Free When Time Fails (Silverman Saga Book 2) by Marilyn Cohen de Villiers Page B

teacher, a qualified teacher, someone with experience and knowledge and... they need you.’
    The unbridled joy on his dear, strong, honest face unleashed a fresh wave of guilt and anger, and remorse that she had to deceive him, yet again.
    He’d protested. Of course he’d protested. He had a job – at Driespruitfontein Hoër. Yes, it was a pain having to drive forwards and backwards between the farm and the town every day, especially now that both Arno and De Wet were perfectly happy as weekly borders at the high and primary schools. Eventually, however, she’d managed to persuade him. It was best for all of them – Thys, the children, herself – and especially Beauty who deserved the very best teacher, a teacher like Thys who would do the impossible and enable her to pass matric.
     
    ***
     
    And now Thys was brimming with another bright idea. As the plane flew on towards South Africa, Annamari knew better than to push her husband to tell her what he was thinking this time. It wasn’t that he was hiding anything from her, not consciously. He was always open and honest with her, just as he was with everyone. It was one of the things she loved about him. It was also one of the things she hated about him. Because she had to deceive him. All the time. Every single day. And she hated it.
    She knew he’d tell her when he had thought it all through. It was just so hard to wait. She replayed everything they had seen since arriving in Israel, everything they’d discussed, searching for a clue to his thoughtful withdrawal.
    It couldn’t have been because of that first day, could it? Yossi had been waiting for them as they’d dragged their cases down into the hotel foyer. A slight, bookish-looking man with neat grey hair and glasses, he’d apologised for his rusty Afrikaans and loaded their luggage into his car.
    They drove north, along the coastal road to Caesarea. This was an important site in Christian history, Yossi said. Pontius Pilate governed there during the time of Jesus; this was where Simon Peter converted some Roman guy, Cornelius. Cornelius was apparently the first non-Jew to believe in Jesus. She’d never heard of Cornelius. Thys, of course, quickly found the reference in the bible Yossi carried with him. ‘There,’ Thys said. ‘I n Acts 1 0 .’
    Yossi smiled and added: ‘Paul was also imprisoned for two years in Caesarea.’
    ‘ Acts ... um ... there it is,’ Thys said. ‘ Acts 2 4 .’
    Yossi laughed. ‘Seems you’re going to keep me on my toes, young man. The bible – both the old and the new testament – is the best guide book when exploring Israel. I always use it – but not many of my clients know the good book as thoroughly as you.’
    Annamari was so proud of Thys. She also felt a little better: at least she knew who Paul was. Yossi said many of his clients had never heard of Paul. She found that hard to believe.
    They explored a Roman amphitheatre and afterwards Yossi waved his bible at the beach.
    ‘See over there? That stretch of beach played a very, very important part in Israel’s history. What do you think, Thys? Which great event played out there?’
    Annamari found herself holding her breath: had Jesus Himself walked there? Thys shook his head.
    ‘That’s where Jonathan Friedman – now Yossi Friedman – entered the Promised Land,’ Yossi said, and burst out laughing.
    ‘Really? Where? How?’ Thys said.
    ‘We landed on the beach. It was 1947 and Israel wasn’t Israel yet. We came over from Italy on one of the illegal immigrant ships.’
    Annamari listened, fascinated, as Yossi explained how horrified – and guilty – he and his friends had felt when the full extent of the Holocaust became apparent during the Nuremberg trials. She wasn’t sure what the Nuremberg trials were; nor did she know much about the Holocaust, other than that a lot of Jews died including Anne Frank who wrote a diary that Mr Franklin had said they should read but she hadn’t. She wished she