La guerfana

StockCake.com

Por Nissim Ashkenazi

El kuento del mes

ENGLISH BELOW

Moshe era maestro i dirigor de eskola muchos anyos, i salyo en pensia. Era bivdo i sin kriyaturas. Morava en un apartamento de dos pyanos serka del porto de Yaffo. En el pyano de la entrada era el salon i la kuzina, i al segundo pyano se topavan dos kamaretas de durmir.

Moshe era ligero i faziya los lavoros de kaza kon sus propios manos: alimpyar, gizar, kolada, merkar i dar uti, todo esto sin ayudo.

Siempre estava pronto a ayudar a los elevos vizinos en explikasiones ovre los doveres. Todos lo amavan i no era raro ke aresiviya a su kaza buikos, tortas o maruchinos, komo akto de gratityudo.

Una noche se esperto Moshe de un sunido flosho ke vino de abasho.

Se abasho al pyano de la entrada i asendio la lus. Los dos estavan enkantados de la suprisa: Moshe i una ijika de diez anyos, negligada embatakada, su vistimienta arazgada, i mezes sin penyar los kaveyos. Chalis, ija de kaleja.

En viendo a Moshe, bushko komo fuir de la kaza, ma el le disho:

—Aspera, no te fuigas, no te ago nada, asenta i kontame komo arevates en estos chales.

Vido la ijika ke puede dar kunfiyensia a este ombre kon kara buena i se asento serka de la meza.

Moshe le trusho una kumida livyana i un kopo de chai.

Le disho:

—Kome i kontame, sin espanto de mi.

La ijika se kalmo i konto:.

—Yo me yamo Mimi, i soy guerfana de estonses ke teniya cinko anyos. Mi padre la desho a mi madre i se esparisio en los Estados Unidos de la Amerika. Mi madre estava chazina i se muryo en tyempo ke yo teniya cinko anyos. Me metyeron toda mi vida en kazas de guerfanos onde no estuve kontenta del todo. No aviya ni pasensia ni ardor, solo gritos, shamares i insultos. La mas pena era de la parte de las guerfanas mas aedadas, ke erran komo “las reinas de la negreguda”.En vezes me fuiya i morava en la kaleja, arovavava kumida del soko o de las kazas. Siempre me topavan i me entravan de muevo en las manos kruelas.

Le salto a Moshe la lagrima en sintiendo esto i se agideo de la ijika Mimi. Moshe teniya experyansa kon ijos i ijas de las eskolas, i vido ke Mimi avla ermoso, save exprimirse, i penso ke kon ayudo va reushir esta ijika.

Sin hasitasiones, le disho a Mimi:

—Mira, Mimi, yo te puedo ayudar i te puedo salvar solo si vas a azer esforsos para ambezar i komportar bueno, i te se va trokar la vida. Echate en el salon i amanyana  avlaremos.

La manyana la topo durmiendo en el kanape, limpiya i penyada. le konto kualo va azer, i salyo.

Moshe se enkontro kon su amigo ke dirige una eskola en Yaffo, le konto todo sovre la ijika i el dirigor acheto de aresivir a Mimi komo eleva.

Moshe organizo los dokumentes nesesitan en las ofisinas de la munisipalidad. Pasaron dos diyas i Mimi, bien vistida, limpiya, penyada i kon chanta en la espalda, entro a la eskola.  akompanyada  kon Moshe. El la bendisio ke reushka i se atorno a su kaza kon esperansya. Mimi teniya ambre de ambezar i Moshe le ayudo kon los doveres, i kon todos los sujetos de la vida.

Tres mezes mas tadre le avlo su amigo de la eskola, i le konto ke la eleva Mimi esta reushendo en los estudios, i mas de esto tyene boz maraviyoza, esta en el koren de la eskola komo solista, tiene amigas, es intelegenta i todos la kieren bien. Chalis, tresoro.

Moshe vido ke Mimi kiere reushir i aze esforsos para arivar a las notas de nivel alto i estava kontente.

Pasaron anyos i Mimi se izo kantadera famoza ke da konsertos en la sivda i aguera de la sivda, se mantenyo mui bueno, se kazo i teniya dos kriyaturas. Morava kon su famiya en Tel Aviv i kada semana veniya a vijitar a Moshe, kon ardor i estimasion. Afilo los ijikos lo yamaron nono.   

Un viernes ke vino Mimi a vijitar a Moshe vido ke esta flosho i kaminando kon defikultades. Mimi entendio ke ya no puede kedar solo, le proposio ke lo va aresentar en kaza de aedados kon ayudo mediko i kompaniya buena.

