Vanished Without A Trace Page 2

  "Let me explain something to you," Solomon said, with a soft penetrating voice, "This school is already fully occupied. Living rooms that are pre-designed for four children are already housing six children. There is only one bed left intended for a child that will be coming next week. So, there is no way I can accommodate this boy, even though I want to."

  "But this boy has no family. I have nowhere else to take him."

  "That can work in your favor. Try to look for another boarding school. After all, if he has no family, there is no preference for our school which is in great demand." He paused, and when he realized she didn’t respond, he said "Sorry" and stood up, indicating the conversation was over.

  Deborah pursed her lips angrily. She realized the Principal had no intention of making her life easier. But she didn’t intend to give up either. She had already made a decision. She would leave this place without the boy. "Listen, Mr. Solomon, your explanations do not interest me. My job is to find a place, whether a fit or not to the child, to get him out of the system. If he won’t be accommodated here, Ziona, my boss, will ask me to do her a favor again and take this boy to be with my children and I have no intention of doing so. I come across these cases all the time, I do not have time to waste my feelings on this and I certainly don’t have the energy to handle all the responsibilities of hosting all social cases in my home." Just as she finished, she grabbed her bag and left the place. Solomon, the Principal, followed her out and called her to take the child with her, but she continued walking along the grass path. Solomon went back to his office. He passed over Daniel and rubbed his forehead. "Give him something to eat," he asked the secretary, and went to his office. He tried to think about the situation and after a while he dialed Deborah’s boss.

  "Hi Ziona, your employee Deborah, was just here. She left the boy here, even though I explained to her I had a problem accommodating new children. I am begging you to send someone to get the boy."

  Ziona was not surprised to receive the call from Solomon. Not when she had sent Deborah on the mission. Daniel's case was exceptional, and only a woman like Deborah, who lacked concern for other’s feelings was suited to the task. "Yes, Deborah talked to me. She said you only have one place available for a child who should be arriving next week. So you can put Daniel in his place. First come, first served."

  There was silence on the other end of the line.

  "Solomon, please try to find one more place for the boy. Just one more place. The boy recently lost his mother. How can I send him back to Romania? You know what is going on there, the orphanages are full, the cemeteries are crowded and they just leave the children to starve. You must understand if we can’t find a place to accommodate him soon, we will be forced to send him back to Romania. I have to find him a place until the committee can find a way to keep him in the country."

  "No Ziona, don’t put me in the middle of this situation. I also don’t feel good about the boy, but you have to understand I couldn’t give him the place intended for a child who also has a sad story."

  "Solomon, just one look at the boy and my heart tells me not to send him back to Romania. I know you also wouldn’t dare to do that."

  Solomon took a deep breath. "I know I'll be sorry but I'll see what I can do."

  The secretary offered Daniel a seat beside her desk so he could eat the meal she brought him; grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, bread and fruit salad. Daniel stared at his plate, then looked across at the closed door of the principal's office. He hesitantly grabbed the bread and began eating. When he saw the Principal coming out, he quickly put back the bread he held in his hand.

  "Orit, please take him to the preschool children’s quarters until we decide what we can do with him."

  The secretary smiled at Daniel. After eating, she took his hand and led him to the new building, where they met Rina, the lady who was in charge of the kindergarten.

  "Hello." Rina bent over Daniel.

  Daniel's face was frozen.

  "I’m Rina, it’s nice to meet you. Please come with me, I'll take you to your room," she took his hand and slowly they went upstairs. They went into the room where there were three built-in double beds. Rina offered him a bed on the lower level. "Here's your bed. You probably prefer the upper level just like everyone else, but it’s already occupied."

  Daniel did not look at her. He just laid the bag down on the bed and sat down.

  "No, do not sit down. Let's go find you some clothes."

  She led him towards the storage area. Although it was still undecided what to do with him, and though she had not yet received any instructions or approval to give him some clothes, she could not ignore the handsome little boy who kept carrying this old fading bag as if there were some treasures in it. She pulled out a few clothes from the shelves and led him into the dressing room, helping him dress as he needed it. For the first time, he smiled at her with gratitude and great satisfaction, while leaving storage with a big bag full of shirts and pants.

  "Just put the bag in that closet. Don’t arrange them yet." She preferred to speak to him in Hebrew, although he did not understand a word of what she said. They went down to the play room, where there were other kindergartners.

  At night, Daniel was lying in bed. Lights off. He was scared. He wanted to cry, but he feared it was forbidden. Last night when he slept in the basement of Deborah’s house, he had been warned not to make a noise, but tonight, he could not help but cry. He stuck the lapel of his shirt in his mouth to strangle the sound of his crying, the tears were stronger than any frightening emotional burden.

  "You can cry, sweetheart, that's fine. I know things have not been easy for you lately. It has been rough, but I’m sure after a few days you will feel much better and everything will be alright. I promise you."

  Rina's words, even if he did not understand them, calmed him down. She did not try to stop him, but rather continued to caress him, until he felt his eyes close.

