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The Dead Sea (перевод на англ. новеллы "Мертвое море")

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  THE DEAD SEA
  
  - Tell me who you wrote about, and what about?
  - About me and you and our hopeless love.
  - What for?
  - I just remembered, I wanted some sadness.
  - There is no sadness there, only pain.
  - Yes, there was also pain, it remained in the past. And there was also love that we could not save.
  
  - In fact, you couldn"t. And if you had cared, you would have taken my hand and said: "I"m here, I will not give you up".
   - I did not have the time to do that.
  - It is an outright lie. You only thought about yourself.
  The Dead Sea, or A lover cannot buy happiness
  The silence of the April night was interrupted by a child's piteous cry: "Mom, Mom!" Delia abruptly threw off the blanket and rushed into the nursery. Frantically groping for the light switch, she pressed both push buttons simultaneously. The room was instantly filled with bright light, but ... There stood a lonely empty cot looking at Del again. The bed was not crumpled, and it seemed that the child was somewhere nearby, or had just gone somewhere to have a rest or was staying overnight at her parents". His soft toys arranged around the cot were looking at the young beautiful woman in bewilderment. One could easily read the question in the toys" eyes: "Where has your little son and our best friend gone?"
  
   Seeing the lifeless nursery, the woman closed her eyes, ran her hand on the switch, feeling for the switch buttons, and in a moment started to cry unable to hold back her tears. Her back was slowly sliding down against the wall until she touched the floor, and was sitting now with her head buried in her knees. Biting her lip, Del began sobbing uncontrollably. It was an incredible heartbreaking wail, turning into the cry of a mother who had lost her child.
  
  Morning dawned. Delia came up to the mirror and could not recognize herself: instead of a cheerful lively girl a distraught woman was looking at her. Her disheveled hair, face wet with tears and swollen lips testified to her unbearable grief. Dark shadows lay under her eyes; red unhealthy spots randomly covered her cheeks and neck. Still sobbing she turned on the tap and, folded her hands into a small boat, and filled them with cold water. And then the irrepressible memory threw her back to six months before. Del remembered how little Florian was childishly clumsily folding his hands in the same way, trying to fill them with water. And the water, as if playing with him, was running through his fingers in spurts.
  
   "Why, what for?" - the devastated Delia kept saying, and then, covering her face with hands, she gave vent to tears and sobs again. Her body was trembling, and she went into dumb hysterics.
   Six months is probably a sufficient period of time for people to erase small details from their memory, but not in Delia"s case. Now, she could still quite clearly remember every minute, every second of her stay at the luxurious five-star hotel on the Red Sea coast. Sunny Sharm-el-Sheikh warmly welcomed the young couple with their blonde boy. The little fidget had just turned six and he was very smart and inquisitive for his age. Florian loved the sea, the sun and the white sand. He could sit in the water on the beach for hours building sand castles, and waves that took a liking to the boy gently splashed around caressing his tanned body. When the father"s voice "Florian, come up to me!" was heard on the shore, the wave became jealous and with a disgruntled whisper rolled ashore as if trying to protect the child. A week flew by in a wink of an eye. The ill-fated Friday came. It seemed to be an ordinary day just like the others. After an afternoon nap, the son implored Delice to go to the waterslides by the children"s pool. All the way, he was twittering something and literally dragging his mum keeping a tight hold on her hand. Once there, Delia put their things on two vacant sun loungers, one for herself and the other for Florian. A couple of minutes later, the boy went down the waterslide with a merry squeal. Each time, Florian chose a faster ride. After observing her son having fun and seeing that it was not dangerous, Delice went to the bar to order two juices for them.
  After a few dozen steps, she suddenly felt that an unknown force made her stop and look back. She hadn"t seen anything yet, but she was already feeling that something terrible happened. Delice rushed back to the children"s pool and saw her child lying on the tiles, and the frightened children standing by. Florian was lying motionless on his back with his eyes closed.
  - What has happened? - she screamed at the kids . And she was already lifting her child"s motionless body.
  - He slipped and fell down, - a boy of eight years old muttered under his breath. She turned to him. - Like this! - And he randomly waved his arms, showing how Florian was falling down onto the slippery tiles and hit the back of his head.
  Her child opened his eyes slowly and whispered:
  - Mother, you won"t scold me, will you?
  Delice felt the tears dripping down her cheeks.
  - Of course not, son. Are you in pain, honey?
  - No, Mom, I just feel sleepy, - Florian was barely able to say and slowly closed his eyelids.
  Delice' heart suddenly sank, she trembled, and in a moment rushed to the hotel reception desk, holding her son firmly to her chest.
  - Call the doctor immediately, - she screamed.
  
  The color was draining from Florian"s face, his lips were turning dangerously blue, and only the wet curls of his blond hair dropped the last subtle hints to signs of life in the boy"s body. A few minutes later, a doctor showed up, gave the child a quick check-up, and started CPR.
  
  With the siren wailing loudly the ambulance pulled up to the medical center at breakneck speed. Which is going to be faster? Life or death? There"s always a winner in this eternal race. This time the doctors didn"t make it, they couldn"t save little Florian. Delice went numb, she couldn"t utter a word, instead she only let out an indistinct moan.
  *****
  
  Del lifted her head and looked back at herself in the mirror. Not knowing what she was doing, she started splashing cold water on her face. She suddenly found herself bringing her palms up to her face several times, and every time her lips touched the cold water, she downed it in long gulps. It was only after that she slowly came to her senses.
  
  Another unbearable night passed, followed by another morning that was just as dark. Delice still couldn"t come to terms with her overwhelming grief, she found it harder and harder to overcome it.
   So, that day still inconsolable in her grief, she took some anti-depressant pills, and then, as if on autopilot, got dressed and called a taxi.
  *****
  The car stopped smoothly at the entrance to the Prater City Recreation Park. Delice loved this picturesque place. In the not-so-distant past, she often came for walks here with her son. He could go on the rides for hours on end, begging to have one more ride again and again. Delice didn"t give any thought to why she was there or what she was going to do in the park. On that wet, rainy morning, it was intolerable to stay at home and sink deeper and deeper into grief. She was dying to reach out for her recent past which was filled with so many hopes, joys and her child"s smiles. Del walked down the Prater"s central alley, trying to recall the vivid moments she and her son shared. She stopped to sit down on the bench where she and her son would eat their full of cotton candy and prattle their feet in a funny childish way. As she was walking down the alley, the young woman seemed to feel the enquiring gaze of all the objects that still kept the warmth of her son"s hands. They were about to ask why she was alone. It made her heart very bitter. The rain was getting heavier, driving lonely strollers to seek shelter. Delice didn"t feel like going into the cafe. Her eyes accidentally caught the sight of the giant Viennese Rizenrad Ferris wheel. Something incredibly warm crossed her mind, and she didn"t hesitate to head for the ticket box. Her ticket in hand, the young woman suddenly noticed that there were hardly any visitors in the park. The reason for this was the weather, or, to be more precise, the nasty weather. Del slowly stepped into Rizenrad"s cabin, the interior decoration of which resembled an old tram car, approached one of the eight windows, took hold of a handrail and pressed her cheek against the glass. It was not raining but pouring now as if the shower was trying to give the old town a good wash. Delice leaned closer and stared into the distance, trying to make out the farthest areas of Vienna in the shroud of rain.
  - Good afternoon, - she heard a man"s voice behind her back. Delice shuddered in surprise, then slowly turned her head.
  
  - Good day, - she said with a very sad smile. - A good rainy one, - she didn"t even know why she said that, the words just came out. And the stranger immediately took what she said aloud for an invitation to have a conversation.
  
  - My name is Lucas, and I"m here by chance. I could never imagine I"d be on a Ferris wheel in the morning on a rainy day.
  He looked closely at the woman. The dark heavy tresses fell on her shoulders, her grey-green eyes were full of tears, a small nose of a nice shape, a fine chin - everything was bearing a touch of deep sorrow. She was wearing a short leather jacket, a grey pullover, and dark blue jeans that complimented her beautiful figure. She had a very attractive appearance, some mysterious female fragility that made men go mad. She had a special charm that could turn anyone"s head. Without waiting for an answer, he continued.
  
  - A month ago, I lost my mother, and today all of a sudden, I was overwhelmed with sad memories, so I decided to go to the places I used to visit in my bygone childhood. You have no idea how much I loved riding the Ferris wheel. Fifty years passed but the cabins haven"t changed at all: the same walls, the same seats. - Lucas spoke softly, turning to the window and looking sadly far into the distance.
  
  Suddenly, something flashed through Deliсe"s mind, and now she was carefully examining the man. He looked about forty-five, though judging by the way he sounded, he could be at least fifty-five. He had a crew cut hairstyle and his dark hair was almost salt-and-pepper now. The piercing brown eyes gave away an extraordinary mind. And then, there were his lips, they were slightly fleshy with incredibly beautiful smooth lines. A small dimple on his chin showed a firm and strong-willed character. He was dressed simply and, at the same time, elegantly. He was wearing a brown short jacket made of fine leather, dark blue jeans like Delice"s, and blue sports shoes.
  
  At least ten minutes passed, and the wheel was completing its dizzying circle, so the man and the woman approached the exit door of the cabin. Delice was standing a little behind Lucas, but still her sensitive nose caught the subtle spring fragrance of his perfume. She breathed in deeper, as if she wanted to remember this smell, and suddenly caught herself thinking that they had a lot in common and that she didn"t want them to go each their way.
  
  ******
   The phone rang. The psychoanalyst lazily reached for the handset.
   - Hi, buddy. I bet you didn't expect to hear from me?
  Sigmund almost dropped the phone in surprise.
  - Hi, I must confess I didn't! Felix, what happened, spill.
  - Nothing special except I"ve just missed good booze and decent company.
  - Don"t play games with me, Felix, no one calls to talk about drinking when a working day is in full swing.
  - You are a cunning fox, you can't be fooled, Felix Friedland picked up a joking tone.
  - Well, of course, you, in your gynecology, have forgotten how one should talk to men.
  Sigmund began to gently put pressure on his friend.
  - Come on, let"s have it. What happened?
   - Okay, I admit, I"m calling about a case, but it's very delicate. I don"t think we can figure it out without a couple of glasses of beer and roasted knuckle. Come on, it"s on me.
  - Well, buddy, that"s a game changer. Actually, that"s where you should have started, and you keep beating around a bush, old sport. And they both burst out laughing. After chatting a little longer, the two old friends arranged to meet the following day in the beer garden of the old Schweizerhaus, which was in the green part of Vienna Prater Park.
  *****
  An elderly man was walking leisurely along the green alley. His stately gait full of dignity gave away a self-confident man. Sigmund Hoffman, a renowned Austrian psychoanalyst with extensive private practice, was the embodiment of intellect and culture. An impeccable suit and shiny polished shoes spoke of the wearer"s meticulousness and neatness. As he stopped now and then, he would look up at the crowns of the old trees, then down as if recalling something, and then would walk on. The park was fresh after a recent rain. The leaves regained their bright green colour and, dressed up in tiny raindrops, glistened in the sunset light.
  
  "Can it really be two hundred and fifty years old?" said Sigmund to himself. "It is unbelievable how many people have passed here. Some members of the royal family could have strolled down this alley, Mozart or Strauss also may have been walking along it. Or maybe exactly on this day 100 years ago, his namesake, Sigmund Freud, was wandering deep in thought around the park, another doctor just like him, seeking and hesitating, well - known but underestimated by his contemporaries. Today, it is surprising that he, Sigmund Hoffman, living a century after the father of psychoanalysis, reserves the right to agree or disagree with the conclusions made by the great scientist based only on his intuition. It is true that some of his statements look naive and absurd nowadays, but overall Freud"s teachings on psychoanalysis seem monolithic and incontrovertible".
  Not far from the entrance to the restaurant Sigmund spotted Felix"s figure which clearly stood out. He was a short man in his 60s, with a large nose, bulging eyes and big gray hair carelessly dishevelled in a sort of a men"s hairdo. Having noticed Sigmund, Felix smiled cordially and welcomed his friend with open arms.
  - I was beginning to get worried. I thought something wasn"t working out and you weren"t going to make it.
  - Did you hope to drink my beer and have the roasted knuckle all to yourself? - Sigmund returned the joke. - No way, here I am. So, pal, take me to your den and treat me to your promised stuff.
  - I"ll admit, buddy, the idea of drinking everything by myself crossed my mind but when I remembered who I was meeting, I thought I"d rather die hungry than listen to your reproaches.
  - Come on, Hoffman patted Felix on the shoulder, - no offense, show me the way, I"m looking forward to the feast of my life.
  
  After walking through the pub hall, the friends stopped in the centre at a large rectangular table.
  - Here we are, - Friedland invited him to sit down.
  - You have pleased the old man - Sigmund unwittingly said, he even rubbed his hands at the tempting sight. On the table, there was a pork knuckle of an unbelievable size, which was stuffed and roasted to a golden crust, producing an incredibly delicate aroma. On a smaller plate next to it was a mound of sauerkraut. This idyllic was crowned with two liters of cold beer with white caps of strong froth.
   - Oh Felix, knowing you, I feel you"ve got a tough question for me. Why don"t you just pop it out so we don"t have to try to figure it out once we"re tipsy?
  - You"re right, as usual, but let"s do it later, Professor, - Felix was trying to stall the conversation.
  - As you wish. Later it is then, - said Sigmund, and they raised their glasses and took several gulps of the foamy drink.
  
