The Happy Ending???

I went jogging in the park with Nili yesterday around noon.  The long loop at the very North of Park ha Yarkon was almost empty aside from a few tourists, someone from the nearby high-tech area enjoying his sandwich in the park and one religious youth with teffilin praying toward the yellow strip of Yarkon river.  At the end of the jog I treated Nili to some barefoot play in the sand. We had to find a shady area as the sun was burning and some of the playground covers had been removed in lieu of winter to be washed. Nili was so fascinated with the sand substance that started throwing it all around her.  Suddenly the air was pierced by a string of police sirens.  One car after another was zipping toward Tel Aviv center and it quickly became obvious that something bad had happened there. Someone exercising next to me was trying to check the ynet news but it wasn't loading. Then HaAretz app on my phone flashed the news of a bus explosion in Tel Aviv.  So busy with the air threats we forgot about this other terror option. To think about it, just a few days ago I encouraged Naor to take his first independent bus ride naively thinking that as long as Gaza is closed buses are safe. Heading home I passed a few bus stops and saw people coming of buses, talking on their cellphones, probably learning the news and thinking how lucky they are to be speared.

At home on TV I saw how Israeli intelligence services are carefully packing every single piece of junk from the place of explosion  so that they could reconstruct it later in the lab.  Police was commanding people to get away from the scene as reports of another woman wearing an explosive belt have been coming through. The nearby Azriely skyscraper that is a mall and an office building has been closed. As injured in the bus were interviewed in the hospital more and more details about the suspect were released.  Explosive bag was placed under the seat a few bus stops before, suspect exited the bus and then initiated the explosion remotely. Police arrested someone in the nearby stock market area but later on he was cleared.  In the afternoon I was trying to take the kids to their usual activities but the streets of Tel Aviv and all roads North were completely packed. Probably police shut down some routes searching for the suspects and people were trying to get home to their kids earlier.  I was stuck in the traffic for 2.5 hours just to make a 10 km route.

Cease fire never seemed as unrealistic as now when South was under fire and the heart of Israel was hit from within. Yet Hillary Clinton was here, then in Cairo, undoubtedly pressing both sides, and in the evening the news of an upcoming announcement started to appear on the TV. As the announcement went on IDF was continuing to bomb Gaza, more rockets were fired on Beer Sheva and Ashdod some hitting houses and anti-cease-fire demonstrations were held in a few cities. I was at the doctors clinic with my mom at this time and everyone around watching the news were extremely skeptical that this peace will last.

Yes, this morning we all were surprised to discover that it holds for now. Army is still on a high alert, schools in the South are still closed, people are instructed to be watchful in public transportation but TV has switched to cover the January election campaign.

When dropping my mom at the train station this morning I saw this cheerful religious sandwich seller that was greeting everyone with "Good morning", wishing an "Ahla" day and encouraging people to smile, while marketing his sandwiches made from the legendary Marco bread and the heavy sadness present in my heart all last week started to disappear.

Later on a distant noise was heard in Tel Aviv sky and everyone was revealed to realize that it is a thunder of the approaching rain.

Back from school Naor announced that they are planning a surprise party for his class teacher who should be released from the army any day now.