Chapter Twenty Two
Saturday 15th June
'I really wouldn't care, To be a millionaire, I'd rather find someone to love a lot, Live and give it all I've got.'
Candy would be irate but he couldn't tear himself away. He stood for a while longer watching the workmen and sound crew adjusting wires and twisting things round. He couldn't see the singer, but her voice was captivating. He suddenly felt himself pushed from behind by a scuffle of people and as he turned he saw one of the people handing out leaflets had collapsed to the ground. There was a rush of people around the fallen person but instinctively Harry pushed himself to the front.
"I'm a doctor, let me through," he said, with his brain telling him he was not really a doctor anymore just a teacher.
The pile of clothes collapsed onto the pavement hardly looked big enough to be human. He knelt down and checked the breathing of the elderly lady on the floor.
"Mrs Finkelstein?" Harry cried in confusion as she blinked her eyes up at him. "What on earth are you doing here?" He put his arms under her shoulders, assured that she wasn't suffering from anything other than the effects of the hot sun.
"Harry? Is it really you? Baruch Hashem!"
"But what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to do my bit for peace," she whispered. "Can you take me home? Please?"
"Of course I can." He opened his bottle of water and held it to her lips.
"Have you been here long? You should have been in the shade. Surely someone else could have done this?" Harry chided.
"Shh" Mrs Finkelstein said in reply and sat up further.
"Can you stand?" Harry asked.
Mrs Finkelstein nodded and Harry half carried, half supported her back over to the NYU gazebo and helped her into a chair. There was hardly any substance to her, he could have easily carried her but he let her walk. He knew how important independence and dignity were to the elderly. "Here have this soda," Harry insisted.
"I'm not keen on the stuff," Mrs Finkelstein admitted.
"There's fluid, there's sugar, it's perfect. Chantelle can you go and find us a cab please and give me a text when it's there and I'll bring Mrs Finkelstein across? Here's my number." He scribbled the number on some paper and shoved it at Chantelle.
"I don't think…" Chantelle began, her eyes widening and then running off up the path.
Harry turned to look behind him in the direction of Chantelle's concerned stare and was unsurprised to see Candy there, looking murderous.
"Going somewhere?" she asked haughtily.
"Yes, I need to take my neighbour home; she's suffering from heat exhaustion."
"Is she part of the NYU event?" Candy asked.
"No, she was at the Peace Rally…"
"You were WHERE?" Candy thundered.
"I don't want to cause any trouble," Mrs Finkelstein murmured weakly. At that moment Harry's phone beeped.
"Come on, that'll be the cab," Harry said putting his arm around Mrs Finkelstein and helping her up.
"If you leave Harry, it will go down as another point against you on your disciplinary record." Candy said coldly.
"It's three strikes and I'm out right?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Candy agreed.
"Well so far I've only got one. I'm sorry Candy. This is more important. I'm going." He moved Mrs Finkelstein away as quickly as he could, he could only imagine the look of incandescent rage on Candy's face as the two of them walked arm in arm up the path together.
##
"I hope I haven't got you into trouble dear." Mrs Finkelstein said as Harry helped her into her easy chair and went to find her a drink, a cold flannel and some water once they had got back to her apartment.
"I really don't care. I'm doing the right thing for once and it feels good." He said holding the cold flannel against her forehead.
"Thank you,"
Harry rinsed out the flannel in the bowl of water, rolled up her sleeves and began dabbing it on her arms.
"Why did you have such thick clothing on today? It's no wonder you fainted. It must be well over 100!" Harry babbled and the suddenly stopped. He couldn't help staring.
"Your friend knew what that was too," Mrs Finkelstein said tiredly.
"My friend?"
"The pretty girl that came to stay with you once."
"Nikki?"
"Yes, I think that's right, my memory for recent things, isn't so good now you know. I can remember the past very clearly," she twisted her forearm as she said this. "I met the young lady out in the hallway one night, we had a nice chat."
"Oh yes, I remember. I've hardly spoken to her since that weekend." He said sadly.
"That's a shame, she was a lovely girl. She'd be good for you, you know. You couldn't bring yourself to fancy her just a little bit?"
Harry stopped dabbing the flannel and stared at his elderly neighbour. "Why do you say that?" he asked.
"Well I know you're very friendly with Jorge and his friend…"
"I'm not gay, if that's what you're suggesting," Harry replied.
"You're not?" Mrs Finkelstein clarified.
"No," Harry said with a laugh. "Not even close."
"Oh!"
"Why do you think I should like Nikki?"
"Well I was sure she was in love with you."
"Nikki? In love with me?" Harry thought back to all they had said that night before she had left.
She had said that they were in love.
She had replied in the affirmative when he asked her whether she meant what she'd written in his guide book.
But she had never looked him in the eye and said, 'I love you.'
All the other stuff she had said was probably just to force the ending that she wanted, not that she had actually meant it.
If she was in love with him, she would call wouldn't she? She would answer the emails he sent her? Harry put down the flannel and scrubbed his hand across his chin.
"What you didn't know?"
"What makes you think she was in love with me?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Oh my dear, I have lived a long time and I have seen plenty in my life time. I have seen unspeakable cruelty and hatred and I have seen love. That girl was in love with you."
Harry ran his fingers through his hair. 'You should get to know her,' isn't that what Nikki had told him in that same conversation. How did she find some things in life so effortless, so easy to understand when they all seemed so impossible for him?
"Oh!" said Mrs Finkelstein in response to her neighbour's face.
"Oh indeed," replied Harry.
"You're in love with her too?"
Harry half shrugged, half shook his head and then stopped.
"Yes, I am." He admitted.
"So?"
"It's impossible," Harry insisted.
"It's never too late," she advised.
"I think it might be," Harry replied.
This Is Living: Weisman & Wise (Elvis)
If you're confused we meet Mrs Finkelstein in Part 2 and Chapter 45 is her conversation with Nikki and around there will be the conversation Harry and Nikki have on the following night.
Is that a big cheer I hear as Harry finally catches on?