  The next morning. Solomon left his house located on the school compound, early in the morning, he had been awake all night. The thoughts about Daniel didn’t give him rest. He didn’t know how he was going to solve this problem. He headed straight to the kindergarten and looked around trying to find Daniel, but he was not in the yard. He went to the kindergarten and found him there, sitting and reading a book. Solomon took the English book from his hands and began to scan page after page muttering to himself "What will I do with you?" The question was intended for himself. He felt a very deep compassion for this little boy, who lost his mother just a couple of days ago. He wanted him in this boarding school. He knew he would be fine here.

  Rina approached them.

  "Pack up his things." He ask Rina.

  "Is the boy leaving?" She asked sadly.

  "Yes, I will take him to my home until the end of the school year, two children are supposed to leave the boarding school next year and Daniel will be able to get one of the beds."

  3

  Life in the boarding school became routine. Daniel did well in school and was one of the most brilliant students. His accomplishments were high in all subjects. Solomon was so proud of him. He was even guilty of arrogance when he vested himself in some part of Daniel’s achievements, who became like his own son. Daniel managed to endear himself to all those who knew him and everyone who was in contact with him. Every day, he would sit with younger students and help them with their homework, or assist Solomon’s secretary with the jobs she did not like to do, like filing papers. He even had enough time left to enjoy his favorite hobby, taking care of animals in the animal corner. There was a dog he found on the street that turned into the ‘house dog’. That’s what they called him.

  Daniel's routine expandedin the fourth grade when Neta arrived at the boarding school. He saw her for the first time two months after school had started, as he passed by her near the dining room. She was sitting on the grass near the sidewalk, her hands wrapped around her knees. Brown-skinned, with expressive hazel eyes full of undeniabl
e sadness that never seemed to leave them. A pointy chin, but full of softness, her upper lip was a bit thicker than the lower one, which gave her a constant smile. Curly hair, but disorganized, that made her look less beautiful than she really was. She looked pretty sad and detached from her environment. Daniel was reminded of his first day at the boarding school, and his difficulty in those times, on one side was the thought of being separated from his mother and on the other side was the struggle to find an alternative place to the home he lost. He wondered what was behind the story of this girl, what brought her to this place and what was going on with her now. He entered the dining room with excitement. The girl's appearance gave him a sense of happiness. He finished his meal quickly, and was happy to find her still sitting in the same place, and even in the same position. He discovered she was doing it almost daily. He tried to talk to her classmates and asked them about her, but was surprised to find out no one liked her because she was distant and she couldn’t get along with other students.

  One time he got up the courage to approach her. "Are you waiting for someone?"

  She looked at him, her face full of tears. "I'm waiting for my aunt. She promised to come visit me."

  "When is she supposed to arrive?" He asked with curiosity.

  He wanted to know what made her sit every day and wait for her aunt, who apparently didn’t arrive. He never saw her with her aunt.

  Neta put her hands around her knees. "She said that if she could find time, she would come on Monday or Tuesday, so I'm waiting for her on Mondays and Tuesdays."

  "I think you should come and join us, and if she arrives, she will find you or will look for friends who can call you. There's not much room in here for you to get lost," he tried to make her laugh.

  Neta continued to sit and didn’t bother to answer him.

  "Then it would be fun if I keep you company and we wait together." He continued his attempts to talk to her.

  Neta shrugged her shoulders as a sign she didn’t care.

  Finally, when Daniel met Neta's aunt, he admitted to himself she was very nice. She always surprised Neta with her visits. Her closeness with her aunt pushed her away from her friends. Daniel thought Neta’s situation was one of the best among others in the boarding school. Although her parents were disabled due to injury, she still had a fairly supportive aunt. She always gave her a large supply of candies and money, though there was nowhere to spend it except a small kiosk donated by a large food manufacturer, where sweets were sold to the children at a very affordable price. Daniel wondered why her aunt was not willing to raise her at home. But he was happy for that.

  A year later, Neta was still pretty detached from most of the boarding school, but her relationship with Daniel grew stronger. They would often sit on the grass and play cards. Over time, they found themselves sharing their life stories. Daniel told Neta about his mother, who went to America and left him all alone in this world. Because of that, he opened his heart to her. Neta, in return, felt free to share with him the beautiful memories of the life she used to have, until the day when she was informed her parents were seriously injured in a car accident leaving them with mental disabilities. "They talk, walk and cook together. But they were suffered serious brain injuries, which led to mental disorders that expressed in their nervous behavior. They are no longer like they were before," she wiped the tears falling down her face. Daniel looked at her, and saw the pain and the suffering she was going through.

  "Do you have brothers?"

  Neta pulled out the grass she sat on. It was clear the question had caused her pain. It took her a while to answer. "I have two brothers, one is three years old and the other is in the first grade. I haven’t seen them in the last few months. I miss them. Before the accident, on Saturdays, we used to travel with our parents everywhere. Now, they don’t seem to be my brothers anymore. My little brother doesn’t even know me." Tears fell down her cheek. "They are living with another family."