Moshe disho ke la kaza no vaie mucho i no tiene paras para este plano.

—Si achetas, yo me va akyupar de todo—disho mimi.

En una semana se topo Moshe en la mijor kaza de aedados en Tel Aviv. Kada viernes lo vijitava Mimi i vido ke esta mui kontente, oroso i alegre.

Le disho a Mimi:

—Yo te salvi la vida, i tu me salvates en la viejes. Ya savemos ke kien ke aze koza buena, le va venir i a el la buendad.

Nissim Ashkenazi mora en Kiryat Moshkin, Israel.

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The orphan

StockCake.com

By Nissim Ashkenazi

The tale if the month

Moshe had retired as a teacher and school principal. He was widowed and had no children. He lived in a two-story apartment near the port of Yaffa. The living room and kitchen were on the first floor, and two bedrooms were on the second floor.

Moshe worked fast and did the housework—cleaning, cooking, laundry, grocery shopping and ironing—all by himself.

He was always willing to help students from the neighborhood with their homework. Everyone loved him. It wasn't unusual for him to receive buikos*, cakes, or maruchinos** at home as as a token of gratitude.

One night Moshe woke up to a faint noise coming from downstairs.

He went down and turned the light on. The surprise couldn't have been greater. On one side, Moshe. On the other, a ten-year-old girl, neglected, dirty, wearing torn clothes and her hair disheveled for months. Certainly, a daughter of the street.

She wanted to run away when she saw Moshe, but said to her:

—Wait, don't run, I'm not going to hurt you, just tell me how you ended up in this situation.

When the girl saw that she could trust this kind-faced man, she sat down near the table. Moshe brought her something to eat and a cup of tea.

He said to her:

—Eat and tell me, and don't be afraid of me.

The girl calmed down and said:

—My name is Mimi and I was orphaned at the age of five. My father abandoned my mother and left for the United States. She was sick and died when I was five. During my entire life I was sent to orphanages, where I wasn't entirely happy. There was no patience or warmth, only screams, whipping and insults. The ones who inflicted the most pain were the older orphans, who acted like “queens of wickedness.” Sometimes I would run away and lived on the streets, stealing food from the marketplace or from houses. They would always find me and they put me back in cruel hands.

Moshe shed tears when he heard this and he felt sorry for Mimi. Moshe had experience with school children and saw that she spoke beautifully, knew how to express herself, and thought that with help this little girl would be successful.

Without hesitation, he said to Mimi:

—Look, Mimi, I can help you and can save you only if you make an effort to study and behave well, and your life will turn around. Lie down in the living room and we'll talk tomorrow morning.

In the morning he found her sleeping on the couch, clean and combed, and told her what he was going to do and left.

Moshe met with a friend of his who runs a school in Jaffa and told him everything about the girl. He accepted Mimi as a student.

Moshe put together all the documents requested by the municipality. Two days passed, and Mimi, well dressed, clean, with her hair combed and with a backpack on her back, walked into the school with Moshe. He blessed her and wished her success and returned home full of hope. Mimi was hungry for learning, and Moshe helped her with her homework and other matters in her life.

Three months later Moshe spoke with his friend, the school principal, who told him that Mimi is excelling in her studies and, in addition to this, she has a wonderful voice, is a soloist in the school choir, has friends, is intelligent and everyone likes her. What a treasure.

Moshe was happy because Mimi wanted to succeed and strived to improve her grades.

Years passed and she became a famous singer, giving concerts in the city and elsewhere. She looked well, got married and had two children. She and her family lived in Tel Aviv and every week she came to visit Moshe, which she did with enthusiasm and affection. Even the children called him nono.

One Friday, Mimi came to visit Moshe and saw that he was weak and walking with difficulties. She realized that he could no longer live alone, so she suggested that she was going to admit him to a nursing home, where he would have medical care and be in the company of others.

Moshe said that his house was not worth much and didn't have any money for this.

—If you agree, I'll take care of everything—said Mimi.

Within a week, he found himself in the best house for the elderly in Tel Aviv. Every Friday, Mimi visited him and saw that he was very pleased, happy and cheerful.

He said to Mimi:

—I saved your life and you saved me in my old age. We know that whoever does good things, good things will come to them.

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*Cheesy biscuits.

**Almond macaroons.

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Nissim Ashkenazi lives in Kiryat Moshkin, Israel.

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Tranalated by Daniel Santacruz

July 3, 2025