Disappearance (5 page)

"It won't matter to me."

"Even in this?" she inquired, acting surprised.

Mikki didn't answer.   He just stood there, looking her over.

She had her back against the kitchen wall and was barefoot, wearing shorts and a large blue work shirt.  Her legs were tanned,
slender  and her unblemished  figure  hid under the shirt with the two top buttons open, revealing just enough of her breasts to make him ache.

He lowered his gaze and moved a step closer.  He could smell her scent.  Her breathing was suddenly heavy.  He moved in another step and met her eyes.  She took his face in her hands and kissed his mouth. He kissed her back. Their tongues met. He felt her body tense. She gasped and ran her fingers through his hair, pushing his head to her chest.

They stood motionless for a while, holding on to one another. When they finally separated and looked at each other, there was nothing more they could add with words.

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Shabbat dinners were special.

The main dining hall tables were set with white tablecloth,
flowers, shining silverware, and Shabbat candles.  A festive event that took place every Friday, it was the one evening of the week where families gathered together in observance of the seventh day, the day of rest.

Everyone looked their best.  It was a time to show off new outfits, greet old friends, get updated on family matters, and gossip.

Chicken soup, pickles, Hala bread, and white rice, were found on each table, while the main dishes of meatballs, chicken, or fish, were served from special carts, similar to those found on airplanes, which would go around the dining hall, manned by the weekly attendants.

With the dining hall too small to contain all the kibbutz members, they typically ate in three shifts.  The Dotan family always ate on the second shift.  Abe would come in at five minutes to seven and wait for the first shift to leave.  Once a table was freed, he would seize it and wait for the others to show up.  He would become extremely upset if they were late. Reena and Mikki's sister, Daphna, would come in together on time. Mikki and his brother, David, were consistently late.

But on this particular Friday night, everyone showed up on time delighted to finally meet Karen.  She was all Mikki talked about.

After the introductions and small talk, they each ordered a dish and began to interrogate her in lame English.  Mikki looked at the three sitting across.   He was very close to his brother who was two years his junior.  David idolized Mikki and it was always tempting to
take  advantage,  but  Mikki mostly respected his brother and encouraged him to pursue his own convictions.  Two inches shorter than Mikki, he had curly dark hair and brown eyes, a spitting image of their dad, very athletic and extremely sharp; a straight A student who barely looked at his homework. He, of course, preferred hanging around Mikki and his friends.   The older crowd seemed more interesting.    At times Mikki would have to bluntly get rid of him, but more often than not, he liked having him around.

Mikki's sister Daphna was ten. The baby in the family, they were all very protective of her. She was tall for her age with brown curly hair, large green eyes, and delicate features, much like her mother's.

Mikki was pleased.  Karen looked as though she would fit in. She looked stunning in her red mini dress.   She had put on some makeup and wore beautiful diamond earrings.  Her lips were full and red, and her smile as seductive as ever. They were all talking to her at the same time and despite their lame English managed to ask the most personal questions, which she, very gracefully avoided.

Mikki thought back to the morning.    He was suddenly engulfed by an eagerness to get to know her.  He wanted to learn her secrets
and share his secrets with her.   At that moment, he wanted to be with her forever.

“Has Mikki showed you around?" he heard his father ask.

"We haven't had time..." she started answering, looking at Mikki for support.

"If you lend me your car, I can show her the Valley and Golan Heights, Dad," Mikki interjected.

"Mikki, you know I'm not supposed to…"

"I know dad, but I'd like to take Karen out for a tour the Saturday after next. It's her birthday and the end of school for me."

Abe Dotan was the kibbutz's treasurer.   As one of the top three administrative positions, the job description included a car which called for the treasurer to make his car available to the general public once he was done with work.  He was not supposed to give priority to anyone that did not pass the routine procedures for requesting a car.

But as always, rules were meant to be broken.

Mikki had used the car on several occasions and he knew that if he pressed hard enough he would have it, so he let the matter drop. There was plenty of time.

"Mikki, are you and Karen comes over for dessert?" his mother asked as the attendants began clearing their table for the third shift.

Mikki caught Karen's eye.

"I think we'll pass this time Mom," he said apologetically, "we've got some plans."

"Would you like to elaborate on these plans Mikki?"  David asked in Hebrew, a huge grin on his face.

"Did you hear that Karen?"  Mikki said in English, drawing her attention.  "David here wants me to tell him about our plans for tonight."

