The teacher

Nikitina Ksenia

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.