Ossi

3. The Phone Call

The Phone Call

Herman and Ziggi Levin were born in Poland. During the second world war, they became Partisans, successfully escaping the Nazis, who were searching for Jews in all the villages. Their parents were hiding in one of the neighbor’s attics. The risk was great, and many Polish families did hide Jews and prayed that this nightmare of war would soon be over.

The boys’ parents made sure to supply them with money, extra clothes, and food. The young boys wandered in the forest with other children, freezing from the cold and fearing the German soldiers. They would hide whenever they heard German spoken. No one had enough food to eat, no one had enough clothes to keep warm, and some didn’t make it.

During their escape, they met other young boys, and they all had one mission—to go to Palestine.

Winter 1945. It was cold, and they slept next to each other at night for warmth. They heard a rumor that there was a place where passports were given to young Jewish boys to sail to Palestine. Without allowing their hopes to rise, they kept going with no other choice.

Eventually, they did discover the organization. Many young boys and girls were waiting there to get their passports, and they hoped for the best.

Arriving in Haifa, they managed to escape the port guards. They succeeded in blending in with the crowd and never looked back, but not all of them made it. Herman and Ziggi were lucky.

Haifa was a ghost town; the languages on the streets in Palestine were Arabic, Hebrew, and English. The British were in control of the country, and they did not welcome immigrants.

The birth of the state of Israel was near; you could feel it in the air. The UN was about to vote on whether to give the Jewish people their state. And in May of 1948 the UN announced the birth of Israel. Jewish people worldwide were glued to the radio, excited and eager to hear the historical results. Many Arabs who lived in Palestine did not like the UN’s decision. Pogroms and riots immediately erupted throughout the new state.

Herman and Ziggi joined up with the Israeli Army, and once the Air Force formed, they were among the first groups trained to be pilots.

During training, Ziggi’s plane dived and crashed. Ziggi was killed.

Herman knew he now had lost his entire family, but he didn’t have time to grieve, as he wasn’t the only one at the base who had lost family. So, they all became extended families with one goal: to form and protect their new state, the State of Israel, and to start a new life there.

While serving in the Air Force, Herman enrolled at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to study law. That was where he met his wife, Naomi. They married within the year, and while in law school, they welcomed twin boys, David and Yonatan. A year later, though unplanned, a new baby boy joined them, much to the delight of his parents. He was named Ziggi in memory of Herman’s brother.

Naomi stayed home with the children, and Herman found a job at the federal courthouse. At the same time, he taught law at Hebrew University.

A few years later, Herman Levin reunited with a former partizan, Jacob Stein. They met again in the Air Force and at law school, often dining together with their wives, who became close friends. A few years later, Herman and Jacob were ready to open their law firm.

Herman and Jacob were often mistaken for brothers. Both were tall with light brownish-blond hair and blue eyes; truly good-looking men who naturally took advantage of it. Their wives knew and complained to each other but chose to look the other way.

They purchased their houses next to each other in Jerusalem, and the two families became close, like a true family, celebrating holidays and every Shabbat together. Both families shared a nanny, Adina, who became part of the two families. They sent their children to a private American school where they spoke English. Back home, Adina spoke only in Arabic. Their parents thought it beneficial for the children to grow up speaking these languages fluently.

Their law firm was successful, well-known in town, and reputable throughout the country. As their reputation grew, they hired more attorneys to keep up with the caseloads. A few years later, they opened a second office in Tel Aviv.

While working long hours on a big case, Herman’s thoughts wandered to Lille, the adorable red-headed student volunteer. She was smart, beautiful, and ready to tackle the world. She loved assisting with his research and in other ways, too.

Lille’s family had immigrated to Palestine from Morocco, but they didn’t like the lifestyle there. So, they left for France with a few other families and didn’t look back.

Lille came to volunteer in a kibbutz. She fell in love with Israel instantly and stayed to study law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Herman’s assistant, Annie, walked into his office.

“It must be important. I asked not to be disturbed.”

Annie looked directly into Herman’s eyes. “You have a phone call from Paris. They said it’s urgent.”

