The Chosen

Содержание → Chapter I → Часть 5

Глава 1

Часть 5

'Sure, Mr Galanter: Schwartzie said. 'I'm okay. '

'You're sure? '

'Sure I'm sure. '

'No heroes in this war, now, ' Mr Galanter said. 'I want live' soldiers, not dead heroes. '

'I'm no hero, ' Schwartzie muttered lamely. 'I can still get it over, Mr Galanter. God, it's only the first inning. '

'Okay, soldier, ' Mr Galanter said, not very enthusiastically. 'Just keep our side of this war. '

'I'm trying my best, Mr Galanter, ' Schwartzie said.

Mr Galanter nodded, still looking grim, and started off the field. I saw him take a handkerchief out of his pocket and wipe his forehead.

'Jesus Christ! ' Schwartzie said, now that Mr Galanter was gone. 'That bastard aimed right for my head! '

'Oh, come on, Schwartzie, ' I said. 'What is he, Babe Ruth? '

'You heard what Sidney said. '

'Stop giving it to them on a silver platter and they won't hit it like that. '.

'Who's giving it to them on a silver platter? ' Schwartzie lamented. 'That was a great pitch. '

'Sure, ' I said.

The umpire came over to us. 'You boys planning to chat here all afternoon? ' he asked. He was a squat man in his late forties, and he looked impatient.

'No, sir, ' I said very politely, and Sidney and I ran back to our places.

Danny Saunders was standing on my base. His white shirt was pasted to his arms and back with sweat. 'That was a nice shot, ' I offered.

He looked at me curiously and said nothing.

'You always hit it like that to the pitcher? ' I asked.

He smiled faintly. 'You're Reuven Malter, ' he said in perfect English. He had a low, nasal voice.

'That's right, ' I said, wondering where he had heard my name; 'Your father is David Malter, the one who writes articles on the Talmud? '

'I told my team we're going to kill you apikorsim this afternoon. ' He said it flatly, without a trace of expression in his voice.

I stared at him and hoped the sudden tight coldness I felt wasn't showing on my face. 'Sure, ' I said. 'Rub your tzitzit for good luck. '

I walked away from him and took up my position near the base. I looked toward the wire screen and saw Davey Cantor standing there, staring out at the field, his hands in his pockets. I crouched down quickly, because Schwartzie was going into his pitch.

The batter swung wildly at the first two pitches and missed each time. The next one was low, and he let it go by, then hit a grounder to the first baseman, who dropped it, flailed about for it wildly, and recovered it in time to see Danny Saunders cross the plate. The first baseman stood there for a moment, drenched in shame, then tossed the ball to Schwartzie. I saw Mr Galanter standing near third base, wiping his forehead. The yeshiva team had gone wild again, and they were all trying to get to Danny Saunders and shake his hand. I saw the rabbi smile broadly, then look down at his book and resume reading.

Sidney Goldberg came over to me. 'What did Saunders tell you? ' he asked.

'He said they were going to kill us apikorsim this afternoon. '

He stared at me. 'Those are nice people, those yeshiva people, ' he said, and walked slowly back to his position.

The next batter hit a long fly ball to right field. It was caught on the run.

'Hooray for us, ' Sidney Goldberg said grimly as we headed off the field. 'Any longer and they'd be asking us to join them for the Mincha Service. '

'Not us, ' I said. 'We're not holy enough. '

'Where did they learn to hit like that? '

'Who knows? ' I said.

We were standing near the wire screen, forming a tight circle around Mr Galanter.

'Only two runs, ' Mr Galanter said, smashing his right fist into his left hand. 'And they hit us with all they had. Now we give them our heavy artillery. Now we barrage them! ' I saw that he looked relieved but that he was still sweating. His skull-cap seemed pasted to his head with sweat. 'Okay! ' he said. 'Fire away! '

The circle broke up, and Sidney Goldberg walked to the plate, carrying a bat. I saw the rabbi was still sitting on the bench, reading. I started to walk around behind him to see what hook it was, when Davey Cantor came over, his hands in his pockets, his eyes still gloomy.

'Well? ' he asked.

'Well what? ' I said.

'I told you they could hit. '

'So you told me. So what? ' I was in no mood for his feelings of doom, and I let my voice show it.

He sensed my annoyance. 'I wasn't bragging or anything, ' he said, looking hurt. 'I just wanted to know what you thought. '

'They can hit, ' I said.

'They're murderers, ' he said.

I watched Sidney Goldberg let a strike go by and said nothing. 'How's your hand? ' Davey Cantor asked.

'I scraped it. '

'He ran into you real hard. '

'Who is he? '

'Dov Shlomowitz, ' Davey Cantor said. 'Like his name, that's what he is, ' he added in Hebrew. 'Dov' is the Hebrew word for bear.

'Was I blocking him? '

Davey Cantor shrugged. 'You were and you weren't. The ump could've called it either way. '.

'He felt like a truck, ' I said, watching Sidney Goldberg step back from a close pitch.

'You should see his father. He's one of Reb Saunders' shamashim. Some bodyguard he makes. '

'Reb Saunders has bodyguards? '

'Sure he has bodyguards, ' Davey Cantor said. 'They protect him from his own popularity. Where've you been living all these years? '

'I don't have anything to do with them. '

'You're not missing a thing, Reuven. '

'How do you know so much about Reb Saunders? '

'My father gives him contributions. '

'Well, good for your father, ' I said.

'He doesn't pray there or anything. He just gives him contributions. '

'You're on the wrong team. '

'No, I'm not, Reuven. Don't be like that. ' He was looking very hurt. 'My father isn't a Hasid or anything. He just gives them some money a couple times a year. '

'I was only kidding, Davey. ' I grinned at him. 'Don't be so serious about everything. '

I saw his face break into a happy smile, and just then Sidney Goldberg hit a fast, low grounder and raced off to first. The ball went right through the legs of the shortstop and into center field. 'Hold it at first! ' Mr Galanter screamed at him, and Sidney stopped at first and stood on the base.

The ball had been tossed quickly to second base. The second baseman looked over toward first, then threw the ball to the pitcher. The rabbi glanced up from the book for a moment, then went back to his reading.

'Malter, coach him at first! ' Mr Galanter shouted, and I ran up the base line.

'They can hit, but they can't field, ' Sidney Goldberg said, grinning at me as I came to a stop alongside the base. 'Davey Cantor says they're murderers, ' I said.

'Old gloom-and-gloom Davey, ' Sidney Goldberg said, grinning. Danny Saunders was standing away from the base, making a point of ignoring us both.

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