To America and Back

by Mordechai Landsberg

Semadar was again in her room with Naitty. His whole figure, with the manly beard and capshaded hat, seemd to her sometimes even caricaturistic or unpleasant.. But she had known that ‘his desirous kisses were of a true loving heart, without any pretention, like you can meet in an enthusiasm of a youth who is burning only to fuck you.. He is a very serious personality’, she had said that to herself many times. So, what if she had been flattered, receiving his presents? She had known, quite obscurely, this might connect her to him more tightly, and then she had still hesitated. She has even gone with her sister, Hedwa, to a goldsmith in Allenby street, and he had valued the golden bracelet to be three thousands American Dollars, and add to it the diamond ring, and afterwards a necklace and dresses.

  “He is a well trained vempire,” laughed Hedwa, “But he is such a nice gentleman and considerate man. I would take him for a husband. Effy is also good, but not wealthy and smart as Naitty.

  So, each one of us will have his own luck. Marry him, Semadar.”

  And in the coming week Naitty brought the most inventive idea that Semadar had ever heard about: He will hire a symphonic orchestra, of ten players- strings and trumpets and flute and drums and a piano, that will fit Semdar’s chosen songs; and all on his account. She will have that show in the Ohel Shem hall or in another. An orchestra accompaniment will make a real success, and promote Semadar’s fame.

  “Oh, I need Erga for producing that show,” she said.

  “O’key, take her. I will be your subproducer,” he said. “You’ll see. I’m marketing food. Entertainment is as important to many people. As the Romans had said: Bread and Entertainment”

  “You need to sign contracts with the orchestra, and so on.”

  “I’ve taken a lawyer for that.” said Naitty.

  “You are a sophisticated fan of mine,” she burst in tears and fell in his arms, her eyes full of excitement.

  “I have a a very great patience to you, have you discerned that? We know each other…already more than three months. I had visited more than ten shows of the Singingirls, haven’t I?

  For looking at and listening to you, Semadary.”

  “I saw, and understood, but I was delaying the development of the negative of the photo, you can say. But now … ”

  “Everything will be arranged,” he said, and had paid attention to her silence. She pressed her head between her palms, her eyes still wet. He carressed her hair with his right hand.

  “I won’t ask you about what you are thinking,” he said in Hebrew, “I can understand myself. Not everything I understand about other people. But if I can get to the root of a matter, it’s to me rightful and stable and right and existing and straight and faithful and loved and liked and favorable and enjoyable and amazing and enormous and repaired and acceptable and good and fine…”

  “Where have you taken these words from?”

  “From the morning prayer, of course,” he said.

  “I was stupid to think,” she said, “that only I myself know this prayer by heart. Unlike me- my sister Hedwa is used to forget its words very easily.” She smiled.

  Naitty held her hands in his, and she was looking deep into his eyes, still excited.

  “I think you are an angel, Nathan. Or a messenger of God.”

  “Fine. But you know, that this world is lacking real angels. Well, hear me: You have once thought about Humik, that he was such an angel. If I revealed to you all what I know about that guy, in addition to what y o u know now — you would understand, that I am not just a delegate! But… I simply hate talking with a ‘bad tongue.’”

  Again the couple looked at each other and kissed longly.

  She was still guessing what he would tell her, a lie or a simple unjust rumor about the sympathized guy.

  “You give me a vow , in the name of God, that you won’t tell it.”

  “I swear in God, and for God.” she bursted.

  “I don’t know too much, but to let you be excited… and in order not to embarrass you too much, because I know such a psychotic situation. Hold me tight, O’key?”

  “Don’t stretch my nerves too much,” she said.

  “Jigolo is not a big deal, comparing to what he was doing, this Humik Shmumik Shmock… he was in the Peepshow cellar, haven’t you heard about such a building in Manhatten?”

  “I haven’t.”

  “It is a peculiar brothel. They have rooms there, and organizing a march of naked whores and so on. But Humik was fucking there a girl, so that sex starving men would peep on them through a small hole in the wall. I don’t want to speak obscenities. But he would do with her everything, with his young beautiful girl. In all possible poses and fucking manners. Understand?”

  “That means… that Humik…” she mumbled, “was not only with old women, as I’ve thought?”

  “You still don’t believe in what I’ve just said. Not in hundred percents, I’m sure. I see it on your face. Because otherwise – you should have stood here and shouted to the sky, outrageous at that liar, pretender, damned guy. Oy Vey to my years and my life…”

  She saw that Naitty himself was upset, and his eyes were moving from one side to the other in ‘such a pursuit of justice to be made’ – as she told herself.

  “I am shocked,” she said. “Oh, how had I been… so innocent, so blind to believe in him. I’d really suspected something, that the story with old women came out of his financial difficulty, and you also know what is that… But such a pretender, oohhh!”

  “Effy would come soon. You – talk to him also. He worked in that place as a guard for some time. He had met Humik there.”

  “And you think that Humik was in love with her… with the tramp?”

  “I think … yes. She, in touching his skin, you know, it seems she had caused him a big enjoyment, a tremendous bliss, amazing orgasms… so they call it in sex books. Men were telling Effy, that only from hearing her orgastic voices, they were ejaculating. excuse me for being so direct… Humik became mad about her.”

  “You mean, she was a top whore, for the upper class, and so on?” while Semadar said that she leaned on Naitty and was kissing him, like she had wanted to be that ‘top whore’ and kissed him fervently for his discovery.

  “Maybe she had fallen in love with him,” said Naitty, “He is more handsome than me, for example. In his baby face, and his sweet smile and sometimes bitter sayings. All that attract women, I know. He had fascinated many woman, you are not familiar with all that. And I have nothing against him, believe me. But I will not deny facts that I had known there.”

  “I thought he was a lost guy and pitied him. And still now, I see he was a great sinner, but not a gangster or something like that. And the fact that he volunteered to the army and was wounded for our country…”

  “Again you give him a credit,” said Naitty.

  “Yes, I find for him some credit points. It’s so hard for me to think that he is a complete lier and obscene and dirty. I hope that you… also would forgive him for all what you have told me.”

  “No,” said Naitty, and she was almost shocked. Her eyes became bigger than usual.

  “Maybe we’re talking about capital crimes, regarding his escape from America.”

  “What? What do you mean by that?”

  “Yes. He said something about a corpse thrown to the water, remember?”

  “I thought it was only a metaphor, for something negligent that he won’t like to waste time talking about. Something that had passed away.”

  “Maybe he himself has thrown … No, I just presume. They said in New York, that his girl had disappeared. She isn’t there. A friend of mine wrote me, that afterward she was found dead… That’s it.”

  “Please continue telling me,” Semadar said.

  “I won’t like to bring you a bad mood, my sweetheart… Some six months have passed since that event. The policemen there had found out everything, I’m sure. That is not our matter. O’key? We should continue our constructive life, Semadar. And you have to rejoice , I
say.”

  She was weeping a little bit – but restrained herself. She said she did not know why it had become so sentimental, a case that ‘was not my business at all’, and he agreed with her.

  “I really had not intended to cause a break in your soul, Semadar,” he said. “To me – experience and age have given me the possibility to analyse many things, and look deeply into events. I know how things are becoming to be interwovn. I am not a jumper like Humik, or teenagers like him… from hole to hole, from girl to girl. I am serious, maybe an earnest guy, as you know me. So, I’m sorry that I have caused you some disillusion, Semadar. Now – promise me that in the film ‘Guys and Dolls’ with Marlon Brando, you will get better. I have prepared the ticketsd already… You see? you’re laughing. Your mood has become better in a second.”

  CHAPTER 47