Hi-Tech Hijack (11 page)

The following days were extremely intensive. Eddie and Reuben were running around between lawyers and accountants, trying to form the founding documents for the company and the partners’ agreement between themselves. A mere week later, Eddie and Rose were already listed as the owners of Ebocell-Tech. Eddie had wanted to name the company Ebocell—a combination of the Ebola virus and live cell, but the lawyer suggested they should add a suffix, either .
com
or
tech
, “as is the custom in the hi-tech industry”. Eddie gave in to the pressures of the lawyer and of Reuben, who understood the benefits a hi-tech-sounding name would have on the image of the company, and Ebocell-Tech was agreed upon. Reuben was given options to be exercised in five years and a voting share that gave him a third of the voting rights at the company from day one.

Eddie and Rose rented a two-bedroom apartment in Rehovot, near the
ulpan
where Rose was studying Hebrew and close to the Weizmann Institute where she started attending lectures in English about zoology and biology as an auditor—,subjects that were very close to her heart.

The first argument between Eddie and Reuben was about where the company should be located. They both agreed it should be close to or Ness Ziona, since that was where most of the biotechnological industries were located. The Weizmann Institute, the biotechnology industry with all its different factories in Ness Ziona, the research institutes of the Agricultural Faculty, and the Veterinary Institute in Beit Dagan were the arena of action and source of personnel and lab services they required to make a start. And all of these spots were within a twenty-mile radius from the Weizmann Institute. Reuben was pushing to rent a set of rooms in one of the impressive, modern glass-walled buildings at the Ness-Ziona Science Park, while Eddie thought it was best to choose a more modest approach and settle for some place cheaper, but close by. He believed the money should be invested in actually building the company, not wasted on creating an attractive image for something that was yet to have any content. It was those days that taught Eddie not everyone was made of the same material he and his army buddies were made of. In his e-mails with Amit, he shared his difficulties:

I wish you were my business partner. I know so much of the energy I’m wasting on these types of arguments could be saved and the road to the goal would have been much faster and quicker. . .

Eventually Reuben gave in and they chose an old house in Be’er Ya’acov village in a neighborhood housed with old row houses from the 1950s. The house had two stories divided into four apartments. The owners of the two apartments on the ground floor had joined them into one big apartment. They used the living room as the central lab and took a room each, one for Eddie and one for Reuben. A fourth room was designated for the two lab technicians they had recruited, and the large kitchen doubled as a reception and entertainment area.

Their basic investments went into lab equipment, computers, and rental cars for Eddie and Reuben. Eddie decided to save again and chose a multi-purpose vehicle—a van that could also be used for transporting equipment if needed. He let Reuben rent a more standard vehicle. Although Reuben thought a more luxurious car should be rented to present a successful appearance, Eddie insisted image should be put on hold. Reuben had to make do with the car most companies used for their second-rate executives. These initial costs, including a two-year rent paid in advance, exhausted the first £100,000 in the blink of an eye. The rest of Aubrey’s investment was meant to cover the company’s ongoing expenses over the first two years.

Eddie’s work day began early in the morning. As the son of farmers, he was used to early wake-ups and was the first to open the doors to work every day between six and seven o’clock. Reuben, who lived in Hod HaSharon, a crowded twenty miles from Be’er Ya’acov, would come in later around 8:30 a.m., and they both stayed late every night. The two lab technicians, a man and a woman named Leonid and Luda, were new immigrants from Russia, and both had the title of lab engineers from a Soviet university in Siberia. While their degrees were acknowledged in Israel, there was no practical work for lab engineers, and they had to compromise and accept the job offer from Ebocell-Tech. Very quickly Eddie and Reuben’s enthusiasm rubbed off on Luda and Leonid, and they too devoted their days and nights to the work. Reuben would pick them up on his way from Hod HaSharon every morning, at the Meteorological Service intersection where the bus they would take bright and early from Ashdod dropped them off.

