And A Child is Born - 9. Matan to the Rescue

Matan was asleep in the Paris apartment when the telephone rang; he thought it would be Yonatan calling to tell him what was happening. Instead, it was Black who said it was obvious that Yonatan was at the end of his rope. Black was concerned that Yonatan was in Southampton County, while Matan was in Paris when Matan was needed in Virginia as soon as possible. Black had a crazy way of talking when he was totally stressed, and Matan smiled, thinking that Black didn’t even know when he did it. Black started each sentence with the person’s name. Every sentence started with Matan this or Matan that. It was unusual, but it was clear that Black was stressed.

Matan told Black that he could promise nothing but would be back in touch. He called his papa and told him what was happening, and his father said they needed to go to Virginia to support Yonatan. There was no talk about money. There was no talk about everything that was happening in Paris. He was clear that they needed to get there as soon as possible. Herbert asked if he knew how to make that happen since Yonatan typically handled those things. Matan knew who to call.

“Green, it is Matan. We need to be in Virginia.”

“Matan, how soon do you need to be there? Black is there with Yonatan.”

“Yesterday! I needed to be there fucking yesterday! Yonatan has had another pseudo-seizure. Even Black is worried.”

“Pack your bags, and I will call you back with the time we will leave. Are you and I traveling alone?”

“There will be others; I just don’t know who. Let’s say, twelve people.”

“Are you sure, Matan? We are going to be on a tight schedule.”

“Green, I need a fucking plane for twelve fucking people to fucking fly us to fucking Virginia.”

There was a pause. Matan’s rough, tough cussing side was back in full force.

“You’ve got it, boss.”

Matan called his parents and told them to pack. He wondered if Max would want to go, but his father told him that Max and Lee were already packing. Matan asked his papa to call Abe and Rachel and tell them they would be picked up at the airport in Providence, Rhode Island.

“Erick, I need your help,” Matan explained the situation. Erick said he would make all of the necessary calls and would see him the next day.

Just as Matan hung up, Green called and told him to be downstairs in fifteen minutes. Matan called his papa, gave him the particulars, and said that Max and Lee needed to meet them at the airport. He made clear that if they weren’t at the airport, they would be left. Matan needed to get to Yonatan. Matan knew if he called Yonatan that the panic in his voice would set off his partner. They were that attuned to each other.

Matan and his parents were waiting outside when Arit pulled to the curb. They quickly put their luggage in the vehicle, and Arit said that Green was already on the way to the airport. Arit was in his usual joking mood.

“He said if anything happened to you on the way to the airport, that he knew where they stored the royal guillotine.” Arit let out a howl of laughter. Even Matan was smiling. How was it that Arit was in a good mood when awoken to drive them to the airport?

Luckily, it was late enough that the traffic was fairly light. They arrived at the airport and saw the plane waiting. Green was standing by the steps, and Max and Lee were climbing into the plane. Arit pulled onto the tarmac and deposited his passengers by the steps of the plane. They quickly climbed aboard, Green secured the door, and the plane was taxiing down the airstrip. After they were airborne, Matan told Green that there was a slight change in plans. If looks could have killed…Matan told him that they needed to put down in Providence to pick up Abe and Rachel. Green counted heads and didn’t come up with a dozen people and asked who else would be flying.

Matan grinned and told Green that he was an artist and not a math major. He then shrugged my shoulders, leaned back in his seat, and laughed.

Matan then started fretting. Would they get to the church on time? Would Yonatan be surprised in a good way? How would they get home? Matan then started humming that tune from “My Fair Lady” about getting to the church on time. Lee started chuckling. Anything to fill the void of time. They saw the sunrise approaching from the tail of the plane. The stewardess opened containers of food and said there were limited choices for breakfast. Luckily, there was no pork sausage or bacon. She apologized and said that with such short notice, they weren’t able to order special food. What she had available was enjoyed by the small group. Matan thought the best thing was the blueberry muffin. He was stuffing it in his mouth when his mother told him to slow down, take a breath, and eat small bites. Matan was like a child again, and she was taking care of him.

Herbert and Max had managed to sleep. Lee had stayed awake with Matan and kept him entertained with stories about his summer internship. Matan told him about his apprenticeship at the museum. They enjoyed each other’s company. The stewardess cleaned up everything and said everyone needed to prepare for landing in Providence.