David turned red and looked away.  Karen smiled and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. The rest burst out laughing.

They left the dining hall in a cheerful mood, walking around for a while with no particular destination in mind, enjoying each other's company.  They greeted friends who passed by, gossiped about the latest breaking stories they picked up at the Friday dinner, and stopped every few minutes to snuggle and kiss.

"Shall we go to the party tonight?"  Karen asked, gently slipping out of his embrace in a dark corner they had paused.

Mikki looked at her thoughtfully.  The volunteer night club had a party every Friday night.  "The only reason I ever go to these parties is to find someone like you," he reasoned.  "Now that I've found you, there is no reason to go."

"I love a good party Mikki.  Let's go there, dance a bit, and drink a little…"

"Maybe later; le
t’
s go to my room first.  We can talk…"

She smiled and moved closer, hugging his shoulders, speaking softly.  "We talked enough already, do
n’
t you think?"

Seconds later they headed for his room.

It was a long fifteen minutes before he could get his room in decent shape to allow her in.   Karen sat on the balcony watching him, amused at his efforts as if whatever was going to happen between them depended on it.  But she kept silent, allowing him to go on.  It was nice to have someone trying so hard to please her.  She felt tender warmth beginning to spread along her body, down between her legs.

Breathless, he invited her in.  The thin mattress on the narrow bed was hastily arranged with a graying bed sheet, a white quilt and a coverless pillow. The night lamp sent a weak ray of light towards his side of the room as if illuminating an arena where an event was going to take place, leaving the rest of the room in darkness.

“Bathroom?” Karen asked softly, escalating his discomfort.

“Better not…” he started apologizing, but she had already shut the door behind her, giggling to herself.

When she came out, she found him sitting on his bed, his back to the wall, fiddling around with an old radio.  She sat next to him. Strange clatters and squeaks came out of the radio until he managed to produce some adequate sounds.  He gave her a questioning look and after she gave him an encouraging smile, mustered his courage to bring his lips to her face. She responded gently and their lips met with passion. They lay on his bed and caressed one another, exploring new worlds. The bed creaked and the old radio fell on the floor with a bang, but they heard nothing but their beating hearts as they undressed one another, fingers touching bare skin with anticipation and lust.

Time ceased to exist.   There was no one but them in the world.

CHAPTER 3

The phone at the Glass residence in Westlake Village rang several times before Martha managed to reach it.  She was in the shower when it rang and had to quickly wrap herself with a towel and rush out to the bedroom.

"Hello, this is Martha," she spoke, short of breath.

"Will you accept a collect call from a Karen?" She heard the operator's monotone voice.

"Oh, yes, yes, put her through."

"Thank you, Ma’am," the operator clicked off.

"Hi mom." She heard her daughter's distant voice.

"Is that you, Karen?"

"Yes, Mom.  Can you hear me?"

"Just barely honey. Is everything OK? Speak up a little."

"Everything is fine mom. It's my birthday."

"I know dear.  Your dad and I were planning to call you tomorrow."

"Mom, we are ten hours ahead here."

It was Friday, May 25, 1984.  Karen was using the kibbutz's only public phone, hunched over the receiver in the small, cramped booth, trying to sound calmer than she felt.  She was eighteen now and it was the first birthday she had ever celebrated without her parents.

"Happy eighteenth, dear!  How have you been?  We haven't spoken in over a month."

"I couldn't ask for anything better, mom.  This is pure heaven."

"What are you up to? What are your plans?"

"I have no plans, mom. I'm enjoying this a day at a time."

"Your dad isn't home yet," Martha said sounding disappointed.

"I didn't think he would be."  They were silent for a few seconds. 

"Are you OK, Mom?"

"I'm fine, dear…"

Karen wasn't convinced but she let it go.  No point wasting valuable phone time over matters that were out of her control.  It was her birthday, her life.  She wanted to make the most of it.

"Are you doing anything special today?" she heard her mother ask.

"They're throwing me a surprise party tonight, which I'm not supposed to know about, but nobody can keep a secret around here."

"You sound very happy."

"Oh, I am...Mom! Very, very happy.  I wish I could stay longer."

There was silence again.

"I miss you dear, more than you can ever imagine.  The house is empty. Your dad works long hours. Lisa is away…"

"How is she doing? Where is she?"

