Page 3 of Status Undefined
“I can’t remember the name of the park, but it’s near home. I’ll take you there if you want.”
“Why didn’t we gothereif it’s closer?” Keren almost cried with frustration.
“We can stop there on the way home,” suggested Naama.
“No point. He won’t be there anymore.”
“Chill, Keren, I promise I’ll help you find him next time.”
“But you don’t like him.”
“I don’t. But it’ll be an amusing exercise, and hilarious to see your face when you finally meet him.”
Keren hugged me excitedly, nearly knocking my glasses off. I got it. When I was 16 I would have hugged anyone who said they’d help me meet Daniel Radcliff. No one had. Maybe this would give me some closure. Some people think it’s ridiculous to idolize someone who is just flesh and blood, but they are missing out on one of the most magical experiences.
December 2
(visa expires in 43 days)
Listening to people isn’t easy. They obsess. They agonize. They blow things out of proportion. But it’s my job. When I first got to Thailand I asked a friend if he had any thoughts on how I could earn money. He was only half serious when he told me that his grandfather would be willing to pay someone just to listen to him. But we gave it a try and it was a success. Word spread about our conversations and other people in his circles began booking time with me. I really connected with many of my clients, but the conversations were always about them. Still, I have to admit I liked my work.
The only problem was that the time difference between Thailand and Israel meant I mostly worked evenings. Inconvenient, because I had promised Keren we would hunt for Daniel when she got out of school in the afternoon. So far we hadn’t had any luck. When he posted from Phuket town’s famous clock tower, we rushed over there but we were too late.
On the first night of Hannukah, Naama, Eli, Keren and I went to the Chabad house for the candle lighting. Keren was still checking obsessively for new posts from Daniel. I had stopped rolling my eyes and started genuinely worrying about her sanity.
“You think he celebrates Hannukah? He’s supposed to be Jewish,” Keren asked hopefully, as if she might find Daniel scarfing donuts in the doorway to Chabad.
“I’m Jewish too, but if I only had two weeks in Phuket, I’d rather go watch the sunset from the beach than light Hannukah candles,” Eli dashed her hopes.
To say that Eli and Naama were not religious would be an understatement. But it was important to them that Keren experience the Israeli holidays. Even though I had already been in Thailand for three years, the COVID-19 pandemic meant I hadnever been to the Chabad Hannukah celebration. That was just fine with me; I needed a little distance from the religion.
We parked on a side street and walked towards the Chabad house and the big purple sign that made it easy for anyone to find. A crowd of kippa-wearing Israelis filled the large hall.We tried to find a spot with a good view of the giant Hanukkiah, and then things got interesting.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!” Keren jumped up on a chair and screamed as if she’d seen a ghost. Her scream made me jump too. I turned to see what the problem was and saw a little gecko on the floor, desperately trying to escape the crowd.
“It’s just a gecko. It’s harmless.”
“No way. I’ve still got big plans for the future, you know.”
“Like marrying Daniel?”
“If you get this thing out of here I promise I’ll stop talking about him.”
That was incentive enough for sure. But it turned out that catching a gecko is one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to do. Every time I thought I had it, some movement would startle it into motion and it would dart away. I stalked it all around the room, intent on catching it. I didn’t care if people thought I was weird. When I set my mind to something nothing can distract me. It took five minutes, or maybe an hour, who knows, to get close to the gecko. Not quite within reach but closer than before.
“Don’t move. Don’t move,” I whispered to it. Then I pounced and managed to catch it by the tail.
“Gotcha!”
Mission accomplished.
I realized someone was standing over me. I couldn’t see his face because my glasses had fallen off as I tackled the gecko. The guy leaned down and stuck out a hand to help me up. I took his hand and reached for my glasses with the other. On my feet again, I put them on. He was a little taller than me, with light blue eyesand a sparkling white smile. My heart sank into my shoes. It was Keren’s American idol.
“Hey. Good catch.”
December 2
(visa expires in 43 days)