There were no delays in landing, and Abe and Rachel were standing inside the door at the executive terminal, ready to board. The plane came to a stop, the engines wound down, and then the door was opened. After a customs officer checked everyone’s documents, Abe and Rachel scurried across the blacktop and climbed into the plane. As soon as they were seated, the Captain turned the plane to get in line for take-off. It was an early morning traffic jam, and it seemed like it took forever. Matan was fidgeting and anxious. When they were finally in the air, the Captain suggested everyone keep their seat belts fastened because he would see how fast the plane would actually fly. They had been on the ground for 40 minutes in Providence, which was longer than he had planned. Green leaned over and said when they were about 30 minutes out that he would let them know to get dressed on the plane. Green said they were landing in a podunk airport, and he didn’t know if they had a room big enough for everyone to change. When Green gave the sign, Matan was the first to strip, then grabbed his travel bag and pulled out a suit. He was looking for a mirror to check his hair. Matan laughed and said he was sure he had bed hair or airplane hair or something. He said to no one in particular that his hair needed to look perfect for Yonatan. Everyone else quickly changed. There was no modesty among the men and little between the women. Green reminded everyone to take everything because he didn’t know what their schedule would be to return to France. Matan tried not to think about how much that one-way flight had cost, so he used his best coping technique: he simply ignored the thought.

When the group walked into the terminal, Green went to the counter and told the manager who they were and that he had ordered a vehicle. The manager said it would be at the airport in 20-30 minutes. Green pulled out his wallet, put two $100 bills on the counter, and said there was one for him and one for the driver if the car arrived in 15 minutes and another pair of bills if it arrived in 10 minutes. The manager was on the telephone.

The car arrived in 11 minutes and Green gave each of them the money. He smiled and said maybe his watch was wrong so that he would give them the benefit of the doubt. Green told the driver where they were going and asked how long it would take. The driver looked at him, grinned, and asked how much it was worth; Green pulled out a pistol and laid it across his thigh. The man was bug-eyed and said he knew the police weren’t patrolling that section of Route 58 that morning, so he floored it. Green nodded, and the driver got them to the church on time. When the van stopped in front of the church, Green told everyone to get out and check each other for unzipped flies, hanging shirt tails, or slips hanging from the bottom of the dresses. Everyone chuckled. Green had changed into a black suit. He was on a telephone and then smiled at Matan.

“You are about to make a big entrance, Matan. The church is full. Give it your best shot, handsome.”

Matan led the group as they walked up the steps to this country church. An usher opened the doors, and Matan could see the back of Yonatan’s head, who had turned to look at Black and then saw Matan. His facial expression changed from worry to amazement to love and thankfulness. It took everything in Matan not to run up the aisle; instead, he walked up to the pew and slid in beside Yonatan and his mother. The pew behind them was empty, so Max led the Paris and Rhode Island contingent to those seats. Matan grabbed Yonatan’s hand and then leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. Matan had wanted a full-on kiss but decided that the Baptist minister would probably faint if he did that.

The funeral was nothing special. Matan didn’t pay attention because he was so concerned about Yonatan. He noticed that Yonatan’s respiration slowly returned to normal during the service, and the tension in his shoulders eased. He was going to be okay. Matan held Yonatan’s hand as they led the congregation to the graveyard. It was in the back of the church property, so the procession didn’t take very long. Matan quietly whistled the Colonel Bogey March, snapped his fingers, and laughed until Yonatan’s mother gave them the stink eye. Yonatan then laughed before leaning over to kiss Matan on the mouth.

The food at the luncheon was incredible. There was so much good southern cooking. Of course, Matan and his family had to ignore the platters of ham biscuits and the butter beans filled with bits of ham. Luckily, he was able to justify eating non-kosher during this time of Shiva because these were extraordinary circumstances. Matan chuckled and wondered if he could get the rabbi to agree with his rationale. Probably not, but he didn’t care.

There was much hugging, back-slapping, and kissing. Some people were gawking, so Matan went over to tell them that they had just flown in from Paris and that he and Yonatan had not seen each other in years. He used his best schoolboy French, which they didn’t understand. They sort of smiled and scurried about doing other things. He didn’t care if they knew he was a liar or weird. He was there for Yonatan and that was all that mattered.