"Your sister went with some friends to the house in Mammoth. They'll stay there for a couple of weeks.  I think she has someone but she wouldn't talk about it."

Karen loved the house in Mammoth.   Much of their spare time was spent there since her father purchased it five years ago.  Most summers were spent fishing and hiking.  Winters were spent skiing.   On occasion, she and Lisa would take some friends along to spend the weekend away from the parents. It was everybody's favorite getaway.

"She hasn't replied to any of my letters," Karen complained.

"She's very busy with friends from university now. I hardly see her."

"I understand but ask her to write.  I have lots to tell her and please check what's with my room at the dorms.  OK Mom?"

"I'll check honey. Tell me what are your plans?  You should be leaving Israel in less than a month."

"This Saturday I'm going for a tour of the area.  Next week I'll be in Tel Aviv for a few days.   I'll be leaving for Greece a week after that."

"Do you have enough money? Do you need anything?"

"So far I've hardly spent any money.  The kibbutz has everything. It's great here, Mom!"

"I'm happy to hear…"

"Gotta go, Mom. Say hi to Dad and Lisa. I'll call before I leave for Greece."

"Happy birthday honey, take care of
yourself. And try to write to me as well…"

"Bye Mom…"

The phone went dead.

Martha held it a while longer then slowly put it back in its cradle.   She sat for a while feeling empty, looking at her reflection in the bedroom mirror.  She brushed her hair aside and studied her body,
thinking of days gone by.  She had been quite a catch in her prime.  Paul had courted her for years before she finally succumbed.  For a while, she thought she had it all:  a successful marriage with an ambitious husband and money to burn.   She hadn't worked a day in her life, always financially secure, coming from a wealthy family and marrying a successful businessman.

In the early years it seemed like an everlasting honeymoon. There were luncheons, parties, shopping, romantic dinners, late evening strolls, and morning lovemaking.  Paul would always make an effort to spend time with her. He would cancel meetings and take the red eye, just to spend the night. If he was away for more than a few days, he would fly her to wherever he was.  Money was no object; romance was everything.  She took it all for granted and would have it no other way.

Then Lisa was born.

It was the little things at first.  He would work longer hours and call home less frequently.  They had fewer lunches together; fewer dinners; fewer parties and she found herself spending more and more time alone.

The honeymoon was over.  Reality had set in.  Martha, busy raising Lisa, did her best to accept her new role but Paul would not deal with the change. He drifted away. She confronted him a few times but he always managed to use his work as an excuse. She knew he had his reasons.  Growing up an only child, he had received all the attention.  Life revolved around  his  needs  and  he  wasn't  ready  to  share  her  with another person. The triangle that life created had a missing link. When he'd make an effort to spend time with Lisa, it was forced and unemotional.   He wasn't there for her.   He was there because it was expected and the less it was expected, the less he got involved.

The bedroom door swung open.

Martha did not flinch.  She did not turn her head, seeing his reflection in the mirror.  He stood there for a moment looking dreadful; his eyes bloodshot, his tie loosened around his neck; his suit wrinkled.  His gray hair was unkempt and he needed a shave.  He was overworked and stressed to the point where only painkillers could relieve his aching back and he had developed a nervous twitch in his right eye which was noticeable when he was tired.

Paul nervously took off his tie then walked over and stood behind Martha, looking at her in the mirror.  He put his hands on her shoulders.  They were sweaty.  He moved his fingers up and down her back. She sat motionless.

"Karen called," she said softly, avoiding his gaze.

"How is she?"

"It's her birthday."

"I know…"

She suddenly lost her desire to confront him.  She was tired of sharing her life with him.  She no longer cared at what hour he came home.  She wanted out.  She wanted his fingers off her back…

"I'll get dressed," she said and pushed to get up. "Your vodka is in the bottom drawer."

He had tried to hide the fact, but she knew he had been drinking heavily for several months.  He kept silent.  She left the towel on the bed and stood up, naked.  He felt his body respond and followed her with his  gaze  as  she  gracefully walked around the room.  He loved her dearly but life took an ugly twist.  They had drifted apart.  There was no making up. The gap had opened too wide.

"Is Karen OK?" he asked, walking opposite the bed, drawing open the large curtains covering the sliding glass doors which led to Martha's mini botanical garden, revealing a magnificent view of the Conejo valley resting below. Paul slid the glass doors open and looked out.  The night was clear.  The special garden lights shimmered in the small pond.

