A Late Divorce Read Online Free PDF

there as though he needn’t even ask all the time he kept pulling out clothes and opening and smelling them and checking how the buttons and the zippers worked. So I gave him the soap and of course he smelled that too I helped him fill the tub he brought an electric heater to the bathroom and turned it on. We put the thermometer in the water but I didn’t know where the mercury should be he went to get his glasses when he put them on and looked at it he didn’t know either. So he told me to keep my hand in the bath and tell him how it felt I kept telling him hot until he checked it himself you call this hot he said it’s ice cold at last he told me to bring him a spoon so he could taste it. When he was finally ready he went to get the baby she was fast asleep wrapped in a sheet the telephone rang I wanted to get it don’t leave me now he said I need you too much. And he told me to close the bathroom door.
    He took the sheet off the baby who was really filthy he swabbed her with moist absorbent cotton I held the garbage pail up so he could throw the dirty pieces in it. The baby slept her head drooping down the telephone kept ringing on and on. He took off her shirt and fumbled with her undershirt he couldn’t undo the knot it was making him nervous who tied this damn thing run bring some scissors he said the baby was still asleep. I ran to get them but couldn’t find them the telephone kept ringing as though it were chasing me it must be mom or dad and awfully mad that no one was answering so I picked up the receiver and left it off the hook at least let them think it was busy. I went back to grandpa he’d taken his pajama tops off to keep them dry his chest was covered with white hair I can’t find the scissors I said so he said run get me a knife quick Gaddi. I raced to the kitchen and brought him a sharp knife he put his glasses back off and tried cutting the knot he flipped over the baby who was still asleep but he couldn’t see very well turn on the light he yelled quick Gaddi before there’s an accident I turned it on he slashed open the whole undershirt and peeled it off just then Rakefet woke up and started to cry. He picked her up he bent down to the water and licked it to make sure it wasn’t too hot he put her in but she was screaming she was fighting him something fierce. Here she had gotten used to being asleep and all of a sudden she was in the bathtub she really wriggled and squirmed maybe he was holding her too hard for fear of losing his grip for sheer panic sing to her Gaddi he said so I sang what mom sings blue are the waters of the sea sea sea while he hummed the melody he told me to hold her legs and pour soap into the water I tried grabbing them they kicked like crazy and got away Rakefet was battling the two of us like a lion she was shrieking suddenly there was blood in the water grandpa I said there’s blood m the water he turned pale quick take the towel he said and I’ll hand her to you I’m not allowed to lift her I said I’ll put the towel on the chest and you lay her on it that’s what we did he wrapped her up quick looking at his bloody hand it was his blood not Rakefet’s he’d cut himself with the knife without knowing it. Rakefet stopped crying and rubbed her eyes grandpa sucked his cut finger and said thank God he shut his eyes he dried her carefully and started to dress her you have to put powder on first I said that’s what mom always does. If I have to I have to he said I’ll do what you tell me where would I be without you. I gave him the box of powder and he poured it on her tush and on her weewee and rubbed it over them and over her fat thighs. Do you think she’ll always be fat I asked she’s not fat he laughed all babies are like that. Yours too I wanted to ask but I didn’t the baby looked grandpa in the eyes while he tried dressing her cocking her head to one side as though wondering why