  - Schweizerhaus beer is said to be the most delicious in Vienna, - Friedland started the conversation.
  - They can say anything, but you and I know for a fact it"s the most delicious, - Sigmund easily ended the conversation which had barely started.
  - Look, Hoffman, you"re really getting old. You have a bad temper, you don"t let me say a word, let alone tell you something.
  - Felix, try the weather, maybe that one will go down better,- Sigmund laughed loudly.
  - Why on earth do I put up with you? - said Felix turning his eyes and palms to the sky as if he was turning to God.
  - Because we"re old friends, and we know first-hand what a strong male friendship is. Okay, Felix, calm down, you know you are like a brother to me.
   Sigmund raised his glass and looked over its rim straight into Friedland"s eyes. Felix responded with the same high-pitched look and a moment later he called the waiter and ordered a bottle of vodka. Sigmund didn"t see that coming from his old friend. Apparently, the situation was more serious than he thought. After a while a bottle of "Absolute" and a couple of shots appeared on the table. Vodka was just what was needed to make further conversation more sincere.
   Sigmund filled the shots with the strong spirit for the third time.
  - To women, may they have a better life than we do,- Friedland spoke softly and, after a quick drink, reached for the sauerkraut. Hoffman noted to himself something was clearly wrong with his friend.
  - Look, Felix, don"t keep it to yourself, tell me about it, - softly murmured the psychoanalyst.
  
  - I can"t, - Felix suddenly lost it, his shoulders shaking. - I can"t, you know, I can"t. Do you know why I haven"t called you for so long? No, you don"t know! The reason is I lost my grandson. Yeah, Sigmund, it seems incredible, but it did happen. And now I"ve called on you to save this child"s mother.
  His shoulders trembled at the sobbing he was trying to contain.
   - Yeah, you didn"t know, but now I"m asking for help. Help her, she lost her son, and I lost my grandson.
  - Felix, calm down. What has happened?
  Sigmund had never seen his close friend so depressed. - What can I do for you?
  - Delice is my patient and my illegitimate daughter. She needs help. I"m begging you to help her out.
  - What"s wrong with her? - incredulously asked Sigmund.
  
  - She has clear signs of a false pregnancy.
  - What do you mean?
  - The menstrual cycle is knocked down, daily nausea in the morning, breast swelling and a lot of secondary signs. But there"s no pregnancy, and I can see it on the physical examination, and the ultrasound results say the same thing.
  - And so what?
   - This is a fake pregnancy, and I want you to convince her of that.
  - To convince who? Your daughter?
  Sigmund stared at his friend.
  - Just explain one thing to me. You, an old bachelor, never mentioned any serious long-term relationships. And now there"s a daughter. How did that happen, Felix?
  - It"s a story I keep deep in my heart. No one, not even you, my closest friend, was aware of my relationship with Felicia. Felix was indifferently forking a bowl of sour cabbage.
  
  -Yes, Delice is my daughter.
  From the nervous fatigue, Friedland tilted his head. - Help her, Sigmund. Tell her it"s not true! - he whispered quietly.
  -Are you sure, my friend? Won"t I hurt her?
  
  - She"s not pregnant, it"s a delusion.
  - Frankly speaking, I"ve never diagnosed such a thing.
  
  The professor was fiddling with an empty glass in his hand.
  - Of course, man, I will try to help you, whatever it takes. However, I need to know the nuances of this case.
  - It"s hard for me to talk about it.
  Felix took a bottle of vodka and filled a third of the glasses.
  - I knew her mother well, Felicia was my patient. Yeah, don"t look at me like that, gynecologists are people who can fall in love and give feelings.
  
  -Felix, I thought you and I had no secrets.
  
  Sigmund looked at Friedland with a question. - Now I see you didn"t tell me everything.
  - Yeah, not everything. As what happened was deeply personal.
  
  - You didn"t trust me?
  - Leave it along, man, it"s just none of your business. Felicia insisted that our relationship should not be in the public domain, and she often asked me not to tell anyone about it. Even the people closest to me. I couldn"t refuse her in that request. I could only guess what was behind that feeling. But now that"s not what this is about.
  Sigmund pouted. What could he do? Sometimes, other people"s lives pass you by, and you can only watch.
  
  - So what is wrong with Delice? It"s your daughter"s name, isn"t it?
  
  - Delia started to gain weight, as if she was pregnant.
  - Is she married?
  - Don"t mention it, it"s another sad story.
  - What is it with you and your family?
  
  Felix nodded silently.
  - Stefan, Delice' husband, crashed on a motorcycle last November. He survived, but...
  - How did this happen? - Now Sigmund took a bottle of Absolute and filled the glasses, thereby demonstrating to Felix his willingness to continue the conversation.
  - Having seen the obstacle, Stefan put the bike down at a tremendous speed, causing the most severe injury to the crotch.
  
  - What? You can"t be serious!!!
  
  -Stefan hit his crotch hard on the bike tank and shattered everything. He had everything to be cleaned, and now he"ll never have children.
  - God, what a grief! How old is he?
  
  - Thirty-five.
  - What a misfortune, all lifetime seemed to be ahead.
  - It seemed, and now it"s over.
  
  Felix"s wicked irony brought things back to normal. - Now imagine his wife is pregnant. She may be having a fake pregnancy, but he doesn"t know that. Nightmare! - Felix clearly felt anxious and nervous.
  - Felix, I"m going to try to help her, although I have a very weak idea how to do it. Everything depends on her mental state. Now, let"s have another 20 grams of Absolute, because the mood"s starting to fade and the foreshank is waiting, and he"ll think it"s not tasty, he"ll be offended. And then everyone will be offended - the foteshank, the beer, the cook and even the restaurant. And then we"ll never be welcomed in here again.
  
  Having finished the vodka, the friends started eating the meat, which, though it was cold, was not any less delicious. When it was almost 10 p.m they said good-bye to each other.
   *****
  - I"m from Dr Friedland, he recommended you. Sigmund approached the girl who had stopped at the door and extended his hand for a greeting, then gently, as if he was afraid to frighten a fragile creature, led her to the back of the office, had her sit on the sofa and sat himself in an armchair nearby.
  
  - I imagined you almost as you are, - the professor began smiling.
  - Why almost? - asked the girl in a little blush.
  
  - Because you"re even younger and prettier.
  - Thanks, - Delice lowered her eyes.
  
  Hoffman was examining the patient, slowly changing eyes from her face to her neck, chest, arms. She was wearing a thin blue knitted jacket and dark blue jeans. The clothes were tightly wrapped around the figure, advantageously emphasizing the shapes. Delice slowly looked up and met Dr Hoffman"s curious gaze. The professor continued to look at the girl kindly, with a barely noticeable smile. Delice looked away once again.
  
  - Would you like tea or coffee? - she heard Sigmund"s usual question.
  - Thank you, may I have some water?
  The professor got up, went to the table, poured two glasses of water, came back and served one to the girl. He was deliberately repeating what the patients were asking for. These little tricks had faster contact, so they could tune in and build trust. Sigmund Hoffman didn"t want to drink, but he made it look as if he"d been thirsty since yesterday.
  
  - Delice, tell me what brought you here.
  The girl kept silent, only tightened her grip on the glass with both hands.
  - Do you know what to start with?
  The professor gently encouraged Del to start the conversation. She nodded.
  - Well, I"ll help you. According to my good friend and a qualified gynecologist, you are worried about some condition. In our medical world, it"s called pseudoscies. Now, I"m going to give you the signs of this condition, and you"re going to try to identify them in yourself.
  
  - And if I don"t?
  - Then it will mean you"re in good health!
  - All right, let"s see.
  Delice suddenly found the courage to assert herself mentally.
  - And so, - Professor Hoffman started quietly as if he was at a lecture at Medical University. - False pregnancies tend to develop in women who have an overwhelming desire to become pregnant or, conversely, live with a pathological fear of childbirth and pregnancy itself. These women are very vulnerable, and they have powerful emotional responses, basically hysteria. Also, they"re susceptible to suggestion, they have high levels of arousal. Now, tell me, did you want to get pregnant or were you afraid of it?
  
  - I was afraid, Delice said quietly.
  
  - If you think my question is tactless, you may not answer it, but I will have to ask. Why were you afraid? Were you having an affair?
  The girl felt embarrassed, lowered her eyes and then quietly replied:
  - Yes, I was seeing a man.
  - And what did he do that caused a disorder of the hormonal and psychoemotional system?
  - He loved me.
  - Where is he now?
  - We broke up.
  - I understand, - Sigmund kept his mouth shut and then quietly asked:
  - Shall we go on?
  Delice nodded, and it was apparent that she had difficulty remembering it.
  - The symptoms of false pregnancy include menstruation delays without regeneration, early toxemias, breast swelling, and a significant weight gain. Do you have any sign of these?
  - Almost everything except for the last one. There was a bit of a weight problem, maybe I couldn"t eat anything because of the terrible toxicities.
  - Tell me, when you discovered this, you went straight to your father, didn"t you? Sorry, I meant Dr. Friedland. Or did you wait for a while?
  - I was afraid and I was dragging my feet to do it, as all the signs were all over my face, and all I had to do was to set an abortion date, - and Delice exhaled.
  - Don"t worry. I talked to Felix, and he said you"re not pregnant, and the ultrasound results said the same thing. Stop panicking, get your fears out of your head. You"re here because you need help, and I will appease your mind if you trust me.
  The professor took the girl"s hand, covered it with his own in a fatherly manner, and started to stroke it slowly.
  - One day you"ll have it all again - love, family and children. You just have to find your inner balance, calm down and be patient for a little while.
  Sigmund had the look of a strong man, and the patient responded with a still timid but long steady gaze.
  - Well, that"s better now, - Hoffman smiled, staring into the girl"s eyes, relieving the tension caused by the prolonged pause with meaningless phrases.
  - Delice, tell me about your family. What does your husband do?
  - He used to be a professional motorcycle rider.
  - Why do you say "used to"? Has he switched to coaching?
  - No, he had an accident a few months ago, and his injuries have made sport is a thing of the past for him.
  - Sorry for asking that question, - Sigmund quickly hid his small smile and put on a guilty look. - If it is too painful to remember, you don"t have to answer it, - and the professor went quiet.
  In fact, Hoffman knew the terrible story that had happened to the famous Austrian motorcycle rider Stefan Adler. His old friend Felix Friedland had recounted it to him a short time before.
  
  - It really hurts to think about it, but I understand that you"re making me talk and maybe even accept the grief so I could gradually be convinced and could heal.
  
  - It"s a pleasure to work with you. You"re such a smart girl, yet you are very vulnerable.
  
  - Vulnerable, - Del echoed the doctor"s last word. - I thought losing my baby would be the gravest grief in my life, but it doesn"t seem to be the case.
  
