Read The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God & Other Stories for Free Online Page B

swear on my mother. I don’t know. They taught us the commandments and that’s all. They didn’t say anything about punishment.”
    Korbi turned round to my brother, who was lying on the asphalt, and gave him a kick in the ribs. Not viciously, calmly, like someone bored kicking a Coca-Cola can. A small noise came out of Myron’s mouth, as if he didn’t even have the strength to yell. I began to cry. “Do me a favor, Gold, don’t cry,” said Korbi, “just answer the question.” “I don’t know, motherfucker,” I cried. “I don’t know what the punishment is for breaking your fucking commandments. Just leave him alone, you shit, leave him alone.” Krotochinsky twisted my arm behind my back with one hand, and gave me a punch on the head with the other. “That’s for what you said about the Bible,” he spat out, “and that”—he punched me again—“is for what you said about Nissan.” “Leave him alone, Kroto, leave him alone,” said Korbi, “he’s upset on account of his brother. Please, tell me,” he went on in a hoarse voice while he lifted the iron bar into the air, “tell me or else I’ll smash your brother’s knee.” “No, Korbi,” I cried, “please don’t do it.” “Then tell,” said Korbi, holding the bar in the air, “tell me what God said somebody deserves who steals somebody else’s girlfriend.” “To die,” I whispered, “anyone who breaks the commandment deserves to die.” Korbi swung the bar right back and threw it with all his strength. The bar landed in the artificial lake.“Did you hear him, Kroto?” said Korbi. “Did you hear Gold junior? He deserves to die. And I didn’t say it.” He pointed to the sky. “God said it.” There was something in his voice, as if he was going to cry too. “Come on,” he said, “let’s go. I just wanted you to hear Gold junior say who’s right.” Krotochinsky let go of me and they both walked away. Before he left, Korbi touched my face again with the back of his warm hand. “You’re OK, kid,” he said to me, “you’re OK.”
    In the parking lot next to the park I found someone to take us to the hospital. Compared to what it looked like Myron got off relatively lightly. With an orthopaedic collar for two months and a few bruises on his body. Korbi never came near my brother again, or Marina either. She and my brother went steady for over a year and then split up. Once, when they were still together, the whole family took a trip to the Sea of Galilee. Me and my brother sat on the shore and watched Marina playing in the water with my big sister. We looked at her and the way she splashed the water with her tanned legs, the way her long hair fell forward, almost completely covering her perfect face. While we were looking at her, I suddenly remembered Korbi, how he nearly cried. I asked my brother about that evening when they caught us in the park, I asked him if he still thought about it. And my brother said yes. We kept quiet for a bit and watched Marina in the water. And then he said that he thought about it a lot. “Tell me,” I said, “now that she’s already with you, do you think that what happened then inthe park was worth it?” My sister now turned her back and held up her hands to protect her head, but Marina went on splashing her and laughing. “That night,” said my brother, moving his neck slowly from side to side, “nothing in the world is worth thatnight.”

Shoes
    O n Holocaust Memorial Day our teacher Sara took us on bus No. 57 to visit the Museum of Volhynia Jewry, and I felt very important. All the kids in the class except me, my cousin, and another boy, Druckman, were of Iraqi origin. I was the only one with a grandfather who had died in the Holocaust. The Volhynia