I am your woman!
Шрифт:
– Don’t hold the line! Maybe, someone’s calling here! What’s at home? You’re lucky if you got through!
Garov hung up, clutched a bunch of keys nervously from the table:
– That’s the end! Yes, that’s the end! – and went out quickly.
Almost all gathered at the table. The women put on their best dresses, the men – their medals and orders. Garov who of course came late was offered a place near Ensign Lyuba Antonova. She began to patronize Garov at table. But he wanted neither spirits nor salads Lyuba offered him and answered
And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why Lyuba was so tender with Garov. Vadim Smirnov with his wife Svetlana was right to her. Lyuba was full of jealosy. So she was going to tempt Garov and thus revenge Smirnov.
Lyuba invited Garov to a slow dance and became too sentimental listening to Talkov’s song. She pressed herself to Garov passionately during the refrain phrase «You’ll come to me But it’ll be too late».
At first Garov didn’t react at all. But step by step he began to feel extremely strong gravity to the knolls of her nipples (and without bra!) So he pushed her a bit aside.
After the last accord of «Summer Rain» Garov rushed to the street.
– Where are you going, Sasha? – Lyuba said with caress.
– I need some fresh air. It’s a bit stuffy here.
– May I go too?
– Well, why not.
So Antonova nearly achieved her goal. The culmination of that sudden gravity between two bodies was forthcoming… Many girls had dreamed to draw Garov to bed. But they had failed. But not she! Antonova anticipating her triumph pretended to be drunk. She clutched his hand. But suddenly she felt that her other hand was grabbed by… whom do you think?.. by Smirnov!
Smirnov was burnt with curiosity. He followed them in the darkness leaving his talkative Svetlana with Nikishov’s wife.
– Well, well, well! Where going to, you little doves?!
Antonova kept her head:
– I’m free and I can walk with whom I want? Go, Comrade Major, to your dear wife!
Smirnov told Garov in a whisper:
– Look here, leave us, OK. We’ll have a chat!
Garov didn’t rejoin the celebrating company and went to bed. But he couldn’t sleep. Went out again. Antonova’s and Smirnov’s voices came from the bathhouse. The stars were shimmering. Then the voices died away. Very soon the Major appeared pulling in his belt and shouted in the dark doorway of the bathhouse: «If I see you with someone else – I’ll punish you!». Not seeing Garov Smirnov passed by him and muttered to himself: «Hm… Garov she wanted! Fig to her!»
Silence covered all around. And only the rockets of fireworks flying up to the sky sometimes broke it.
Alex sat on the steps of the commandant’s office and Djohar the dog came up to him. He touched Sasha’s chest with his moist nose. The young man hugged him as if the dog could realize his misery.
Chapter 13
Dasha Sviridenko went onto the balcony. Somewhere at the distance the darkness was torn by the salute and in her thoughts there was a strange inexplicable connection between the darkness of the night and what was on behind her back – a feast in a new flat gifted to them, a young married couple, by her in-laws.
The house-warming dated for the 7th of November was at its height. One toast after another, plenty of vodka, broken glasses…
– But where is Dasha? Did you hear her singing? She’s the greatest singer! – her father-in-law boasted to the guests.
– Yes?! – a drunken man’s voice answered. – And what’s she singing? Let her sing of a nightingale!
– What a hell of a nightingale? – a rude stout woman in her fifties with a red drunken face. Can she sing «Am I guilty or not?»?! – and at once sang that song loudly.
Then the boozy company caught up the words «That I love!..»
Dasha squatted down, closed her ears with her hands and… words themselves began to form a sort of ornament of verses:
Among noisy and shameless struggle
For the small sweet of toyish power
Son is growing. And for happiness
I’m begging the fate. —
Not for me, but for him only.
– Dasha, what on earth are you doing here? – her husband rushed to the balcony.
– Me? Just make poems.
– What?! Let’s go inside! You’ll freeze here! Why did you leave us?
– Wait a minute. Let’s stay here for a while. Look – here’s the Milky Way! I wonder if there’s anyone alive among the stars? Like a human being?
– Dasha, don’t be angry with me but I can’t lisp. Well, the Milky way, I see it. But what of it? It’s all the same to me. No matter if there’s anyone or not. I’m more anxious about my future place of service. By the way, your aunt Galya promised to talk to her son, a colonel, about it. And what?!
– Darling, you have a year before you to find it!
– You think it’s a lot of time? No, it isn’t. Time flies you know! And what’s then?! To go to Grozny, to war? To death? Or you want your son to lose his father?! Maybe, you don’t love me at all?! Maybe, you’re fed up with my parents?! Why deuce are you here now?! Sent our Max to your bloody Mummy beforehand! Or my mother can’t do with children?!
– Oh, Sasha! He’s only two months old. Too little! Why on earth fetch him to this booze!
– Don’t speak any more! If you want to stay at the damned balcony – OK!
The pane in the balcony door clinked – Alex Sviridenko shut it violently behind him.
– Oh, my Lord! I’ll stand it! Stand it! Stand t! I’m strong! Strong! All will be alright! Alright! Alright! Alright! – Dasha repeated to herself clinching her fists. – Please, God! Let everyone be happy! – But her tears dropped.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.