Rose’s days went by slowly and leisurely in anticipation for Eddie to come home at night. Then they would sit in their little kitchen and have a simple supper of omelets and salad. Eddie would share details of the progress and confide in Rose about the forming relationship between him and Reuben, and Rose would speak of what happened at the
ulpan
, making an effort to insert a Hebrew word into her sentences here and there. She did not share her concerns about the change in her life and falling into a routine. She found her Hebrew studies enjoyable at first, and as the level got harder and harder, she did not shy away from the challenge, but rather, embraced it and kept busy with it many hours every day. She pushed aside thoughts that kept popping up.

What happens when I finish the ulpan and master the language? What will I occupy myself with then in this narrow space between Rehovot and Be’er Ya’acov?

At night Rose and Eddie would retire early to the bedroom where they would passionately unload the stresses and worries of each day. Then calmer they were free to show each other tender love until Rose would turn her back to him and Eddie would cling to her wrapping her warm body with his. Rose loved that time of embrace. Lonely in a foreign country, she longed for that moment at the end of each day when Eddie’s protective touch told her she was not alone in the world.

Several months passed before the routine of life began taking its toll on Rose. At the beginning she was passionate and full of enthusiasm about the new course of life she had chosen for herself and spent the mornings at the
ulpan
. Most students were newcomers from the former Soviet Union or from Ethiopia, so Rose had a difficult time finding someone she had anything in common with. She sometimes passed the afternoons trying to cook, which were unsuccessful more often than not and forced her into the realization that her tempestuous spirit did not find any respite in a task as mundane as cooking. She would attend English lectures in zoology and biology at the nearby Weizmann Institute whenever she could find one.

She made friends with some of the administrative assistants at the Weizmann Institute, who were originally from English-speaking countries but failed to form any significant relationships. They were all married and walking the petty bourgeois route that she was yet to grow accustomed to. So Rose started to find herself bored and lonely. She was never built for routines, and once the adventure of Israel began turning into a routine, she started to feel imprisoned just like she used to back in England.

For a while she tried to hide her growing frustration. She tried to be as understating as she could about Eddie’s enslavement to work from dawn ’til dusk, but was not successful and became grumpier and grumpier. Eddie, who was completely immersed in the daily challenges of the work, did not pick up on her mood at first, and when he did, it took a while for him to understand its causes.

“Is it that difficult for you here?” he would ask, trying to start a conversation.

“Everything’s fine, darling,” she would reply in a clearly sarcastic tone.

Rose was unwilling to admit to the difficulties of fitting in to the bourgeois way of life she suddenly found herself immersed in. To admit to it would mean to recognize the failure. Her father, the only person on earth from whom she was willing to accept criticism, had tried several times in the past to get her times to integrate into his London businesses. She gave it a few tries, but the gray office routine broke her spirit very quickly. She refused to acknowledge the fact that her yearly escapes to Zimbabwe meant she was unable to fit into any sort of routine of life.

In one serious talk they had her father said to her, “Here in London or there in Zimbabwe, Rose, you’re not a child anymore, and you need to start finding a stable path that will lead to building a family.”

But Rose avoided the issue and said, “I’m still a kid, not even thirty, and it’s ok for me not to make up my mind just yet.” And she smiled that endearing smile of hers that would always win her father over.

In Israel, Rose knew she was putting herself to the test. She was choosing a stable path that would lead to starting a family, as Aubrey would put it. She was determined not to fail this challenge, but her hopes of becoming accustomed to the routine were not met, and every passing week was more difficult than the one before it.

Eddie made a suggestion one evening. “You know, Rose, Reuben’s wife, Ronit, helps around the company a lot. She’s there at least one day a week and assists in the medical applications of our conclusions. Why don’t you come over once or twice a week and take part in the work?”

“What does any of this has to do with Ronit?”

“Well, she’s really making an effort to get closer to you and help you feel more at home here.”

“We’ve already visited each other’s homes, and you and I had some double dates with them—Ronit is not my cup of tea, and you have to put up with Reuben at work enough as it is. You wouldn’t want to turn the company into a families’ club.”

