Fiction*.  

by Eugene Voloshchenko

            And there she was, standing at the transparent glass doors waving her hand at him. He glanced at her face, then at white, practically see-through, dress moving back and forth by the wind; she was smiling.

            Looking at her he quickened his pace, then dropping his bag, ran ... the force stronger than gravity pressed him against her body. There was the taste of the salt on her lips.

            All the passengers of the plane have already left the building of a fairly small airport terminal and only customs clerks were strangely staring at two young people, who seemed to be glued to each other.

�Anthony, let me look, honey! I can�t believe it is you! Let me touch you once again. When you called two weeks ago and said that you were coming, I thought you were joking. Yes, it is really you!� �her first words were, and again two bodies clinched into one in yet another long kiss. � �When are you going back?�

�On the 26^th.�

�Oh, that�s all right, we will change the tickets.� � She said and put her arms around his neck for the next kiss.

�Marta, darling,  we will never leave this damn airport!� - he dragged her out with his arms around her waist and his lips still longing to touch hers.

Everything was very unusual there: exotic palm trees, the heat, roads with yellow and red striped borders. They crossed the street and continued the kiss at the bus stop under the large palm tree.

            The trip to Petah-Tiqwa lasted twenty minutes. Anthony tried to see as much of the countryside as possible, glancing through the window of a fast running bus. The scenery, much more attractive than weird looking farms and military bases, kept on distracting him from his observations. Her eyes, her amazingly blue eyes didn�t let him even turn his head in the direction of the window. He stared at her trying to notice the changes in her face that had occurred during the year that they didn�t see each other. Whatever it was that changed, was irrelevant as long as he could feel her lips on his face.

            They were off the bus and passengers sighed with relief; no need to pretend that they didn�t mind a barely dressed girl and a strangely clad guy making out at the rear section of the bus.

            He could see the waves of the hot air above the concrete as they walked toward her apartment. The street of beige three and five story apartment buildings was hidden behind the bushes and the trees that Anthony had never seen in his life. He loosened his tie.

�This is my building, number 2 . And this is my mailbox. Every time I was going back from the university, I looked to see if there were any letters from you. But enough of standing here. Let�s come up in the apartment.�

She pressed the button of the intercom. Her father�s voice asked who was there. After a short pause the lock clicked and they were inside. Two more flights of stairs; she opened the door.

***

            ��What was next?� - I stand up and walk around the room. �Oh, yeah, what else could it be? �A social talk� to her parents. Can�t forget that!�

�I didn�t mind her father � he doesn�t say much. But her mom, she has always been a problem. Not that she didn�t like me; I guess she did in a way. But for some reason she always imagined somebody else with her daughter. The image of a perfect husband has always been far from what she saw every time I showed up at their door. I can�t complain, she has always been kind to me, that�s why her dissatisfaction took a form of �mother�s� encouragement to pursue my career and go abroad to study, hoping that I won�t come back. She said she had always believed in me when I was accepted to go and study in Canada shortly after her daughter left.�

***

It was a fairly big apartment with painted white walls and few pieces of furniture. Nothing excessive. The lounge  where we appeared had a couch at the wall, a coffee table, and a TV at the other wall. A large fan in the middle of the room was blowing into different directions, trying in vain to combat the heat that was everywhere at this time of the day. 

�So, how do you like Israel, Tony?� � Marta�s father asked.

�Israel looks fine, kind of hot, though.�

�See, Tony, we could�ve given you a better welcome if you visited us later,� - her mother added, - �our economical situation is not the best right now. And besides, the sea is full of jellyfish, so the swimming won�t be as much fun. By the way, how long do you plan to visit us?�

�I don�t know yet, two to three weeks. I have an open date of return,� - he lied, knowing that the date of his return is in 24 days.

�Tony, go take a shower before we have lunch. You will talk later.� � Marta said, placing one grape in his mouth and touching the back of his pants with her free hand.

