Chapter 7

The day dawned with promise for Hanna. A fresh snow had fallen during the night giving the air a clean crispness that she always loved. This was her favorite time of the year. When she awoke snuggled in her bed she thought of mornings with Sol. Waking with his hand holding a tit and his morning erection seeking to slip between her willing legs. The coffee flavored kisses after they had made love as the prelude to his again fitting himself to her. God, she missed those mornings.

As she walked to Elman's there was a lightness to her step as she thought of her upcoming lunch with Matt. Should she tell Golda that Matt was coming to lunch and what he had proposed. She decided against confiding in anyone for now.

"Shalom, Golda."

"Shalom, Hanna, don't you look pretty with your bright eyes and rosy cheeks this morning. It seems ages since I've seen you."

"It's the snappy weather.You were in the back the last time I was here and I had to rush. Since then I've been really busy at the hospital and I've been checking on Miko's broken leg for the last week.

"How is Tevye?"

"He's killing me. He's been having a hard time getting it up recently and he is working my jaws to the bone. He doesn't know that I know but he has been going around to the herbalist."

"Is it doing any good?"

"Hell no, but you can't tell him that. I think it's in his head and I mean the one under his hat. He had trouble once and starting worrying about it and now all he does is think about it. He needs a head doctor not a cock doctor."

"I'm sure you're right. Do you want me to speak to the psychiatrist at the hospital or should I fix my famous chicken soup?"

"No. Let's wait for a while. If he thinks the herbs will help maybe they will. I just hope it starts working soon. I've had that thing in my mouth more than my toothbrush.

"What can I get you, Hanna?"

"I'm fixing corned beef and cabbage and need a good bread to go with it and some beer, so give me a rye bread and two cartons of beer."

"That's a lot of beer for one corned beef and cabbage."

"I don't intend to drink it all at once," Hanna said as she turned to leave.

"Shalom, Hanna."

"Shalom, Golda, I hope your jaws get a rest," Hanna said with a chuckle as she left.

She had started the brisket slow cooking that morning. And now she had cooked her cabbage, frying it first in bacon grease, yes bacon grease. Being reformed Jews her family had not strictly observed Jewish dietary laws and had eaten pork for as long as she could remember. They did not flaunt it but they made no effort to hide it either. Besides, her mother said cooking with pork made things taste better.

She had had a friend at college who was Irish. She had gone with her one Saint Patrick's Day to visit her parents. While there the mother had prepared corned beef and cabbage and Hanna had loved it. She had gotten the recipe and had been cooking it ever since. Her friend's mother had served Irish soda bread with the meal but Hanna preferred rye.

Matt got to Hanna's promptly at noon. When he entered he could smell the cooking odors of the cabbage which reminded him of his mother's kitchen. Hanna led him back to the kitchen table where she opened beers for them both. Matt noticed that Hanna was wearing a lightweight traditional everyday kimono. This was the first time he had seen her in non western clothing. It shouldn't surprise him. After all she had lived in Japan for thirty-five years.

"How was your meeting Matt?"

"It went well. The ladies are going to have a manger scene with a live Joseph and Mary and the three wise men. I don't think they are going to try for camels. I understand this will be the first year they have done this so keep your fingers crossed."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. If Kiku is involved you can rest easy, she is unusually good about seeing things through. It won't be like Hakodate but it will be a beginning."

"Hakodate, what is that about?"

"I forgot this will be your first Christmas. Every year they have a large Christmas tree on display in the city center in Hakodate. Christmas is not a religious holiday for most Japanese. Christians are after all only one per cent of the population. Most stores in large cities have Christmas decorations but much like the United States it is mainly for punching up sales of merchandise. That it is celebrated at all is a result of the occupation by the US after the war. Santa comes in through the window and leaves one gift under each child's pillow. New Year is the most important holiday in Japan when there is real celebration.

"There is one strange tradition that has grown up around Christmas in Japan. The people eat Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas day. It is their biggest sales day. How it got started no one is quite sure. Maybe they eat chicken because there are no turkeys in Japan."

"Now that is something I would never have guessed. More than likely started by a local KFC owner."

"You could be right," Hanna said as she moved to the stove to dish up the corned beef and cabbage. She brought the large bowl to the table along with the round of rye. "Help yourself Matt while I get us another beer."

After they had finished lunch and Hanna had cleared the table she came back and sat across from Matt to finish her beer.

"Matt before I give you my answer to your proposal I have some questions and conditions to discuss."

"That's fine Hanna. I'll do my best with anything you want to know."

"When I first talked to you about the necessity for you to have sex everyday you mentioned losing your immortal soul if you participated. Granted that you accepted that God would not punish you for acting to save your life but this is not something that is needed to save your life. This is more or less going to increase your pleasure."

"Yes, it does seem that way, but having accepted that to permit my death would be a greater sin than the transgression of fornication and the fact that I will be having sex for at least the next several months I don't think that sex between us would affect the status of my soul any further.

"All right Matt. I'll be glad to have sex with you if you're sure that's what you want, but there will have to be some conditions."

"Thank you. I was afraid I had offended you Hanna. Thank you very much. What is it the Japanese say?

"Domo arigato Matt, Domo arigato.

"Matt, this can't be a one night stand kind of thing. And it will have to last more than the next several months. I can't have my sexual feelings brought to the surface again and then just cut off. It was too hard when Sol died suddenly. If you want this we will have to have sex at least twice a week on an ongoing basis. Does that present a problem?"

"No, Hanna. I hadn't thought of there being a planned for end. I just wasn't sure how long you would want it to continue with my inexperience."