  - Delice, have you been happily married? - Sigmund tried to change the subject.
  - I wouldn"t say so, I"m afraid. But since Florian was born, I secretly hoped that things would change. Unfortunately, that never happened.
  - If you don"t mind, could you tell me about your relationship with your husband in more detail?
  Del Adler took a close look at the professor and then looked down at her wrist as if she wanted to know what time it was.
  - I worked as a receptionist in a big law firm. Everything was as usual, every day there were hundreds of clients, everyone with their issues. But with only one lawyer each encounter was always accompanied by a warm smile, and sometimes even chocolate and flowers. It didn"t take long, I fell in love. I was twenty-three. All of a sudden, I was head over heels in love, but there was just one downside to the situation: the lawyer had a family. I didn"t want to wait. I wasn"t going to. When, after another yet occasion of making love in his office, I asked him about our further relationship, I got an unexpected answer: "Is there anything you"re unhappy about?"
  Our relationship was actually very sincere, but I wasn"t ready to face such a challenge and always be the other woman for the man I loved. And then my love turned into dislike. So, from that moment on, he was disgusting to me, and I spotted completely different qualities of his which I had initially turned a blind eye to. Eventually, having met a nice guy, I married him out of pure spite. I vented my spite on myself and "my lawyer". It would be inappropriate to talk about love in this marriage. A couple of months later, the lawyer begged me to leave Stefan, and to prove he still had feelings for me, he even got divorced, leaving his wife with their child. But it was too late. In fact, I used to live by the principle that the world was only black and white, there were no halftones for me in between, there were only the two extremes. The next thing I knew, I got pregnant and during that time Stefan showed himself to the full. A biker, an athlete, an interesting man and me, a woman who is seven months pregnant. I mean, you"re a man, - It wasn"t clear if Delice was questioning or stating the fact. - Of all people you should know if men know how to be patient. Regardless of your answer, I can tell you that the word "patience" is unfamiliar to them. If they want something, they want it there and that very minute and not a second later. The same thing happened with Stefan. At first, he worshipped me, but as soon as the gynecologist asked him to cool his jets in bed because of my pregnancy, he had no trouble whatsoever replacing me with some kind of a monster.
   Delice"s last words made Professor Hoffman realize that Delice was annoyed and could not remain indifferent when talking about the events that had been left behind.
  - There were times when Stefan would stay out all night, and he could tell me anything, but I knew exactly where he spent the night and with whom. I was disgusted, but my doctors strongly advised me against getting nervous. And I put up with that for the sake of our baby"s health, but then things got even worse. It turns out some men aren"t necessarily happy to have their first child. Stefan may not have been mature enough to be a father, but since Florian"s arrival his behavior was outright defiant. A month after the birth of our son, he declared that he could not bear to be at home: the baby was always crying and keeping him awake. Soon, he got completely withdrawn and behaved like a stranger. He must have been having an affair, sometimes I got telephone calls and was told that he was seen with another woman at a cafe, at the stadium, outside a hotel. Of course, the resentment filled my heart, and I knew I had made a mistake, but what could I do if that man was my child"s father.
   A trivial story that happens to millions of women. Expectations, tears, pain ... And then frustration, the desire to regain confidence, and as a result starting an affair of her own. There are millions of stories like that. Statistically, at least 80 percent of families have been through this. In some cases, they"ve overcome this, and in others they"ve broken up not wanting to live a lie.
  According to Delice Adler"s story, she put up with what was going on and turned a blind eye to many things, but the resentment kept building up, and as a result love never came, and her heart was hardened towards her husband. After the tragedy with Florian, the pain of loss and the fear of loneliness brought Del and Stefan closer. Like two wandering strangers, they reached out to each other, trying to seek forgiveness for the sins of the past.
  - What about your lawyer? Did he stop stalking you? How long ago did you see him? - Hoffman asked randomly. Delice looked up in surprise.
  - Not so long ago we met on a lunch break at a McDonald"s, talked for about an hour, but my heart didn"t miss a beat. He asked me to come back to their law firm, promised a good position, and cautiously hinted at a proposal. Now, I don"t even know what to do. After breaking up with Lucas, the skies came crashing down.
  - That"s enough for today Del, - the shrink gently interrupted her. -Let"s wrap it up. No more emotions for today, let"s leave this story for tomorrow.
  - Professor, I"m so glad Felix introduced me to you. I have never thought men can listen and get it all like that, I don"t even want to leave.
  - My dear girl, everything will be all right. I"ll be expecting you tomorrow at 4:00 pm. And you mustn"t worry - believe me, we"ll get you fixed up. Besides, I promised Felix I"d help.
  Hoffman smiled and shook the girl"s hand to say goodbye.
  *****
  It was lunchtime. It was sunny but but not calm at all. It was the wind that was to blame for this natural agitation. It seemed to derive sheer pleasure from ambushing anything that moved under its touch. Trees and bushes fluttered their green clothing in bewilderment, silently begging to bring this dangerous game to an end.
  - It looks like it"s going to bring in some rain again, - said Karl quietly. Then, turning to his mentor who was sitting at his cumbersome desk, he blurted out angrily:
  - Why is it that every time there"s a rare case, it lands in your lap?
  - I"m telling you: it was a special request from my old pal Friedland.
  - Professor, have you had such patients before?
  - I have never had anyone with such a rare diagnosis. Although I think the number of women who have experienced a false pregnancy is much higher than the official figures indicate.
  - Professor Hoffman, you have to share your experience of getting a patient out of this state.
  
  - Karl, in fact, the technique is very simple: first to be able to listen and get to the bottom of the matter, then to be able to coax the patient out of her delusion.
   - And what about this case? Is it complicated? - Karl couldn"t hide his interest.
  - I don"t think it"s very complicated, though taking into account all the emotional turmoil, it"s not clear how the poor girl managed to get through all this.
   - What do you mean saying the case is not complicated?
  
  - I"m referring to the exterior signs: weight gain, breast swelling and an expanding waistline. Del doesn"t have any of these. If we had all the signs, you would be standing by and hypnotizing the girl.
  - You don"t have to go any further, Professor. A similar patient visited a colleague of mine in Italy. He detailed the story. It only took him two days to complete the therapy because, looking at her, she seemed to be twenty-eight weeks" pregnant.
  - How did your colleague manage to do that? - Now it was Sigmund who asked his question with undisguised interest.
  - He put her into a hypnotic state of sleep, set her subconcsiousness to let her gases out, and the next day everything went back to normal. Just imagine, she had already started to feel the fetus move! Just one session of hypnosis and in a day everything is all right.
   - You can"t but wonder what Mother Nature can do to women.
  Hoffman was watching Karl.
  
  - Tell me, did your Italian, as a psychologist, talk to the patient? Did he try to convince her that she has false pregnancy?
  
  - Of course he did, but it didn"t last long. She, being a true temperamental native of Italy, pointed to her belly and shouted: "And what on earth is this?" He had nothing else left to offer her but a hypnosis session, after which everything fell into place. The most interesting thing in this story was that her husband was expected to return from his expedition a week later. Can you imagine how happy she was?
  - Actually, Karl, just think carefully about the boring figures of dry statistics: one woman in twenty thousand experiences false pregnancy. And with morning sickness, weight gain, and generated colostrum. By the way, have you heard the phrase "Pregnancy dissolved by itself"?
  - I think it originated in the distant past when people couldn"t tell whether conception took place.
  - Well, Karl, imagine how many women experienced false pregnancy with only a few of the symptoms on the list. Let"s say, they had no weight gain, no nipple swelling or colostrum produced, they only had missed periods, severe toxicosis and, in some cases, two lines on the test strip.
  - To tell the truth, it"s hard to say how many people experienced this state. There are many reasons why a woman wants to hide her pregnancy. Well, she might have parallel relationships. Just imagine how vile nature can be, it"s hard to believe it is able to do that.
  - It"s not villainy of the nature, but fears and images created in the woman"s mind and poorly put together in a wrong place, to be more exact, in our head.
  - Yes, I know, Professor, that the nature"s only fault is that it triggers the mechanisms but it is the head and not the uterus that sends signals. Wonders never cease.
  - Just think, how many more incredible and unexplained things nature has endowed a woman with.
  Hoffman thoughtfully looked at the window. After a brief silence he added:
  
   -Something tells me Delice is going to present us with yet another miracle.
  - Yeah, it"s a really funny case! But things are different with Delia. She is going through suffering from a severe psychological trauma, and she"s in desperate need of help from her close relatives.
  At that moment the mobile phone on Professor Sigmund Hoffman"s table rang.
  - Hello.
  - Good afternoon,- Sigmund replied.
  - This is Delice Adler. Professor, could we reschedule our meeting for the day after tomorrow. I don"t feel well.
  - As you wish, Delice, get well. Let"s meet at the same time in a day.
  
   The professor turned to Karl, raised his eyebrows expressively and threw his hands up, giving the appearance of perplexity and inability to follow the mysterious female logic.
  *******
   Psychologists have noticed one interesting peculiarity: at the moments when it is particularly difficult for a person to make a choice or overcome pain, they try to return to the places where they were happy. Probably, to bring back their innermost memories kept deep in their mind.
  Something of that kind happened today. Delice Adler called Professor Hoffman to reschedule the session, and now, having calmed down, she had been wandering around Vienna"s Prater for about an hour, absent-mindedly looking around, but her memory obstinately pulled out from her past the pleasant moments she had lived together with Lucas. The girl was walking down the alley, sneaking a glance at passers-by. She met noisy groups of young boys and girls, quiet couples, and only rarely did she see single passers-by deeply immersed in their thoughts.
  Suddenly a cozy bench under the huge green crown of an old oak caught her eye. Del smiled remembering how she and Lucas were sitting on this very bench and kissing one night. A little over three months passed, but the memories were so vivid as if it had happened yesterday. She could even smell the slightly tart fragrance of his toilet water floating in the air. Delice looked back puzzled, her eyes hoping to see Lucas as his favorite perfume always gave him away its master. Alas, it was only her imagination. Del walked up to the bench and sat down. A warm wave of memories suddenly washed over her and carried her away, bringing back unforgettable moments from the past. She closed her eyes to remember clearly and relive her first date with Lucas.
  Del was going to be late and no longer believed that the man would be waiting for her, but he surprised her with his patience and friendly smile. Seeing that smile she even forgot to apologize. Taking an armchair on the opposite side, the girl quickly glanced over the interior of the small cozy café in the famous Vienna Prater.
  - It took ages to say good-bye to my friend, - the girl started to talk quickly, though Lucas didn"t ask her about anything.
  - And I was ready to think you joked yesterday agreeing to a rendezvous with me. It"s amazing, ever since we met on the Ferris wheel, I imagined every day what our next meeting would be like. But I couldn"t imagine it would happen at a gas station.
  But it did happen, - Del said it very seriously, - because we both wanted that.
  Lucas Kron took a close look at the girl. In her last phrase he heard the answer to all the questions he was going to ask.
  -I believe our yesterday"s meeting at the gas station wasn"t accidental.
  The man naively expected the girl to continue revealing her secrets after his frank words.
  - No, it wasn"t, and neither is, by the way, our today"s rendezvous. I"d rather call our meeting in the park accidental, even though I can see a certain pattern here too.
  It was hard to keep up such conversation at the first real date, and there was no point in doing that. Lucas smoothly ended it, reasonably offering to order something delicious. And he immediately unnoticeably pushed the menu, framed in high-quality leather like an old album, to Del.
  The young woman accepted Lucas"s maneuver with understanding and gratitude, and immediately began to study the menu showing great interest.
  Meanwhile, Lucas stood up and went to the bar counter to order drinks.
  Delice took her eyes off the menu and looked towards the bar. Her date was standing half-turned and explaining something in detail to the bartender, who, in his turn, nodded his head showing his understanding. Suddenly, the girl found herself looking at Lucas not out of curiosity, but in a completely different way, which was very dangerous for both of them. Such look is called appraising. That"s the way you look at somebody when the most important decision has been made. Then all you need is to fall in love. Del couldn"t take her eyes off him as if she wanted to remember this moment. After his long explanation, Lucas smiled at the bartender who must have understood him. Then he held out his hand to him, and the cafe employee was happy to shake it. Even sitting at the table, Del saw his bulging tense shoulder muscles. And the grey knitted shirt with short sleeves only flattered Lucas"s athletic figure. The hair with a touch of grey matched the color of the shirt. Although he did not look a musclebound athlete, she could feel a hidden strength in him. And now, standing next to the bartender, who was obviously keen on working out in the gym, Kron looked great. Del was involuntarily comparing the two men and immediately praised herself for making the right choice. Lucas had everything his vis-a-vis lacked - both confidence, and hidden strength and manners.
  Suddenly the men turned towards Del, apparently Lucas pointing at the table was checking something out. Both of them looked at the girl and smiled at the same time. Del felt a bolt of lightning, as she hadn"t received such rapt attention for a long time. It was amazing, how much she loved that feeling. Having finished talking to the bartender, Lucas Kron headed back for their table. Del didn"t look away, but kept watching the man who was approaching her carefully maneuvering among the tables. The hazel insightful eyes, straight nose, stubborn chin with a distinctive dimple and slightly hollow cheeks. And also his smile, not arrogant or narcissistic, but more on the ironic and even a little sad side. In a word, a man to die for.
  - Everything will be served very soon. We have to wait a little while, - said Lucas. A couple of minutes later, a waiter appeared, skillfully arranged the glasses on the table, and took out a misted up bottle of champagne "Dom Perignon" from the ice bucket.
  - To our meeting! - Lucas raised his glass and looked right in Delice' eyes over it. The girl smiled in return and slowly nodded, as if agreeing and saying "yes". Sipping from the glass, Del noted to herself that Lucas had excellent taste. He ordered a perfect accompaniment for the exquisite drink - cheeses with noble mold - brie and camembert.
  Half an hour later Del"s head was swimming after drinking champagne. She felt a little tipsy.
  - I"ll be back in five minutes, I have to make a phone call - Del got up from the table, and headed for the ladies' room. As soon as the girl disappeared behind the door, Lucas raised his hand high to draw the bartender"s attention. When the waiter saw the signal, he, like a fakir, pulled out an unusually tender bouquet of white roses from under the counter. A few branches of a bush rose were generously studded with little buds. Some of them were already open, and half of them were just getting ready to see the light. The white heads of the flowers, coming out of the lavish green leaves, tried to guess who was having a celebration. Once in Lucas"s hands, they realized they were meant for a beautiful girl.
  - Oh, is that for me? - Delice buried her face in the buds. - You have no idea how long it"s been since I"ve been given flowers. There"s been nothing but grief. I"ve been wondering when it"ll be time for joy again? You"ve given me some.
  Delice was as happy as a baby, maybe it was for the champagne, maybe it was for the desire to put behind the loneliness of the soul. Her eyes glowed with happiness, and Lucas was very pleased and proud of what he had done, which in the everyday life of well-mannered people is just called traditional attention.
  - I want to go outside. Lucas, do you mind if we take a short walk in the park?
  - I"d love to,- Kron seemed to have expected this invitation.
  Picking up the flowers carefully, Del headed to the door. Having left a generous tip, Lucas rushed to catch up with her at the door. After leaving the café, they stood for a while at the entrance, and, without further discussion, slowly headed towards the central alley. It was around 8:00 p.m. The sky went dark and the air was now cool and fresh.
  - Lucas, tell me about yourself, - Del asked casting a glance at her companion.
  - There isn"t much to tell. It"s all ordinary and boring.
  - Tell me about your family. Do you have children?
  - I have two. My son is twenty, my daughter"s almost five.
  - You are lucky. You have children and they bring a meaning to your life.
  - They certainly do. I can hardly imagine my life without them.
  Del turned away to hide the pain that his last words caused her. They had been walking without saying anything for a few minutes. Breaking the awkward silence, Del moved on to the most delicate subject:
  - What"s your wife"s name? How old is she? What does she do? - she peppered him with questions as if it was an interrogation. - What"s she like?
  - Why do you want to know this? - Lucas didn"t like the turn their conversation was taking.
  - I want to know what she looks like, maybe I know her or we"ve met somewhere.
  "God forbid", - the man thought to himself, but said out loud: "That is hardly possible". And immediately cleverly added:
  
  - You"re very different, besides she"s older than you.
   Despite the implicit flattery, Del felt the inner satisfaction and she felt good about herself. Without wasting any time after his last line, Lucas decided to change the tone of the conversation and moved to decisive actions. Now he was asking questions.
  - Del, how long have you been married?
  - I sometimes feel my whole life.
  - "Married your whole life" how does that make you feel?
  