After a quick refreshing shower Tony went to Marta�s room trying to find something causal in his bag. Searching for something appropriate he didn�t notice her  quietly opening the door  and sliding into the room. She touched his wet shoulders. There was no need to look for anything anymore� He looked at her, reached for the edges of her dress. Slowly lifting it up, he looked at her body. Her snow-white never-tanned legs were just as beautiful as they were last time he saw them when they made love for the last time back in Moscow before he went to see her off at the airport. She definitely gained some weight and probably started wearing a bra a couple of sizes bigger than before, but it didn�t matter. They couldn�t wait any longer, she raised her arms and they got rid of the dress, then a bra, then white panties. In a second they were wrestling in her bed with their hands trying to touch every inch of each other�s body.

�Tony, honey, if you could only know how bad I missed your hands, your lips, smile. I saw you in my dreams every single night.�

�Sweetie, I was dreaming about this day for this whole year. I couldn�t look at any other girls; you�re the only one I love. All other girls couldn�t even compare to you.�

Marta mentioned that she was on pills so he didn�t have anything to worry about. He remembered thinking how smart she was to start taking them in advance, anticipating his visit. He parted her legs and a stream of long forgotten feelings filled his body. He thought he would never feel it again. It was just like the old times�

            The streams of chilling heat ran through his body a few seconds after she crossed her legs behind his back and squeezed his body, pressing herself closer to him. He couldn�t recollect if she had done it before�

Tony spent the following morning contacting the travel agency, trying to reschedule his return flight. He ended up going to their office in Tel-Aviv, for it was useless to deal with their bad English on the phone. Marta said it would be better if he rescheduled his flight for the date two weeks from the day. Tony on the other hand, said nothing, but thought that there was no way he would spend his annual savings on a two-week stay and took a ticket that was in 21 days, complaining that they couldn�t find anything sooner.

            The rest of the day was dedicated to swimming in a clear crystal blue sea, sunbathing, and spying on couples making out on the beach. Then they decided that someone was probably spying on them so they decided not to disappoint the observers.

�So, Anthony, how did you live all this year?� � Marta asked, as they sat on a bench near her apartment building. The heat of the day was already gone and it was pleasant to be there under that tree with plastic looking leaves.

�I don�t know, it is hard to remember everything. Let me see�I don�t really remember all the things that I didn�t do, but there were two things that I did do�a lot.�

�What�s that?�

�Playing Tetris, which you gave me as a present when you left, and stare at the wallpaper in my room.�

�Well, Tony it is all your fault. Should�ve married me right then.�

Tony knew it too well without her telling him that. Being two years younger than Marta, he seemed to be always behind with his actions. For the two years that he and Marta dated each other, they seemed to live in different dimensions. He, with his childish and careless perception of the world, didn�t fit her well organized and thought over plans for the future. So when he learned that Marta�s family had an option to immigrate to Israel, he immediately thought it would be great if he let her go there and settle down while he graduated from college and then join her there. What could he fear, he loved her more than anything else in the world and he knew that she loved him just as much. This is why when she told him that she had gotten a visa to go to Israel he was happy for her and was glad that everything went according to what he thought was their mutual plan.

�What about you, Marta? Do you regret that you came here?�

�You know I never regret anything, and I will never return to Russia. The price to get here was too high to go back now.�

�How was your social life? Did the guys hit on you at all?�

�Let�s not go into this, I love only you, and you have always been the only one for me.� � were her words as she gave Tony a tender kiss in the lower part of his left ear slightly biting the end. He could never resist it�

The telephone rang as they walked into the apartment. Marta�s father handed her the receiver as soon as she dropped the slippers. She went to her room and closed the door, talking to somebody in Hebrew while Tony, in his turn, had to �socialize� with the parents, sharing the experience of swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. Before Marta came back, Tony had just enough time to tell her parents how unbearably hot the water was, how there were no jellyfish, and how the beach was full of Russian immigrants. He also gave a brief comparison of Israel, Canada and Russia, discussed the political situation in the region and told everything he knew about the kitchen garden that his parents bought off Marta�s family.

�Did you miss me,� - she sat on the couch next to Tony and grabbed his arm, - �Come here darling, I need to tell you something.�

As they walked into her room she went on.

