Women in Autumn

by Tala Bar

Chapter 3, part 1; part 2
appears in this issue.

Chapter 4. Monday

After hard work at the office for two hours with her papers, Anat allowed herself a break with morning coffee and a tiny salad sandwich. She sat comfortably in her chair and the question popped into her mind — what should she do with Lorry? The man stuck to her in a way she was not used to; most of her lovers, happily married, regarded their connection as not more than intermediate excitement.

But it seemed Lorry had other ideas, which did not correspond to hers. She had no intention of marrying again, at least not while the children were small and she could rely on their grandmother, a nanny and house help to help her look after them. Not while she still had enough to do in her job to dedicate too much time to family and home with a new husband. She liked her affairs to be simple and straightforward, and here was a complication she had not expected. Anat thought she would have to do something about it, and perhaps sooner than later.

* * *

Lorry’s wife, in the meantime, had her own life to lead. The bell at the ‘Friends’ shop rang and Tirza raised her eyes from the cage she had been cleaning. To her surprise, she saw that woman from the hairdresser who had invited her to coffee. What was her name? Ora? Ella?

Ariela approached the young woman with small but quick and sure steps. “I passed by your shop and thought I’d come in — I even thought I might buy a puppy — not for me, you know, I can barely look after the old cat I have — but for one of my grandchildren. You must be able to advise me.” Her words, like her steps, were short, quick and sure, with no sign of cheating, although she had no intention of buying a dog.

Ariela looked around curiously. This was not her favorite place to spend time; she preferred the company of humans. She stopped at a cage where three fat, beige puppies played wildly. “Are they purebred?” she asked.

“No,” one of Tirza’s rare smiles appeared, as if she were happy to talk about her favorite subject. “Purebred are too expensive and too limited, they are only good for specific goals; those who need them buy from the breeder, not in a shop. I only sell mongrels, which are usually more intelligent, easier to train and look after. I get them from friends, those I had sold their parents to. I take care of them so I know they are healthy, and I only sell to people I find suitable to keep animals.”

Ariela smiled. “I see you know what you’re talking about. But you can’t get everything from friends and acquaintances.”

“One thing I don’t do and that’s buy from importers — who do not always work legally.”

“Look,” Ariela said as if telling a secret, “I have a grandchild who really understands animals. Who knows, he may grow up to be a biologist or a vet? Anyway, what would you think about coming to my house for coffee — I’ll get him to come and ask you some questions.”

Tirza was clearly hesitating. “Why don’t you send him here?” she asked at last.

“He lives far away, out of town,” Ariela answered. “Besides,” she smiled secretively, “I didn’t think you had too many acquaintances in town, and one more would do you no harm, now, would it?”

Tirza looked at her with astonishment, shaking her head. How does this stranger know things like that about her?

“Look,” said Ariela, “here is my address, so come if you feel like it, this afternoon, say — when do you finish here? Seven o’clock? That’s perfect. Now, don’t be shy; I like you, you see, and I’d like to know you better.”

“But — “ Tirza was thinking of Lorry. He had gone out of town and wouldn’t be home until late, as usual. So why shouldn’t she go out a bit, refresh herself? She’d have something to tell him when he came back. He loved hearing about her little adventures, the trivial meetings that were her daily lot...

“All right,” Tirza said weakly, not knowing how to say no. For a long while after Ariela had left she stood, absent-mindedly stroking the little puppy in her arms, staring at the door. At last, it opened and Isaac entered.

“Tirza! Anything happened? Why are you standing like that?” he asked, wondering.

“Nothing.” She shook her head, put the puppy back in the cage and returned to her occupation, saying nothing more.

* * *

Around three o’clock, when Anat was ready for another coffee, the secretary informed her on the intercom that she had an outside call.”

Taking the instrument, she heard Ariela’s voice, “How are you, Anat?”

“O.K. Anything wrong?”

“Listen, I’m having a little tea party at home at seven. What do you think of coming with the kids? It can be in place of supper.”

Anat knew Ariela’s little tea parties — she was usually invited as an excuse to see the children after Ariela had not seen them for a day or two. “Let me see what I’ve got on for today,” Anat answered. She did not like to let Ariela down, and sometimes sent the kids alone. But today she was free, and did not mind meeting some stranger or other, some of Ariela’s foundlings who even might be entertaining for a change.

“All right,” she said, “but I’ll be a little after seven.” She knew that Ariela, having her time to herself, was not always aware of the obligations of working people. She did not worry about the children — they loved their grandmother’s company, and her meals usually included some pleasant surprises.