  
  - There were a few happy moments, and they were all about my little Florian.
  - That sounds like you didn"t have a relationship with your husband.
  Lucas Kron looked around. The evening had taken over the Vienna Prater. The lanterns in the central alley started to light up.
  
  - There was a relationship, but there was no love.
  - How could you live without love?
  - I don"t know. It wasn"t good. I guess things must have gone so wrong because we were suffering.
  - You said he was in a serious accident and he was badly injured.
  - Yes, and, unfortunately, with very serious complications.
  - I don"t mean to pry but what happened to him?
  - He had something that every man is afraid of most of all.
  - If that"s what I am thinking about, that"s very unfortunate.
  - It"s not just unfortunate, it"s an irreparable loss. Now he"s going to have to miss out on a lot of things and put up with a lot more, and then learn to live with all that.
  - And now, after everything that happened, how do you see your future life?
  - You see, when the accident with Florian happened, our loss really brought us closer. I don"t know if I could have overcome that if I had been alone. And now I"m returning the favor not with love, but with patience and pity.
  Lucas had already figured out the most important thing for himself, and it didn"t make sense to him to continue the difficult conversation. A few lightweight questions about work and hobbies restored the atmosphere. Smiles and curiosity reappeared on their faces, and soon both were in good spirits again.
  - Let"s sit down, shall we? - Lucas looked in the direction of a big tree growing nearby. The crown cast a shadow, hiding a bench from the passers-by and preventing the electric light from breaking through the thick leaves of the low-hanging branches.
  
  Del nodded. Twilight, sneaking in, was now reigning supreme in the Prater. The trees and bushes at the side of the alley no longer looked as friendly as they did two hours before. Everything sounded strangely louder, with barely discernible warning signs. Lucas and Delice felt this and began to turn and lean towards each other more often, speaking quietly, then they switched to a whisper until finally their conversation dried up when the man barely audibly whispered in the girl"s ear:
  
  - I really ....
  - Pardon? - Delia whispered, tilting her head in the direction of the man trying to make out what he said. Suddenly she felt the oh-so-slight touch of his lips, either he was still whispering or it was a very tender kiss. Del felt as if she was struck by a lightning. She froze, closed her eyes and giving in to desire, leaned into him even more.
  
  Lucas smiled widely and openly, he enjoyed the sentimental conversation and the sweet memories from her childhood. He himself occasionally reminisced about his own remote past.
  After a few more minutes, Lucas and Delice realized that they had similar attitude to life, experienced similar difficulties that were sometimes impossible to avoid, and most importantly their childhood experiences had a lot in common.
  - Lucas, I still want to go back and get the flowers.
  - Sure, I"d love to take another walk.
  They slowly got up from the table and headed for the alley that would surely lead them to their now-so-familiar bench. Talking with her and asking her simple questions, Lucas kept getting deeper and deeper into Del"s soul. They passed across some more lit spots of street lights and in the darkness, on the right there appeared the outlines of the bench they had abandoned not so long ago. They came up closer - the bunch of white roses was still lying where Delice had left it.
  - A very awkward situation, - the girl picked up the bouquet and looked down feeling guilty.
  - Rubbish, not worth thinking about.
  Lucas very gently and cautiously touched the girl"s chin. Del lifted her head and the gaze of her big grey-green eyes lingered on the man"s face. Lucas felt something respond inside and the body was filling with desire again. Trying not to give way to his passion, he made a determined effort to get a grip on himself.
  - It"s probably getting late. They"ll be worrying.
  Del didn"t understand where and who was going to be worried and neither did she want to find it out. She wanted something different.
  - Poor flowers, I"m sorry I left you all alone on a cold bench in the park.
  The girl brought the bouquet of roses to her face and continued to speak jokingly:
  - Shame on me for having left you here, and now I must make amends to you... - after a short pause Del caught Lucas' eye and added, - or to the person who gave you to me.
  With a warm smile Lucas listened to this playful speech, in which there was clear flirtation instead of an apology.
  *******
  Delice opened her eyes. Giving way to her memories, she didn"t even notice an old woman sitting next to her and staring at her. Del briefly glanced at the woman by her side, who was wearing a light-grey blouse and a dark tight skirt. Her gray hair, with a hint/hue of blue, was cut short and stylishly done. Her natural make-up favorably emphasized her large blue eyes.
  - You"ll be fine,- quietly said the old lady.
  Delice turned to her in astonishment and asked without thinking:
  - What do you mean?
  - Everything will be fine, if you are able to forgive betrayal and infidelity, anger and quick temper, jealousy and lies, - said the old lady smiling at her.
  - I don"t understand how all these things can be forgiven. - Delice shrugged her shoulders. - To put up with betrayal and infidelity, anger and lies? I can"t.
  - You "re saying so because you don"t know the reasons.
  The old lady moved a little closer to her.
  - Explain this to me.
  Though it was not a very pleasant conversation, Delice wanted to make things clear.
  - If you think over this, you"ll realize very soon that betrayal is done through stupidity and lies come out of pity so as not to hurt a person. The root of infidelity is curiosity and desire to compare. Anger is short and fleeting if it is not answered back. I used to sit and suffer like you, not knowing how to find a way out.
  - What makes you think I"m feeling bad?
  - Loneliness is hard to hide. However, there are things that cannot be forgiven.
  - And what do you mean?
  - Indifference.
  The old lady pressed her lips as if she had said something indecent. Delice was shocked as she realized how wrong she had been.
  *****
  It was about eight o'clock in the evening. Vienna looked different in the glow of the lights. Bright advertisements of shops, cafes and fashionable shop windows were all and at once lit with thousands of lights, creating of illusion of some celebration. The luxurious jewelry salon in one of the high streets of Austria"s capital city was not very crowded. A wealthy couple were choosing a ring, while other visitors were slowly walking around the hall, carefully examining the new collection of jewelry displayed in numerous showcases.
  The day was very busy. Lucas Kron was sitting in his office next to the salon. The office was small, but very cozy, with some old furniture that gave a special charm to it. The leather sofa and the two chairs looked as if they were at least 100 years old. All these antique pieces created home comfort and gave incredible warmth to the office of the director of Austria"s largest network of jewelry salons.
   Lucas was sitting at a huge desk, carefully looking through the receipts and comparing them to the bills. Once tired, he took his eyes off the papers and looked at the picture hanging right above the sofa. The painting was a reduced copy of the famous painting "My wife"s Lovers" by the Australian artist Сarl Kahler. When tired, Kron would often shift his attention or go back deep into his memories. It was exactly what he did that time. For a while his attention was scattered, but then the office owner as usual focused on the painting, and now, once again, he was looking with interest at the forty-two cats painted on the canvas.
   Smiling at the precious pets, who were watching him motionless, he unwittingly remembered the name of the painting. With his eyes closed, Lucas threw his head back against the back of his large leather chair and began to reflect.
  - "My wife"s lovers" are over here, on the wall, and where is my girlfriend now?" - quietly said Lucas. He clenched his teeth with jealousy until they hurt.
  A few months before, when he first met Delice on the Ferris wheel, Lucas felt deeply sympathetic for the girl in inconsolable grief. He was irresistibly drawn to her wishing to calm her down and to give her the warmth he still had plenty of. Until that day he lived a measured life which was even somewhat boring. His twenty-year long marriage and the two children were the sense of his life. The business that he had inherited from his father-in-law gave him an opportunity to attain a high position in society. However, everyday pleasures did not bring him emotions or the state of soul, like when you feel your heart is racing and is about to explode in your chest. And this unexpected meeting in the park turned everything upside down. He felt like he was falling in love. Every day he was thinking more and more about Delice. He called her without any good reason, talked for hours about nothing, then, when he seemed to have quenched his thirst for speaking with her, he picked up the phone again and again, and instead of making business calls, he dialed Del"s number again. The girl felt the growing attention of the man, and that new all-consuming feeling brought pleasure to her. No man had ever given her so much attention before, but at the same time Del also was beginning to be scared of her emerging affection. Love settled in her heart, and desire came more and more insistently to her in her thoughts. During a phone call, she purposefully mentioned that she was going to stay at her friend"s for a couple of days.
  -And where does your friend live? - Lucas Kron asked eagerly.
  - An hour"s drive from Vienna, in a neighboring state,- the girl replied in a playful way, realizing that she made their conversation intriguing.
  - Does she live in Bratislava?- asked Lucas, while considering something in his mind. He kept silent for a while, and then went on. "You know I was also planning to go to Bratislava on business. If you don"t mind, let"s go together".
  Kron froze waiting for an answer. He even became a little nervous, carefully concealing his impatience and desire to have some time alone with Delice one-on-one and was quick to imagine their future encounter.
  - Well, I"ll be happy to have you as a fellow traveller.
  - Then let"s set off tomorrow, - the man went on with excitement.
  - No, a little later, - Delice was a little slow with her response. There was a pause again, perhaps the girl was counting her days in the mind. - We"d better go next Tuesday,- Del answered self-consciously.
  - Sounds great.
   Lucas would be satisfied with any positive response.
  The time before the journey seemed endless. Lucas Kron, as the director of the company, gave orders in view of an unexpected business trip. He called his partner in Bratislava, arranged the time for the negotiations, to cut it short, he was carefully preparing his alibi. He spent the whole weekend with his family, which puzzled them a lot, especially when he went to the opera with his wife on Sunday evening. Actually, Kron didn"t really like opera, but he felt obliged to go because of his status.
  After returning home late, Lucas locked himself in his office, pretending he had to take care of some unfinished work for the following day. Having arranged piles of papers on the desk, the director of the jewelry company succumbed to boyish weakness instead of diving into the analysis of business documents. He started dreaming of the upcoming Tuesday, the day he was to see Delice. The successful pragmatic man was having a teenage crush. Only a month"s acqaintance and a few dates made him unrecognizable. In his relationship with Delice, Lucas Kron"s will and tenacity gave way to an obsessive desire to win this girl over. Leaning back in the chair and putting his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes and could clearly see her face, her lips, the smooth curve of her thigh. Yearning and languor filled Lucas' body. He seamlessly switched from his fantasies and dreams to pleasant memories. Kron, a strong charismatic man, met a girl he liked, and was intrigued by, and now she found a place in his heart. He wanted to come to be the only one to possess both her body and soul. He was selfish like most men. But still, it was with her soul that Lucas fell in love with first and not her body, and then he realized how beautiful she was. His feelings were much deeper than the lust of an ordinary male. Lucas wanted harmony, wanted their souls to be knit together, and he could understand that Del could help him achieve this state.
  Meanwhile, in a vast private estate on the other side of Vienna, one of the family members of a famous Austrian motorcyclist was in a very similar mood and state of mind. That sensual person was a young woman named Delice.
  Her husband, Stefan had only recently stopped using the wheelchair after a terrible accident and now, though with difficulty, he was determined to begin to get about with a walker. The walker allowed Stephen to maintain balance and steadiness while walking, training and strengthening the corset muscle supporting the spine. Stephen Adler deliberately chose the simplest model, although he could afford to order a rollator which, unlike a normal walker, had wheels, handlebars and a built-in seat that allowed him to rest when needed. It was a reasonable choice as he assumed that the more difficulties he overcame, the faster he would recover. But the most frightening thing that was oppressing him was his condition that explained in one simple word "man". It was that very word that described his huge problem that arose after the severe accident.
  - Honey! - said Stephen to Delice,- I haven"t seen you like this for a while, you are glowing. Do tell me what"s making you happy,- he said randomly.
  - What makes you think I"m happy? - replied the girl, obviously startled by the question.
  - I can tell, - Stefan kept pressing, though after her reply he was no longer sure of his observations.
  - Del, I"d like to have a serious talk with you, come here and take a seat next to me.
  
