hoarse with anticipation.
«You sealed our agreement with a handshake, » he reminded her.
She swallowed nervously, took a step toward his shaggy face, and put her right hand on his shoulder, as if that would help. Tom was never patient, and he disliked waiting, leaning forward, carefully sealing their «deal» with his plump lips on the same ones, only very soft and pink, feeling the sweet taste and burning heat running through his body. She just squeezed her eyes shut, but there was no gun at her temple to make her tense.
«Now, good-bye. » he said, pulling away from my beloved lips, still holding her just above her waist. «When will you be home?»
Lily was completely bewildered, confused, and blushed even more as she struggled for words: «Well… I… In about two hours, not before. » Thomas took note of this.
«Then I'll call you at six sharp, may I?»
Part V
End of may
Thomas did not think that chasing a young girl would be so interesting and fun! Oh, it is permanent and the children's desire to see, talk to and be around! This made Thomas laugh. He and Lily young had some kind of teenage relationship. Going to the theatre and watching movies made him feel young and wild. Such nonsense he suffered only before the war very young and beaten, subsequently spoiling more than one girl. All this nonsense kept him from thinking about work. Little by little, Lily began pulling his strings, getting loans and admissions, and practicing all day at the local hospital while Thomas handled her Affairs. Here and there he gave her marks, some not deserved, but justified. After that, he would meet her in the evening, give her his hand, and lead her to the car like a little girl, kissing her only on the cheek.
«You're an obstetrician, and I can't help but ask if you washed your hands?»
Then they dined together, and Thomas, losing his appetite, listened to terrible stories about childbirth, blood, and other abominations. Lily laughed happily at the look of disgust on his face and pushed the dessert toward her.
«You look like a crocodile! She laughed, pointing to his hair, which was tousled and standing on end from her horror stories.
Tom asked himself, his co-workers, and friends, who probably thought that he had just completely and irrevocably screwed up or fallen in love.
«The Jewish half of London who sits in front of you and asks if they can go pee or fuck their wife with cancer like a real Rabbi,» it was on the tip of his tongue as he watched her amused and slightly embarrassed smile, « fortunately, I can afford to go to the toilet at any time. And if I'm going to put you in the back seat, I'm going to get real permission from a real Rabbi, honey. So stop laughing at me!» he thought, still admiring the girl. In General, Thomas was one of those people who feared blood and tried to avoid its unnecessary shedding. Blood is dirt, and everything must be clean. Therefore, her stories made the hair stand on end not only on the head, but also on the whole body.
Everything in this case had calmed down, too,so that Tom could take a breath and finally allow himself to think of something more than fighting and killing.
«Do you want to go to the lake tomorrow? Thomas asked, taking a SIP of water, wanting to eat at last, and pulling a plate of hot chicken soup towards him, « nature, air, lake. »
Lily shrugged as Tom regretfully fished a piece of slowly melting butter out of his plate.
«Ugh, » he said, pushing the soup plate away, and his eyes darted around the table in despair, knowing that he had nothing else to eat.
«What's wrong with butter? It tastes better,» Lily assured him.
«Never, never should a decent and traditional Jew mix dairy products and meat! It's a sin!»
Lily looked at Thomas blankly, demanding an explanation.
«Wait until I explain.»
Tom called the waiter to bring him the soup, and then looked back at the girl, who was obviously tense and ready to listen.
«I live by the commandments and laws that are written in the Torah, right? For me to do anything without prayer or without prayer is a sin. Just like eating something that isn't kosher is a sin.»
Lily just smiled a little, thinking that Thomas was almost a fanatic, and went back to eating. All this time, he gradually accustomed her to Jewish cuisine, replacing the usual dishes only with national ones. At first, she resisted fiercely, but then she felt the taste and even found her favorited dish-tzime. After trying it for the first time, it spat out a spoon in a napkin and made a face unrecognizable:
«What kind of carrion is this?»
Tom would have laughed if it wasn't his favourite sweet from childhood, consisting of carrots and other vegetables. His mother often prepared tzimes, leaving only good memories for the Jew.
«Is there fat floating around? » the girl shouted, looking at the yellow slime on her plate and startling the other Jewish guests, who looked at the Goy with displeasure.
«Yes, honey, it's real mutton fat!»
Tom didn't know which was more disconcerting-the basis of the dessert or his words.
«What about nature?»
Lily rubbed her temple.
«If you need nature, come to us. Because I have thirteen acres of land and three younger brothers.»
This is not how Shulman imagined their first solitude.
«You mean you were assigned to dig and plant a vegetable garden?»
Lily nodded, smearing caramel on her lips.
«I think your older brothers are exploiting you.»
Lily gripped her fork.
«Please don't touch my brothers!» she threw the device on the table, covering it with her hand.
Tom has touched something alive again, but he doesn't know what it is.
«What did I say wrong?»
Lily tried to calm down, washing down her anger with warm tea, holding the Cup between her fingers.
«You don't tell me anything about your family? I have to get everything out of you with my tongs. And if I say something wrong, you will react violently, without first defining acceptable boundaries!»
Lily lowered her eyes and ran her fingernails along the rim of the Cup.
«Can we start with you? Tell me about yourself and your family. I don't know anything either! The request sounded more like a challenge.»
Thomas searched his memory, lost all appetite, and dropped the spoon into the soup.
«Do you need an autobiography?»
Lily raised her hands expectantly.
«Okay, you're pushy. Hi, my name is Thomas Shulman. I'm thirty-six years old and Jewish, right? My mother was Polish
Jew, and my father was a London Jew. He is a former member of House of lords.»
«So you have English roots?»
Tom sighed wearily. He thought he was talking to a fucking kid.
«Are you even listening to me? I just said I was Jewish. My mother is a full-blooded Jew, my father is a full-blooded Jew! My mother came to England with my father. She was from a noble family, you know? This is where she met my father.»
She smacked her lips guiltily, trying to find the right keys for Tom. In fact, he threw away the keys a long time ago because he just hated talking about his past, childhood, and family.
«What about your father? How did he end up in the ward? Where is he from?»
Thomas let out an exasperated sigh.
Memory
More than ten years ago
The young and violent Thomas, in the Prime of life, was eager to find his father and show what his son had achieved. This man had been searching for it all over England for a long time, and finally came