Page 18 of Analysing Her Assets

An Indecent Proposal

(56 days to end of year finish line, 30 days to new position)

12. Tamar

Friday afternoon was designated family time, and when she set out on the short fifteen minutes’ walk to her father’s, she had an image in her mind of herself striding in with dignity, a docile Giddy leading the way with his tail in the air.

Except for the tail in the air, she’d gotten it all wrong.

Giddy ran ahead, straining his new leash. Then he changed direction. He barked at cars, at other dogs, at moms with prams. He sniffed everything. She shortened the leash as much as she could, but still arrived at her father’s house short of breath and sweaty.

Eyal, her nephew, met her at the door, almost snatching the leash from her hand. He was the handsomest boy, with a wide mouth and reddish-brown hair and Tally’s dark eyes.

“Doggie! Imma said you were bringing a puppy! Hey doggie!”

“His name is Giddy,” Tamar told him.

When Tamar grew up in this house, their living room’s balcony, overlooking a shaded backyard, was hung with plants and herbs. It had two small chairs and a table, where her parents liked to sit together. After Tally divorced, she couldn’t afford to keep her own place, and she returned home. Her father converted the balcony into a room by closing it off with plastic window shutters. Her little sister Einat moved there, so Tally and Eyal could have her bedroom. Three years ago, the living room’s sofa was converted into a bed for Eyal.

“Tamarindi. My beautiful animal lover.” Her father greeted her and kissed her lightly on the top of her head. Yaacov Feynman was a tall, thin man that was always ready with a joke, so much so that people rarely noticed his sad eyes.

Tamar put the strawberry sorbet she had bought in the freezer and used the only bathroom to wash her hands and face thoroughly. Greeted by the jumble of shampoos, soaps, toothpastes, and towels, she had her usual mixed reaction of guilt and relief for being the only one able to afford leaving.

When she came out, Eyal and her father were at the corner of the living room with Giddy. Eyal’s toys were neatly packed into two large Ikea boxes shoved into Einat’s room. Her sisters were in the old green Formica kitchen that her mother had talked of replacing before she got sick.

They had a leisurely dinner of chicken and vegetable pad Thai, and the sorbet for dessert. Usually, one of the sisters, or their father, had to keep an eye on Eyal, as he was always running around and knocking over stuff. But tonight, after gulping down his ketchup pasta, Eyal took Giddy to his corner and played with him quietly.

“Eyal and Giddy are like two negatives becoming a plus,” Einat commented, and everyone laughed, Tally included.

“I’m running for chief analyst,” Tamar made her big announcement. “N is leaving.”

Her sisters clapped and hooted. Her father burst out crying.

“It was your mother’s dream.” He sobbed, taking one of her hands into both of his. “I’m so proud of you Tamari.”

“You’re the best,” Tally said. “I always knew you’d do it. And you’ll win the competition too.”

“I have to go get dressed. I’m meeting this guy later tonight.” Einat said, and got up to start clearing the table. She constantly had to remind herself that her baby sister was almost twenty-four.

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