  Stefan Adler was half lying on the couch, staring hard at Del.
  - I"m all ears, my dear, - his wife said innocently.
  - Del, I want you... to be frank with me.
   Stefan stuttered, but then he pulled himself together and went on:
  - Tell me how you feel about me.
  - I love you and I feel for you, - quickly said Del, - and I trust that you will soon recover and things will get back to the way they were.
  Both of them were sick and tired of this trite phrase " get back to the way things were " and none of them believed in it anymore.
  - Do you honestly believe what you"re saying? - Stefan asked defiantly. - Look at me, do you really think there"s a chance to recover at least a part of our past?
  - What are you talking about? - Del was getting annoyed with him. - Stefan, you"ve got out of your wheelchair, you"re starting to walk. Where are your doubts coming from?
  Delice was skillfully putting on an act, trying to change the subject of the conversation. She was internally ready to tackle this horrific issue, but it was so painful to discuss it that she was trying to put it off for later.
  - Don"t you see what I"m trying to tell you, Delice? I can never be a full-fledged man, I"m a vegetable, and I"ll stay that way. In order to keep you as my wife, I must live and satisfy you.
  - Come on, honey, we"ll have the surgery and have it fixed. You"ll be fine, and I"ll wait.
  - And do you realize that it all is going to be artificial and fake? Del, you won"t be able to pretend for a long time, I know you well, you"re full of life.
  - Well, don"t say that, honey. Don"t think of the bad. Thoughts turn into reality.
  Delice felt that the conversation would end badly and tried her best to stop it.
  - Do you want me to get you some tea? I"ll make it very strong and add some cognac.
  Delice got off the couch and approached Stefan, ran her fingers through his black wavy hair, ruffled it, and then wrapped his head with her hands and gently pulled it closer. Stefan had his temple pressed against his wife, and he probably would"ve been sitting there forever if after a while he hadn"t felt the sharp edge of the buckle pricking. Adler turned his head, the gray steel of an elegant female belt buckle was shining in front of his eyes. From underneath, a double strand of orange thread ran down the blue denim cloth, and a vertical fold of trousers tried to hide a short metal zip. Stefan hugged Del"s hips and held her close. He covered the double parallel line with kisses, and then the blue fold of trousers, and the cold zip underneath. At first one tear rolled down the man"s unshaven cheek, then it was followed by a second, a third one, that finally laid a moist track on his cheek. The strong man was crying. It hurt him to say goodbye to the things that he had recently had in abundance: attention and love, dating and sex. Now there was nothing but ruins left.
  - I can"t do it alone - Stefan"s voice changed, it got lower. Adler"s words broke off as the man"s wide shoulders heaved with sobs. The man was crying. Why do strong men cry? They cry when they feel helpless.
  
  *******
  The Black Mercedes Viano enjoyed swallowing the miles of the freeway; the barely audible rumbling of the diesel engine was drowned out by the pleasant music coming out of the speakers. Lucas Kron was fond of listening to the old compositions by Paul Mauriat, and in particular, he liked the sad melody from "Love Story" which reminded him about the long past events. So now once again, at the first notes of his favourite piece his heart skipped a beat, sadness quietly creeped up, and familiar faces, like photos in a slideshow, surfaced from the memory.
  - What am I doing? - Lucas stumbled upon and turned it off. And now silence reigned in the car. There was a bend ahead. The Mercedes slowed down and turned into Erdbergstrasse. After driving a few more kilometers down the highway, Lucas parked the car in a convenient place, looked around and then slowly turned his eyes towards a small bouquet lying on the front seat. Springy yellow rosebuds were longing for a celebration, ready to give away all their beauty and fragrance.
  Kron glanced impatiently back and forth between his watch and the rear-view mirror. Sometimes his hand inadvertently reached for his mobile, but he would stop himself every time. Finally, a white WV Golf popped out of the traffic and a few seconds later it stopped abruptly three feet from the rear bumper of his Mercedes. Lucas got out of the car. Wide open grey-green eyes were staring at him through the windshield of the Golf that had just arrived, and a charming smile froze on Delice' lips. The young woman driving the car was sitting and holding the wheel tight with both hands. Fixing the owner of the car with a steady gaze, Lucas walked up and opened the door.
  - Speeding? Really?
  - I was in a hurry.
  - Why is that?
  - To see you as soon as possible.
  Lucas Kron was taken aback, as it"s been a long time since anyone had been so outspoken about their feelings.
  - And I"ve been waiting for you - he could hardly find the words trying to be clear. - Well, I have a surprise for you, - he finally breathed out.
  Delice was still sitting motionless in her car, a smile on her lips and curiosity in her eyes. Lucas extended his hand, the girl took it and stepped out of the car, carefully placing first one and then the other elegant foot in dark blue stiletto shoes on the ground. A second later she stood opposite him. She was wearing a grey fitting jersey dress, which barely reached her knees and complimented her figure. Its asymmetrical neckline showed not only her neck, but also the tender skin of her breasts. Delice continued staring into Lucas' eyes. The man was on the edge, but not like during a sports match or a family argument. In such a state the person feels fearful. Lucas"s excitement was completely different: he was overcome by a desire that was absolutely impossible to hide. His intense attraction, blended with yearning for love-making, overwhelmed him. Delice"s stare made Kron"s mouth dry. Up to that point, Lucas thought he knew his body well, but now he couldn"t resist the wave of emotions that suppressed his logic and rationality, leaving room only for instincts.
  
  Eventually, the way out was found. Lucas quickly approached the Mercedes, grabbed the bouquet and gave it to Delice with a guilty smile.
  - How nice of you, I"m touched, - Delice smelled the flowers. - When your morning starts like this, you can believe in happiness.
  
   She gratefully touched Lucas"s cheek with her hand, and then slowly ran her index finger over a day"s growth stubble on his chin. Del also felt an overwhelming desire after this light touch. Her body fluttered and responded with excitement. It was almost impossible to tell by just looking at her: only a little colour draining from her face and her knees slightly shaking.
  Lucas, as if feeling something, said:
  - And besides I have made excellent coffee. Honey, keep me company.
  The last phrase meant nothing but an invitation to enter the luxury minivan. The electric drive opened wide the side door and in a moment Delice found herself in the cozy salon of the Mercedes Viano. Everything there was made with love and looked expensive. Three seats of the back sofa and two of the middle row faced each other. There was a built-in table between them with two porcelain cups waiting patiently for guests. Next to them was a thermos flask filled with fragrant coffee having a faint trail of rum oil. Delice made herself comfortable on the back three-seater sofa while Kron sat down opposite her, took the thermos and brought it close to the snow-white cup. The coffee filled the cup to the brim in a thick and fragrant trickle. The girl, accepting the man"s rules of the game, took the cup with the drink, brought it to her lips, inhaled its aroma, closed her eyes and whispered in a low voice:
  - It smells delicious.
  Kron cheered up as soon as he heard the soft words of gratitude. They gave him strength and confidence his plan was going in the right direction.Lucas smiled, put his hand under the leather seat and, like a magician, pulled out a large tin box with the trademark Raffaello.
  - I"m never going to want to get out of here, - Delice exclaimed playfully. She flirtatiously squinted and languidly stretched looking at Lucas. The man, in his turn, deliberately sensually bit his lower lip. Lucas slipped into the desired state of mind - and in his imagination he could smell her body and touch her silky skin, hear her heartbeat, and feel the movement of her lips. Such a game of passion could leave neither him nor her indifferent. Their bodies were filled with desire, and they had only one small step to take to be entwined with passion. But Del was moving in a spiral, gradually allowing him to get closer and closer; and the more enticing she was, the more aroused Lucas became, wishing to start an exciting erotic game. Social taboos and arrogant prohibitions were thrown aside together with the clothes. A man starved for warmth and affection gave up himself to the very last drop. And for her, the inspiration for this coitus was a passion intertwined with sensuality and unfulfilled love that had accumulated since the tragic stories of her husband and child. And now, it found the way out and descended upon the man with the trepidation of her body, the ecstatic moaning and an unimaginable orgasm. He was sitting naked in a passenger seat, holding Delice tight by the hips, sometimes he drew her closer with force as if he was trying to pierce her, releasing her after a while, and then stabbing again, making her tremble and moan again. And Delice as if she was a tired wave, rolled over and then smoothly ran away and rolled over again.
  The curious rays of the sun tried to penetrate through the tinted windows of the minivan, but every time as they approached the darkened window, they retreated frustratedly, thus leaving the inside of the cabin in the desired twilight. Del, after sliding smoothly back and forth a few more times, fell on Lucas' chest in exhaustion. Her body was burning with bliss, strong internal tremors were replaced with a slight tremor in the thighs. The girl"s lips were dry and slightly open. Lucas leaned forward and, kissing the cleavage he slowly traced it with his tongue, leaving a thin wet mark. Her breasts, neck, chin, lips... Slightly open, they were waiting... As soon as his tongue reached her chin, the girl"s lips came to life, her breath became deeper, and she wrapped both arms around the man"s head and buried her face in Lucas' hair. He stopped, listened to her breathing and in a second realized that Del was crying.
  - What"s happened, honey? Have I hurt you?
  - No, it"s nothing. It will pass now.
  Del"s face went deeper into his hair. Her tears continued to run down her cheek in a thin thread and falling down they disappeared in Lucas' thick white hair.
  - Honey, have I done something wrong?
  Kron felt profoundly uneasy.
  - No, no, love. It"ll pass.
  Lucas gently pulled away from Delice and looked closely at the girl. She looked stunning: her tousled dark hair fell across half of her face, her grey-green eyes filled with tears looked through the untidy strands gleaming with moisture; her velvet dark neck and firm breasts with a pale pattern left from the tan, her thin waist. Del was sitting on Lucas' lap facing him her legs wrapped around his body. Their incredible sexual dance was over.
  - Did you cry because I upset you? - Lucas asked again. Like all men he couldn"t stand women"s tears.
  - No, it was amazing, you saw it.
  - So what happened then?
  Del smiled and said:
  - Men almost always think girls cry when resented. It is not true - we can also cry when overwhelmed with incredible tenderness, especially when they have something to compare with. Feelings get even more intense when you feel that your partner is completely open and gives himself to you to the very last drop.
  The Black Mercedes Viano with dark tinted windows broke out on the highway leading to Bratislava and got back to its job and the white Volkswagen Golf was trying to keep up, cruising about 30 meters behind it. The two cars, as if they were bound by an invisible thread, rushed to meet their destiny, and their owners, having stripped off their clothes for a short time, suddenly became amazingly close to each other.
  Soft rustling of the tires, the wind swooshing outside the window and the speedometer frozen at 130 km/h. The autobahn, a perfectly smooth road, Paul Mauriat"s orchestral arrangements heard from the speakers. And what was behind? Lucas admitted to himself that he looked in the rearview mirror more often than forward. He reached for the phone despite himself.
  The mobile phone rang in the cosy salon of the Volkswagen and "Lucas" appeared on its screen.
  - Yes, honey, I"m listening.
  Delice had never answered to men in such a sweet manner.
  - Del, how are you?
  - I can"t believe it. I"m in heaven.
  - How high?
  - On cloud nine.
  The girl ignored the joke.
  - Come back to Earth.
  - Be sure I"ll be back, my dear.
  -I"ll be waiting,- and a moment later added,- try to be careful at the wheel. Lucas sounded a bit concerned.
  - Of course, my love!
  And then he heard short beeps in the phone.
  Lucas smiled and threw another glance in the rearview mirror again. The white Golf was keeping the same distance away from him without coming even a meter closer. His hand reached for the phone again.
  - Honey, could you talk to me a little bit more?
  After a brief pause the woman"s voice replied on the other end:
  - I"ve never felt so good as I did today. I can"t imagine what"s awaiting me in Bratislava.
  Lucas listened with a smuggle smile on his face. He was incredibly pleased to hear her words of gratitude.
  - We"re keeping me out of trouble, aren"t we?
  The unexpected question caught the man by surprise. He was silent as he could not quite get her question.
  - You were controlling yourself, weren"t you? - The girl helped him before he knew. Finally, Lucas realized what she was talking about. He was even embarrassed that it took him a while to figure it out.
  - Of course, my girl,- he answered in a hurry. - Don"t worry, I have it all under control.
   Two cars were racing along the autobahn. They had only a short distance to the border with Slovakia to go...
  
  *******
   Another Sunday in the big house of the Krons was coming to an end. The dusk was falling smoothly on the streets, and the lights were gradually switched on in the house. The pleased guests thanked the hosts and went back to their places. Today they were guests at a big party of a little girl, called Maria, Lucas and Milena Kron"s daughter, who grew taller and became older, she turned five. The closest friends with their families and children had gathered in the house at her birthday party. Both the hosts and the guests, having had a lot of fun, were quite tired of the noisy children"s party by the evening.
   The cozy nursery was full of colorful boxes and bags decorated with bright bows. Some of the gifts had already been opened by the inquisitive mischievous children and the rest of them were biding their time. The birthday girl, Maria, put on her pajamas and already climbed under the blanket in her bedroom. The adults were about to do the same. Milen was comfortably sitting at the dressing table carefully examining her reflection in the mirror; she was slowly turning her head from one side to the other. Sometimes she froze, looked closely, and eventually, satisfied with the sight, she quietly nodded to her reflection, got up and went to the bathroom. Judging by her appearance, she didn"t look older than thirty. She had a slender, tall figure with a curvy hip - waist line and she had long brown hair. All this clearly showed that the owner of this body was not only beautiful and graceful, but she was also a good sport.
  