Black said he had arranged for the group to have use of the social hall all afternoon so they could visit. There wasn’t enough space in Mrs. Ward’s home for everyone to gather. People were drinking sweet tea and catching up. Yonatan finally relaxed, knowing that everything was okay. He was chatting and laughing with different people.

Matan instinctively knew something was wrong before anything was said. Black and Green were huddled in a corner, and Green was talking on a phone. Matan wanted one of those phones; they looked like they belonged to the military and were so cool. Green hung up the phone and dialed another number. He finished the call and then spoke to Black. Black nodded his head while looking over at Matan and caught his eye. Black motioned for Matan to come over. Matan kissed Yonatan and told him that he would return in a minute. Yonatan nodded as he continued to chat with Senator Fairfax.

“Matan, I hate to bother you, but something has gone down.”

“What?”

“Rivka’s belly has dropped, and you are about to become a father. I have just called and ordered a plane. Who is going to Tel Aviv?”

“The baby is here?”

“Well, hopefully, it will wait until you arrive, but it is a long way to Tel Aviv.”

“Yonatan, me, mom, and papa. Wait, Jan is supposed to be there and also Nash. Gosh, where are they? I don’t know if they are here. Oh my gosh. Is it really happening?”

Black and Green both grinned at Matan. He acted like the typical frazzled papa when a woman said she was ready to go to the hospital.

Black smiled at Matan and started walking toward Yonatan.

“Okay, let me see if I can get this lot sorted.”

Yonatan turned his head to look at Matan. His smile took up his entire face. For Matan, that smile made the madness of this trip worthwhile.

Black told everyone what was happening and that a plane would be in Emporia in ninety minutes to fly some of them to Tel Aviv. Max and Lee said they would fly back to Paris on their own and not to worry about making arrangements for them. Lee hoped they might go to Williamsburg for a couple of days if they could rent a car. Black handed Lee the car keys for the vehicle Yonatan had rented.

“Turn it in at the Norfolk airport and fly out of there.”

Marjorie said that Abe and Rachel were going home with her and Robert. Everyone else was on their own.

Mrs. Ward looked utterly overwhelmed.

“Does this mean you are leaving today? I thought you would stay here for a few days to help me.”

“Mother, I am leaving today. Our child is about to be born. We need to go to Israel.”

Mrs. Ward started crying. Instead of hugging and comforting her, Yonatan held onto her shoulders, looked her in the eyes, and said that he would make some calls and start to figure out what needed to be done with the farm. Yonatan was in his Mr. Fix-it mode. He told her to be strong and that everything would be okay.

Lee drove Yonatan and his mother to the farmhouse so Yonatan could pack. When they arrived back at church, Matan and his parents were sorted and ready to head back to the Emporia airport. They arrived just as the jet was landing. They held their breath as they watched the jet use every foot of the runway to stop. The entire jet shuddered and then turned toward the terminal. A smiling Captain greeted them as they climbed aboard.

“Sorry about that folks, I haven’t landed this size plane on such a short runway before. Technically, it is possible, as you saw, and is approved by the FAA, but that was not my preferred easy landing.”

They collected their luggage stored at the airport, climbed into the plane, and seated themselves. The Captain came on the overhead speaker and asked everyone to sit in the back rows until they were at cruising altitude and to make sure their seatbelts were securely fastened because it would be an almost vertical take-off. The stewardess moved to a regular seat instead of using the jump seat. The Captain was right. The engines were screaming when the Captain released the brake. The plane bolted down the runway, and the nose pulled up so that the passengers were practically lying on their backs. Matan felt like he was holding his breath until the plane leveled out. He was concerned about Yonatan, who had a wicked grin on his face.

“Damn, that is like breaking a horse. Yee-haw.”

The Captain came on the speaker and laughed as he said that was the most fun he had in a long time. He apologized for the take-off, but he said it was a technique they were taught to use in emergencies. They could hear his navigator say, “ride ‘em cowboy.” Everyone was laughing. The Captain promised that the rest of the flight would be smooth with a touch down in Germany to refuel.

