אדריכלות ישראלית

Architecture of Israel #

114

August

2018

The Green Room

page

english readers

in love with this girl I had only met that

morning and knew nothing about. "You're

so beautiful", I said, and she blushed, got

up and skipped off to the water. I ran after

her, splashing with every step. She dipped

her head in the water and rose, her short,

black, silky hair spraying pearls of water in

all directions, I swam quickly towards her,

embracing her from behind, gently turning

her head towards me for a kiss.

It was an enchanting moment. I felt

her salty tongue in my mouth and the

flexibility of her arms around my neck in

a strong embrace. Her wet hair cooled

my burning face. I pulled her wet body

to mine, pressing her passionately to

me. Astonished - her blue eyes opened

in surprise mixed with passion – she

responded to me with youthful joy, there

in the salty water among the small waves.

Then she turned and began to run back

to the shore, water streaming down to her

ankles, crying out with small sounds of

happiness. I ran after her, holding out my

arms to stop her run and together we fell

into the small eddies and waves.

Later, arms around each other, kissing

with increasing passion, we drove to

the green room. "I love you so much", I

whispered to her. "I love you too", she

whispered back.

When I woke, I remembered my

appointment with father to discuss details

of our trip to London. I parted from Naomi

with a kiss after arranging to meet her that

night and walked to the little café near

Habima Square under the large Ficus

trees.

Father was already waiting, waving to

me from an outside table. I sat down

opposite him and even before he started

talking about the trip, I told him with

embarrassment, "Father, I want to tell you

something…I'm dating Naomi. Although

you did ask me to leave her alone. Father,

we're crazy about each other…" I fell

silent, waiting for the reprimand. "What

do you say…" he said, "you cheeky little

beggar." But instead of getting mad at me,

he began to laugh and said proudly: "The

apple doesn't fall far from the tree". I took

a deep breath of relief and father began to

talk about the trip to London.

For an entire month Naomi and I loved

with a magical, fiery power. But I knew it

would all be short-term and that at the end

of the summer I would go to London and

my heart would break.

Every night we sat together in the green

room listening again and again to Pink

Floyd's record

The Wall

, which became

the theme song for our incredible love-

making.

It was already mid-August. The nights

were humid and the days grew shorter

as fall approached. Work in the office

sometimes lasted until the end of the day.

That evening in his office, father sat at

his desk working on a sketch. He asked

Naomi to stay with him on the pretext he

might need her for secretarial work. The

office was dim and empty. They were the

last there. Father couldn't concentrate on

anything. He found that girl so beautiful

and attractive that he felt compelled to

embrace her. But in his heart he knew

it was wrong because his son was in

love with her. Completely confused by

his contradictory thoughts he gazed at

Naomi's perfect behind, deliberating for a

moment what to do. Only for a moment,

and then his passion overwhelmed him

and the last of his paternal feelings for me

crumbled into fine dust.

He was filled with an uncontrollable

animal passion and acted almost like

a robot, stealing up like a tiger about to

pounce, holding his breath, until he was

close enough to touch her. And then - with

a suddenness that surprised him too - he

put his arms around her.

The following evening, I waited as always

for Naomi under her house in Beeri Street.

I waited from six – and my watch already

said seven. Uneasy, worrying thoughts

began to prey on my mind, particularly

in light of the fact that I hadn't spoken to

her the entire day. I'd been away from the

office that day, spending hours getting my

passport from the Ministry of Interior.

What's happened to her… For more than

six weeks I've been coming to pick her up

at six and she's never even been a minute

late, I thought, glancing at my watch again.

I had no logical explanation. I decided to

wait another half hour. But the half hour

passed. I started the car and drove back

to Dizengoff Street. After finding parking,

I walked up to the green room, fumbling

for the key in my pocket. The key turned

twice in the lock and the door opened

slowly. I decided not to turn on the lights

and advanced towards the bed, imagining

that Naomi was probably in bed, waiting to

surprise me. And for a moment I thought

everything was back in place. But the

next minute, I noticed movement between

the sheets; another thought began to run

through my mind. No. It wasn't Naomi, I

suddenly remembered, it was probably

father. Damn! I'd forgotten he'd asked to

Planned by Zvi Hecker, Eldar Sharon, and

Alfred Neumann in the early 1960s, the Bat

Yam municipality building is considered a

herald of green architecture in Israel.

use the green room that night.

I felt enormous embarrassment and

wondered how to get out of the unpleasant

situation in which I found myself. My eyes

had by then gotten used to the darkness.

I noticed the silhouette of a familiar figure

in the bed. I recognized the long legs and

the blue eyes now looking at me in horror.

And there was no longer any doubt.

I fell back as if from a tremendous blow

to my chest. My heart constricted and

I stopped breathing. My body began to

tremble uncontrollably. "Get out of here!"

yelled my father. "You disgusting old man",

I shouted with all my strength, hatred

rising in me and my heart shattering in

pieces.

I left the green room at a wild run without

looking back. And maybe this traumatic

experience kept me in London for many

years after I completed my studies at the

AA.

It was only after my father died from cancer

at the age of 61 that I returned to Israel to

work in the architectural firm bequeathed

me by my grandfather and father.

I have never since used green in any of

my buildings. Have I ever been able to

forgive myself, or my father…

Father was a ground-breaking architect,

many years ahead of his times, and the

buildings he designed during the sixties

are considered to this day to be the

forerunners of green architecture in Israel.

בניין עיריית בת-ים שתוכנן בתחילת שנות השישים

על ידי צבי הקר, אלדר שרון ואלפרד נויימן בעקבות

זכיה בתחרות, נחשב לאחד ממבשרי האדריכלות

הירוקה בארץ.