  At the same time, in the opposite wing of the mansion, Milena"s husband Lucas Kron was sitting at a huge desk in his office. At the first glance, you would think that the head of the family was working without paying attention to the day of the week or the time of day, but at a closer look, it became clear that he was not at all. In fact, the man was busy texting on his smartphone which was placed on the desk in front of him, and the texts had nothing to do with business but were rather connected with matters of the heart. And if you looked into the content of the latest messages, there would be no doubt about it. The lines from his invisible "partner in crime" lit up on the blue screen of the smartphone: "Four days of silence. Please don"t torture me. Please, let"s meet tomorrow in our "wonderful" room, I"m already so used to it..."
  And then a typically masculine curt reply: "Okay, honey, I"ll book it. Meet me at 2:00pm. Kisses. Good night..."
  Lucas turned off his smartphone, then fiddled with it on the desk, as if it was a useless toy, and a few seconds later he threw back his head, closed his eyes and drifted off in his large comfortable chair. The man was in the dark for a while although this state felt more like a void, but then the image of a living, smiling Del began to emerge as if out of the fog. She was walking towards him naked, an inviting look in her eyes. The scene vaguely resembled something from the past, perhaps one of the incredible day at the motel, or maybe it was in Bratislava. Lucas did not seek to understand where it had taken place, he"d rather wish it would happen again. Sitting in the chair with his eyes closed, Lucas almost achieved virtual intimacy with the image, he felt his body strain, his breath become intermittent and his heart beating frantically. At this point, he shuddered, came back to his senses and glanced indifferently around the office. The consciousness slowly returned to the body. What was that? A delusion? An obsession? The man shook his head as if before the last round of a fight. Then he slowly rose and walked to the bedroom. Lucas tried not to make any noise as he was walking down the hall, the muffled light was showing him the way. He was about to open the bedroom door when a quiet whisper reached his ear. Lucas stood still for a while and listened, then he took his hand off the doorknob and tiptoed to the nursery. There was no doubt the whisper was coming from there. Carefully opening the door, he quietly turned on the nightlight and suddenly saw his child with an astonished look in her big eyes. Lucas smiled at his daughter, feeling pleasant enveloping warmth spread through his body.
  - Pumpkin, why aren"t you asleep?
  - Because he"s not sleeping.
  Maria pointed to a big brown puppy pouting her lips fussily.
  - And you know why?
  -No.
  - He told me he was going to guard you, - Lucas said in a conspiratorial whisper leaning towards Maria.
  - That"s not true, toys can"t talk, - his daughter retorted.
  - This one can. He"s just shy, so he isn"t saying anything now.
  The child gave her dad an incredulous look.
  - Does he really want to guard me?
  - He sure does, baby.
  - Then let him sit by the door.
  - All right, sweetie, I"ll do it.
  Lucas leaned over the bed, buried his face in the girl"s light curls. He closed his eyes tight, inhaled deeply the fine sweet scent of his own flesh and blood, and, pressing his lips to his daughter"s warm cheek, kissed her good night.
  A few seconds later Lucas opened his bedroom door. At other times this place could be apparently called a warm shelter, where a person has rest and gathers strength, but now it was not! Lucas was met with a ringing silence. All tensed, treading softly, he slowly walked to his bed and sat down at his side. He listened again. The silence didn"t go away, it seemed a kind of disturbing. Kron turned his head, trying to at least make out Milen"s faint breathing, but it was only the sound of his own heart beating that broke the deafening silence.
  "To bed!" - giving himself an inner order, he sharply threw his feet up on the bed and lay down, covering his head with a blanket. You"d think: the day had come to its end, it was time to switch off. But he couldn"t fall asleep. He lay still for fifteen minutes and listened to the silence of the night, not understanding what was happening; then he swallowed and, no longer able to stand it, whispered : "Milen, are you asleep?" He secretly prayed to the God that the silence would continue, but suddenly a completely natural and real "No" burst into his consciousness. Now he clearly heard his wife turn to face him. He only knew it by her warm breath close to his face. In the pitch dark of the bedroom, there sounded a most unpleasant question which clearly had no answer.
  - Lucas, what"s going on?
  They were five simple words so the answer seemed to have to be just as simple, but sometimes words don"t convey feelings. If you"re naive, that"s what you think: there are no feelings, just words. But Lucas was a good judge of character, and moreover, he knew Milena inside out. Trying to control his breathing and sound more or less indifferent, he replied briefly:
  - There"s been lots of work, some problems and I"ve been getting tired.
  - Honey, I"ve rarely asked you for anything, have I?
  - That"s right, Milena,- her husband uttered.
  - Lucas, I don"t want to get into a fight as we"ve had such a great day. I"m just asking you to remember that I"m your wife and I"m also a woman.
   Kron suddenly felt deeply ashamed. He wasn"t ashamed of what he"d done or hadn"t done, he was ashamed that he had forgotten that his wife was an attractive woman. Milen, who most recently caused a boundless tide of tenderness or mad jealousy only by her presence, suddenly became a useless, invisible friend, evoking no emotion whatsoever today. A terrible puzzle began to fall into a pale faceless picture called "indifference". Lucas knew perfectly well that was the beginning of the end, and at the same time knew that passion did not last long. But, it was what it was, there was no time to reflect and make up his mind, and as he had done it a thousand times before he turned his face to Milena"s and gently touched her breasts with his free hand. He slightly squeezed the back of Milen"s neck, pulled her close to him and put his lips on hers. Alas, nothing clicked, nothing rose, nor even moved. Lucas clearly realized that the declared fatigue and problems at work could easily conceal the true cause of their sexual discord. Having let the situation go and having gathered his thoughts a little bit, he proceeded to a second attempt with caution, now paying closer attention to what his own body was telling him. This time, his hand and fingers took a completely different path. Quickly moving past the curve of Milen"s waist and without lingering on her hips, Lucas"s hand barely touched Milena"s lower belly. At that point he could feel her muscles under his fingers were throbbing and slightly pulsating, as if there were tiny drops of cold water landing there. Finally, his fingers made their way even lower.
  As soon as he touched her pubis, the man felt a light response deep in his body. Kron froze for a moment, trying to make sure of the faint signal, and having realized that the wave was rising and the faithful friend was finally awake, he carefully spread Milena"s legs and rushed in to meet his desire with increasing thrusts. Milena quietly moaned with pleasure, and then, as if she was swinging smoothly to the beat, she let the waves carry her away...
  "What was that?" The spouses lay side by side and breathing heavily. Milen"s body was shivering involuntarily and those shivers showed no sign of subsiding. While Lucas was trying to level his breath and gather his thoughts, he again asked himself the question: "What was that?" In fact, the answer was obvious: "Everything is simple - it was fear". When Kron had snuck into his bedroom with a poorly concealed sense of guilt, and later had been disarmed by Milen"s categorical question, he had got frightened, feeling that his wife had come too close to figuring out he was having an affair. Hence, scientifically speaking, it was the fear hormone, adrenaline, that caused his heart to beat frantically and drive the blood through his vessels, and made him perform in bed as if it was the first time.
  Fifteen minutes later, both the Krons were sound asleep, Milen"s head resting on Lucas"s forearm, and her hand lying weightlessly on his chest, as if it was guarding her husband"s helpless heart.
  *******
  - Professor, I thought you weren"t coming back! You were with your students and these lectures in Munich for two whole weeks. Tell me, aren"t you fed up with all that?
  - You know, Karl, I"m not. I feel like I get younger every time I see them and I recharge with their energy. So, my dear colleague, draw a conclusion.
  - I wonder what conclusion should I draw? - blurted out Karl with a cocky smile.
  - My dear student, grab a calculator and follow my thoughts.
  - I"m all ears,- Karl snapped obviously amused.
  - Every time I go to Munich with a lecture, I fell two years younger - Sigmund started out as if he was a math teacher. - I wonder, how many trips to Germany should I have to make to feel as young as you actually are? I hope the math problem is clear. - Hoffman furrowed his eyebrows severely looking at Karl. The latter, in his turn, tried not to burst out laughing, and kept tapping at the figure "two", muttering at the same time: "Even younger..."
  - Did you get that, my young friend?
  - Almost. Professor, tell me, -Karl Norman turned to his teacher with an innocent question, - if you were younger, what would you do with your personal life?
  - And that is none of your business, my dear, - Hoffman cut him off deliberately rudely and added in the end,- so, stay focused or you"ll make a mistake.
  - Professor, let me ask you one last question.
  - Ask, but only if it"s work-related.
  - When you get a little younger, will you give up on your devoted student?
  Karl squinted and watched the teacher closely.
  - Never, do you hear me, ne-ver,- said Sigmund syllable-by-syllable.- you can but dream.
  The colleagues all together burst out laughing watching a small play that was performed in Sigmund Hoffman"s office after his two-week business trip to the University of Munich.
  A thick, saturated smell rose from the cups of hot coffee, filling the office with the aroma of Brazilian "Arabica". Karl impatiently brought his cup to the lips but then, with an undisguised regret, put it down on the table feeling the dangerous warmth of the drink. Sigmund instinctively smiled as he was watching his young colleague, who showed with all his appearance that he had some news for them, a bunch of intriguing news. Hoffman took a look at his coffee, picked up a little exquisite spoon, and gently, as if reluctantly, stirred the dark brown drink crowned with a soft froth.
  
  - Go ahead, tell me, - Sigmund took pity on Norman. - What news do we have? I see in your eyes that something has happened.
  - Just imagine, Professor, it has! And the most interesting thing is that it"s all about your lovely patient.
  - I suspect you have Delice on your mind, don"t you?
  - Exactly.
  - Hasn"t my dear friend fallen in love?
  - Just imagine, teacher, - Karl spoke sharply.
  - Imagine what? - Sigmund was on the point of beginning to lose patience. - Is it yes or no? Spill the beans.
  After a long theatrical pause, Karl smiled cunningly as if he was a guilty student and then cockily answered.
  - You won"t believe me but I haven"t seen her. I just only met her victim.
  - That sounds interesting! - now Professor"s eyes were already glowing with attention and curiosity. - If this story is not in conflict with your moral code, I"d love to hear it, and maybe I can figure out where my patient has gone - Sigmund said quietly.
  Karl picked up his coffee cup, took a little careful sip, winced a little as probably the coffee was still hot enough, he sipped again and then he slowly put it on the saucer, in all his appearance showing it would be a long story.
  - About a week ago, I received a call in the morning. They wanted to speak to you, Professor, but since you were in Munich, Maria forwarded the call to me. A Lucas Kron was calling, he said he had some serious personal/family problems and insisted on my coming to his office. He was desperately in need of a psychotherapist. We arranged to meet at the same time the following day.
  *******
  - Your place looks very nice!
  - Perhaps, it really does, though if you weren"t a shrink, I"d take your words for a mockery.
   "Fine, - thought Karl to himself, - only one phrase and there has already been established a sincere informal contact ". And he added loudly:
  - And in what words can one describe so many jewels in the display boxes and these amazing animals?
   His eyes were drawn to a painting of cats, that in their turn, kept a close eye on the owner of the office, Lucas Kron, and his unusual guest.
  - As a matter of fact, you are right, - Lucas answered more softly, -"cute" is absolutely not a man"s word but it carries all the contents of my institution. Our clients are mostly couples, in which women always take jewelry with delight and gratitude, while men part with undisguised regret with ... Well, you know what I mean.
  - I don"t think that every one does, - Karl butted in.
  - Not all of them, of course, but a lot. That"s why my salon is not usually visited by people who have already been to a gun shop or a wine shop. By the way, do you mind trying collectable whiskey?
  The two friends established a rule to avoid drinking hard alcohol at the beginning of the working day. But apparently, they expected the conversation to be a tough one, that"s why Karl tried to sound deliberately interested answering Lucas' probing question.
  Collectable? I would love to keep you company.- He made it clear that they will be tasting whisky only by themselves.
  Even a strong whiskey with a thick, saturated aroma of an old-aged oak keg didn"t kill the bitterness of Lucas"s words.
  - My nervous breakdown is the result of my stupid actions that I"ve done without thinking of the consequences. In just 15 minutes I lost my family, my future and my well-being. He bent his head back pouring the remains of the burning drink down his throat, closed his eyes for a few seconds, while his face was distorted by an obnoxious grimace, as it was apparent that it was an unwarranted courtesy to drink such whisky without soda. Then Lucas put the glass on the edge of the table and slowly as if refreshing his memory and began his narration. Karl made a mental note that his probable patient was really on the verge of a nervous breakdown. His completely "slack" behavior, which was the consequence of nervous exhaustion was the proof of this. Lucas was looking at one point without blinking and his speech was too slow, as if he was speaking when "his mind is awake but his body is asleep".
  *******
  It happened exactly a week ago. I was in a motel room at 2:00, waiting for my date. We texted the day before and arranged to meet. We hadn"t spoken to each other for about a week, and the reason we didn"t talk was because of an argument. Then my friend announced to me that she was pregnant, and I pretended that nothing terrible had happened and that things would work out. When she asked "how?" I kept silent, and as a result we quarreled, and there at the motel I hoped to calm her down and make up with her. I ordered champagne and flowers to the room... I was waiting for her. Delice came ...
  At this point, Lucas sighed, as if he awoke, looked closely at Karl, trying to see if he had heard Del"s name or not. But as there was no visible reaction from the psychoanalyst, Kron calmed down and continued.
  
  - My date came,- repeated Lucas Kron, as if there had been no awkward pause. - We met very warmly, forgetting the weeks of silence, tears, foolish reproaches. There was champagne and smiles. - Kron"s face lit up, he even smiled shyly.
  - I went to take a shower, I think I was singing as I was in high spirits.
   "How surprising." - Karl noted to himself. - Being in the deepest stress, he is still able to remember such small details.
  - And then when I opened the door, - at that moment Kron"s face went dark, he stumbled and repeated. - When I opened the door in anticipation of the fun night and stepped out of the shower room, I found myself face to face with my wife Milena. Our lawyer was standing next to her. There was nothing to say. I felt like the sky darkened over me, I was hit, my eyes were dark. I thought I was going to pass out, I couldn"t tie up my shoes, and without saying a word I walked out, or ran out, to be more exact.
  Lucas kept silent, it seemed it was difficult for him to tell this last part of his story.
  - I haven"t been at my house, called anyone or talked to anyone for a week. I"m so ashamed, how could I have done that? Why did it happen so?
  This time, Karl heard in his friend"s words something completely different, not what he had been expecting. There was no trace of remorse. There was just a strong, unrevealed feeling of frustration.
  - I think I can help you, - Karl pretended he was going to leave. - Your case can be a serious problem if you don"t take it seriously. What I see now is that you"re in the grip of depression that hasn"t lifted yet. And the main reason you"re sick today is because you went into it in the motel and you couldn"t get out. Your mind is stuck on it there, even though you escaped physically. As I understand from your explanation, you don"t call home to your wife, and you can"t get through to your girl-friend. I"m sorry, I don"t recall her name. - Karl"s been lying as he had already guessed it. - So I suggest you have medication to normalize your condition, and you will cope with depression on your own.
  - How? - Lucas raised his eyebrows in surprise.
  - It is very simple. Call your wife at home, I think everything will settle.
  - But it"s impossible, she won"t pick up the phone, I know her.
  - I don"t think so. I strongly recommend you call.
  Karl rose to his feet and by his look it was clear that he was not going to stay there any longer. He extended his hand to say good-bye. Lucas gratefully and at the same time distrustfully shook it.
  - I"ll try to follow your advice. He said what is usually said in such situations, but then he still expressed his own thought.
  - I don"t believe in that call.
  