“I wasn’t suggesting you should come necessarily on the days when Ronit is there; I just thought it would be nicer for you if you did.”

“It absolutely would not be!” said Rose angrily.

“No, then. I personally think she’s a great person, but it’s not worth the argument.”

“What a great person Ronit is,” Rose snapped at Eddie. “She’s the absolute perfect woman, a doctor and beautiful. I hope you’re able to concentrate on the work on the days when she’s there.”

“That’s unfair. I’m sure you didn’t mean that.” Eddie furiously got up to leave the room, but Rose reached out her hand and grabbed his arm.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re right, I didn’t mean that. But I really don’t need any help. What I need is you, Eddie, just you.”

Eddie looked at Rose and could read all the desperation and frustration in her face. Her hand gripping his arm tightly was like that of a drowning person holding on to a lifeline, and he realized just how dependent on him she really was. He was the only person she had in Israel.

“I know,” he said quietly, stopping himself from starting another fight, but secretly admitting he did have a hard time keeping his cool around Ronit. The more he got to know her and Reuben, the less he understood what this beautiful, accomplished woman saw in his business partner.

A deafening silence took over the room for a few minutes, and Rose and Eddie avoided looking at each other.

“How exactly do you see me helping? I’m not a doctor and I have no education in life sciences,” said Rose, resuming the conversation and trying to erase the effect of her former words.

“There’s lots of work translating scientific research from English into Hebrew. Our Russian lab technicians can’t handle scientific texts in English. Why not come over and help with that? You already have a good grip on Hebrew, and it’ll be really helpful.”

“I can give it a go,” she said, although translation was hardly what captured her adventurous heart. “On one condition: you have to commit to coming home at a reasonable time. Let’s say seven p.m., one night a week.” She made an effort to smile. “Then we’ll have ourselves a date night and go to a movie or restaurant, or just spend time together.”

“You have a deal,” he said and squeezed her shoulders affectionately.

Both Eddie and Rose meant to try and live a little bit differently, though in their hearts they both questioned if they could indeed make it. Rose took on the role of information analyst at the company. She sourced out scientific texts from websites Reuben and Eddie gave her and summarized them in Hebrew for all four staff members. She devoted three half-days per week to the company and was there during the afternoons. Without any formal discussion, Rose arranged her schedule so that she didn’t meet Ronit at all. Usually late into the evening, she would remind Eddie the day was over, and that there was life after work as well. Sometimes when they were left alone late and her hot, tempestuous nature once again failed to bear the grinding routine between the company walls, she would tempt Eddie, and they would end the day in passionate lovemaking on the floor of his room.

“That’s a great way to end the day,” said Eddie one time.

“If screwing can take your mind off the difficulties at work, I’ll come make love to you every day at lunch time.”

“And then where will we end up? Nowhere.”

“But we’ll be together, Eddie. We’ll live and we’ll love,” she said, growing serious all of a sudden.

“Life isn’t a movie, and this company is supposed to be a part of the future for both of us.”

“If this enslavement is your idea of a future, then I’d rather live in the past.” Rose’s words hurt Eddie. They left work silently and drove home.

“Let’s go out for dinner to a nice restaurant,” he suggested in an attempt to clear the atmosphere.

“Actually, I tested a new recipe this morning for an interesting pasta sauce and thought you might want to try it with me.”

“I’d love to,” said Eddie, and Rose knew even if he didn’t like it, he was going to shower her with compliments to appease her.

Eddie found himself completely helpless and stuck in an impossible situation. He was torn between wanting to keep Rose happy and helping her feel at home in Israel, knowing how much she needed him and between the challenges of the company that ruthlessly consumed his every waking hour and required every bit of his attention. His love for Rose did not emerge in a big bang, one that people spend the rest of their lives trying to maintain and by doing so sustain and build a relationship. Eddie and Rose’s love was formed and created gradually. The time, the place, the circumstances—Africa, London, and the terror attack in Tel Aviv—all played a substantial part in the blossoming of their love. Rose may have felt more strongly than Eddie did, but her love originated mostly in the attraction to what was foreign and so different from her. Their love was like a small flame that needed kindling to grow and burn, but when life’s heavy logs were placed upon it, the fire died out trying to consume them. Slowly but surely, the flame of love was smothered by the logs of the great challenges they had taken upon themselves.

