Текст книги "The teacher"

Автор книги: Ksenia Nikitina

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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 across it while visiting the United States on a business trip.

«Hello, father,» he murmured, extending his hand to the old man in the leather chair.

«What the hell is this? Shulman senior asked, looking at a tall, dark-haired man with a smooth face, grey-green eyes, and close-cropped hair. Black suit, hat, and gun in hand.

«This horseradish came from your already saggy and flabby horseradish, which you should have cut off immediately after birth.»

The old man shifted in his chair

«My name is Thomas. Thomas Shulman.»

«Bastard, do you think you can come here and call yourself my son?» he croaked back, swinging his cane at Tom. The old man was clearly not himself from old age, but continued to be rude and throw mud.

«What do you want from me? The money, the legacy? Why are you standing here like a Parisian virgin?»

Shulman licked his lower lip nervously.

«Do you want me to say «Hello» to your whore mom? If you only knew how angry she made me in our fucking marriage. If you only knew how much I disliked her. And how I didn't love the children she gave birth to me. Including you, you little boy. A weakling who was being chased down the street.»

Three accurate shots to the heart struck the feeble old man, who barely flinched from the bullets that entered his chest. With a light touch of her hand, she pulled Thomas away from the memory, sending a new wave of goosebumps over his skin.

«My father… My father left the family when I was 12 years old. He had a young wife and other children whom he loved more than me. »

«But why?»

«Because he didn't love my mother, and that woman's children will always be unloved, okay? That's enough, I don't want to tell you anything else! Leave me alone!»

Thomas blushed slightly as he rubbed his beard.

«He was an unscrupulous Lord, a liar, and a thief to the core, okay? Shulman continued to get angry.

Lily pursed her lips and nodded.

«Is it true that sons often follow in their father's footsteps? » The girl interrupted him without taking her eyes off the table.

Was this a test in her head, or an attempt to test Thomas's level of patience ? Thomas's head was boiling, his ears were ringing, his face was noticeably flushed, and his right hand automatically grabbed the woman's narrow chin, slightly squeezing her lower jaw.

«What the fuck did you say? Don't you dare! Don't say that again! Do you understand me?» His fingers turned white as he felt her teeth through the thin skin. She flinched, but couldn't pull away from him.

«You don't know me! You don't know him! I'm not like that, you know? I will never leave my children, you know?»

She recoiled, took the man's hand away with a light and gentle touch, took the napkin from her lap in a hurt and frightened way, crumpled it up, and threw it into the soup, which splashed on the table.

«Hey, young lady! I was going to eat it! It costs seven pounds! »

Lily got up from the table, pulled on a thin cardigan, and stared at nothing with tears in her eyes.

«Where are you going? We're not done yet!»

She swallowed hard and said in a shaky voice: «I want to go home.»

Lily took several small bills out of her pocket and put them on the table as she headed for the door.

«Lily, where the hell are you going?»

Shulman stood between the next table and theirs, blocking her path, holding her bag over his shoulder. His fingers slid inside, finding the small pocket where he'd put her damn money.

«Let me pass!» she hissed.

«Wow, I still get turned on when you growl like that, seriously! Especially since we finally switched to “you”?» Thomas's attempt at a joke was not successful, but only further offended an already vulnerable creature.

Lily slapped him hard across the face, grazing his ear. Tom immediately stepped back, rubbing his face and releasing her .She hadn't picked up the phone in two or three hours. Tom was worried and couldn't find a place to dial a familiar number. Only beeps and silence.

Finally she picked up the phone, letting him know that she wasn't going to talk to him at home.

Why was she offended? Thomas has been trying to screw it up for six weeks? Is it worth starting the search from the beginning? When he speaks to her, Shulman will say that he is in a minefield. One more move and everything could explode, including him.

The night shift at the bar was in full swing as Thomas sat in his office, mulling over options, wondering if he really needed it.

«Hey, Isaac! For tomorrow…» he scratched his temple thoughtfully, «For tomorrow, at six in the morning, gather eight strong men.»

