I didn’t say anything. He looked at me.
“No one’s ever taken you to see her?”
“No. They don’t want me to catch it from her.”
“Catch it?!” he almost shouted. “Catch what?”
“What she’s got.”
“That’s ridiculous. Who told you that?”
“My dad.”
“What does your father know about such things!”
I didn’t say anything. He looked at me.
“I’ll tell your mother to take you to see your grandmother. She loved you so much when you were a baby.”
I didn’t say anything.
All of a sudden Rakefet fell asleep with her open mouth smeared with chocolate. She’s already asleep I said maybe you don’t have to bathe her.
“Doesn’t she like baths?”
“Sometimes. She likes it when mom sings to her.”
It was awfully weird to be talking like that with a new grandpa I didn’t even know. The baby was really asleep all that chocolate cake must have pooped her out. Grandpa was thinking. I guess he was afraid to give her a bath too but when he smelled her he made up his mind we have to he said you’ll help me. All right I said but I hope you realize that she’ll start screaming again.
“We’ll survive. When you were little your father and mother once left you with us in Tel Aviv and you screamed all night long. Your grandmother didn’t sleep a wink.”
“Did she take care of me?”
“You bet.”
“Was she sick then too?”
“Of course not.”
“Why did mom and dad bring me to you?”
“They just wanted a little rest from you.”
He bent over again to smell the baby sleeping in her BM like the smell was supposed to tell him what to do all of a sudden I thought suppose I really caught what grandma has she must have had it then too. And just then something hurt near my heart it was even right in my heart. Why did mom and dad have to leave me with them? Grandpa stood up and put Rakefet in her crib I showed him where everything was and how to fill the bath he opened the closet and began taking out clothes and diapers and a towel it was weird how he poked around in there as though he needn’t even ask all the time he kept pulling out clothes and opening and smelling them and checking how the buttons and the zippers worked. So I gave him the soap and of course he smelled that too I helped him fill the tub he brought an electric heater to the bathroom and turned it on. We put the thermometer in the water but I didn’t know where the mercury should be he went to get his glasses when he put them on and looked at it he didn’t know either. So he told me to keep my hand in the bath and tell him how it felt I kept telling him hot until he checked it himself you call this hot he said it’s ice cold at last he told me to bring him a spoon so he could taste it. When he was finally ready he went to get the baby she was fast asleep wrapped in a sheet the telephone rang I wanted to get it don’t leave me now he said I need you too much. And he told me to close the bathroom door.
He took the sheet off the baby who was really filthy he swabbed her with moist absorbent cotton I held the garbage pail up so he could throw the dirty pieces in it. The baby slept her head drooping down the telephone kept ringing on and on. He took off her shirt and fumbled with her undershirt he couldn’t undo the knot it was making him nervous who tied this damn thing run bring some scissors he said the baby was still asleep. I ran to get them but couldn’t find them the telephone kept ringing as though it were chasing me it must be mom or dad and awfully mad that no one was answering so I picked up the receiver and left it off the hook at least let them think it was busy. I went back to grandpa he’d taken his pajama tops off to keep them dry his chest was covered with white hair I can’t find the scissors I said so he said run get me a knife quick Gaddi. I raced to the kitchen and brought him a sharp knife he put his glasses back off and tried cutting the knot he flipped over the baby who was still asleep but he couldn’t see very well turn on the light he yelled quick Gaddi before there’s an accident I turned it on he slashed open the whole undershirt and peeled it off just then Rakefet woke up and started to cry. He picked her up he bent down to the water and licked it to make sure it wasn’t too hot he put her in but she was screaming she was fighting him something fierce. Here she had gotten used to being asleep and all of a sudden she was in the bathtub she really wriggled and squirmed maybe he was holding her too hard for fear of losing his grip for sheer panic sing to her Gaddi he said so I sang what mom sings blue are the waters of the sea sea sea while he hummed the melody he told me to hold her legs and pour soap into the water I tried grabbing them they kicked like crazy and got away Rakefet was battling the two of us like a lion she was shrieking suddenly there was blood in the water grandpa I said there’s blood m the water he turned pale quick take the towel he said and I’ll hand her to you I’m not allowed to lift her I said I’ll put the towel on the chest and you lay her on it that’s what we did he wrapped her up quick looking at his bloody hand it was his blood not Rakefet’s he’d cut himself with the knife without knowing it. Rakefet stopped crying and rubbed her eyes grandpa sucked his cut finger and said thank God he shut his eyes he dried her carefully and started to dress her you have to put powder on first I said that’s what mom always does. If I have to I have to he said I’ll do what you tell me where would I be without you. I gave him the box of powder and he poured it on her tush and on her weewee and rubbed it over them and over her fat thighs. Do you think she’ll always be fat I asked she’s not fat he laughed all babies are like that. Yours too I wanted to ask but I didn’t the baby looked grandpa in the eyes while he tried dressing her cocking her head to one side as though wondering why an old man like him was bathing her in the middle of the day. But grandpa was in a good mood from time to time he sang some song he stopped to suck more blood from his cut laughing at her talking baby talk even bending down to kiss her tummy.
“She looks like grandma.”
I didn’t ask it I said it. I was sure he knew. He stopped kissing her and straightened up.
“What???”
“Once when Tsvi was here he told mom that she looks just like grandma. I mean like their mother…”
I said it quickly so he’d realize that that’s what Tsvi said that meant it was so.
He smiled a funny smile and gave the baby a scared look.
“Tsvi said that?”
“Yes.”
“And what did your mother say?”
“Mom didn’t say anything but dad said it was nonsense.”
He stood there sucking his cut like a boy smiling a dumb smile as though I’d said something bad. I handed him the undershirt he finally took it his hands shaking a bit he put it on her inside out then took it off and tried it differently he put her shirt over it just how old is she he asked about six months I said. He took a sweater and put it on her too he rummaged in the medicine cabinet until he found a big bandage I thought it was for himself but he wrapped it round her tummy even though she wasn’t hurt there. I’d never seen mom do anything like it but he did it so quickly you’d think that he did it all the time.
What’s the bandage for I asked. Mom doesn’t do that. It’s to strengthen her stomach he said.
“To keep her from getting fat?”
“No, that has nothing to do with it. Why do you think she’s so fat? She isn’t and neither are you.”
“It’s because of my glands,” I whispered but he didn’t hear.
The baby liked having the bandage on her tummy she was babbling for joy at the top of her voice. Grandpa was feeling good too.
“Do you do that to your baby in America too?”
He dropped what he was holding.
“Is there anything you don’t know? They’ve told you everything!”