December 30th it all worked out. A phone call from the kibbutz set everything rolling again. He'd been given the 'green light' to fly back out to Israel. A few favours pulled and his name erased from the blacklist of people not allowed back into the country until a specified date.

He'd been working in a local bakery for the past two months and the day following the phone call he handed in his notice to the manager. He finished work early to go and book a plane ticket and within days he was back on Israeli soil. He couldn't find the words to describe how he felt; first of all passing through passport control without problems and then, after picking up his rucksack from the carousel, walking out into the fresh January air and seeing two of his friends waiting for him. The joy in his heart, the smile on his face told everything.

He arrived back on the kibbutz at almost four in the morning, and was taken straight down to the bakery. He was told, 'Someone is waiting for you.' He took pensive steps into the bakery, feeling nervous, stopping to talk to the people he knew and feeling better by their smiles to see him back.
He had one goal though - to see once more the face he'd missed the most. He walked round a corner and saw her busy working. He held his breath and uttered a silent prayer to his guardian angel. It was obvious that it had been prearranged to bring him down to the bakery. Someone spoke to her and she turned her head to look his way. An intense calm descended upon him. She got up from her seat to come towards him while he continued to approach her, feeling as though he was walking through water.

They met. He took her hand and kissed it, not knowing what to do. They went outside to sit down - away from everyone else's eyes. Feeling nervous he took out one of his duty free Marlboros and lit up, offering one to her which she took gladly. His heart beat slowed slightly. Talking with her felt strange, uncomfortable. Ten minutes passed before she said it was time for her to go as she had to get some sleep before going to school. It was an odd parting, he just said, "Goodbye," hoping she'd come to his room in the afternoon.