Saturday, August 1, 2020

Approaching the Sabbath cafe, I pass a man outside its patio. He has a white beard and wears a battered fedora and faded red t-shirt. I automatically think of him as old. He may be my own age or younger. He waves his arms, mumbles in what may be a language that I don’t recognize, and spits into the planters that line the patio’s edge. No one is sitting near them. No one pays him much attention. I sit down at a table near the center and scan the icons with my phone for an online menu. A server approaches me. “Hello! Are you ready to order?” She speaks English to me. She must recognize me. I guess I’ve become a regular. I order the Israeli breakfast. When she asks me how I want my eggs, I automatically answer “Ayin,” in Hebrew. I’m surprised to realize that I don’t recall what they’re called in English. I tell her. “They’re sunny side up, I believe.” OK, thanks. We both laugh. She brings me my mint lemonade immediately. As I wait for the rest of my order, the man with the fedora walks onto the patio. He is mumbling something about fire. I think he just wants someone to light his cigarette. A young, thin man who has been hanging out with some customers gets up and stands between the older man and the entrance. The older man tries to dart around him, but he continually shifts his position, blocking the door. The older man gives up and leaves. On his way out, he throws an ashtray from one of the tables out onto the street. Right as the rest of my meal appears, a police car pulls up silently, its siren lights pulsing. One of the policemen and then the other approach the older man. This may be the first time that I have seen the police actually do anything in this peaceful town. They corner the man on the far side of a translucent bus stop. I can’t see or hear what’s happening. The man eventually crosses the street and disappears into the town square. One of the policemen gets back into the car. The other reaches in and retrieves something. He walks over to a much older woman who is sitting on a park bench near the taxi stand next door. She isn’t wearing a mask. He hands her one and waits for her to put it on properly. She only puts it on over her mouth. He pulls his mask down, exposing his nose, and shakes his head. He puts it back over his nose and nods. She does the same and nods back. They wave at each other. He gets back in the car and drives away.