"Mission" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tilley Patrick)

'I-low did it happen?'
'Well, he didn't come by Checker Cab,' I said. 'I-low do I know? He just appeared. What can I tell you?'
'Okay, okay. What kind of shape is lie in?'
'I he's line,' I replied. 'I Ic looks great. lie's sitting on the sofa in the living-room.
'\X'hai doing?'
'I )rtnking. lie was thirsty. I gave him a driitk.'
I-her voice tui ned sharp. What of? Water, collee, Coke?'
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Doctors . . , lie was her patient already. 'No,' I replied. 'A glass of red wine.' -
'Wine . . ?'
'That's what he asked for,' I said. Irritated by her tone of voice. 'Look, how soon can you get here?'
'Oh, wow. . . that's a problem. I just can't walk out of here. I.ook, umm - 'She sounded confused. ~I'll come as soon as I can.'
'Okay. How soon is that?' I said, pleased to have regained the upper hand.
'Maybe not till tomorrow morning. It's tough to find someone to cover for you on a Saturday. I'll come out there as soon as I come ofF duty. My parents were expecting me over but -'Never mind about them,' I said. 'They'll still be there next week.
Are you sure you can't make it any sooner? Tell 'em your grandmother's been taken sick. Or that she's dying or something.'
'Leo,' she said. 'This is not like cutting classes in Junior High School. Saturday night's the busiest we have in Emergency. They come in by the bus-load. I don't have an excuse to pull out and if I told them the truth, they'd call up the men in the white suits.'
'You don't have to tell me,' I replied. 'Why do you think I want you up here? I need someone to tell me I'm nor having a nervous breakdown.'
There was a slight pause at the other end of the line. 'Do you wish you were?'
'I don't know,' I said. 'At the moment, I'm too confused to tell you what I feel. I need more time to think about it.'
'Okay, listen,' she said briskly. 'I'll get there as soon as I can. .ts1ean~ while don't let him Out -of your sight.'
'Oh, gee, thanks, I)oc,' I said. 'Just how am I supposed to do that? You saw what happened at the hospital. If he decides to take off again, there's no way I can stop him.'
'I know that,' she replied. 'Just keep him talking. Ask him where he's been all week.'
I thanked her t'or the suggestion and rang off. I svent back into the living-room half expecting to find it empty. Half hoping would be nearer the truth. Hut he was still there. standing by the window taking in the view, glass in hand. I he turned towards me and eyed me silently.
'Iii, hos~ are you doing?' I said. Youi know just to get things
L~oing.
'Fine.' He raised his empty glass. 'Is it okay if I, er . . .
'Sure. Help yourself.'
'lIow about you?' he asked.
'Yeah, great.' I couldn't help smiling. 'This may sound stupid hut I can't get over the way you talk. Just like an American. The accent is not home-grown but you speak better than most of the kibbutzim we
get in town.' -
1'hat made him smile too. 'How did you expect me to speak? I.ike
someone out of the Saint James's version of the Bible?'
'I don't know,'-! replied. 'In Aramaic, I guess.'
'If I did, you wouldn't understand a word I said.' He filled both glasses to the rim and handed one over. 'Talking to people is easy. It's getting through to them that's the problem. The introduction of language was a retrograde step. Designed by some friends of mine to keep people apart. To prevent them from understanding one another.'
I made a mental note to ask him who his friends were. We sat down with the coll'ee table between us. He put his feet up on it. Miriam's bandages were still in place. Over them, he was wearing a pair of leather sandals with studded soles. They looked as if they had pounded down a few stony roads in their time.
He saw me looking at them. 'Roman Army sandals,' he said. 'The best there is. A centurion gave them to me after I cured his servant. The pair I had before this took me to Britain and back before they finally gave out.'
Amazing,' I said. 'I didn't know you went to Britain,'
He nodded. 'Oh, yes, I went all over. I was on the road f'or twelve
years.'
'It's not in the Book,'
'No.' he said. 'It got edited out.'
'In fact, if! remember correctly,' I continued,' after the account of your birth there's nothing until that bit in Jerusalem when you are twelve, then we don't pick up on you until you're around thirty.'
'Thirty-four,' he said.
I realised I was going to have to get hold ofa copy ofthe New 'I'estamerit and hone up on the text so as I could ask the right kind of quest ions, \~'e sipped wine in silence for a while t hen eventually, svith studied casualness, I put my feet up on the table too. And I renieniher t hiri king t hat I would have give ii anything fbr Rabbi I .ucksteu!n, who bar-mitzvahed me, to have been able to walk in so as
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I could introduce him. Then I saw The Man looking at me and wondered if he could read minds.
'That phone call was to Miriam.' I explained. 'She was the doctor who bandaged your hands and feet and...'
He nodded. 'Ahhh...'
'You look a lot better than when I last saw you,' I said. 'How are the, er... How's the wound in your side?'
He smiled. 'Oh, you mean where they stuck the spear? Much better.'