Finally, I was returning to Israel after five years. I never forgot Tamar Ya'akov, the soldier I had met on a chance encounter one night in Tel Aviv. I may have been with Tamar only a few days but the were enough for me to fall in love with her. Then, a chance meeting with her boyfriend's cousin resulted in my leaving Israel under a cloud of suspicion and in pain. Now I was returning to Israel.
Why did I wait five years to return? One reason was that I could now get safely through Lod airport without encountering Daniellah Argov, my interrogator the night that Tamar and I were separated and a dominatrix of painful memory. Daniellah had taken a post as El Al's security head in Toronto.
Another reason that I could go back was that Air Canada had recently instituted service between Tel Aviv and Toronto. By bypassing El Al, Mistress Dani would never discover that her favourite sub was returning to Israel. Finally, I was absolutely sure that Mossi Bar LΓ©vi was out of jail by now and getting on with his life. Surely five years was enough time for even a Morroccan to forget me and how I had stolen his girlfriend.
As I sat in my airplane seat, I wondered if Tamar remembered me at all. Was she still available and did she still love me? Would she appreciate that I took up studying Hebrew for her? I hadn't been wasting my time in the last five years. At least I would be able to find my way around Israel in search of the woman I love.
I remembered when I landed in Lod on El Al that the passengers burst out in hand clapping. This time there was stony silence. We're Canadian after all. As I exited the airplane, the heat hit me like a hot iron that fell off the ironing board. This wasn't Whitehorse, Toto. I had my passport stamped by the same unsmiling clerk as five years ago. Where do they get these people from?
I collected my luggage and made my way to the bus stop for the Ashdod Express. Why Ashdod, a city that wasn't on anyone's tourist list? I had stayed in contact with Colonel Chava Krotchnik, the only person I could trust in Israel who had any contact with Tamar. Colonel Krotchnik had had her own tragedies. She lost her lover and bondage partner, Percival Purves and got demoted at the same time. Somehow, she had rebounded, getting back her rank, although she wasn't the Chief Army Censor now. We never talked on the telephone about our love life. It's not something a young guy can discuss with an older woman.
So I had to see Colonel Krotchnik first on my way to find Tamar. The Colonel was in charge of the Israeli Army's Ashdod Women's Training Facility. When an Israeli girl got out of high school, her first month of army service consisted of Colonel Krotchnik beating her into shape. Well, that may be a poor choice of words. I knew the Colonel was a dominatrix but I was almost sure that she restricted her talents to submissive men. Colonel Krotchnik was a pervert but it didn't involve young women.
I found the Army base in Ashdod and located Colonel Krotchnik's office. She obviously hadn't had the time to beat their girlishness out of the new recruits by the time I arrived at the base. The ones I met as I was escorted to the Colonel's office giggled and stared at their male visitor.
As I sat outside the office, I practiced my newfound Hebrew and made out the letters "Chvh Qrtznk" on the door. Damn, what a difficult language. No vowels and what about that throat-clearing "ch" sound? Suddenly, I heard shouting and a uniformed girl burst out the door in tears. This girl wasn't giggling and staring. Col. Krotchnik appeared in the doorway. She was fit, tanned and she stood ramrod straight so that she looked taller than her actual 160 cm. She hadn't added one wrinkle in the five years since I last saw her. Her brown hair, tied in a roll at the back, didn't have one grey hair. Her stern face turned into a cheerful smile when she saw me. When Colonel Krotchnik spoke, it was in an Eastern European accent so thick that you could smell the borscht on her breath:
"Chris, dollink. You come from Canada to zee me? Come in. Ve must talk dollink. I must apologize for zis unpleasant scene vit Private Zohar but Zahal must maintain its discipline. Please heff a seat. How long has it been Chris? Five Years? Ve must talk. I vill heff Private Reubens bring us zome refreshments."
We sat down across her desk. One of the Colonel's flunkies brought some cafΓ© botz to sip whilst we performed the Middle Eastern socialization ritual. The Colonel brought me up to date on her reinstatement in rank and transfer to the Ashdod women's barracks. When I asked her if she had ever gotten together again with Percy Purves, she shook her head:
"I neffer hear from Percy again. I hear from zome journalist friends zat he is vorking for American scandal paper writing stories about young ladies spanking bottoms of English lords. I don't care vun bit because ze English heff zo many good submissives. I can heff my pick from ze English commandos who come train vit our army. Right now, I am training two English officers, Captain Biff Whipple und Corporal Bart Bottomley, how to be good submissives. Ze men vear me out, ze vay zey luff to be beaten. But enough about me und my luff life, dollink. How can Colonel Krotchnik help my good Canadian friend?"
"Colonel, I'm on a mission to find and marry Tamar Ya'akov. I've been hiding from Daniellah Argov and Mossi Bar LΓ©vi for the past five years. These have been five years of pure loneliness and increasing desire for my lost love. Even if I am in danger from Daniellah or Mossi, I must find Tamar. You were the last person I know who had contact with Tamar. Can you tell me how to find her?"
"I vish I could help more but all I know is zat Tamar completed her service in her home town of Be'er Sheva. I only know zis from ze army records. Ven Tamar und me left zeh Army Censor's office, ve lost all contact. Zat girl didn't vant to shame me because I vas demoted. Eff you find her, tell her no hard feelings, don't feel guilty und don't be a stranger. If you vant to find Tamar, I suggest you go to Be'er Sheva and see if she is still zer."
"I thank you for the fine coffee and the help you've given me, dear Colonel. I'll try and find Tamar there in Be'er Sheva or someone who knows where she's gone. I'll get right on the next bus."
"Zer is no bus to Be'er Sheva until tomorrow. I heff a suggestion if you heff ze time. Biff Whipple und Bart Bottomley heff gone to Dimona to show our people ze English technique of interrogation. Zat Bart luffs to get a beating from ze rubber hose when he plays ze prisoner. I tell you zis; zat man is a born submissive. So, I heff neither of my true luffs vit me tonight. Since you must stay vun night in Ashdod, zo vhy don't you spend zeh time vith me? I know ver ve can eat vun good falafel und I heff a leather thong, yust your size. Ve could heff a good time after zupper."
"Colonel, I wouldn't have anyone else show me the delights of Ashdod but you. But I must decline your idea of a good time. You're a good looking woman but I'm not into whips and leather, whatever you may have heard about my last visit to Israel. But I promise you this. If I'm ever in the mood for a good beating, I want it to be at your hands and your hands alone."