“I love you too. But, Lily, these are our moments, not the whole neighborhood’s,” I murmured with a forgiving smile.
“You’re mine, and I don’t care what they see or think.” So, in a kind of helpless surrender, we hugged and kissed like crazy outside the building. Only when she calmed down did we finally go upstairs. Every corner of the apartment was filled with flowers. Judging by the intensity of her feelings in the street, I thought she’d drag me straight to bed. But to my surprise, she pulled me instead to her studio.
“Look.” She showed me a charcoal sketch of a nude woman.
“This is the new drawing I’m working on at Avni.”
“From imagination, or real?”
“We have a model at Avni. She’s wonderful. Maybe I’ll invite her over when you’re not home. She’s a dancer at the opera, and she said she’ll invite me to one of her performances ofShowboat.”
“You can invite her even when I am here – I promise not to interfere.” Lily looked at me, surprised for a moment, then burst out laughing. I joined her. The worry and tension that had filled me on the way, because of my talk with David, began to fade.
“Take a shower. Give me your clothes – I’ll wash them later.”
“I have to call my parents. They don’t know I’m home. My mother must be pining away.”
“Fine, but give me your dirty uniform.”
“Maybe I’ll take it to my parents, they have a washer and dryer.”
“Are you trying to spare me?”
“Yes, no reason for you to strain yourself.”
“I always dreamed of washing army clothes. And now my love, my soldier, wants to stop me from fulfilling that dream?”
“Do you have other dreams?”
“Yes – to shower with a soldier, undress a soldier, sleep with a soldier, be with a soldier. Want more?” she teased, studying me up close.
There was no way to resist her green eyes…
“When all my friends were in the army, I was in hospitals, you know? When they told me about their army experiences, I was jealous. I’d go home and cry.”
“I love you so much, Lily. I want you so much.”
I hadn’t yet said “my wife, my woman,” but I knew there was time. I longed to strip and let my beloved take care of me as she wished, but my sense of responsibility toward my parents was stronger than everything. I hugged her, pulling a childish apologetic face. She gave me a knowing look as I dialed. My mother answered.
“Mom.”
“Who is this? Eli?”
“No, Michael.”
“Oh, I don’t believe it! Where are you?”
“In Tel-Aviv with Lily.”
“When will you come to us?”
“Later. I just got home.”
“Bring me your uniform and dirty clothes before Shabbat.”
“Mom, Lily will wash and iron them.”
“What is she?”
