Page 88 of Analysing Her Assets

His father forced a smile.

“You have a girl, I know.” He sounded a lot like Savta Paulina. “Your mother can’t stop talking about Tamar, the woman who reads her book for her. How great she is and how you two are right for each other.”

His mother was a witch.

“Yes, Tamar is great, and we’re together, and you’ll meet her soon. But it’s not about that. I’m giving you a fortieth anniversary present. I’m coming back.”

His father didn’t seem to grasp it. He blinked at him.

“Back? Back where?” He sounded so clueless, Gideon wondered whether he was on some prescription medicine that was dulling his senses.

“I’m going to quit Peaks. Tamar, my Tamar, will be the chief analyst, and I’ll come back to Berdiplast. I thought I’d work with Doron, Old Doron I mean, as co-COO until his retirement.”

His father’s face froze. Just like in their encounter in Beer Sheva, he’d become pale, the blood draining out of his face.

“Why? I thought you were running to be chief analyst?”

“I...aren’t you glad?”

“No! It’s not right! You shouldn’t fly from job to job like a butterfly who can’t make up his mind!”

“I can, I did. I made up my mind. I’m coming back home!”

He heard his own shrieks and said more quietly, “I hoped you’d be thrilled.”

“Gideon, don’t say anything to anyone yet,” his father ordered in the same way he did when Gideon had found out about his two younger brothers and his father’s double life.

Gideon’s stomach churned in unease.

“Why? What are you hiding now? Where is your CFO? Why isn’t he here?”

“Is everything okay?” His mother stood in the door. “Yehoshua? Gideon? Are you fighting again? Please, not today!”

“We’re coming,” his father said. “We weren’t fighting, Naomi. All is well, Gideon. Young Doron told me he wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t come here tonight.”

“We weren’t, Imma,” Gideon said, not believing his father. He wondered what kind of company he was coming back to.

He stopped by the bar and took another whiskey. This was going to be a long night.

---