As time passed, Rose gave up on trying to get Eddie to achieve some sort of balance between work and home. Rose, who from the tender age of ten went without a mother’s love, did not know how to create that family home for the two of them all by herself and ended up a thousand miles away from the idyllic image of the relationship she had in mind.

The few nights they managed to spend together would all end in a mutual sense of frustration. They both longed so much for those shared moments of togetherness and tranquility that every unexpected harsh or shrill tone would cause the already low threshold of sensitivity to collapse, and the night would end in an angry silence or a loud fight that they both regretted the next day. Then a week or so would go by when Eddie would unintentionally immerse himself even more into the work, postponing his arrival at home so as not to confront Rose. The words she had thrown at him about Ronit had sunk deep into his mind, planting a seed of doubt he had previously refused to acknowledge and making it painfully clear just how fragile their relationship really was.

There were things Eddie wouldn’t let himself say, even during the worst of fights. He always remembered Rose’s father was the financing founder of his company, and he always feared the moment when she might throw that in his face. Rose was too smart and too decent to use what they both knew to score points in an argument. She would never bring it up, but for Eddie it still hung like a shadow over their relationship. He appreciated the fact that she never brought it up but was constantly pestered by a guilty conscience and sense of frustration. He was so grateful to Aubrey that whenever he said something that hurt Rose he felt guilty, even when he was convinced he was right.

And Eddie had no one to share his difficulties with. Amit was the only one with whom he felt free enough to share his feelings, and he did so via e-mail now and then. Amit’s letters were always brimming with optimism and joy; he had already started work as an engineer at South Africa’s largest construction and mining company, which his girlfriend’s father owned. He gave up on traveling on to Australia. His relationship was going so well there was already talk of a wedding. (
Don’t worry Eddie, I’m not leaving home. She’s Jewish, too, and has already been to Israel for a six-month volunteer trip at a kibbutz. She would be happy to join me back to Israel in two or three years. .
.)

There was such a huge discrepancy between Amit’s joyful letters and Eddie’s grim spirits that Eddie felt uncomfortable sounding so depressed. He toned himself down a bit, which helped him see things in a less severe light.

Rose’s days grew longer, and she became lonelier and lonelier. She tried to keep busy studying Hebrew, watching the news, and trying to keep up with the reporters. When Eddie would come home, around 10:00 p.m., her nerves would already be stretched to the limit. At times, Eddie was exhausted and frustrated by a day’s work that yielded no progress. At other times, he would come in all glowing with joy.

“We achieved a real breakthrough today mapping the DNA of a virus procured from mice tissues,” he said happily, reminding Rose of a little boy coming home from kindergarten with a sticker he got for good behavior.

“That’s great,” she said, still staring at the TV, clearly uninterested.

“Want to hear about it?”

“I heard you talking about it yesterday when I was there.”

“Yes, but we’ve had some amazing developments since.”

“I’m too tired now, Eddie. You can tell me about it over the weekend.”

Eddie felt like a bucket of ice water was thrown over him. All the adrenaline and spontaneous enthusiasm turned into pent up anger and frustration at how little interest his girlfriend and financial partner was paying to his achievements.

“After today’s breakthrough, we’ll probably work Saturday, too. What we’re doing right now requires consecutive ten-day monitoring.”

“But we had plans to go to a B&B for the weekend. I already made the reservation, Eddie.”

“We’ll have to cancel.”

“You can cancel; I’m going. I’m sick of having to compete for your love against a bunch of mice tissues. I’m sick of being stuck at home night and day.”

Eddie spent that Saturday, like so many other Saturdays, at the lab between the petri dishes, flasks, and test tubes. He suggested to Rose they meet for dinner at a famous fish restaurant at Ashdod, and she had to make do with that.

