On the deck of the Independence the couple watch the waves roll away. Cibi is as calm as the waters that carry them. Mischka’s arm is around her waist while Kari sits on his shoulders.
‘I’m coming, dear sisters, I’m coming,’ whispers Cibi to the setting sun.
*
After the week’s break, the sisters’ work in the orange groves is easier. They make sure the trees are healthy, ready for another abundant crop the following year. With summer edging ever closer, the weather is warmer and the sisters revel in the heat. Lying on their backs, day after day, they gaze at the beauty of Mount Carmel, its slopes featuring a lush oasis of vegetation. Livi wonders if they will ever walk its limestone ridge. Maybe one day.
They are lying in the shade on the day Menachem appears by their side with news, a broad grin on his face. ‘We’ve just had word that the next ship will be here in two days. That’s your sister’s ship, isn’t it?’
They girls sit up.
‘The Independence?’ Livi is now on her feet.
‘That’s right.’
‘What’s the date? I’ve lost track of time!’ Magda is still dazed from the heat, but now she too stands up.
‘The 15th of May. The ship is docking on the 17th.’
‘Then we need to go to Haifa! We need to be there when they arrive!’ Livi gasps.
‘Slow down, Livi. He said two days. Haifa is an hour away.’
‘But how will we get there?’
‘You will be there to meet the ship, I will organise it,’ Menachem assures them. ‘But you should know that all migrants are now taken to a camp in Sha’ar Ha’aliya – it’s not far from here, don’t worry. They’ll have health checks and registration. It’s just a precaution, and I’m told most people are only there for two or three days.’
The sisters are instantly despondent; they had wanted to pick Cibi up from the port and bring her to the orange groves. Livi has been dreaming about taking Karol up and down the rows of trees in the early evening, beneath a brilliant red sky .?.?. now she will have to wait even longer.
*
The dock looks different, Magda observes. Barricades have been erected to separate the new arrivals from the locals. Magda and Livi position themselves by a barrier close to the point where the gangplank will drop. As they watch the Independence sail into the port, Livi and Magda scan the faces of all those on the decks.
The docking is painfully slow, but, finally, the new migrants to Israel are streaming onto the quay.
‘They won’t be first, Livi,’ warns Magda, as Livi attempts to climb the barricade. She yanks her back down. ‘Have some patience or you’ll get us in trouble. They have a baby, remember. They’re not going to risk having him hurt in the crush.’
Buses are lined up on the docks to take the new migrants to Sha’ar Ha’aliya. Men, women and children climb aboard, eager and excited to get on with this first stage of their new lives in the promised land.
‘They’re taking for ever,’ Livi moans.
‘No, they’re not,’ says Magda, her voice breaking. ‘They’re here!’
Cibi has spotted them on her way down the ramp and now she hands Karol to Mischka and sprints through the crowd towards her sisters. Cibi falls into their arms, heedless of the thin wire of the barrier between them.
None of the women speak for a long time. Mischka watches in silence, too overwhelmed by the sight of his wife’s reunion with her sisters, to say a word. It is Karol’s grizzling in the end that wrenches the sisters apart. Livi wipes away Mischka’s tears, while Magda strokes the cheeks of her baby nephew.
‘Thank God you’re here,’ Magda says.
‘He had nothing to do with it, Magda,’ Cibi replies.
Magda and Mischka exchange a glance; Mischka smiles. Nothing has changed where Cibi and God are concerned.
‘We have to have health checks,’ Cibi says, sighing.
‘But it’s not for long, Cibi. Just a day or two and we’ll be there when you get out.’
‘Move along, come on. You can’t stay here,’ a voice calls, but it is the kind voice of an official who has just watched this tender encounter.
‘The candlesticks, have you got the candlesticks and the photos?’ Magda calls out as Cibi is lead away.
‘Yes, Magda, I have the candlesticks and photos, they are in my bag. I promise I will give them to you as soon as I can.’
‘We’ll see you in a couple of days,’ Livi tells her sister.
‘Better make it three,’ the official says.