Matan handed Yonatan a piece of paper on which he had scribbled a poem. He had found it that week while reading through some ancient texts in preparation for an upcoming exhibit on Persian art.

When I am with you, we stay up all night.

When you’re not here, I can’t go to sleep.

Praise God for these two insomnias!

And the difference between them.

The minute I heard my first love story

I started looking for you, not knowing

How blind that was.

Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere.

They’re in each other all along.

We are the mirror as well as the face in it.

We are tasting the taste this minute

Of eternity. We are pain

And what cures pain, both. We are

The sweet cold water and the jar that pours.

I want to hold you close like a lute, so we can cry out with loving.

You would rather throw stones at a mirror?

I am your mirror, and here are the stones.

Yonatan read the poem, then took Matan’s hand in his, lifted it to his lips, and kissed it. Matan told him the poem was by some guy named Rumi, but he didn’t know much more than that. Yonatan pulled a small book of poetry from his pocket. He had bookmarked a page.

Slipping my lips around the

Byzantine dome of the head,

With the tip of my tongue I

Caressed the sensitive groove.

He thrilled with the trill. “That’s

Lovely!” he hoarsely said.

“Go on! Go on!” very slowly I

Started to move.

Gently, intently, I slid to the

Massive base

Of his tower of power, paused there

A moment down

In the warm moist thicket, then

Began to retrace

Inch by inch the smooth way to the

Throbbing crown.

W.H. Auden

Matan read it, burst into laughter, leaned across the seat, and started kissing Yonatan. Their love was all consuming.

The flight went on forever; it was more than just jumping back and forth across the pond. The co-captain came into the cabin to talk with everyone when approaching Germany. He said everyone was to get off the plane and stretch their legs. He was concerned about DVT from sitting in the seats for so long. He suggested they do some simple exercises to keep the blood flowing. He said the plane would be on the ground for an hour if they wanted to shower and change clothes. Luckily, everyone had changes of clothes and went into locker rooms. Black and Green took turns showering. Matan’s eyes bugged out when Green stripped. He knew the man was a powerhouse, but little did he know how muscled he was and that he was a real stud where it counted. Matan felt like a little boy again. Green caught Matan gaping; chuckled, and told Matan that he was built rather well to be an artist. Green laughed and hugged Matan, who felt the monster push against his thigh and worked not to harden.

“You don’t need all of these muscles, Matan. They would look strange on you. Now, if Yonatan firmed up some of that flab, he would be a beast.”

Green laughed as Yonatan looked down and pinched an inch of his waist. Yonatan was eating rather well and not getting daily exercise. Herbert did not know what to make of their lack of modesty. When he started removing his clothes, Matan saw how frail his father was becoming. Herbert was also exhausted. Matan stayed while his father changed and then took his suitcase to put back on the plane. Herbert did not object. When they lifted off again, a new stewardess said folks were probably hungry and pulled out beautifully prepared meals and set the table with silver and china. They had no idea about the time but were ravenous as they devoured the food like they hadn’t eaten in dog’s years. Matan thought about the number 7, which is how you count dog years, and the importance of the number 7 in Jewish life. It signified the number of days of creation. A new creation would enter the world in a few hours if he hadn’t already arrived. He knew they were going to have a son and already had a name chosen. He and Yonatan were also having a daughter, but that surrogate wasn’t due for a couple of weeks.

Matan fell asleep with Yonatan’s head on his shoulder. They awoke when the stewardess said everyone needed to prepare for landing. Matan realized he had such mixed emotions. He was exhausted, he was joyous, he was grieving for his partner who had just buried his father, and he was scared about being a father. Sometimes, he still felt like a skinny little teenager in his Hawaiian Jams on his way to the waterfront. It was Yonatan who was the solid rock; Matan depended on him. Matan was glad that their children would have two fathers. That put a smile on his face.

The fellows carried their passports all of the time, and Green said they should use their Israeli passports. Yonatan sorted through their luggage until he found the documents. Herbert and Judy also had Israeli passports. Passing through customs was more manageable than they thought it would be. Green and Black pulled out odd-looking passports, and upon reviewing the documents, the customs agent almost bowed to them and then waved them through.