  *******
  The hands of the clock showed past midnight, mercilessly approaching the morning with every minute. Now Milena hated her husband. Every day she had to think up little stories explaining why Lucas was not there, but she was too weak to tell the truth. And yet she knew that sooner or later everyone would know about that. Someone will be genuinely sorry and support her, while others will be quiet happy. Milena opened her eyes, feeling her face blushing with shame. She certainly didn"t want to be in the full glare of publicity. However, even at the best of times, Milena did not want to attract publicity, she was glad to miss celebratory events for the sake of small family joys. But now... now everything was destroyed. The woman who entered her second youth turned on her side, as she would do when Lucas was falling asleep beside her, and even extended her hand to touch him. Alas, his place was cold. Milena"s hand slipped across the sheets as if she wanted to make sure her husband had gone for the last time, but once again, feeling the cool sheets, her palm dove back under the blanket and cuddled between the her warm thighs.
  - Why did he prefer that stray cat to me?
  The woman whispered quietly as if she feared that someone might hear her words: "Bastard... coming naked from the shower..." She remembered the door opening slowly and her husband, naked, stepping out into the hallway. There were still drops of water on his body, and he was smiling and looking so happy at that first moment. At that memory Milena bit her lower lip until it hurt so much that a lonely tear didn"t hesitate to run down her face and landed onto her pillow, leaving a round moist spot.
   The huge nervous tension was draining her life force, the fatigue was enveloping her body, her eyes slowly closed tight, and Milena drifted off to a short restless sleep.
   She was dreaming of that ill-fated morning when her smartphone let out a lonely beep, announcing the delivery of a text message. She walked over to pick up her phone, opened the messenger, read the text, and then she laughed at the nonsense she"d just got. It was next to impossible that her beloved Lucas was seeing a beautiful brunette at two in some strange motel. It was just impossible. "It"s not true, it"s not true", - repeated Millen, laughing and twirling in the middle of the living room...
  At that moment she started breathing heavily and opened her eyes only to find that half an hour had passed and it was still dark in the bedroom but now she was not alone. Loneliness had come to pay Millen a visit. The woman could feel it deeply now. Alone, she was utterly alone. "How can I go on? How should I behave? What will I say to our children and friends? What a shame! He"s hooked up with another woman. It"s impossible. I don"t want to, I can"t take it anymore".
  She shut her eyes again, but it wasn"t in the hope to go to sleep, but just in an effort not to burst into tears. With her eyelids tightly closed and all clammed up inside, Milena naively believed she could stop the bitter-salty flood. But the ugly visions of the past fuelled resentment and bitterness. When the tears brimmed over, they poured onto the pillow with renewed vigor. She"d been having nights like this for a week, and she found it harder and harder to control herself. Milena tried sedatives, but they couldn"t help, since there was no answer why she was alone.
  "Maybe, Lucas isn"t the one to blame?" the brilliant thought suddenly sprang to Millen"s wounded mind. "Maybe that slut deliberately seduced him and set him up? "
  The poor woman grasped this wacky idea as if it was her last resort. "In fact, she wasn"t undressed when we entered the room, and I think she wasn"t even surprised to see me."
  A horrifying idea dawned on her. "I can"t believe it was all planned in advance. How stupid I was! How could I fail to figure it out right away!" Now she was flipping through the days, hours, minutes, trying to remember the last part of the argument in every single detail.
  Her last words, thrown at the face of the self-assured mistress, sounded rude. Milena could barely restrain herself.
  - You can have him, choke on him! Be happy together. I"m grateful to the author of this morning"s message, he opened my eyes to this... - Milena said an insulting word. - I am grateful to that decent person that they would not let you to laugh at me and torture me.
  At the same time the furious woman was feverishly dialing the number of the caller who had sent the message that morning. Lucas, flabbergasted, had already slammed the door of the room, he"d run out like a coward, without uttering a word of explanation. He was followed by the lawyer. Meanwhile, she couldn"t get through to the subscriber. Millen dialed the number again and heard a distant buzz which in a strange way loudly echoed in the room. The deceived woman was so stunned she hung up and immediately dialed again. The silence of the room was ripped up by the high-pitched ringing phone in the other woman's purse.
  There was no doubt. Milena was about to say something, but her rival beat her to it. Lucas"s girlfriend suddenly got to her feet, grabbed her purse and quickly left, slamming the door behind her. Milen was left standing alone in the middle of the room, feeling angry and confused.
  "It was not an accident. Lucas is gullible and foolish. How could he fail to understand? " Her anger at the husband turned to self-pity, and her hand reached for the phone. The screen was green and blue in the light of night, tears welled up in her eyes, a trembling finger was struggling to click on the necessary keys. But despite these difficulties, a short and powerful appeal pierced the air of the night: "Come back!"
  *********
  The autumn in Vienna was coming to the end with a dull wet November. The never-ending drizzle and a biting wind drove the residents and guests of the old town into warm and cozy cafes and bars. Two men of respectable age were sitting at a small round table in one of these wonderful coffee shops. They were having an animated conversation - often smiled, sometimes threw up their arms, and sometimes even seemed to be arguing. If you listened in carefully, you would easily make out the frequently-mentioned word "Prater". The man with an incredibly thick hair said this word much more often.
  - Sigmund, I"m telling you the umpteenth time that drinking coffee at our age at night should be avoided.
  - And what do you suggest? Shall we have beer with vodka and a pork knuckle with cabbage stew?
  Felix even closed his eyes hearing the unexpected question, then he swallowed, and suavely asked his vis a vis:
  - Professor, did I hear you right? - the man brought his hand up to his ear to give weight to his words.
  - Bravo, Felix Friedland - Sigmund laughed loudly. - Mind you, it"s not a question. Consider it to be an invitation, and I"ll book a table right now to end this speculation.
  Hoffman took out his smartphone, ran through the contact list, chose the right number, and introduced himself to make the booking.
  
  *******
  - Thank you, we"ll be there in two hours.
   Sigmund hung up and turned to his friend:
  - Let"s stay here for another hour, all the more you haven"t told me everything.
  - What do you mean? - Felix was wary.
  - Well, you haven"t told me about your daughter. Where has she gone? How is she getting on?
  - I guess you"re right. It"s probably best to get all the tough topics over with here and now, and not drag them with us further into the evening.
  - What are you talking about? Is Delice all right? - Sigmund asked carefully.
  - Yeah, but I don"t even know how to tell you this.
  - Come on, you know I"ll understand and support you.
  - Well, Del is pregnant.
  - Another false pregnancy?
  - Not at all, this time it is real. It"s going to be seven months this week.
  - You know, this time it is true. It is going to be seven months this week.
  
  - Felix, it is a perfect occasion to go to "Schweiserhouse" and raise a glass or two for your lovely daughter. And who is her chosen one, I can recall you saying that her husband was badly injured in the accident and couldn"t be a father. Did she go into vitro insemination?
  
  - No, not at all! I even don"t know where to start.
  - Start at the beginning or the last time I saw her at my office.
  
  Felix lifted a cup of cold coffee, took a sip, froze as apparently the cold drink didn"t taste good. Then Friedland gently put the cup on the saucer, squinted and suddenly said in a suggestive manner:
  
  - Promise me you won"t laugh.
  
  - I promise you, Felix! If I ever smile, you can think of me as a pediatrician, not a therapist, - the professor spoke solemnly and seriously.
  - Remember, you took an oath - just in case Felix warned smiling Sigmund again.
  - Of course, I remember and now you have seen my last smile in that cafe.
  - Okay, then listen to me.
  Felix turned around a little bit on the chair, probably he was choosing a more comfortable pose and started slowly.
  -When Delice didn"t show up for your appointment, she left everyone, had a falling out and made some enemies. She didn"t believe she was having a false pregnancy, she thought she was being tricked into having an abortion. She hated everyone: me, the doctors, even her husband, even though he had nothing to do with it, but it was her ex-lover who got the most. Lucas is a pretty good guy, and he obviously knew there was something wrong with her, but unfortunately, he didn"t pass the test. When she came to him and told him about the pregnancy and the dream of having a baby, he wasn"t ready for that, or maybe he said something wrong. Well, that"s when she must have hated him. And then she lured his wife to a hotel with a morning message, where she cashed her parallel relationship with her husband. That woman paid her dues by throwing curses at Del. And you, Sigmund, will not believe it but in a few days my daughter fell into the deepest depression and then my little girl started showing signs of acute nervous dermatitis.
  
  Sigmund was listening attentively to his old friend, fearful of putting in even the smallest line. Meanwhile Felix continued:
  - It started with a severe itch, which could not be soothed even with medicine, then some red spots appeared on her neck, hands, stomach and groin. Delice scratched them heavily, which led to wounds, and then it was like in a movie about heaven"s punishment. A week later, my little girl could hardly be recognized, why she was going through all of these, who did she so angry? I was beginning to think it was the curse of her friend"s crazy wife. I"m sorry, Sigmund, I think I said something stupid, but you know what I mean, Del is the dearest person to me. Dermatologists struggled for two weeks to localize skin reactions. But there was no recovery. Anyway, why should I tell you about neurodermite, you know it better than I do.
  
  - Yes, know this diagnosis, I wouldn"t wish it on the enemy. It seems that the disease has already gone, but it will emerge at the worst possible moment. And the patient has deep depression again, low self-esteem, and it"s all in his head. Sometimes you don"t even know how to dig it out. It is one thing to be a surgeon who found, looked at, cut out and sewed. And the patient is as good as new. And here is the brain that gives the command, sends the wrong signal, there is a malfunction in the program that disrupts the growth, division, and maturation of the epithelium cells. The result of these changes is itchy wounds covered with scales. The patient has no control, he scratches the body, and there"s no way to stop it. It is horrible! You can"t get in the head to press the right button. I"m sorry, my friend, I distracted you, please keep going.
  
  - I needed that pause, Sigmund, thank you for giving me a break. You know, when something bad happens to Delice, I am overcome with grief and pain too.
   After taking a big sip of the already cold coffee Friedland expressively stared at Hoffman.
  - Sigmund, could you remind me where I was?
  - Oh my friend, I see the cold coffee hasn"t done you any good for you. Probably we should go to Prater to fix you up. I think we"ll only be saved by a hot knuckle with a glass of foaming beer.
  - Wait, I haven"t told you the most important thing.
  - I think you"ve said everything.
  - Then, repeat, what is the most important thing I said, - demanded Felix in a cockily boyish manner.
  
  - It"s a piece of cake, - parried Sigmund almost mockingly. - The most important thing you"ve just told me is that your daughter is pregnant, and you don"t pin much faith on your happiness or, to be more exact, you doubt it. And you"ll probably ask me, as a psychotherapist, to help you sort this out. And Prater is the best place to do this. Well, have I hit the nail on the head?
  
  - Can you explain how you manage to do it?
  - It"s very simple, my friend. Deduction!- Hoffman answered quoting Sherlock Holmes and smiled.
   The phone rang out of the blue. The third ringtone, the fourth, the fifth... Felix Friedland pompously and unhurriedly picked up his smart phone.
  - Hello, speaking.
   A few seconds later, his face turned pale, it was like he cringed. His eyes wandered, his hands nervously moved. Hanging up the phone he froze for a moment and looked around blankly.
  - Felix, what"s the matter with you, buddy?
   Sigmund questioningly looked at his friend, but could see nothing but his shell.
  - It"s Delice, it"s bad, her water has just broken, - the dull words burst out of Friedland"s chest like a moan. He hurried to collect his things.
  
