A Late Divorce Read Online Free PDF Page B

an old man like him was bathing her in the middle of the day. But grandpa was in a good mood from time to time he sang some song he stopped to suck more blood from his cut laughing at her talking baby talk even bending down to kiss her tummy.
    â€œShe looks like grandma.”
    I didn’t ask it I said it. I was sure he knew. He stopped kissing her and straightened up.
    â€œWhat???”
    â€œOnce when Tsvi was here he told mom that she looks just like grandma. I mean like their mother...”
    I said it quickly so he’d realize that that’s what Tsvi said that meant it was so.
    He smiled a funny smile and gave the baby a scared look.
    â€œTsvi said that?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œAnd what did your mother say?”
    â€œMom didn’t say anything but dad said it was nonsense.”
    He stood there sucking his cut like a boy smiling a dumb smile as though I’d said something bad. I handed him the undershirt he finally took it his hands shaking a bit he put it on her inside out then took it off and tried it differently he put her shirt over it just how old is she he asked about six months I said. He took a sweater and put it on her too he rummaged in the medicine cabinet until he found a big bandage I thought it was for himself but he wrapped it round her tummy even though she wasn’t hurt there. I’d never seen mom do anything like it but he did it so quickly you’d think that he did it all the time.
    What’s the bandage for I asked. Mom doesn’t do that. It’s to strengthen her stomach he said.
    â€œTo keep her from getting fat?”
    â€œNo, that has nothing to do with it. Why do you think she’s so fat? She isn’t and neither are you.”
    â€œIt’s because of my glands,” I whispered but he didn’t hear.
    The baby liked having the bandage on her tummy she was babbling for joy at the top of her voice. Grandpa was feeling good too.
    â€œDo you do that to your baby in America too?”
    He dropped what he was holding.
    â€œIs there anything you don’t know? They’ve told you everything!”
    â€œNot everything.”
    â€œWho told you that? Your father? Your dad? He can’t keep his mouth shut.”
    He was mad at me for saying he had a baby maybe he was ashamed of it.
    â€œNo.” I whispered. “It was mom who told me.” I wanted to drop the subject. He finished diapering Rakefet and even put a little jacket on her and wrapped her in a blanket and put her in her crib which still was a mess so he told me to sit with her in my arms while he cleaned it out and arranged it. She began to cry again the afternoon had spoiled her completely what a brat she’d become she thought she could just cry and cry so I made my funny face with the crazy hands and grandpa turned around to watch me.
    â€œI used to be able to calm her like this when she was little,” I explained.
    He laughed. “If it was me it would just make me more nervous.”
    Suddenly she fell asleep all at once she just closed her eyes in the middle of one of my faces grandpa put her in her crib and covered her thank God I said and we tiptoed out and shut the door behind us. He went to his room and sat on the bed there to rest while I walked around the house I went back to the bathroom the kitchen wherever we had been until I came to the line of cars in the living room I took the worms from them and put them back in their box I noticed one was missing it was the one that escaped I looked for it everywhere in all the toys but I couldn’t find it instead I found a little old boat I had forgotten all about so I took it to the baby’s bathtub which still was full of water to see if it would float and it did. Grandpa was still in his room it was so quiet there that I went to see what he was up to he was lying down in bed again still thinking and sucking on his finger.
    â€œIs anything the matter,