There was a month left for Rose’s Hebrew studies, and she felt she had to do something, anything, to break the routine that was taking its toll on their love. As they were waiting for their desserts and Eddie was passionately telling Rose about another breakthrough at the lab, Rose found an opportunity to speak her mind.

“Summer is coming Eddie, and once I finish at the
ulpan
, I’ll have a few months before university starts. How about we take a vacation together at the farm in Zimbabwe?”

“You know very well I can’t do that right now.”

“Eddie, I have to get away for a while. Every year I used to escape the urban prison of London and go to Africa, and here I am substituting the London prison for the Rehovot city prison.”

“So why not go and visit your dad in London?” he asked, smiling and trying to make what he thought was a friendly, helpful suggestion.

“Eddie, I miss the space and the sense of freedom. I get so bored during the long days without you; it’s killing me. I don’t think you realize just how lonely I am.”

“Rose, you have to be more patient. After all, this business belongs to both of us. It’s our future.”

“My dad was the one who decided to put the business under my name. It’s your dream and your addiction, not mine. There’s more to life than this bloody company. I can’t go on like this anymore; something has to change.”

“I can’t go away, not this year, Rose. I can’t stop the mice testing at this stage of research. “

“The lab techs and Reuben can keep an eye on them.”

“We’re on the verge of a major breakthrough, and I’ll have to personally monitor the trials and decide how to proceed right there and then on the spot.”

“Eddie, do you remember how happy we were in Zimbabwe?” she asked, pleading with him. “Don’t you feel the need to recharge, to get some new energy? I don’t mean at work—I know that’s a perpetual motion machine that feeds itself. I’m talking about us. Can’t you see this demanding reality is wearing our love down?”

Eddie said nothing. The crème brûlée they had ordered had already gone cold while Rose’s temper was growing hotter and hotter. She got up and left the restaurant in tears. Eddie tried to hold her, but failed. He paid the check quickly, and they got into the car in silence. Eddie drove slowly toward the beach, hoping for Rose to cool down.

“Just drive home, Eddie. I’m not in the mood.”

“It’ll be sundown in a few minutes. Let’s go watch the sunset together.”

“The sun has already set for us. Just take me home.”

He reluctantly turned the car around, and they went home. The rest of the night went by unbearably slowly. They watched the news avoiding each other’s gaze, and when it was over Rose said, “I’m going away to Zimbabwe in a month’s time for a few weeks. If you want you can come and stay with me for at least some of the time, but you don’t have to. Do what you think is best.”

“Just try to be patient, Rose. In a year or two the hard part will be behind us, and we’ll be able to look back at it all and laugh.”

“If we make it that long.”

“You don’t mean that,” he said, trying to hold and appease her.

“Yes, I do.” She pushed his arms away and went to the bedroom.

Rose spent the whole night thinking. Eddie came in to bed later. He stroked her back and tried to calm things down, but she stayed rigid and silent. In the morning she pretended to be asleep and let Eddie leave the apartment with no talking or reconciliation. Her mind was made up. She decided to go to the farm by herself.

It’ll be a good opportunity to test the strength of my love for him
, she thought to herself. She called Aubrey that same day to check when he was planning to go to the farm next and told him she was coming a week before he was. Then they would have two weeks together, and then she would stay on for a few more weeks.

Two days before her flight Rose reminded Eddie she was going.

“I’ll take a cab to the airport, there’s no need for you to miss out on a few hours of work.”

“I thought you gave up that idea.” Eddie was surprised.

“I don’t know why you would think that.”

“But you haven’t mentioned it since we had that fight.”

“You gave me no reason to change my mind. If you want to come with me or join me in a few weeks that’ll be great.”

A long silence filled the room. Then Eddie asked quietly, “What time is your flight?”

“Ten o’clock at night. I’m leaving to the airport at six.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“Let me know by five o’clock. If you can’t I’ll take a cab.”

“Do you think so little of me?”

“You figure it out for yourself.”