The Last Rain by Edeet Ravel Page A

monopoly.
RITA
(takes cup) Oh, shut up.
MICHAEL
Where have all our principles gone to?
    Dori
    I tell Daddy about Elan. I lie on the floor of the Room and I put my arms out to show him.
    Daddy doesn’t say anything. I don’t understand. If he believes me why doesn’t he do something? And if he doesn’t believe me why doesn’t he believe me?
    I did cheat once in War. Daddy knew I was cheating. I gave myself all the good cards. Daddy asked did you take all the good cards for yourself ? and I said no and then a few cards later he asked again and I said no again but he knew I was lying because it’s too much of a coincidence for one person to get all the kings and queens and jacks. But it was only a game.
    And he doesn’t know about the time I pinched Sara’s foot.
    By the way, it isn’t fun playing War if you give yourself all the good cards. You know you’re going to win and then you win.
    Age of Innocence

    Dori  
    I am really in love with Tarzan.
    Transcript of Education Committee Meeting May 1961

Chair:
Coco
Present:
Shoshana, Doreet, Edna, Varda, Amos, Martin
Coco:
Since the problem with Muki’s bedwetting solved
 
itself, Varda would like to bring up the subject of read-
 
ing to children at bedtime.
Varda:
Yes, thank you. I noticed that some Minders don’t read
 
to the younger children at all. At every teachers’ con-
 
ference I’ve been to there’s been a huge emphasis on
 
reading out loud. And the children absolutely love it.
Amos:
I have “Reading to Children” in my index, if anyone
 
wants to look up articles.
Coco:
Your wonderful index! Thank you for keeping that
 
up, Amos.
Varda:
Yes, thank you, Amos. I know when I was a Minder I
 
used to read to the children at least an hour a day, usu-
 
ally more. That doesn’t include songs and poetry. And
 
now that I’m teaching it hasn’t changed. If anything,
 
I read to them even more. Storytime is the children’s
 
favourite activity, they always beg for more. We’ve
 
almost finished Gulliver’s Travels .
Edna:
Don’t forget that parents also read to their children
 
during Visits.
Varda:
Not all parents have the time, the energy, the inclina-
 
tion or even the Hebrew reading skills.
Martin:
Yes, Schopenhauer in Hebrew is quite a challenge.
Varda:
What do you think, Doreet?
Doreet:
We just had a shipment of new books for little ones—it
 
arrived on Sunday. Some lovely treasures there.
Amos:
Yes, though they all dispersed quite fast into the
 
Diaspora of the Rooms. I think I have a vague notion
 
of who has what …
Coco:
Let’s bring it to a vote. Should we require all Minders to
 
read to children, if possible, starting with the toddlers?
Vote :
For = 7 Against = 0
Shoshana:
I would like to bring up the subject of some children
 
getting tucked in by parents while others are not.
Varda:
We already discussed this and agreed to make excep-
 
tions in the case of illness or special situations.
Shoshana:
I’m wondering whether parents alone decide on the
 
special situations or whether the committee decides?
Amos:
We can’t call a meeting every time a child has a fever.
Shoshana:  
I’m thinking of the special cases that are ongoing.
Martin:
I’m sure no one here would take advantage. We have
 
extraordinary moral fibre in this kibbutz.
Coco:
If there is a specific problem, we can discuss it.
Shoshana:
Everyone knows I’m referring to Dori. It’s been five
 
months now, I’m sure she’s adjusted.
Coco:
Varda, any comments?
Varda:
Dori spent a year and a half in Canada. She’s still hav-
 
ing a hard time separating in the evenings.
Amos:
We have to consider how it makes the other children
 
feel. What message it sends out.
Coco:
I don’t want to rush things, but the yawns in this room
 
are starting to remind me of “The Lotus Eaters.”
Martin:
“There is sweet music here …”
Varda:
“That softer falls than petals …”
Coco:
Sorry to move from the sublime to the mundane,
 
but let’s vote: