Shirley

When the plane touched down at Lod Airport near Tel-Aviv, Shirley was more excited than she expected to be. At thirty, she was seven years older than the country she was visiting. Shirley planned to stay for a while but had not decided what she wanted to do. She would discuss her plans with Hank and not think about it until then. A feeling of rising excitement took hold of her. She made no attempt to analyse it, content only to feel the emotion. With a roar of engines, the plane taxied toward its parking station. Through the windows one could see alert young soldiers in scruffy uniforms, patrolling in pairs, their short-barrelled guns hanging from shoulder straps. Too young for the key of the door but my, weren't they sweaty and sexy! Their eyes were cautious, too old for their faces. If she were ten years younger, she mused, she'd have gone for that tall one on the tarmac. There was Hank waving, and the small woman by his side must be Ruth. Hank and Shirley's brother had been friends in their home-town of Toronto. Shirley had liked Hank in an off-hand manner and, just as off-handedly, had taken his virginity. She had settled in Europe for a while to get away from Toronto's tight-arsed prudery, and there, she learned he had married Ruth, a girl she had never met, and the couple had immigrated to Israel six years ago.

"Hi there, Hank, you old fart!" she cried, tossing her cigarette on someone's leg. "And you must be Ruth," she said, turning to the dark petite girl beside the tall man. "I've been dying to meet you."

"Thanks," said Ruth, her lips primly and disapprovingly pressed together. The buxom blonde with tobacco stained teeth, blue shadowed eyes and too short dress cut low over her more than ample bosom, was not exactly what she had been expecting.

"What the eff did a gorgeous creature like you see in this bum, eh?" said Shirley thumping Hank on the back, her bracelets ajingle. In spite of herself, Ruth laughed.

"While you two get acquainted," said Hank, "I'll bring the car round. Get the trolley to the edge of the sidewalk here. I'll be right back."