He wondered if that was how the whole industry conducted itself. He stared at the Mediterranean Sea for a long while, but the calmness of its blue waters and lapping waves was not as infectious as he would have hoped. Finally he stood up and walked over to the pay phones at the building across the street. He called two class mates from the university, Noam and Oded, who had found jobs straight after finishing their bachelor’s degrees three years earlier and invited himself to their offices in the industrial park between Rehovot and Ness Ziona. They met at the end of the work day at Café Napoli, one of the favorite spots for the science park workers to hang out. The shelves along the counter wall were stacked with packages of the Italian coffee brand Segafredo in a variety of kinds and flavors. On the wall in a large, bold print was the coffee menu with what seemed like an endless array of serving variations. They chose a quieter part of the coffee shop to sit in behind a partition in deep chair—perfect for a private conversation away from the crowded section.