Black had arranged transport to the hotel where they were staying. Matan told his papa to rest and that they would let him know when he had a grandson. He nodded and said he needed to sleep in a bed. Judy said she was going with them to the hospital. When they arrived and identified themselves, they were taken down a hallway to the delivery rooms. When they passed the nursery, they looked and saw Yellow standing in the room. He had on a mask and gloves, which hid the huge smile on his face. Matan was let down, thinking he had not arrived on time.

A nurse came up and asked for Mr. Jenner-Ward. Both Yonatan and Matan answered at the same time and then started laughing. The nurse was perplexed.

“I need the husband of Ms. Rivka Sikhen.”

“Actually, she is not my wife, but I am the father of her child.”

“Well, she is in active labor, and the child will be here in just a few minutes. You need to gown and glove immediately if you want to be in the room when your child arrives. She has been holding back as long as she could. She said you were flying in from the United States.”

Matan took off running with the nurse. Yonatan was standing in the hallway looking at Yellow. Yonatan made a motion asking what was happening. Yellow pointed to a bassinet, and Yonatan saw a baby. His baby. No one had told him that Emma, the surrogate, had been in labor and had delivered his daughter.

Judy grabbed Yonatan and kissed him on the cheek.

“Let’s look at your daughter and find out when she arrived.”

Yonatan was stuck to the floor. He couldn’t move. Judy grabbed his arm, and they moved toward the door to the nursery until a nurse stopped them.

“May I ask who you are?”

Yonatan looked at her and couldn’t speak.

“This is my son, Yonatan Jenner-Ward. I think his daughter is in here.”

The nurse looked at a sheet of paper and then smiled and congratulated Yonatan.

“You have a beautiful daughter. Her mother kept saying you were on the way, and she tried to wait to deliver until you arrived, but this little girl was having none of that. She came out yelling and fighting. She was ready to take on the world.” The nurse laughed again. “Let’s get you ready so you can hold your daughter.”

Judy had to guide Yonatan to the dressing station. She realized that Yonatan was in shock and needed help in preparing. The birthing classes he had taken had covered this, but it was different when he was faced with seeing his daughter. The nurse helped Yonatan to a rocking chair and asked him to remove his shirt. He was shocked.

“This little lady will want to bond with her daddy. She will try to suckle your breast, and you should let her.”

As soon as Yonatan removed his shirt, the nurse clucked and said she knew how to take care of that problem. She got a razor and shaved the hair from around Yonatan’s nipple.

“She doesn’t need a mouthful of that luscious hair. You will need to keep it shaved the entire time she is on a bottle.”

Yonatan started rocking his daughter and fell asleep in the chair. Yellow stood behind him and gently rocked the chair back and forth. The baby would suckle on Yonatan’s teat and then fall asleep while continuing to suck.

Matan walked into the delivery room and heard Rivka scream that it about damn time he arrived. She then cursed, pushed, and Matan saw the crown of his son’s head. The nurses told her to push again. She cursed again and then bore down and pushed Matan’s son from her loins. Matan thought he was ugly. No, he meant he was beautiful, but he was covered with all of this stuff. They quickly cleaned the gunk from the baby’s mouth and handed Matan a pair of scissors to cut the umbilical cord. His hands were shaking as he made the snip, and then the nurse handed his son to him. Matan walked around the bed to kiss Rivka’s cheek. He asked her if she wanted to hold the baby. A tear ran down her cheek, and she said she couldn’t do that.

“We talked about this, Matan. I cannot get attached to him.”

Matan thanked Rivka and walked out of the delivery room, and was directed to the nursery. He was surprised when he walked in and saw Yonatan in a rocking chair with a baby in his arms. The reality hit them - both of their children were born on the same day. They didn’t think their baby girl was due for another two weeks, but she had already arrived. The nurse manager came over and asked to hold Matan’s son. She then told him to remove his shirt. Matan did, and she smiled and said she wasn’t going to have to shave him. She suggested a rocking chair across the room from Yonatan. Matan told her that he needed to sit beside his husband and their daughter. The nurse looked back and forth between them and then started smiling.

“It is so nice to have our families respected here. I wondered how we had two babies from two different mothers with the same last name.”

She held up her hand, and they saw a rainbow ring. She leaned over and hugged each father.

