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My father came in a few minutes later, looking worse than he had the day before. His cheeks were sunken, his eyes were red, and his face was ashen. He coughed a grellt deal and kept telling me it was his cold. He sat down on the bed and told me he had talked to Dr Snydman on the phone. 'He will look at your eye Friday morning, and you will probably be able to come home Friday afternoon. I will come to pick you up when I am through teaching. '

'That's wonderful I' I said.

'You will not be able to read for about ten days. He told me he will know by then about the scar tissue. '

'I'll be happy to be out of this hospital, ' 1 said. 'I walked around a little today and saw the people on the street outside. '

My father looked at me and didn't say anything.

'I wish I was outside now, ' I said. 'I envy them being able to walk around like that. They don't know how lucky they are. '

'No one knows he is fortunate until he becomes unfortunate, ' my father said quietly. 'That is the way the world is. '

'It'll be good to be home again. At least I won't have to spend a Shabbat here. '

'We'll have a nice Shabbat together, ' my father said. 'A quiet Shabbat where we can talk and not be disturbed. We will sit and drink tea and talk. '. He coughed a little and put the handkerchief to his mouth. He took off his spectacles and wiped his eyes. Then he put them back on and sat on the bed, looking at me. He seemed so tired and pale, as if all his strength had been drained from him.

'I didn't tell you yet, abba. Danny Saunders came to see me today. '

My father did not seem surprised. 'Ah, ' he said. 'And? '

'He's a very nice person. I like him. '

'So? All of a sudden you like him. ' He was smiling. 'What did he say? '

I told him everything I could remember of my conversation with Danny Saunders. Once, as I talked, he began to cough, and I stopped and watched helplessly as his thin frame bent and shook. Then he wiped his lips and eyes, and told me to continue. He listened intently. When I told him that Danny Saunders had wanted to kill me, his eyes went wide, but he didn't interrupt. When I told him about Danny Saunders' photographic mind, he nodded as if he had known about that all along. When I described as best I could what we had said about our careers, he smiled indulgently. And when I explained why Danny Saunders had told his team that they would kill us apikorsim, he stared at me and I could see the same look of absorption come into his eyes that I had seen earlier in the eyes of Danny Saunders. Then my father nodded. 'People are not always what they seem to be, ' he said softly. 'That is the way the world is, Reuven. '

'He's going to come visit me again tomorrow, abba. '

'Ah, ' my father murmured. He was silent for a moment. Then he said quietly. 'Reuven, listen to me. The Talmud says that a person should do two things for himself. One is to acquire a teacher. Do you remember the other? '

'Choose a friend, ' I said…

'Yes. ' You know what a friend is, Reuven? A Greek philosopher said that two people who are true friends are like two bodies with one soul. '

'Reuven, if you can, make Danny Saunders your friend. '

'I like him a lot, abba. '

'No. Listen to me. I am not talking only about liking him. I am telling you to make him your friend and to let him make you his friend. I think -! He stopped and broke into another cough. He coughed a long time. Then he sat quietly on the bed, his hand on his chest, breathing hard. 'Make him your friend, ' he said again, and cleared his throat noisily.

'Even though he's a Hasid? ' I asked, smiling.

'Make him your friend. ' my father repeated. 'We will see. '

'The way he acts, and talks doesn't seem to fit what he wears and the way he looks, ' I said. 'It's like two different people. '

My father nodded slowly but was silent. He looked over at Billy, who was still asleep.

'How is your little neighbour? ' he asked me.

'He's very nice. There's a new kind of operation they'll be doing on' his eyes. He was in an auto accident, and his mother was killed. '

My father looked at Billy and shook his head. He sighed and stood up, then bent and kissed me on the forehead.

'I will be back to see you tomorrow. Is there anything you need? '

'No, abba. '

'Are you able to use your tefillin? '

'Yes. I can't read though. I pray by heart. '

He smiled at me. 'I did not think of that. My baseball player. I will see you again tomorrow, Reuven. '

'Yes, abba. '

I watched him walk quickly up the aisle.

'That your father, kid? ' I heard Mr Savo ask me.

I turned to him and nodded. He was still playing his game of cards.

'Nice-looking man. Very dignified. What's he do? '

'He teaches. '

'Yeah? Well, that's real nice, kid. My old man worked a pushcart. Down near Norfolk Street, it was. Worked like a dog. You're a lucky kid. What's he teach? '

'Talmud: I said. 'Jewish law. '

'No kidding? He in a Jewish school? '

'Yes, ' I said. 'A high school. '

Mr Savo frowned at a card he had just pulled from the deck. 'Damn. ' he muttered. 'No luck nowhere. Story of my life. ' He, tucked the card into a row on the blanket. 'You looked kind of chummy there with your clopper, boy. You making friends with him? '

'He's a nice person: I said.

'Yeah? Well, you watch guys like that kid. You watch them real good, you hear? Anyone clops you, he's got a thing going. Old Tony knows. You watch them. '

'It was really an accident. ' I said.

'I could have ducked the ball. '

Mr Savo looked at me. His face was dark with the growth of beard, and his left eye seemed a little swollen and bloodshot. The black patch that covered his right eye looked like a huge skin mole. 'Anyone out to clop you doesn't want you to duck, kid. I know. '

'It wasn't really like that, Mr Savo. '

The Chosen

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Chaim Potok

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