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Chapter 12 of the thriller "An irretrievabel step".

An Irretrievable Step

Chapter 12

With a smile on his face he remembered how he had to leave Tami's apartment in haste, as her mother was supposed to come quite early, and the last thing he wished to happen was to meet Tami's mother. He did not use the lift but descended the stairs and thus he avoided the possibility to meet her mother unexpectedly even as a complete stranger while descending to the ground floor in the lift, he might have met her; and it worked quite well, he left the building before her mother's arrival.

He crossed the road and sat next to a table inside the café a few yards away from Tami's apartment building's entrance, to have a breakfast as there was no time to waste at his lover's nest, and instead he sat to watch behind the glass pane the arrival of her mother.

I'm getting used to my new profession, he thought amused. In any case I'm already behaving according to the rules, but what am I doing today and during the rest of the days up to my departure…? I don't have to sit here till her mother will leave, for Tami doesn't know that I'm sitting here, and she'll drive to the university in a few moments from now.

He went over to the café's counter paid his bill and returned to his own apartment. He climbed the stairs running up to the fourth floor doing the little he could to stay in good shape, and decided to go to swim an hour or two at the Gordon swimming pool next to Gordon beach. He packed a swimming suit and a towel in a small bag, he left his watch and his identity card behind and took just the money he needed for the entrance fee. He decided to walk on foot to his destination and return the same way, the time was eight fifteen it was quite early and there was no need to hurry.

He hardly touched the swimming pool water with his toes, when Major Dekel one of the base four company commanders turned to him with a broad smile.

'Hello young Seri, enjoying your leave?'

He looked surprised at the Major's smiling face in the swimming pool water next to the pool's edge beneath him. He knew the Major very well but never exchanged a word with him up to this very moment. He saw him in the field, in the officers' mess and the officers' club at lunch breaks, but Dekel was a senior officer that kept his distance like the rest of his colleagues from junior officers like Seri.

To Seri's relief Dekel did not refer to his dismissal and was rather friendly towards him, and with just a few words right after that short friendly encounter Dekel climbed the pool's ladder and stood beside him wet all over, but he shook Seri's hand warmly and wished him the best of luck and left.

So they know in general terms most of the base officers what I'm supposed to do, and why I was dismissed… Yeah rumors spread like a fire in a dry thorn field, Seri thought quite relieved.

He had lunch at the national library at the other side of town, and spent the rest of the afternoon there reading, it was an excellent way to rest and forget the entire world and his own troubles.

A short while after five pm, before leaving the library he called Tami.

'Hello darling it's me, can I come over?'

'No Dudi I'll come to your place, are you calling from your apartment?'

'No I'm in the library next to the museum; I'll be at home in half an hour.' He told her wondering why she prefers to come to his apartment.

'Okay I'll see you at your apartment,' she replied and hung up.

She sounds so different so business like, it must be the influence of her mother's visit. He thought with mixed feelings. It may facilitate their parting but he did not wish it to happen yet, or even to think about it.

At a quarter to six Tami knocked on his door. He opened up and let her in, she moved passed him and laid a small parcel on the table. When she turned to look at him they stood both of them a long while watching each other's face with a compassionate gaze, as if realizing the drastic change that their relationship is going to take; and then she rushed to his arms, she did not cry and did not say a word just buried her face in his chest.

They stood embraced in the middle of his small room several moments without movement, while Seri's hands kept caressing gently her hair, her shoulders and her back.

'Let's sit down,' she said and started to move towards his bed edge without releasing her hands, which kept embracing his waist.

They sat down side by side while he embraced her, and watched her face waiting with a throbbing heart to hear what she had to say.

'My mother thought that I'm on drugs, she noticed my changed behavior during last week, and she came to check what bothers me; and she found your shaving equipment, I couldn't hide our relationship from her she's too smart. I wonder how I managed to keep our love from her for over two long years, two years that seem so short to me now…'

'Yes it passed so quickly,' He agreed and pulled her head closer and kissed her lips; he did not wish to hear another word from her at that instant, afraid it will be the last words he will ever hear from her. It was him he realized with a sudden pang that does not want to cut off their relationship.

'We won't meet in my place Dudi I'll come here…' She said as soon as he freed her and she could breathe again. 'We'll just be several hours together each time we'll meet, and afterwards I'll have to return…'

He almost uttered a sigh of relief, he was sure that she was going to tell him that it's the end, and she'll get up and leave. He was speechless and just kept watching her face as if he was hypnotized.

'There's one of the neighbors on my floor that keeps an eye on me, and I think that he's in contact with my mother. I'm glad my parents didn't hire a private eye agency to watch my steps.' She added with wry smile.

@Haim Kadman 2017 �" all r ights reserved.