Judy was looking through the nursery window and smiling. Matan fell asleep with his son nestled on his chest. He awoke when a camera flash bulb went off. He looked through the window and saw Pink smiling at them. Black and Green were with her. Herbert was taking pictures.

The babies had to stay overnight in the nursery while Yonatan and Matan went to the hotel to sleep. They were both exhausted and would have continued to sleep, except for a wake-up call. Herbert told them to meet in the dining room in an hour for breakfast. The men fumbled through their shower and shaving. Yonatan kept looking at his chest with the hair shaved from one pec. He said maybe he should have his entire chest shaved while the children were nursing. Matan grinned and offered to shave him once they were back in Brussels. He said they could have fun doing that. Yonatan then asked what parts of Matan’s body he could shave. Matan recoiled in horror and then barked out a laugh.

“I know, I know.” He couldn’t even say it out loud, so he whispered it in Yonatan’s ear. Yonatan grinned and said he couldn’t wait.

When they walked into the dining room, they were confronted with the table of their proud family, including Jan and Nash. They had just arrived in Brussels when the call came through to fly to Tel Aviv. They had open date tickets and called El Al. They had a bit of a problem getting through customs until Jan turned on her sex appeal. It worked like magic every time.

Green had a vehicle to drive everyone to the hospital that morning. Both surrogate mothers, Rivka and Emma, had left. Neither wanted to be around and possibly see the babies. They had previously told Yonatan and Matan of the necessity for emotional separation. The guys honored that but didn’t completely understand. Both women needed the money they were paid so they could finish their education. Not only were they beautiful women and highly intelligent, but they were also poor.

Yonatan and Matan walked down the hallway and stood outside of the nursey. Yonatan thought it would be fun to have Jan, Nash, Black, and Green guess which were their children. It helped that the hospital used an out of date style of pink and blue blankets. There was a number on each bassinet. The four of them looked intently at the babies, wrote their answers on slips of paper, and handed them to Judy. She laughed as she read through the answers. She then walked up to Jan and said she would be the perfect mother as she had correctly chosen. Green had correctly guessed which baby was their daughter. Nash and Black drew blanks. Herbert nudged Black and said he got it wrong also. Everyone laughed. Matan had requested that the hospital keep the babies one additional day while they finalized travel plans and got the needed legal documents to travel.

Black asked what they had named the children, and both answered, “baby.” They would receive their names on the eighth day. Before then, they were known only as baby. Yonatan and Matan walked into the nursery and removed their shirts. They sat in the rockers and held the children while lots of photographs were taken. They switched children, and surprisingly the babies were okay. Neither fretted nor cried.

Herbert was very good at getting the needed legal paperwork. Yonatan had contacted all of the authorities and had given them Herbert’s name and the law firm's name. Herbert said he was asked if he was the father of famous Yonatan and Matan Jenner-Ward, and proudly said he was. Herbert told Yonatan he was now his father. Yonatan hugged him and said he was so humbled by that act of kindness.

The next morning, they went en masse to the hospital to pick up the children. Yonatan had said he wanted yellow blankets because he didn’t want people to know the sex of their children. It seemed silly to Matan, but he agreed. They left directly for the airport, where they flew directly to Brussels. Yonatan would not let loose of their daughter. Jan offered to help, and he would not let her. When Matan was going to hand his son to Jan, Yonatan stepped in and said he wanted to carry both children. Yonatan asked that someone take a picture of him with their two children. The photograph was stunning. The flight was comfortable, and the men were walking down the concourse in Brussels when they heard someone calling their names. It was Etienne. He was heading to a flight and only had a minute. He was ecstatic that he had seen the children. He kissed everyone and then continued on his way.

On the eighth day, Rabbis Akiva and Herzl came to the apartment in Brussels for the bris. Yonatan insisted they also perform a blessing for their daughter. The day was joyous, and the apartment was filled with people who had come up from Paris. Rachel and Abraham served as godparents. Willem attended, even though he wasn’t Jewish. Their son was circumcised, and then he and his sister received blessings and their names: Oscar Abraham Jenner-Ward and Judith Rebekah Jenner-Ward.

Matan looked at the apartment, and for the first time, it felt like home to him. It was beautiful, but it had been missing one crucial element: children. He and Yonatan now had a Jewish home.