Our first car when we moved to Israel was actually a company car…it’s very common here in Israel and when we moved here, we were amazed to learn that part of that first contract my husband signed with the elevator company where he worked for a number of years – included a car and all the gas we could use. Company cars are great – they break…the company fixes them…
Our second car was a brand new Mitsubishi Superlancer – which was stolen two years later and tracked to a nearby Arab village, where apparently the thieves decided it wasn’t worth dismantling for parts. It reached 30,000 kilometers, still looked brand new, and never needed any treatment…hey, it was stolen young it its life and the remark that drove me crazy at the time was from our insurance agent, “yup, Mitsubishi – number one in Israel…number one stolen car!” – Now that honor, I’ve been told, has been given to Hondas and Subarus…yeah, we’ve got one of each of those…
Our third car was a 1996 Renault Megane – much loved by many, the army bought thousands of them. It served us well – and each of my older three children has loved and driven it at one point or another. We’ve had several cars since we bought the Megane – and while my husband and I have moved with the times, the Megane was never worth selling – it’s a great car with little resale value. At this point, near the end of its life, Elie has rejuvenated it first with a new transmission and now with a new engine. Shmulik bought himself a gorgeous car…a Mitsubishi actually, and so the Megane went to Elie, to love, to drive, and to fix.
Lazer and Elie drove today to get the car back – new engine and all. For reasons that even a mother can’t understand (something about spare parts), Elie asked to keep the old engine. He drove the car home…with the old engine in the trunk and then asked Davidi to help him unload it to store it…um…in my backyard.
The boys…can I call them boys?…went to unload the very heavy engine from the car. They maneuvered it partially out of the trunk and that’s when Elie asked Davidi if he wanted to see the new engine. And so, off they went to the front of the car to look.
And there they stood for several minutes talking about the engine. I didn’t understand a word they said but Davidi seemed duly impressed.
There’s a scene in Fiddler on the Roof, where Tevye wants to see the new sewing machine his son-in-law has just received. While others were looking at the new baby, Tevye insists on seeing the new sewing machine. I had no idea what he was looking at…only that it was some rite of passage or something – the engine passed inspection…
There is something so special about seeing your sons share together, work together…and then, as Elie was leaving he gathered together a bit of noodles I’d made to take home to his wife. He was about to walk out of the house, when he said, “oh, my things” and then explained, as he put them in his pocket…”my wallet, my keys, my gun.”
My gun? Oh well…and as he left, he called out, “thanks, David.”
Now, all they have to do is figure out how to get the oil from the old engine off their shoes, their pants, the front steps…