The guy nodded and disappeared through the office door. The next morning, as he got into the car and hoped to get a couple of hours ' sleep on the way, Tom felt even more exhausted than he had the day before. Their motorcade moved to the right village so that Tom could steal the girl for at least a couple of hours and put all the dots on the i's. An ordinary old house, a small plot at first glance, and three children running around the yard, fighting with each other with wooden swords. This was his reward for the necessary information that the children leaked and served on a silver platter about their beloved sister. They probably would have told you when she got her period for a couple of sweets .Children are selfish and can be forgiven. Thomas shook hands with each of the boys, noting their resemblance to his sister, and put his hand, now black with dirt, back in his trousers pocket. The children nodded, looking expectantly at the generous Jew. He took some melted sweets from his pocket and gave them to the children, who probably only tasted them because of him. Hungry eyes and dirty faces. A shudder runs down Shulman's spine. He had never understood why a man should have a whole brood of children if he could not raise them properly, feed them, and clothe them. Thomas went on, slamming the rotten door a couple of times. Five minutes passed before Lily opened it, sleepy and sweet, rubbing her eyes. Short white nightgown, tousled hair, half naked thighs.

«Good morning, sunshine.»

She immediately pouted, flashing a small yellow bruise from his thumb on her chin, intending to close the door in Thomas's face.

«Go away! »

He couldn't help noticing how reserved and patient she was. Marriage would be idyllic.

«I'm sorry, right? It won't happen again if you don't make me angry, okay?»

Shulman stood and talked like a boy.

«Show the workers what to do, then get ready for Breakfast.»

«How easy is it for you? Where should I put my brothers?» Here is again began rudeness.

«In the direction from whence they came.»

«To my car. Just wash them and change them, for God's sake, or my assistants will think it's just some devils running around the garden without tails.»

Thomas and Lily spent the day in the country, in a small, cosy log cabin by the lake.Her brothers swam in the cool water until their lips turned blue, while Tom deftly tossed them up and they squealed in the water, sometimes losing their stretched shorts.Lily stood on the Bank, watching them with a smile and concern.

«Come to us, Lily! Tommy will give you a lift! »

«Tommy? What? In this case, I will be their daddy! » Shulman thought.

The man beckoned to her, but she refused.

«What are you afraid of?»

Tom took it carefully, and the girl hesitated for a moment, then threw off her light dress and stepped over it, leaving her in a short nightgown. Long legs, light thighs and tight high beige panties. She didn't have a beach suit, and all this time she was too shy to go into the water like this.

Tom held out his hand. She reluctantly entered the lake, first up to her knees, then up to her thighs, which were immediately covered with large goosebumps.Shulman met her a little deeper.

«Is it deep enough already?! » Lily squeaked, losing the bottom.

She clung excitedly to the Jew, wrapped her arms around his neck, and wrapped her legs around his waist.Thomas finally felt her feminine warmth on his body, in his groin, and put his arm around her waist and pulled her even closer to him. Her teeth chattered, and her excited eyes ran over the surface of the water, which played with its bright rays, which dazzled her by reflecting off the crystal clear water. Her touch slowly burned his bare back and chest, leaving wet marks on his skin.

«You're a coward! » Thomas whispered softly, moving closer to her face, feeling her hot breath and body through the damp fabric of her shirt, which had gone from baggy to tight. Lily swallowed a shiver, but her teeth were still chattering as Shulman looked at her brown eyes with long, wet lashes, a thin, snub nose with tiny freckles, and pink, bitten lips. No wrinkles or other imperfections, just fair skin and slightly tanned cheeks. Unlike his face, which was far from young, or even young, and which she looked at with interest. Her gaze lingered on his eyes, then on his lips-and on the latter more often and longer. This is the moment .«Come on, Thomas! Don't slow down! It's now or never!» the Jew thought, and touched her nose with his own, drawing lines softly and slowly several times, inhaling her air, collecting cool drops, looking into her dark eyes, which closed smoothly. She didn't pull away, which meant she gave him the go-ahead to use her lips, which gently joined hers, drowning out the screams and screams of children, the splashing of water, and the singing of birds in the background. Pliant and soft, her lips met his like a family, allowing Thomas to leave a more sensual kiss, grabbing her lower lip. He could taste the sweet salty taste of blood spurting from a small crack. The idyll was broken by the cry of one of the boys, who was desperately trying to swim to the other.

