the baby with the other he sat down to drink. The rain was quiet outside it ran down the window what’s all this rain he said. It’s the last one I said so he said it doesn’t look like the last one to me it’s plain rain and there’s going to be plenty more he seemed sore at it so I asked have you had the last rain in America yet there’s no last rain there he said that’s an Israeli invention so now he was sore at all of Israel. The baby lay on his knees watching him put cake in his mouth and drink his coffee. Every now and then her eyes closed from sleepiness but she kept moving her mouth as though she were eating along with him. All at once she sat up with a whimper so he put some cake on his fork and stuck it in her mouth at first the fork scared her but then she started to suck on the cake because she has no teeth so he gave her some more and she ate that too she didn’t know what to make of it. I don’t know if mom would have allowed it but he was in charge now he was from the minute he got up.
She kept eating and he fed her with a smile she really reeks he said we have to wash her. He pushed the plate away. Who baked this cake your mother? Your grandmother baked wonderful cakes.
“My grandma in the hospital?”
“Yes.”