  "How about you?" Daniel asked, "Why don’t they adopt you as well?"

  Neta paused a bit. "They said I am too old. They don’t want to adopt older kids. The Department of Social Welfare tried to find a family for me, but no one wants me.

  "Are you mad at your parents?"

  "Yes."

  "I’m mad at my mother too. I really don’t know what happened to her and why she simply disappeared. When I was small, I used to look at the picture beside my bed and often asked for her forgiveness. I thought she left because I was not good enough. I prayed so hard every day, and promised to be the best little boy in the world, but she never came back. I have been through lots of sleepless nights. I cried a lot…I was so mad at her." He frowned, but then he added with a smile. "But I am better now. I am used to it."

  "Are you still mad at her?" Neta asked.

  "A bit."

  "Me too, just a little bit. Everybody has normal parents except me. I have disabled parents I can’t even talk to about things, and because of them I needed to stay in this stinky hole I am in now."

  Daniel was silent. He didn’t understand what was so special about Neta that made him so attracted that he wanted to stay with her rather than any other girl in the boarding school. But he knew the day Neta arrived at the boarding school, things became more interesting. She became the closest person to him. He used to visit Solomon on holidays, but ever since he came to know Netas’ aunt, he was always invited to spend Saturdays and holidays with them. He and Neta became close friends until the end of the sixth grade.

  4

  The graduation ceremony and the farewell party was about to begin. The atmosphere was grooving and pleasant. At the entrance of the campus, were a few candles placed inside brown bags. The ground was lit with colored lights and the tables were decorated with gold-embroidered maps. Foods donated by some large food companies were arranged on the table with a design that would shame a five star hotel. The first guests who arrived early that evening were stunned and amazed by the abundance of the food being served on the tables.

  A few days before the party, when invitations were sent to the families of the students, Daniel recalled his visit to his grandfather’s office with his mother. Daniel was having second thoughts about whether it was time to call his grandfather and ask him to attend the graduation ceremony. He knocked at the open door of Solomon’s office. "Yes, Daniel?"

  Daniel sat in front of him. "I thought of calling my grandfather to invite him to the graduation ceremony."

  "I think it's a great idea," Solomon said, handing him the phone.

  "No, not now, I'm a little scared he won’t recognize me, I don’t know ..."

  "You will never know if you will not try."

  Mixed emotions of concern accompanied by hope wrapped him up when he dialed the operator and asked for the home number of Kowalski Moshe. His hands were shaking as he wrote down the phone number. He didn’t know if the shaking was caused by his nervousness or the excitement to meet his grandfather – a family relative.

  "Hello, Hello?" It was a woman’s voice on the line, but he was tongue-tied. He hung up the phone, and after ten seconds, he found the courage to try calling again, hoping this time he would be able to talk. "May I speak to Moshe?" He found himself murmuring.

  "Moshe is not around. Who wants him?" The woman's voice was impatient.

  "Do you know where I might be able to contact him?" He asked weakly.

  "He's not in the country. Who are you?"

  Daniel wondered a little bit if she was his grandmother, and then hung up the phone. He was upset he called too late and couldn’t invite his grandfather.

  "What happened?" Solomon asked.

  "He's abroad."

  Solomon sadly stared at Daniel. "Never mind, he will still be your grandfather even after the party. Try it some other time."

  He looked at Daniel's disappointed face. There were a few times when he heard Daniel telling his friends that Kowalski was his grandfather. There was even one time he heard him telling them about his vi
sit to his grandfather’s office with his mother, and that was the first time Solomon believed in Daniel’s story.

  Daniel stood on the stage with his friends who performed with enthusiasm the roles they had been working on for three months in the show. He did not find anything exciting about playing his role for strangers who watched, with joyful smiles on their faces that were not intended for him. He was not the child of anyone in the audience. No one would come and pick him up to bring him home. He would be forced to remain at the boarding school until the next school year. Among the spectators of the show, he noticed Neta's aunt; a reminder he would not see Neta in the next school year. She would be moving to another city with her aunt - a reminder he would from then on be alone. It was not enough he failed to start a new connection with his grandfather, but he was also losing the single most significant relationship he had.

  During summer vacation, he visited Neta’s aunt a couple of times. One time Neta and her friends came to visit him at the boarding school, but he had already felt the distance between them. The image of the school girl Neta had once been, turned into a total city girl. With all the accessories attached, she looked more like a woman than the little girl he used to know. She wore clothes that were different from what she used to wear in boarding school, and he felt like he was also a part of her childhood she had removed. On rare occasions when she visited him along with her friends, she was in a hurry to part from him to go to theaters or some other place, reminding him there were things that did not just pass through him but rather, they passed over him.

  One morning, he saw Solomon approaching him with a smile on his face, which was not common for him. Solomon loved Daniel so much, but he never externalized it. Daniel presumed Solomon did not want the other children to feel he was giving him special treatment.

  "Daniel, I have wonderful news." Solomon tapped his shoulder.

  "Get dressed and I will wait for you in the car. I want to show you something."