«What the hell is she doing there?»
At last the door creaked open, and Thomas staggered back to see Lily's pale face, with tiny beads of sweat on her nose and forehead, blue lips, and sharp features. Her brown eyes were full of tears. Her silk robe was stained with scarlet, and her left leg was wrapped in a rag, which had a dark bloodstain that blurred before her eyes. When she saw him, she whimpered helplessly, her lower lip sticking out like a child whose candy has been taken away.
«Well, well, well,» said Tom, pulling the weak little body to him, which was trembling slightly and sobbing, «You cut yourself, didn't you? Am I not right?»
The next second, he grabbed her and carried her to the bathroom.
«Horror, it's like a pig was slaughtered here!» he said as he sat her down on the edge of the tub.
There was blood on the floor, on the sink, in the tub, and on the razor blade that now lay next to the drain. The bathroom smelled of iron and damp, which made the Jew feel slightly sick. The rag was soaking wet, and Thomas crouched down and bandaged her leg, remembering all the methods he had been taught during the war.
«Why did you take such a sharp blade, huh?» he asked, examining the shallow but successful cut, knowing that Lily would have to be taken to the hospital.
«I … I wanted to shave.»
His hands wrapped the cloth tighter so that the wound could be cleaned.
«Why, sun? For what?»
Her brown eyes lifted.
«I was getting ready,» she whispered.
«Preparing for what?»
«You said …» Lily would have blushed even more if it hadn't been for the blood loss. But the confusion in her eyes made up for it.
«Holy simplicity! You have so many brothers, have you never heard such expressions?» The girl shook her head.
Tom sighed and ran a hand over his good leg.
«Listen… my people, or rather, our people, Yes? Respects the commandments, you know? Rules that apply to bedding, «he assured her, still looking at the fabric that turned red as he tightened it,» You can't have sex with a man after taking gyur. This is necessary for the formation of the spirit, right?» Lily shook her head, making an unreadable, questioning face as she collected her new question, as if Thomas were a walking Jewish encyclopaedia.
«Isn't' this important to you?»
The Jew sighed again.
«This is important, but let's not equate love and passion, right? It's kind of a trap, isn't it? Love is the desire to support, hug, or tie the same leg, and passion is just the desire to possess, use, take, right?»
She nodded, and Tom lowered his hands, looking again into her brown eyes, the pupils of which reflected dark shadows.
«Let's wait out these stupid remaining two months and then we'll see, okay?»
Lily smiled, then hissed, and fresh blood spurted from the wound again.
«Let's go to the hospital and have a sweet tea on the way!» Tom picked her up and led her to the car, leaving his driver there to clean up and disappear.
Thomas looked at the pale face, the closed lids, and the long lashes. The red liquid was still soaking into the fabric like a sponge.
«For God's sake, has she decided to shave?» He asked himself, realizing how serious and scary she was about sex. A truly sensitive girl who will weigh the pros and cons a hundred times before leaving her childhood. Her disappointed face showed that she wanted to wait, couldn't wait any longer, and that infuriated her more than anything else in the world. Or was it just his imagination?
All these conversations, jokes, glances, touches, caresses, and kisses again and again decapitated Thomas. At the hospital where she will work, they stopped her blood, sewed up the wound and asked her to stay for a day under observation. The doctors whispered cautiously among themselves, eventually informing them that Lily's blood was not clotting well, and this situation could cause serious complications in the future.
«Will you stay with me?» the girl asked while lying in bed, to which Shulman shook his head.
«I have a hell of a lot to do. I'll come and take you home tomorrow, okay?»
Thomas went back to the bar and sat down heavily, sorting through several letters. One of them was from Ahmet, and Tom reluctantly opened the envelope, pulling out a yellowed piece of paper.
«What the hell is this papyrus?»
His eyes ran over the lines, assessing the handwriting and literacy from old habit. He accepted two invitations to the restaurant, surprised by Ozan's formality and sent mentality. Lily will be fine by Saturday, he thought as he dialled the phone number on the back.
The same evening
Tom dropped his glasses wearily, almost breaking them, and rubbed his sore eyes, knowing how bad he was. Things got even worse, although the profit remained the same. There was no sign of concern or joy until Isaac knocked on the door, leading a young girl in her twenties.
«What do you want here?» He asked, looking at the girl «I'm the only fucking person On this couch» – Tom pointed at the furniture.
«She's looking for a job,» Isaac finished, smiling and disappearing through the door.
Well, it was obvious that Thomas sometimes fucked young girls who then got a job with him and worked safely for several years, got married and had children. He became something of a friend or mentor to them.
«What's your name?» The Jew asked, looking at her short blond hair, grey eyes, and full lips.
«Claire,» she said softly, lowering her eyes.
«How old are you?»
«Twenty-one years old,» Claire assured him, walking over to the table.
A well-crafted script of a few sentences, and here she was, lying on the leather couch after her shift, naked, waiting for Tomas to take a SIP of alcohol. Wiry female body, skinny thighs and protruding breasts. Thomas yanked her up by her legs, pulled her closer to him, and knelt on the edge of the couch, slowly exposing her groin.
«Have you ever been to Germany?» He asked, defusing the situation with his favourite question, hearing only a whisper of «no» in his ear.
«Would you like to?» he asked, drawing the woman's attention away from the sensation with a short jerk.
After the first movement, he heard a scream, completely forgetting the patience and humility that Lily had told him about. Thomas forgot about rules and regulations, about honesty and loyalty, about love.Shulman didn't compare her to Lily, or even allow himself to think about it. It's just a release, just sex and a surge of emotions that needed to be put somewhere. Claire hadn't been his first in four months, and Lily didn't need to know. This will remain his little secret. Until then, until it becomes obvious. Yes, Tom was behaving like an animal, a hungry animal, tearing the unfortunate victim to pieces. How did he differ from the Turks now? All because after that, he was grateful for the trust.
The fact is that the girl was waiting for a job tomorrow and, consequently, the opportunity to earn money and live a normal life. Thomas pulled on his underwear, picked it up from the floor, and handed her a clean towel.
«You can go to work tomorrow. Isaac will give you equipment, a change of clothes, and an apron, « he said, watching the girl wipe his liquid from her thickly overgrown pubis in disgust.
«So if you have any questions or suggestions, you can feel free to contact me, right?»
Thomas tucked his shirt into his trousers and belted it.
«All right, Mr. Shulman,» Claire finished dutifully, throwing on her dress and searching for her panties on the couch while Tom rummaged in the closet.
«Under the table, baby,» he muttered, throwing his jacket over his shoulders.
Young, naive, stupid, and most often from poor families. So he gave her work, food, and shelter. A tenth of the women who work for Shulman became women with him and continue to work to this day, as if nothing had happened. This is a true Jewish benefit.