�Honey, I really need to go out right now. I will be back very soon, you won�t even notice.�

�But, Marta! Where would you go? It is ten o�clock in the evening?�

�You know, some people start their day only at this time. This is Israel! It is so hot here during the day. All the cool things start only after the dark. Besides, he is a very good friend of mine. Honey, I won�t be long.�

She kissed him and went to take a shower. She was gone in ten minutes.

***

Her window, the lamp pole under her window and windows of dozens other people were the things that entertained me during those four hours. I remember studying every window that was across from me, trying to share a fraction of somebody�s life behind it. I hope they didn�t mind. �I wonder why it is so hard to concentrate on typing sometimes?� I stare at the screen for five minutes trying to organize my thoughts. �She quietly entered the room when Tony was already in bed��

***

She quietly entered the room. Tony was already in bed. With his back to the door, he was lying at the far end of the bed with the lights on. He seemed asleep. She took her cloths off and slid under the bed sheet that he used as a cover. She put her hands around him and kissed his shoulder. They made love.

The next morning Marta suddenly decided that since Tony was in the Holy Land he needed to see all the places of tourist attraction. The rest of his money was exchanged to cover four guided tours across Israel, including a trip to the Sea of Galilee and Jerusalem, the city of three religions. She said she didn�t want them to hang around the apartment all the time, but use the time efficiently and see everything.

��and this is the famous tomb, where Jesus, the alleged Son of God was buried.�� The guide was going through her routine speech as the tourists roamed around the Holy Sepulcher.

�I see people are not into Christianity over here,� - Tony whispered into Marta�s ear.

�We don�t really believe in all that. Judaism makes much more sense.�

The picture of a paper crown with the words "Jesus the King" suddenly occupied his mind. Children made a whole bunch of them in the Bible Class back in the days when they were translators in the Christian Summer Camp. Everybody who �accepted� Jesus into his or her heart wore one then.  She said that she didn�t give a damn what other translators said, she believed Jesus changed her life... 

It was the following night that Marta started talking in her sleep. He heard her do that before. Once she fell asleep on a train when they had a trip to St. Petersburg with a group of students and was talking to her dog, trying to convince him to let her alone, accompanying her words with all sorts of corresponding gestures. She spoke so clearly and acted so naturally that it was hard to believe that she was not pretending. He remembered how she used to pout when people made fun of her after that.

That night was different. Tony woke up as soon as he heard his name. He thought she needed something.

�Tony, honey, where are you?.. You forgot about me?.. No, leave me alone�you don�t understand�Darling, �ani mitgaga`at eleha��� - the tone of her voice kept on changing from tenderly soft to harsh, almost rude. ��I told you to leave me alone� I don�t love you, I love only my Tony�No, he didn�t forget about me� he will come to me and you will see it yourself� my dear boy, why don�t you come..? �I told you many times, no!..�

Tony sat on his bed and looking at her face whispering.

�Honey, what is wrong, I am here I with you.�

��you will never be like him, I don�t love you�Tony, don�t be angry with me� I don�t love him�I love only you�don�t touch me you haven�t bought me�� � she kept on mumbling.

�Marta! Marta!� � he was shaking her body, - �Wake up! What are you talking about?�

�Tony, what�s wrong?� � she was looking at him with her innocent blue eyes that seemed couldn�t focus on him, - �And why are you crying? What happened, my baby? Won�t you stop crying and explain, what is going on?�

�Marta, my love, I want to be always with you. I�ll stay! Let�s get married, let�s do something! Let�s go to Cyprus, or return to Russia, whatever! I can�t leave without you! Honey�� - he grabbed her with his both hands dropping his head on her shoulder, her hand ran through his hair going towards his forehead, she wiped his eyes.

�Calm down, honey, it�ll be all right. Why are you so worried? Don�t worry about anything, you finish the university next year and we will get married�Now, why don�t you calm down and try to sleep.� � she kissed his eyes, cheeks, lips then turned on the other side. In a few minutes she was fast asleep�

***

It is funny how two years later she keeps on calling me every now and then. She says it doesn�t bother her relations with her husband. She says she can love us both�

* Characters of the story are entirely imaginary. All possible coincidences  and resemblances to the real people or events are accidental.   

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