«Well, small fry! Damn it! » the Jew cursed under his breath, ran to help, and brought back the boy, who had run to help, and then dived for the second, who had nearly fallen into the grave because of his own disobedience. As he plunged into the clear water, Thomas strained his eyes to make out the child's silhouette. Nowhere. Tom surfaced, gasping for air, and saw Lily standing on the Bank, startled. Another attempt to dive deeper, so that the Jew's ears ached from the high pressure. Finally the man noticed the child and grabbed it by the hair, pushing it up. The boy sobbed loudly, coughing up a large amount of water, sand, and silt.

«Fucking kids! I almost died of a heart attack!» Thomas swore.

Lily knelt next to the boy while Shulman wrung out his underpants in the bushes, looking down at her rounded ass.

«At least something damn good!» he swore as he pulled on his trousers and continued to stare. Thomas doesn't like children for nothing. «We give birth to these assholes, feed, water, dress, train, and he went and drowned in the lake! What the fuck, man? Why was it necessary to spend so much money and time on you?» Shulman reasoned, continuing to look at the girl.

Late in the afternoon, they drove up to the house without breaking the silence. The plot was plowed and sown, and Lily arrived upset, but still rested and at least a little distracted from her routine.

«Do you want to come in for tea?»

The question went something like this: «do you want me to develop a rescue plan?» Or like this: «I need to thank you in some way, and I can only offer you myself.» Saying «thank you» is harder than getting laid. Tom would have fucked her, but then he would have had to uncork her like wine in her mother's house. Thomas decided that Lily would be like his good wine of nineteen twenty-eight, and the longer it was infused, the more delicious and pleasant it would be to drink. Tom shook his head, referring to his busy schedule, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief, kissed the Jew on the cheek and whispered thanks, then disappeared out the door, urging the children on.

Part VI

In two weeks

Thomas went into his office, straightened his beige shirt, and untied his tie.

«Hey, you! Rhinoceros with an ass, look what the fuck you're doing! Come on,» he called to one of the employees, coming closer, «Alcohol is a very flammable substance, sucker! Before you start working, read the rules and instructions in the bar! Idiot!»

Shulman went through the bar, but was stopped by Isaac, who was carrying a small brown leather bag with his belongings.

«Tom! Thomas!» Shulman turned around, «Keep your things!»

«So… Did you bring everything I told you?» he asked as he picked up the Luggage. «If you forget something, I'll send you home, huh?»

Thomas went into his office, looked at his watch, took off his shirt, which smelled bitter and acrid with alcohol, and immediately put on a clean shirt over a strong, powerful, full of life body with a wide back, long and otherwise barely noticeable muscles. His hands were firm, and he pulled the shirt over his massive shoulders. Short, curly hair ran from his thick beard to his neck, expanding on his chest, tapering on his lean stomach, and expanding again in the groin area. His fingers began to fasten the buttons from the bottom up, securing the watch chain. Tom had never been particularly frail or weak, but rather thin and wiry, but the war had quickly put on weight. Then the usual jacket and hat. He took the rest of his clothes with him, tossing aside the body-smelling clothes, and crossed the corridor of his pub. Lily sat in front of the mirror in her room, tinting her thick lashes. The idea of Tom meeting her parents didn't particularly appeal to her. It even scared me lash. For one thing, she had her last exam in a week and her last in two, and she didn't need Shulman's help. Second, the Jew himself did not appeal to her as an upcoming prospect. Yes, he was serious, intelligent, gallant, and definitely made a good impression. But what to do with his boorish and rude nature, which was inherited from his mother's milk? Third, he was a real fanatic, although he denied it. He constantly imposed his faith on her. Tom was a despot to her, even if he was very nice and polite. Do it, don't do it! He lived by his own laws and rules, which he tried to impose on her. Fourthly, Shulman was like a father to her, because the difference in age could not be changed, especially if it was a long seventeen years.She could think about it as long as she lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. But as soon as the phone rang, she picked it up, forgetting everything else. The voice on the phone, so hoarse and slow, with a slight accent and a strange drawl that had become familiar in three months, sent a pleasant shiver down her pale skin. They could talk for hours until the girl fell asleep with the phone in her hand, in the middle of talking about everything. Sometimes Thomas indulged in more casual topics, and Lily tactfully avoided them, knowing what it might lead to. And she didn't want to give the Jew hope. Say what you want, but the girl is used to him, to his presence in her life. In the end, under Shulman's cover, she felt weak, even a little childish.