* * *

Tirza closed the shop at her usual time, said good bye to Isaac who turned to take the bus, and stopped, standing in the street for a moment, thinking, should she go to Ariela or not? The invitation seemed strange, a strange woman wanting to get to know her. It had never happened to her before. What does she really want, that strange woman? Is it possible that she had nothing better to do with her life than get to know other strange people? All her knowledge of animals did not help Tirza to understand human beings, and sometimes she felt really helpless in this way.

Without making a definite decision, letting her instinct take over, Tirza turned to take the bus going down to the sea. The address given to her was too far to walk, and she never took taxis. The house stood across the street overlooking the sea, but with a view of it between the buildings opposite.

It was a three-floor building, not new but looking well taken care of. Ariela’s apartment was on the second floor, with a balcony that surrounded the whole building. When Tirza entered the apartment, she saw it was twice the size of her own fairly grand flat in the northern part of town.

“Come in, come in,” Ariela invited. “Here — take off your coat. It’s hot in here, I know, I can’t stand the cold, so sometimes I heat the place too much. Come, sit here, we won’t be on our own for long — my daughter-in-law is coming with my grandchildren. She is divorced from my son, who is in Germany, but I see the kids fairly often. It’s nice, don’t you think? I’ll start making tea, we don’t have to wait for them.”

Tirza had the impression the woman was just babbling to disperse any embarrassment, making it even worse for her. Tirza took a look at the kitchen, which seemed as large as her own living room.

Sitting comfortably in her chair, Tirza looked around. The furniture, looking fairly old, was heavy but comfortable. There were many knickknacks and mementoes scattered around, and photographs of young and old people. The living room felt not only physically comfortable, but also mentally warm and inviting; Tirza thought that probably was Ariela’s own character.

Ariela came back with tea and cookies, which she put on one of the three or four little tea tables in the room. A ring at the door brought in the daughter-in-law and two children. Tirza saw a tall, beautifully turned-out woman who looked to be in her late thirties.

The children behaved as if it was their home, not wild but free to roam and play everywhere. They paid little attention to the strange woman, as if accustomed to find such persons in their grandmother’s home. Ariela presented Anat Lyish — she must have changed her name to Hebrew from Lifshitz, which was Ariela’s name — and the boys, Itai and Oren.

“This is Tirza Yarom, who works at a pet shop. Wouldn’t it interest you, Itai?”

“Yarom, eh?” Anat looked at her with interest. “I think we’ve met — do you know Lorry Yarom?”

“He’s my husband. How do you know him?”

“He’s the marketing manager at the ‘Pink’ plant, isn’t he? I am manager of production there, and sometimes we work together.”

“I don’t know anyone from the plant,” Tirza said with some depression. “I don’t remember you.”

“Haven’t you ever been to the company party?”

Tirza nodded. Some memory she had, that woman! Tirza could recall no one from that party, to which she had been dragged by Lorry. Everything there looked blurred, rather threatening.

‘I’m not surprised now,’ Anat thought to herself. She turned to her children and took them to sit at the dining table, then she returned to sit at the tea table, opposite Tirza. Ariela went back to the kitchen and returned with a tray with sandwiches and cocoa cups for the children.

“I can drink tea like grown-ups,” Itai said.

“At home you can eat and drink whatever I let you, but here you must do as Grandmother says,” Anat said severely.

Ariela smiled at the boy. “Today you’ll have cocoa — when you come for Shabat, we’ll see, all right?”

Some time later, Tirza rose to go, weary from the effort to talk to strangers, on a strange ground. Being at that woman’s home was very different from talking to customers at the shop. “Why don’t I take you home in my car?” Anat suggested, “It’s not very pleasant to wait for the bus in the dark.”

“It’s not necessary,” Tirza protested, “it’s not that late.” But she did not object hard enough, and was happy to be home quickly.

Lorry was home, welcomed her happily, showing his surprise at her late return. He kissed her cheek and she said, “I’ll have a shower first.”

Later, clean and warm, she dropped on the couch beside him and stretched her arm to hug him. They kissed, and his scent stirred her body, so they made love then and there, hungrily.

After the nine o’clock news, he asked her about her day’s doings, and she told him about the strange tea party. “It was that woman I met at the hair dresser’s, I told you about her,” she said.

“Only you and her?” he asked, without much interest.

“There was also her daughter-in-law, Anat, with her two kids. You must know her, she works at your plant.”

“Anat Lyish? You’re kidding!”

“Why should I?”

He dropped his arm that had encircled her shoulders, bent forward and took a cigarette from the coffee table. He slowly lit it and breathed the smoke deeply into his lungs, his eyes following it rather than looking at his wife. Could she guess his feelings? he pondered.

“You do know her, then.”

“Of course, everyone knows Anat Lyish at the plant. She’s the production manager,” he said dryly. He’d have to have a serious talk with Anat, find out what kind of games she was playing, damn her.

To be continued...