After Fiddler Part 2
Tevye held Golde's shoulders while she vomited over the side of the ship. Just his luck, it was almost three weeks into the voyage and his wife was the only one that was still getting sea sick. Golde pushed herself up so she was standing straight. Tevye smiled and patted her back, accidentally making her vomit again. Just then the door opened from the below decks and Shprintze and Bielke stepped onto the deck carrying some dolls that they had made out of old cloths. Bielke ran up to Tevye.
"Papa, when's Mama going to be better?" she asked,
Tevye just opened his mouth when Hodel came up from the lower decks.
"Bielke, leave Mama be. She's not feeling well." she then walked over and grabbed Bielke's wrist and walked her over to the other side of the deck to join Shprintze. Tevye couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong.
Golde woke up sweating. She had just had a terrible nightmare. There had been blood everywhere, and Hodel, Perchik… her mind was swimming. She carefully got up, trying not to disturbed the others and headed for the stairs, that lead to the upper deck.
She stood by the rail trying to put things into place. Every dream had a meaning. She heard a creak and turned around. Hodel had followed her.
"Is something wrong?" she asked Hodel. Hodel jumped. She had not expected her mother to be there.
"I uh… couldn't sleep. And you?" she asked.
"Me either." replied Golde with a half smile, leaning against the rail of the ship.
"Sea sickness?" asked Hodel
Golde shook her head. "Do you want to talk to me about something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, yes, I need to talk to someone-" Hodel walked over and leaned over the rail to look at the water.
"Well?" asked Golde
"It's about Perchik…"
"Now Hodel, I know you liked Perchik but I think you can do better. You know, I never really liked him. Now-"
"Mama! That's not what I was going to say! And for your information I loved Perchik and-" her bottom lip started to tremble and within seconds she was sobbing uncontrollably. Golde then realized that what she had said had upset her and tried to comfort her. Hodel tried pull away, but Golde was stronger. She hugged her tightly until she had calmed down enough to speak. Golde loosened her grip. Hodel quickly broke away and began to run to the other rail.
"Hodel!" Golde yelled walking after her. Then seeing that Hodel wasn't planning on stopping, Golde screamed her name, picked up her skirts and ran after her. A sailor heard the commotion and came down from the crows nest. Hodel then jumped over the rail of the ship. Golde got there in just enough time to grab one of her wrists, nearly going over herself. The sailor seeing this ran over and helped Golde pull Hodel back onto the deck.
Hodel lay, sprawled out on the deck wailing. Golde kneeled, still heaving from the work it took to get Hodel back onboard. She held Hodel's hand and brushed a hair out of her face. The sailor stood a short distance away from them, watching the scene. Golde then started to cry and yelled at Hodel for scaring her.
"Would it be too much to ask you ladies to go to bed?" asked the sailor. Golde didn't answer, but stood up and helped Hodel to her feet. The sailor escorted them through the door and down the stairs to their room.
Tevye's family shared a rather small room together, with and elderly couple. Golde let Hodel through the door in front of her. She then turned around to close the door. Before doing so she thanked the sailor quietly. He nodded and left. She closed the door and sat down in the chair on their side of the room. Before dosing off in the chair she thought of what Hodel had said before her fit. She had said she loved Perchik, in past tense. Could he already be dead? She then fell asleep.
Hodel lay next to Shprintze. She was glad she had been saved but she still felt as if she could not live without him…