Lily returned to the bedroom from her thoughts, and it seemed to her that it was getting too noisy downstairs. Straightening her dress, she stifled her curiosity and slid down. In the living room, Thomas sat in an armchair, legs spread wide, dressed like a gentleman in a starched white shirt, black trousers, and polished shoes. Shulman could boast of cleanliness and neatness, and this was very much in keeping with Lily's neatness. Grey eyes, furrowed brows, and a short, well-groomed beard. He didn't look like a teacher. The girl slid inside.

«Do you drink? Oh, my God!» she said as she watched her father pour brandy for the man and himself. Tom clearly didn't belong to this group, and her parents didn't even like «the groom.» His older brothers also looked at him askance. The situation was tense.

«Tommy, did you come to visit my parents?» Lily asked a little resentfully, sitting down on the edge of the Jew's chair.

«Why not?» the man said, putting his arm around her slender waist and running his hand over her several times, then yanking her over and sitting her on his knee. Mr. Yung grinned maliciously, but the man did not remove his hand from the small of Lily's back and pulled her closer.

«Lily, you didn't tell me that Mr. Shulman has his own pubs and pharmacies…» The girl looked at Thomas in surprise, and he nodded.

«Yes? I completely forgot!»

Lily first heard about it, thinking that Shulman was just trying to impress her and her parents because of his own cunning. The girl's father was clearly encouraged by this news and considered the candidate less strictly, adding to the points for excellent brandy and a good sense of humour, as well as the fact that Thomas was already firmly on his feet.

For Lily, that meant only one thing: she couldn't leave Thomas now, no matter how much she wanted to. More precisely, Thomas will not let her out of the clutches of the owner.

«The fall-back is to tell my father that Shulman is Jewish,» she decided. They were all sitting at the big table, looking at each other. Thomas seemed a little pensive and distant.

He looked at her brothers. The two big men, two years apart, stared at Thomas. «Puppies,» thought the Jew, turning his attention to her father. A tall man with jet-black hair combed to one side, black eyes, and ulcers and boils on his hands. Still strong enough for his age. Tom looked at his face and couldn't help remembering that he had once served in the same regiment with him. Who would have thought that in a few years ' time Thomas would be sitting here nursing Sergeant young's only daughter? Mr. Yung also recognized Thomas. It is rare to find a live colleague who did not get drunk after the war, where they were taught only to beat and kill. Only a quarter were able to adapt to peaceful life. Jonathan Yung has always been particularly violent. Tom was afraid of Jonathan's mad idea of taking gold teeth, ears, and other parts of a dead opponent's body as a trophy. But Jonathan's particular passion had always been strangulation. A tenacious grip, a couple of minutes, and the man died without bruises or abrasions on the neck.

«And this man created a whole gene pool! It's crazy, that's all,» Shulman thought.

«Lily, Thomas and I went through the war together!» said the man, taking a bottle of spirits from the cupboard, which was made even heavier by the Jew's whisky. Thomas remembered how they had nearly killed each other in a drunken brawl.

«Really?» Lily exclaimed, looking at Shulman. «It's a small world.» Thomas would have preferred not to mention their «friendship.»

The Jew nodded, watching as Lily's father poured him a glass of alcohol. The most interesting thing is ahead, because Thomas doesn't drink.

«Go ahead, drink!» Shulman shook his head.

«Are you a man or not?»

He knows what a person is, knows how they drank such glasses after a fight, and sometimes before. It was like a cheap demonstration in front of his sons that made Thomas sick.

«I don't drink because I'm Jewish.»

The old man grimaced questioningly.

«Dad, what Tommy means is that he's Jewish.»

