and hugged him about the neck.
But what happened? she kept demanding. For weeks you were miserable. I
was worrying myself sick, and then you go off for an hour or two and you
come back humming like a dynamo. What on earth is going on, Morgan? I
have just found out how much I love you, he told her, returning her hug.
Plenty? she demanded. Plenty! he agreed. That's my baby! she
applauded him.
The Veuve Clicquot came in useful. in the batch of mail that David
brought back with him from Nelspruit was a letter from Bobby Dugan. He
was very high on the first chapters of the new novel that Debra had
airmailed to him, and so were the publishers; he had managed to hit them
for an advance of $100,000 .
You're rich! David laughed, looking up from the letter.
The only reason you married me, agreed Debra. Fortune hunter! but she
was laughing with excitement, and David was proud and happy for her.
They like it, David. Debra was serious then. They really like it. I
was so worried. "The money was meaningless, except as a measure of the
book's value. Big money is the sincerest type of praise.
They would have to be feeble-minded not to like it, David told her, and
then went on. It just so happens that I have a case of French champagne
with me, shall I put a bottle or ten on the ice?
Morgan, man of vision, Debra said. At times like this, I know why I
love you. The weeks that followed were as good then as they had ever
been. David's appreciation was sharper, edged by the storm shadows on
the horizon, the time of plenty made more poignant by the possibility of
the drought years coming. He tried to draw it out beyond its natural
time. It was five weeks more before he flew to Nelspruit again, and
then only because Debra was anxious to learn of any further news from
her publishers and agent, and to pick up her typing.
I would like to have my hair set, and although I know we don't really
need them, David, my darling, we should keep in touch with people, like
once a month, don't you think? Has it been that long? David asked
innocently, although each day had been carefully weighed and tallied,
the actuality savoured and the memory stored for the lean times ahead.
David left Debra at the beauty salon, and as he went out he could hear
her pleading with the girl not to put it up into those tight little
curls and plaster it with lacquer and even in the anxiety of the moment,
David grinned for he had always thought of the hairstyle she was
describing as Modem Cape Dutch or Randburg Renaissance.
The postbox was crammed full and David sorted quickly through the junk
mail and picked out the letters from Debra's American agent, and two
envelopes with Israeli stamps. Of these one was addressed in a doctor's
prescription scrawl, and David was surprised that it had found its
destination. The writing on the second envelope was unmistakable, it
marched in martial ranks, each letter in step with the next, and the
high strokes were like the weapons of a company of pike men, spiky and
abrupt.
David found a bench in the park under the purple jacaranda trees, and he
opened Edelman's letter first.
It was in Hebrew, which made deciphering even more difficult.
Dear David, Your letter came as a surprise, and I have since studied the
X-ray plates once more. They seem unequivocal, and upon an
interpretation of them I would not hesitate to confirm my original
prognosis Despite himself, David felt the small stirrings of relief.
However, if I have learned anything in twenty-five years of practice, it
is humility. I can only accept that your observations of
light-sensitivity are correct.
Having done so, then I must also accept that there is at least partial
function of the optic nerves. This presupposes that the nerve was not
completely divided, and it seems reasonable to believe now that it was
only partially severed, and that now, possibly due to the head blows
that Debra received, it has regained some function.
The crucial question is just how great that recovery is, and again I
must warn you that it may be as minimal as it is at the present time,
when it amounts to nothing more than light sensitivity without any
increase to the amount of vision. It may, however, be greater, and it
is within the realms of possibility that with treatment some portion of
sight may be regained.
I do not expect, however, that this will ever amount to more than a
vague definition of light or shape, and a decision would have to be made
as to whether any possible benefit might not be outweighed by the
undesirability of surgery within such a vulnerable area.
I would, of course, be all too willing to examine Debra myself. However,
it will probably be incan venient for you to journey to Jerusalem, and I
have therefore taken the liberty of writing to a colleague of mine in
Cape Town who is one of the leading world authorities on optical trauma.
He is Dr. Ruben Friedman and I enclose a copy of my letter to him.
You will see that I have also despatched to him Debra's original X-ray
plates and a clinical history of her case.
I would recommend most strongly that you take the first opportunity of
presenting Debra to Dr. Friedman, and that you place in him your
complete confidence. I might add that the optical unit of Groote Schuur
Hospital is rightly world-renowned and fully equipped to provide any
treatment necessary
, they do not restrict their activities to heart transplants!
I have taken the liberty of showing your letter to General Mordecai, and
of discussing the case with him David folded the letter the carefully.
Why the hell did he have to bring the Brig into it, talk about a war
horse in a rose garden, and he opened the Brig's letter.
Dear David, Dr. Edelman has spoken with me. I have telephoned Friedman
in Cape Town, and he has agreed to see Debra.
For some years I have been postponing a lecture tour to South Africa
which the S. A. Zionist Council has been urging upon me. I have today
written to them and asked them to make the arrangements.
This will give us the excuse to bring Debra to Cape Town. Tell her I
have insufficient time to visit you on your farm but insist upon seeing
her.
I will give you my dates later, and expect to see you then It was in
typical style, brusque and commanding, presupposing aquiescence. It was
out of David's hands now.
There was no turning back, but there was still the chance that it would
not work. He found himself hoping for that, and his own selfishness
sickened him a little.
He turned over the letter and on the reverse he drafted a dummy letter
from the Brig setting out his plans for the forthcoming tour. This was
for Debra, and he found faint amusement in aping the Brig's style, so
that he might read it aloud to Debra convincingly.
Debra was ecstatic when he read it to her and he experienced a twinge of
conscience at his deceit.
It will be wonderful seeing him again, I wonder if Mother will be coming
out with him -? He didn't say, but I doubt it. 'David sorted the
American mail into chronological order from the post marks, and read
them to her. The first two were editorial comment on Burning Bright and
were set aside for detailed reply, but the third letter was another with
hard news.
United Artists wanted to film A Place of our Owen and were talking
impressively heavy figures for the twelve-month option against an
outright purchase of the property and a small percentage of the profits.