calls to her no more.
She turns toward him, sleep is overcoming him, his arms again on the armrests, his face fallen. She leaves the window, goes to his side, she takes his hand, sits next to him.
âDonât fall asleep,â says Sabana.
âNo,â says David.
â¢
S abana stays with David.
âDonât fall asleep,â she says.
âNo,â says David.
She holds his hand in her own. She says:
âThe light in the field wasnât real. Your hands are so cold.â
He does not answer.
âYouâre less afraid,â she says.
He turns an inquiring look upon her.
âI think so,â he says.
The Jews are at the table, in the same position. Heads resting back against the wall, they are silent. The Jew looks at Sabana, her blue eyes, dark, blue, fixed upon David.
âYou must not be afraid,â she says to David.
âNo.â
There is a look of complete confidence on Davidâs face. She takes his hand, she studies it.
âYour hands are so heavy,â she says. âItâs the cement.â
âIt set,â he says.
âYou work so much,â she says.
âYes.â
âWhy?â
He pauses before answering:
âI donât know.â
Silence.
Sabana holds Davidâs hand in hers and looks toward the road. She speaks, her voice even and low:
âTonight, in the frost and ice, in the desolate cold, there is Jeanne, out in the cold desolation.â
âJeanne?â asks David. âWhere?â
He almost cries it out. His voice sounds dull, broken.
âIâm not sure,â says Sabana. âYou forgot,â she says to the Jew, âweâre afraid for Jeanne, night and day.â
âWhy?â asks David.
Sabana doesnât answer David. She speaks to the Jew. âShe works against Gringo, sheâs trying to subvert him, sheâs trying day after day.â
David pulls his hand from Sabana.
âThatâs not true!â he cries.
Sabana does not answer. Her gaze is fixed, her voice broken, like Davidâs.
âShe thinks she can. Sheâs crazy.â
Silence.
âWhen Jeanne gave her report tonight, I wasnât sleeping,â says Sabana. She gestures at David. âDavid was sleeping. But I heard. Gringo told her to write down âcriminal lies,â but she wrote âcriminal liberties.â Gringo wanted her to say âin service of the great power of the merchants,â but she wrote âthe ideological aberration.â Gringo cried out. Jeanne said she went to wake up David to ask him what the Jew said in the café, and after she wrote exactly what David said. Gringo laughed. He told Jeanne not to treat him like a child. Then Jeanne wrote the word, âliberty.ââ
Sabana leaves Davidâs side and walks over to the door that opens onto the darkened park.
âJeanne doesnât know that I know,â she says, turning toward David. âYou didnât know.â
âNo,â says David. He waits. The intensity of his waiting slowly shows in his face.
âYou donât know anything?â she asks.
âA little. I came to know,â he admits. âGringo did say once that Jeanne was useless, a wreck.â
Silence.
âJeanne is young, like David,â says Sabana. âShe is the same age as him. Beautiful like him.â She looks at the Jew. âAnd one day they will kill her like they will kill you.â
âShut up!â cries David.
Sabana turns to the darkened park.
âWe live together,â she says. âWe are both Davidâs wives.â
A sob bursts from her chest. She presses her palms against the cold glass of the window. Then presses them to her forehead.
A racket bursts out in the part of Staadt beyond the darkened park.
âThereâs shooting!â cries David. âNear the ponds!â
Sabana does not move. Davidâs face has again taken on the expression of a
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