«Thank You, Lily.»

«What difference does it make to me? Drink this!» This pleased Thomas, and he drank it without flinching, then tossed the empty glass to Lily's father. His oesophagus burned from cheap alcohol, just like in the war.

«That's what I mean, a real man! Give young people a drink and you won't find them under the table for five minutes.»

Tom didn't care, and he watched Lily fail one by one with a straight face.

«Lily, can I talk to you for a minute?»

The girl nodded and rose from the table.

«Excuse me» he muttered, disappearing into the corridor and following her.

They went to the door and went out under the old porch.

Tom took two plane tickets to Jerusalem from his pocket.

«Tommy! You what? My father will blow your head off! He won't let me go anywhere!» the girl stood nervously in the doorway.

«We'll see about that,» he finished, returning to his seat.

A couple of hours later, Thomas and her father were sitting in the living room, preparing to talk.

«You know she's my only daughter!» Yung muttered, twirling an aluminium lighter in his hand and twirling a cigarette between his teeth.

«I noticed,» Thomas said. Of course, he saw that Lily was the only girl of six children. He wasn't blind yet.

«Then listen! If you touch her before the wedding, make a baby, and then run away, I promise I'll find you, do you hear?» Lily's father said through clenched teeth, so that no one in the house would hear.

Tom groaned in a smile as he remembered how he had paid three hundred pounds for her in a brothel. Yes, she didn't sell herself cheap. Could he tell her father?

«That won't happen» Thomas asked, looking at Lily, who was sitting in the kitchen with her mother, playing with a napkin and helping her dry the dishes.

These empty threats are like the wind to Shulman. Even so, the old man wouldn't have done anything to him. Yes, John would have found him, Yes, he would have clung to the Jew. So I'm going to punch Thomas in the face, and then what? Oh, these empty threats of typical empty-headed people. Abomination. Yung unbuttoned his grey shirt, revealing a small tattoo on his chest that said only one thing: the killer. He's an attaché at large and in the world, so let him sit on his criminal ass straight. Because a prison is a prison, and there are other laws that don't stop Thomas from sticking a knife between his ribs. Tom doesn't care that he's Lily's father. Yung saw through the Jew as soon as Shulman entered, setting priorities. Like, all of them are made of criminal test, one dick!

«Let her go abroad with me,» Tom interrupted. I'll pick her up today and bring her back safe and sound on Monday morning.»

«Where is it?» John was wary.

«On a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.»

Yung swayed in his chair.

«What are you, exactly? No!» The old man barked the last word with a grin.

As far as Thomas could tell, it was politics.

«Dad! Oh, my God!» Lily exclaimed as she entered the living room. There was silence. «I'm almost twenty years old, but all I've seen in my life is dirty London and my village!»

From the look in his eyes, it was clear that the girl was Jonathan's favorited child, which immediately subsided, replaced by anger and pity. His gaze slid over the body and face of his daughter, who stood before him like a naive lamb.

«Okay, good.»

Lily was overjoyed, kissed her father on the gray temple, and ran to her room to collect her thoughts.

«Where can I get a kiss?» Thomas looked envious.

The girl's father returned to Shulman, pointing at him.

«You owe me!»

«Oh, the auction is starting!»

Most of all, Tom hated being beholden to someone. This old asshole owes him twice as much for saving his heir and his daughter's anal virginity.

Lily's parents let her go, making sure that Thomas would pay for everything.

Two hours later, Lily and Tom arrived in the East End, and Lily saw his pub for the first time, although not in all its glory, but only the passage between the entrance and his office.

«I thought you were lying! Lily said, smiling as she walked into the office with him. Thomas didn't really want to take her with him, but she refused to sit and wait in the car under a weak degree of dry wine.

«Not today,» he assured her, setting her down on the sofa.

«I'll settle some business now, and we'll go, won't we?» Lily crossed her legs playfully, exposing her thighs beneath her dress. Thomas sat down and began to rummage through the papers to find the right documents and passports, not paying attention to her drunken attacks. Later he will take his own, but not now. His head was full of work, and even the woman could not distract the Jew with her nonsense. The office door opened and Abraham came in.