"Do you miss her?"  Martha asked contempt in her voice.

He didn't respond right away.  Instead, he took out a Marlboro pack from his shirt pocket, searched his suit pockets for the Ronson lighter, fumbled with it, and lit a cigarette.  He looked out at the valley again and inhaled slowly.  It wasn't a simple question and he
had  no  rational  answer.  He was paying a price for neglecting his daughters.  He was losing his wife; the one person in the world he truly loved.

In his deepest, most primitive thoughts, he blamed the girls for ruining his marriage. He wanted to have children but it caught him totally unprepared. As meticulous as he was in building his company, he was careless in his preparation of building his family.

He felt he was in competition with his children for his wife's attention.  He wanted her all to himself.  A year after Lisa was born he realized that he could not cope.  He knew it could not be explained or accepted, so he withdrew. Anything he did with the girls was only to please Martha.  When they found out she was pregnant with Karen, he demanded an abortion. Martha wouldn't hear of it.  He had no choice but to accept it. He decided to make a gallant effort to overcome his jealousy and join his family. It did not last long.

When Karen turned five, Martha was ready to leave.  He felt trapped.  He could not afford to go through a divorce, needing to
maintain a steady front for his company, the community, for his parents.  A divorce would have ruined his image being a pillar in his community.  Questions would have been asked, eyebrows would have been raised.  It had been too risky and would have turned too expensive.  He pleaded with her and she agreed to stay.  It became a little easier as the girls grew. He felt less threatened and he had more time with Martha.

Then his company nearly collapsed.

He had made several smart investments over the years.  His latest and most successful was PhotonTek, Inc.  The company was a huge success in the early seventies, capitalizing on one of the world's latest and most promising discoveries, the LASER.

Glass had been one of the first to realize the laser's enormous commercial potential at a time when it was used exclusively for research in university laboratories. Being quicker and more aggressive than his competitors, he linked up with a professor from the University of Rochester and began to pursue commercial applications.   He managed to raise over five million dollars, and set up a facility in the San Fernando Valley, which was used to develop laser technology for industry.  He quickly managed to define those industries that would benefit most from the use of the laser, and began to interface the technology with specific applications.

The company took off.  With a very smart and aggressive marketing campaign, his company managed to reach break-even point within a year. Sales doubled the following year, and tripled in the next two years.  PhotonTek had a firm hold on supplying laser equipment to several key industries.  It had a15% share of the worldwide laser industry sales. 

The future looked bright.

Then, in June of 1982, in a dramatic development in a district court in Florida, the laser industry was dealt a crushing blow. The long legal battle over  who  invented  the  laser  was decided.

The invention was awarded to a professor who was an assistant at Columbia University in 1959, when he developed the concept of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.   The verdict handed a group of patent attorneys, representing the inventor, authorization to license the entire industry.  It meant that anyone, who was manufacturing and selling lasers and their beam delivery systems in the US, had to pay royalty fees ranging from five to ten percent of the sale price, depending on the type of laser, for the subsequent seventeen years.

The laser industry was hit hard.   The smaller companies folded, the larger ones consolidated.   PhotonTek faced bankruptcy.  Two principal investors pulled out and Glass was hurting for cash.

PhotonTek Sales in 1981 were over $20 million but profit margins were relatively low due to the high cost of R&D. Most of the profits were invested back in R&D in the everlasting battle of keeping competitive with technology and client demands.  Cash flow was a constant problem and with over 250 employees, Glass needed every penny to be able to pay salaries and overheads.

With the added liability of paying royalties, PhotonTek's projections looked bleak.  In an effort to cut costs, Glass laid off over one hundred employees in the months following the verdict, but it wasn't enough.  He needed more cash to stay afloat.

PhotonTek was a closely held company with Glass being the major shareholder. He held 34% of the company's stock. The rest was divided among three principal investors, each holding 22%.  Facing bankruptcy, with two principal owners pulling out and several looming hostile takeover bids, PhotonTek needed a miracle.

He spent months searching for investors roaming the globe desperate to save his company.   He considered everything from a public stock offering to putting up his personal assets as collateral. There were no takers. It seemed hopeless.

Then he got a phone call, and realized he had no choice but to accept their terms.

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He threw the burning cigarette stub on the patio, then walked out and stepped on it, putting it out.  Martha hated when he did that.

He came back and stood by the glass door, looking at her.