  ON THE PLANE
   A new tone suddenly joined the monotonous hum of the engines which the salon had already been accustomed to. It was a little rougher and more irritating. Airbus seemed to get down, then softly sank into shallow air holes a couple of times, making it clear that the airport was close. Those sitting on the left and right side of the plane clung to the windows, trying to make out something underneath. And down there was a beautiful sea, it was blue, and it seemed as boundless as the sky above. Delice, like most of the people, was also glued to the window, and in addition to being interested, she wanted, at least for a while, to avoid the annoying questions of the elderly man sitting next to her. Ten minutes later, there came into sight a blurred coastline. The plane was approaching the mainland perpendicularly.
  The meticulous old man realized very quickly that Delice was a European, although her outfit looked like the one of Muslim women. Her head and neck were covered with a Rusari-like kerchief and her body was covered with a loose garment from gray silk made in an oriental style. Delice' outfit was not only beautiful, but it was modest and discreet.
  - You are not a Muslim, definitely not, - the old Jew stated without hesitation after greeting her.
  - What makes you think so? - the girl asked in surprise. Del believed that the professionals who chose the outfit, taking into an account her nervous dermatitis and the country where she was going for treatment, could not make a mistake.
  - It"s very simple, Muslim girls don"t wear perfume as pleasant as yours when they leave their house.
  To prove his point of view, the old man sniffed the scent with his big nose and closed his slightly bulging eyes. Del had nothing to do but to thank the passenger sitting next to her.
  - Thank you, - said the girl, noting the expertise and the sophisticated compliment of the old man. The old man kept talking about his wonderful children and grandchildren, and at the same time subtly asking her name, the reasons for her trip and even the place where she was going to have treatment.
  - Adler,- the fellow passenger pronounced Del"s family name with hardly hidden envy. - By the way, do you know what it means in Hebrew?
  - I don"t think so, - the girl looked at the old man questioningly.
  - An eagle, it"s an ancient Jewish surname of the nobility. You certainly have Jewish roots, - a neighbor concluded in the end. - And now I"m not afraid to land.
  - What are you talking about? - Del"s raised her eyebrows.
  - Birds don"t fall down, - softly said the old man
  After these words, Delice realized that her talkative old man was simply afraid of flying. And he was hiding his fear in the conversation, trying to distract himself.
  The plane made a smooth turn to the left and the passengers sitting on the left clearly saw houses and a motorway with cars below. Only the infinite abyss of the sky was visible in the windows on the right-hand side.
  After a while, the aircraft leveled off, the passengers could feel the dull movement underneath when the plane released its chassis and a few minutes later gently touched the runway of Ben-Gurion Airport. The engines roared even more loudly, and the airliner began to slow down. Scattered clapping was heard in the plane, tension disappeared from the faces and the salon was filled with joyful cheers as the passengers were thanking the pilot and crew for the flight.
  - The Dead Sea works wonders, and you must go to the Wailing Wall, to this holy place. God will hear you and help you, - the good old man tried to guide Del again. The girl nodded and smiled nicely to show her gratitude. The good old man seemed to succeed in persuading her.
  *******
  The time was dragging at a steady pace like an eternal hourglass, with a thin stream running from the passage of an endless glassbulb. It neither slowed down or accelerated, thus quitely bringing peace, indifference, and sleep to Delice' life.
  More than a month had passed since the girl found herself in the luxurious spa hotel of the famous resort Ein Bokek, located on the shores of the Dead Sea, not far from the famous fortress Masada. Every next day was a copy of the previous one. It seemed there was nothing new, but the course of her disease has shown a positive dynamic in the treatment of acute neurodermite. The scratched wounds healed, itching disappeared, and there were almost no new spots of her unpleasant disease. What was also important is that Delice was not an ordinary patient like thousands of others who came to have treatment and health-improving procedures. She was there at the insistent request of her father, who placed her in his cousin"s medical centre. Friedland"s cousin, the leading doctor of the center that specialized in skin diseases, took an active part in the recovery of his niece"s health.
  The moon landscape of the Jewish desert on the one side and the incredible azure Dead Sea on the other, drew everyone"s admiration, striking you with its contrast and inviting to travel and have walks. But Delice spent all her time free from medications/procedures on the closed beach of the spa hotel either because she was not impressed by the view or was too depressed and was ashamed of her illness.
  The amazing sun at this resort - bright, juicy and absolutely non-burning - had such characteristics because the Dead Sea was on the geographical rift of more than 400 meters below the sea level and the air was saturated with oxygen and useful mineral evaporations. Apparently, as a result of this non-stop relaxation, Delice's skin began to restore its former elasticity and freshness and gradually her dried-up scabs healed and peeled off leaving light pinkish spots in their place.
  Her uncle, Friedland"s cousin, asked a nurse, an attractive woman in her 40s, named Nina, to take personal care of his special patient.
  It was incredible but as soon as Delice"s mood started to darken because of the disease, the nurse was immediately with her, finding the right words for consolation. Little by little their women"s communication was becoming more and more sincere, turning the usual business acquaintance into a friendship.
  One day, Delice, appeared in Nina"s office not at the arranged time having mixed up the time of her medications. Realizing her mistake, Del apologized and was about to leave but the nurse politely stopped her.
  - You won"t disturb me.It"s OK, sit down at my table.
  Del was pleased to stay and thanked the nurse because she didn"t want to go back to her room.
  - Are you in a good mood? Is there anything disturbing you? - Nina asked professionally, but with a warm smile.
  - There is practically nothing if not to mention my dreams, Del answered a little absent-mindedly, fiddling with a small ceramic vase that she took from the table.
  - And what are your movies about? It is something about our girls" secrets, isn"t it? - the nurse asked with interest.
  - My dreams are 18+, - answered the girl with a smile.
  - I can say, you are recovering if the hormones start doing their job again.
  Del closely looked at Nina as if she was deciding on whether or not to tell her. A second or two later Del decided to tell her about the dream, without giving away the vivid/colourful intimate details. Nina listened sympathetically, occasionally asking her questions to confirm her presence. Extraordinary romantic moments of the dreams touched the nurse and at some point she even wanted to be part of the action herself. To put in a nutshell, she was a little jealous.
  - And what is the name of this Mr X?
  -Was. His name was Lucas.
  - Why are you so sad and are talking in the past?
  
  - Because nothing can be done to help as too many mistakes were made.
  - It is sad but I think he"s not letting you go.
  - On the contrary. We haven"t spoken since our breakup.
  - I can"t believe you guys aren"t talking and he"s not waiting for you.
  
  - No, I don"t think that"s possible after everything that has happened. Tell me, what is that weird vase you have? It"s covered with golden cracks.
  
   Del continued fiddling with it, examining the defects.
  - I have one in my room, but no cracks. Tell me, which of them is the original?
  - Of course it"s yours, because it"s intact, - Nina said with a smile. - And this one"s cracked, but with a heart, she continued. - A year ago, a Japanese woman was treated here. It was a tough case. And you know, it happened so that she accidentally dropped this vase when she was getting medication. And then she glued the pieces together and, to everybody"s surprise she began to get better. When she was leaving us, she was almost fully recovered. We didn"t even know if the sea had cured her or the vase. She would often claim that a person who masters the art of the golden seam could get rid of a lot of problems on their own. Del, why don"t you break something and then glue it back together?
  - I already have.
  Delice wanted to get back on the track of their conversation, and it was obvious that something was bothering her.
  - Nina, is it true that you can get pregnant swimming in the Dead Sea?
  - Parthenogenesis? I don"t know, I can"t say anything specific, but a lot of people talk about it, and some people believe you can. I think we can compare it to believing in the existence of God. It"s impossible to give factual proof whether one exists or not.
  - Well, ready? - Nina pointed to the couch. Delice nodded, stood up, put the ceramic vase on the table, and started to undress.
  
  *****
   Delice looked around, the beach seemed deserted during lunch. She chose a far parasol with two beach chairs and slowly headed towards it, holding a large beach bag in one hand, and a large fluffy towel in the other. Del stopped at the lounge chair, carefully spread the towel, took out a book and, making herself comfortable, started reading. After reading a few pages, Delice put the book down, yawned deeply, carefully covering her mouth with the back of her palm, looked around to see if anyone was looking at her, and satisfied sat back, taking a relaxed pose. The medication and the procedures had a powerful sedative effect. It put her in a state she deeply enjoyed. And now Delice habitually adjusted her sunglasses and half-closed her eyes.
  After a couple of minutes, Del quietly dozed off despite herself. A few more minutes later, the azure sea, frozen in its salinity, slipped into Delice' new dream.
  
   She was swimming, or rather lying on her back, and the warm water was gently touching her and then rolling away. Her body felt light, almost weightless, it was as if it was floating in the water. She had been in a similar state only when Lucas was by her side. And now, in her dream, he reappeared in an incomprehensible way, standing up to his waist in the water, and his silent silhouette was hovering above the slowly floating girl. His presence evoked fear and desire, tenderness and promiscuity. Del"s breathing became fast and deep, her hand reached for and traced a perky nipple, and the girl quietly moaned. And then in her dream Lucas gently touched her cheek, her neck, and then slowly ran his fingers down her cleavage, between her breasts, down the belly, and further down. Delice crossed her legs unconsciously, straining her pelvic muscles, then relaxed them and tightened them again, picking up the rhythm of the action. The girl, lying on the lounge chair under the parasol, lay still in expectation, her lips swelled up and turned sKarlet, her breathing slowed down and became barely audible. One second, and down the belly, there was one push, a second, a third...
  It seemed to Delice she was dissolving in water. Lucas softly touched her hand, gently pulled her to himself, her weightless body moved towards him, her hips slowly spreading. And when her legs touched the man"s body, gently wrapping around his waist and intertwined behind his back, an overwhelming desire washed over Del. It was unbelievable, but she thought she could feel him in her body.
  Sweet longing filled her body. Del slowly opened her eyes, coming to her senses and, not fully aware of her condition, not believing in what she saw, she froze: the silhouette of a man standing against the sun was the same as she had dreamed of a minute before.
   - You? Here? How? - That"s all she was able to say before she was sound asleep again.
  *****
   It has not even been six months, and here we are in our favorite beer restaurant "Schweiserhouse", and there"s the traditional dish on the table: a pork knuckle with sauerkraut and beer to go with it all. What do you say about this kind of tradition?
  - I think our loyalty to this place, in our case, is a sign of men"s health, was Friedland"s pompous response.
  - Then, my friend, let"s try to quench our age-old hunger while preserving our livers and enjoying ourselves.
  - Agreed! - Felix had already unfolded the napkin and taken up the cutlery, with his big nose pointing all the time towards the giant pork scapula, skillfully roasted on a spit, and a pile of tender stewed sauerkraut beautifully decorated by the chef"s generous hand. Two glasses of foamy beer stood still next to the plate in silent expectation. Everything was ready for a meal, which ten minutes later was in the full swing.
  - Felix, come on - Sigmund gently pushed the well-roasted piece of pork with his knife closer to his friend. - See, the way it"s looking at you, it clearly wants to be eaten by you. The greasy, roasted, bronze-coloured chunk of meat lay on top of the stewed cabbage and its incredible aroma demanded to be dealt with with respect.
  Friedland smiled with gratitude at Sigmund and burrowed in a small way: Let"s split it...- he began to work hard with his knife and fork to cut the piece of pork in two.
  
  - So, you"re a grandpa again? - Hoffman said to his buddy. And it was difficult to tell if it was a question or a statement.
  - Yeah, buddy, I"m happy. You can"t imagine how cute she is, - Felix picked up his smartphone off the table and quickly found a picture of his granddaughter. Come on, guess who she looks like?
   The professor looked closely at the pretty little face and said with a warm smile:
   - A carbon copy of Delice, an unbelievable similarity, I would say, nature rarely reproduces itself that way.
  - Let"s drink to the health of my girls and may all the troubles be left in the past. Friedland raised a small shot, filled by a third with a colourless, strong drink, and looked with gratitude at his friend. The professor responded in kind.
  Meanwhile, the friends" night out at Prater"s establishment had long passed the equator, but not all important questions had been asked. It was all for Hoffman"s well-bred tactfulness.
  - Ask away, at the end of the day Felix was the first to lose his patience.
  - What do you mean? - raising his eyebrows, his friend said innocently.
  - What do I mean? You"re wondering who the baby"s father is, aren"t you?
  - I suppose so, but I think if you find it necessary, you"ll tell me.
  - Yeah, you"re right. I"ll tell you myself, but actually there"s really nothing to say.
  - What do you mean by nothing? I don"t understand you.
  - I don"t understand myself. I"ve asked this question a few times, and I"ve got the same answer every time, saying there were no men, much less relationships. She says it"s the Dead Sea. It"s a mystery.
  The professor nodded sympathetically, apparently looking at the situation through the prism of psychoanalysis. "Unbelievable, what strange events keep happening to the poor girl" - thought Sigmund. "Though, why poor? - He asked himself the question, and then he found the obvious answer, but in fact, it worked out perfectly, almost fabulously, and Del had a daughter and Felix had a granddaughter. And how this lovely creature was conceived isn"t fundamentally important." - The professor was so deeply immersed in his thoughts that he did not notice a slight irritation on his friend"s face.
  - Sigmund, can you hear me? Felix had obviously already asked that question before.
  - Yes, yes, I"m all ears.
  - Now, Sigmund, the last time I spoke to my daughter, she gave me a detailed account of the moment of possible insemination. You know, according to Del, it happened in the Dead Sea, and the role of the man was played by drops of salty water.
  - Now, again, are you talking about parthenogenesis? You are the one who should know it exists, but not in humans. Natural science may theoretically allow for such a process, but such cases have not yet been documented in history.
  - Sigmund, I understand everything myself. But Del talks and my granddaughter smiles - that is a fact.
  - Felix, look, I touch the shot with my fingers and it sticks to them - the professor began to visually demonstrate the experience. Is it gelatin or collagen?
  - Gelatin! Collagen, as a result of the denaturation of the protein, acquires new qualities - Friedland started as if at an exam, and then, catching himself, forcefully said, "Are you kidding?"
  - No, I just thought maybe Delice was telling the truth...
  Sigmund became silent, staring at Felix, and then added in a low voice: "You"re a lucky man and that is a fact."
  
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