Hassan
how old is hassan?
twenty-five
perhaps
but maybe
only twenty
something between
twenty and twenty-five
he was the first arab
barukh met
in israel
the year before last
in the winter
one and a half year ago
hassan worked at the competition
ahmed’s company
that also specializes in
building and repair
if there was a bigger project
in the arava
they were called
ahmed and barukh’s boss
to work together
on the project
that’s how barukh and hassan met
in newe harif
which is a kibbutz
with unique atmosphere
barukh is going to write about
maybe
they were building
small houses
with a small kitchen
with a small bedroom
with a small toilet
for guest workers
barukh and his boss
were installing doors
in the small houses
bathroom doors
bedroom doors
front doors
hassan was doing the tiling
floor tiles in all the houses
tiles in the bathrooms
and kitchens
ahmed usually worked together
with hassan and his other workers
but somehow that day
hassan had to do the tiling
alone
ahmed drove him in the morning
and picked him up in the evening
before
when barukh had met people
in israel
and had told them
that he had been a new immigrant
people usually
had brightened up
and had told barukh
something
sympathetic
and encouraging
hassan had been the first
who hadn’t smiled
when barukh had introduced himself
that winter
on the contrary
he had looked at him
as if he had been just another colonist
keeping his distance
distrustful
and that hadn’t changed for days
everybody was doing their jobs
barukh and his boss busy with the doors
hassan busy with tiling
and doing not much talking
then one afternoon hassan
accidentally
hit his head hard
on a wooden board
fixed at head height
by barukh and his boss
to fasten a new
door frame
hassan got dizzy
as his face got hit
then his nose started to bleed
blood was flowing
hassan tried
to hold his head up
then tried to mop up
the blood
then he held his head up high
again
then he sat down
sat for a while
then stood up
sat down again
then stood up
he couldn’t handle
the sudden pain
and adrenaline
he wanted to share
his shock with someone
but there was no-one
he was alone
barukh’s boss looked at him
asked him
if everything was alright
and when hassan nodded
barukh’s boss
kept working
barukh kept working with him too
but he was watching hassan all along
and thought
how shitty he would feel
in his place
so
suddenly
he put down the door
he was working on
and went up to hassan
and asked him
if everything was alright
when hassan nodded
barukh didn’t go back to work
but asked hassan
if he wanted a painkiller
hassan didn’t
but he showed him his wound
and asked barukh
with a desperation in his eyes
if his teeth was broken
as it turned out
it wasn’t his nose
that was bleeding
as barukh had thought from a distance
but the upper gums in his mouth
that he had hit those on the wooden board
barukh gesticulating wildly
calmed down hassan
that all was well
there was only a wound
that was bleeding
nothing
was broken
hassan sat down again
a bit calmer now
but still
full of adrenaline
and barukh sat down with him
that’s how they sat
in silence
because although hassan
spoke hebrew quite well
barukh hardly did
at the time
next morning
when they met again
barukh asked hassan
how he was feeling
and hassan showed him
his upper gums smiling
with the wound still there
but not bleeding any more
that’s how
the friendship
between barukh and hassan
started
that required no words
every time they met
they smiled at each other
as those who share a story
and hassan every day
when he worked at the same place
with barukh
prepared for him
arabian coffee
once around 10-11 in the morning
and once after lunch break
and barukh said shukran
for the coffee every time
which in arabic means
thank you
last year
one of the first summer days
half a year after they had first met
barukh and hassan
worked together again
on a joint project
it was hot
40 degrees celsius in shade
hassan was doing tiling again
and barukh was tearing down a wall
which is the deadliest work
among those
barukh has ever done
barukh was holding
the ten-kilo weight
of the demolition hammer
pushing it to the concrete wall
sweat pouring off him
concrete shards splintering off the wall
covered his face
and his whole body
it must have been around noon
when the heat
and tearing down the wall
together
knocked barukh down
barukh got dizzy
he sat down on the ground
the world was spinning around him
spinning
spinning
spinning
then the spinning started to ease
and slowly was gone
as barukh lifted his head
he saw hassan
standing in front of him
handing barukh
a bottle of ice tea
and a pack of biscuits
barukh reached for the ice tea
took some swigs
then stuffed some biscuits
into his mouth
then hassan sat down
next to barukh
and waited patiently
when barukh looked at him
hassan only said
it’s hot
then they sat together
then barukh said
i am travelling to hungary next week
hassan stared wide eyed
and asked
are you moving back?
no
just a holiday
said barukh
hassan then smiled
relieved
joyful
whoever tells
which footprint on the photo
belongs to the jewish barukh
and which to arab hassan
barukh will pay them a beer