Tom snatched up the thin penknife with which he was cutting bread from the table and thrust it into Safar's hand as if it were a piece of bread and not a human hand. A heavy thump and a booming howl went through the pub in a frightening wave for the rest of the wise men, and thick red blood ran down his fingers, dripping to the floor.

«Well, I suppose we agreed not to bring up the subject of price cuts again? »

Late in the evening, Shulman decided to rest for the first time in a month, driving up to a familiar brothel. His coat was open, the collar of his white shirt was open, and his strong hands were thrust into the deep pockets of his trousers. His only desire after a bad day was to have sex with some clean girl. Despite his shattered mind and even a strong desire, Tom never jumped on the first woman he saw, believing that he would not find his penis in the trash can. Shulman avoided Jewish women, considering it unacceptable to spoil them, especially Jewish virgins. A man with the most real fanaticism demanded only untouched girls to the brothel, and if there were no such girls, he silently returned home with nothing. Thomas will never climb on that girl who was already in use or, in other words, used. Now he was standing at the bar, finishing a rare but much needed cigarette, waiting for the brothel owner to respond. Grey eyes slid over half-naked girls in the arms of young, old, and various men. Someone clung to a table in the corner, someone kissed against the wall, and someone just drank in the company of women.

«There's a girl there. It is a beautiful and valuable thing, but I ask three hundred pounds for it. »

«Went to push a sewn-up whore to me for the price of this bar? I was being chased by their fake virginity tricks when I had a whole group behind me.» Thomas pursed his lips. «My dick was sinking like a fucking bucket of warm water! »

The man chuckled, trying to calm the incredulous Jew.

«This one is definitely new, with a label tag between her legs. Will you take it? »

Tom hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether to hand in the draft or fork out once a month, after all, he deserved it. With a slight slap on the table, Tom decided to take a break, took a wad of rolled-up bills out of his pocket, threw down three hundred pounds in disgust, knowing that this girl would be with him all night, and squeezed himself and her even harder. After a couple of minutes, the man went up to the second floor, walked past empty rooms, knocked softly on the right, opened a creaking and wide door, behind which nothing was heard. In the corner of the bed sat a young body whose face Thomas could not see because of his poor vision, and he took a few steps toward the bed, removing his jacket and shirt as he went. Two more steps and Shulman ruffled his thick brown hair, falling flat at the feet of the girl, who immediately cringed with excitement and fright.

«To hell with it!»

Grey eyes stared into the huge brown eyes opposite.

«What are you doing here?»

The girl looked anxiously at the man's overgrown face, not wanting to answer, and shyly covered herself with a silk blanket.

«Decided that you can earn «easy» money here?»

Yung shrugged, still looking the teacher in the eye.

«Well, I'll give you a chance to sort it out.»

Shulman crawled across the soft silk bed to her, groping for the leather belt, trying to undo it and the rough button on his trousers.

Now all he could see was the girl's bare legs, the bottom of her short dress, and the veil that was not needed here. The startled little body shrank back.

«What is wrong with you? Three hundred pounds is not lying on the road, young lady! Why work with your head when you can work with holes for an hour, right?»

Tom leaned against the frail body, his head on her shoulder, his thick beard and full lips pressed against the soft neck, his head spinning as if he had been on morphine since the war. Dry fingers slid down her right thigh, which was trembling wildly. The sweet smell of perfume intoxicated him.

«You're bluffing…» she hissed, feeling the hot breath on her neck and nothing more. Tom didn't budge, he just stood there.

«Either you're brave or you're stupid, Lily. And I don't know what's worse,» he murmured, still breathing in her ear. «I can feel you trembling, your voice trembling. »

Shulman staggered back, pushing the girl in the chest, causing her to fall on the bed and look around indignantly.

«Stupid girl! » He thought as he put on his shirt and angrily buttoned the cuffs on his sleeves. «There is no such thing as easy money. »

Thomas knew that he was intruding into her life. He didn't know why he was asking her now, because it would have been easier to leave her to someone else. It didn't concern him yet, but some paternal instinct wouldn't let him turn and walk away fabric.

«Rushing from extreme to extreme is not an option even in the most difficult situation, » he muttered, without looking up at the girl, who was still sitting in the corner of the bed, shedding salty tears. Drops fell on the grey silk, slowly soaking up the water, spreading over the fibbers of the fabric. «What's the solution, Mr. Shulman? » Lily leaned against the wall, dropping transparent drops with a completely indifferent face, which Thomas looked at carefully when he heard his name. «Is there any way out? We were born into this world to wander forever through unfulfilled hopes, forced to live in a world of our own called «Disillusionment. »

Shulman scratched his beard nervously, curling his lower lip.

«Look, you really should go back to College. » Tom stared into her brown eyes, reading the hopelessness in the black pupils. «I want you to overcome your youthful maximalism and become wiser. »

«For what? » Lily asked, still drilling indifferently at the wall, looking at Thomas. «Life is a throw, a long sigh from birth to death. »

The man chuckled at her argument.

«I think that education, a degree, and a good job will allow you to run less. You will see, and the sigh will become more relieved. »

Lily smiled faintly, infecting the Jew with it.

«Get dressed, my driver will take you home. »

Shulman got out of bed, buried his face in his watch, and studied the dial with feigned interest as the young girl hurriedly pulled on her dress.

«Mr.Shulman, » she said, walking up to the man and handing him three hundred pounds, «Take it back. I don't deserve this. » Tom raised his eyebrows:

«And great!» He grinned, showing his and white teeth, but when he saw the girl's earnestness, he agree.

Thomas stood at the blackboard and he wrote on the blackboard, glancing nervously at the clock and the empty space that Lily usually occupied. They hadn't seen each other in a week, because Shulman was only in College on Tuesdays, and all the other days he worked at the bar and read the Torah. The girl did not change it for the better, but only opened new features, expanded its boundaries. But the idea of Thomas remained the same, because he was and remains the leader of one of the London gang of Jews, which he covered with obscenities , and this has not gone away. Shulman began to think about this even more, reading the Torah, running his eyes over the Hebrew language, as if looking for answers to his questions in this book. There were contradictions in his mind, because she was a Christian and he was a Jew; she was a student, he was a teacher; she was very young, and he was already Mature and experienced. Different beliefs, different views, different values-and nothing in common. Thomas is calm and reasonable, while Lily is quick-tempered and impulsive, living with feelings and emotions. The man sat down, glancing at his watch, which hung on a thin gold chain. A thoughtful and frowning face ran through the classroom, which seemed empty without one of the students he needed. Suddenly the old and creaking door swung open, and Lily young, who had been standing at the entrance, looked guilty and disappointed, rushed in parallel with the bell.