“You didn’t add sugar?” she wondered.
He shook his head no. “There are times when life is bitter. There’s no point in trying to conceal it.”
“And are you ready for our next witness?”
“What do I look like to you?” he challenged her and she smiled.
“Like a guided missile,” she replied with a wink.
Chapter Thirteen
“And it came to pass one evening, that David arose from his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house;
and from the roof he saw a woman bathing;
and the woman was very fair to look upon.”
Book of Samuel II, 11:2
“So, how is the story so far?” Ro’el wanted some feedback from his listener.
“Not bad,” Tammi said, “and that’s from someone who hates stories.”
“That’s a strange statement, considering the profession you’ve chosen.”
“You know, I wasn’t always like this. Perhaps it’s because of my work that I’ve become very distrustful of simple stories, the kind that profess to differentiate between the good guys and the bad guys and try to organize the plot of like into some kind of logical order, with a beginning, middle and end. When I begin to think about it out loud, I realize that I’ve never really come across a story with a chaotic plot. Chaos, unlike its bad reputation, can be a wonderful thing. It isn’t pretentious, it doesn’t require maintenance, it liberates and empowers, and, above all—it doesn’t pander to the same artificial format found in all those simple stories in which the hero sets out on an obligatory journey to fight the antihero, that always develop in some logical order. Why do you, I mean the writers, find it so important to impose order on a disorderly reality?”
“Where is the problem?” he asked.
“The problem is that people rely on your stories and think thattheir lives ought to look like that too, without the natural and essential mess that really characterizes life. Ro’el, our lives are more than a simplistic narrative about an organized journey of good against evil. Life, in many ways, is a collection of chance encounters, it isn’t a story about a number of people who have conspired together on a predetermined plot. And yet, your average writer and the simplistic stories will always prefer what was pre-planned over the spontaneous, and will always choose order over disorder.”
“Okay, I don’t deny that. Let’s say you’re right, what harmful consequences does your theory have on the lives of the readers?”
“Like I said, the danger begins when they begin telling themselves these stories and linking them to their own lives.”
Ro’el still didn’t fully understand. “Give me an example,” he said.
“For instance… Just to get out of bed in the morning, you probably tell yourself a story in which your work is important and highly necessary and, in order to feel that you play a vital role in a chaotic world, you expand on this and tell yourself that the meeting you have at the office today is critical. And so you begin to believe these stories and they are what get you out of bed.”
“Okay, I understand, more or less… you still haven’t given one convincing explanation as to what is bad about it?”
“It’s bad because it isn’t truthful. Perhaps your work isn’t important and it isn’t necessary. Perhaps your life is one big mess in a chaotic world, and no one has ever told you that it’s okay. Let’s take you, for instance. What story do you tell yourself when you get up in the morning? Do you think your work is essential and that you, in fact, represent the good guys and are fighting their battles against the bad guys? Perhaps that’s the simplistic story you tell yourself, but it’s a mistake. At times, you may be on the side of the good guys and at times you’re actuallyserving the interests of the bad guys. Stop telling yourself simplistic, appealing stories about order and good versus evil. Stop thinking in terms of a story line. Instead, I suggest that you focus on preserving the pleasure in disorder, in the naturalness of imperfection, and the sense of release that comes with leaving some loose ends.”
Ro’el remained silent and she added frankly, “Until I was about nineteen, I was religious and observed all the Orthodox rules. Then in the army, far from home, I felt that I finally had the strength to leave the orderly world with its many exclamation marks and enter a world of chaos and question marks. You understand? In a religious world, everything is preordained and well-ordered, and there is an answer to every question. Simply put—everything is very clear. I never understood how everyone else found it all to be so clear. That’s why I moved on to a world in which you can express doubt and mock orderliness.”
Ro’el gave her an inquisitive look. “In that case, as one who is surely well-versed in the biblical stories and wishes to question everything, I believe that you might find the rest of my story very interesting as the plot unfolds.”
“I doubt that, but go ahead, let’s continue.”
***
“Are you familiar with Greek mythology?” Yiftach asked Melody a moment before the next court session was about to begin.
“Not really. I once received a book as a birthday gift, a collection of Greek mythology. I never opened it.”
“Would you mind if I stop by at your place this evening and borrow it? Just for a few days.”
“Of course. But now you’ve remembered to ask? We’re calling him to the witness stand the day after tomorrow!” she chastised him. But it doesn’t matter, she thought, at least she will gain avisit from Yiftach to her home, she told herself as the session began.