“It’s a mistake. I do not know anyone in Paris.”

“Remember Lille?” Annie asked.

“Sure,” he said. “Where is she? I miss that young girl.”

“Well, she’s in Paris, and you should take this call.”

Herman knew this wasn’t good. He started to sweat, his hands trembling. Signaling for Annie to leave, he picked up the phone.

The woman on the other end of the line said, “Hello? Hello, monsieur? Are you there? Hello …?”

Quietly, Herman replied, “Yes, madame, I am here. How can I help you?”

“Monsieur, you need to pick up your babies tomorrow, or we will have to find a home for them. You will be here tomorrow, monsieur? Hello, hello?”

As it turned out, Lille had given birth to twins, a boy, and a girl. She had signed all the papers, giving Herman full custody, and then left town.

After a pause, he said, “Yes, madame, I will be there tomorrow.”

This phone call shook Herman’s world to its core. What would he say to his wife? How could he face her? How the hell had this happened? Why now, when they were so busy? Twins? She’d said, twins.

Oh God, please make this a mistake, a bad dream. No, I can’t handle this now. What the hell can I do?

He closed his eyes and hoped it was a nightmare, but then reality hit him hard. Yes, that sweet, young student had just messed up his life, and for some reason, he wasn’t mad at all.

Herman picked up some of the files that he had been working on and dragged himself across the hall to Jacob’s office, where he found him in a good mood, an exceptionally good mood.

When Jacob saw Herman, he jumped from his chair to inform him that they were expecting, and he was overjoyed. He and his wife, Ronit, had three boys and were hoping for a girl.

Jacob was happily singing while walking over to the little bar in his office. He grabbed two glasses and poured some of the fine bourbons that he kept for special occasions. Herman took his glass and settled into the nearest chair.

Jacob then realized that his friend looked like he had seen a ghost.

“What’s with you?” he asked.

Herman confessed the whole story, omitting nothing.

Jacob took his glass, pouring more of that drink. “It’s a happy day for us. We both wanted a girl. You got one; now it’s my turn.” He winked.

“Herm,” Jacob started, “your wife is a special woman who loves you unconditionally. Don’t make such a fuss. Go home, tell her something came up, and you need to go to Paris. You will figure it out when you get there. It will be fine; I can feel it. I wish we could all go together, but we have this case that I will have to dive into now.” Then Jacob asked, “Hey, did Lille name them?”

“Yes,” Herman said. “Osnat and Udiell.”

“I like it. I love Udi. How about Ossi? Yes, we should call them Udi and Ossi.”

Herman looked at his friend, his best friend, whom he loved and admired. He knew how lucky he was to have him in his life. Jacob was always happy. Even under pressure, he would c***k a joke to break the tension.

Herman got up and gave Jacob a big hug. “I love you,” he said. “Udi and Ossi, it is.”

Paris, the city of romance.

Naomi was excited to join Herman on his trip. She had no idea what to expect, but Paris is Paris, and you don’t say no to Paris. However, she did find it odd when they drove from the airport directly to Provins. She looked at Herman, trusting that he would have a good explanation.

They arrived at a guest house on a farm, where a woman at the front desk welcomed them.

“How may I help you?”

“Herman. Herman Levin,” he said.

“Oh, please follow me.”

They were escorted to a suite, where they found a nurse with the two babies. The twins were tagged with their names.

Udiell Levin and Osnat Levin.

Naomi approached the two adorable babies and instantly fell in love, and then there were tears, lots and lots of tears.

Herman stood behind her, hugging her with both arms, and whispered into her ear, “I just found out about this yesterday. Naomi, it’s your call. We can take them home, or they will find them a place elsewhere. Lille, their mother, is gone.”

Naomi looked at Herman and sensed how he was wrestling with himself. She hugged him tightly and said, “Let’s take them home and give them all the love we can.” Naomi looked directly into her husband’s eyes, the man she loved and adored. She could see through his tears, the pain, and the confusion. “I love you, Herm, with all my heart. I do, no matter what. Remember that, always.”