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
