2013: Posts are continuously translated and added to the blog with their original dates

Sunday, June 8, 2008

6. The Ring

My friend Dalia is a character.
She's all about drama. We were talking on the phone daily for 20 years, until my speech was taken away.
She's a large woman, in body and spirit. I heard that she use to go to work in broad rimmed hats and heavy makeup. She was considered cooky. She buys clothes at Bezalel Market (like a swap meet, R.S.) not because she has to, but out of principle. She won't pay more than 50 shekels ($13, R.S) max, for a dress. But she'd rather pay 15 shekel ($4, R.S.).
Today she's back on a diet, # 37, or #8, she can't remember. She dropped 5 KG (11lb, R.S.), but her goal is still a long and painful way off.
A hard knock on the door. It opens wide, and Dalia stops in the doorway in her full glory. "Hello" she announces. "How are you?" She walks in after a few seconds.
She always comes with riveting stories. Today too.
"Don't ask what happened to me this week!" she says. "As usual, I was very tired after a hard day's work, and I fell asleep on the sofa in a T-shirt. At 10 PM the door bell rang, but I decided not to open the door. If it was family, they would have let me know they are coming, I thought. I was also half naked, so I ignored the ring and went back to sleep."
"The next morning, as I was going down the stairs, I saw an ambulance, and several police cars in front."
"What happened?" I asked. "The neighbor from upstairs was beaten up and robbed," I was told.
"I went up to visit her yesterday," she continued,"and don't ask! They punched her in the eye, broke one of her teeth, gagged her with a rag and taped her mouth shut, and tied up her hands and legs. They vandalized everything inside. She managed to get to her next door neighbor, hopping, and ring the door bell with her chin. She had to be hospitalized. I couldn't sleep for 3 days, thinking it could have been me!"
This is Dalia
Living a life at the heart of the storm.

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Translated by: Rina Shapira
Original Hebrew post on June 8, 2008: 6. הצלצול

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