Читать книгу My Dear Bitch. V#2 An Unwelcome Person - Margie Fillin - Страница 6

Believe or not, but I liked Nick and Stacy when I saw them for the first time, and they liked me, too. They decided to meet me before Diane’s party, and one early sunny morning they stopped off at our house.

– Vika, surprise! We have very special guests at the crack of dawn. Ha-ha-ha.

I looked in the window.

My husband was so joyful and relaxed in a company of a very attractive couple. They were talking and laughing with him, and their faces were shining with love, happiness and prosperity. Nick was a very charming dark-blue eyed man with long grey hair worn loose, very sporty and in great shape. Stacy was well-built and much taller than her hubby. She had short bright red hair and green eyes. They both looked amazing and very young.

– Nice to meet you, beauty!

– Nice to meet you too, guys!

They smiled and embraced me.

– Welcome to America! And where is your son? We want to see him too!

Nick and Stacy noticed the big changes in Dan’s front yard and were sincerely astonished by that.

– Oh, Dan-the newborn awful husband, – Nick was joking. – However, … hmm, … there is a big porch and patio in your front yard and the walkways. I have never seen it before. Was I blind or permanently drunk? Why did you hide it from us, you little son of a bitch! Now I can stand here… – Nick stamped his feet.

He was goofing around.

– How many wonderful flowers everywhere! It’s a little paradise! Do you know this, Danny? Such a subtle smell! I didn’t expect at all to see such a fresh colorful and fantastic front garden. – Stacy couldn’t keep her emotions. – An expensive landscaper, yes?

– Stacy, you are so naïve, yet… – Nick embraced his wife.

– I’m just wondering, darling. – Stacy answered. – No jokes, guys. How much per hour? I should definitely recommend him or her to Diane. Mom has got some ideas about refreshing the front yard.

– Stacy, this little paradise was created by Vika. So I can introduce my wife to you, guys, as my personal landscaper, designer and gardener. Of course, Diane can hire her. Though I’m not sure Vika will agree to work for your mom. Gardening is Vika’s hobby, but anyway Stacy, let your mother-in-law know about Vika’s passion for gardening.

– Wow! Dan, you are a lucky man to have such a creative wife and hard-working family. You’ve saved a lot of money, my dear friend. Congratulations! – Stacy exclaimed.

– Better ask me, guys, how much I’ve spent and lost. – Dan giggled.

– Every day is not Sunday! – Stacy answered. – Your Vika has a very good taste and so many gifts. You must be proud of her, Danny.

– Thank you, Stacy. I am, – he answered.

– Dan, may I ask you? – Nick was staring at the wooden bench at the porch.

– Noy’es-yes’no, – Daniel joked pronouncing the words together.

– When did my mom give you that legendary swinging bench from her backyard? When did she do this, I wonder? – Nick laughed loudly.

– I don’t remember. Two years ago to repair it. – Dan was confused.

– And do you remember how we, little silly boys, counted the used condoms forgotten by guests under the swinging benches in my mom’s backyard after her nonstop parties? Do you remember how the gardener caught us? And we were afraid of punishment and scared because Diane could know about our dirty boyish tricks.

– Of course, I do. – Dan laughed and his cheeks blushed.

He looked at me with childish fright in his eyes.

– Ha-ha-ha. Oh, this is my mom. She is a great joker. – Nick added. – She, definitely, knows use in presents.

– Yea. And that is really Diane’s bench. Do you want to take it back, Nicky? Wanna count the used condoms under it again, boy? – Dan asked Nick and burst out laughing.

– Of course he does! He dreams about it. – Stacy answered instead of her husband and in turn added. – Vika, Diane definitely should see your splendid flowers. The garden looks fantastic and very chic. I love it.

– Thank you, Stacy. I appreciate it.

– Well done, Vika! – Nick exclaimed.

– Thank you, Nick.

– No more clutter! – Stacy and Nick pronounced almost at the same time and looked at each other astonishingly.

Pretty Stacy started to flirt with her shining husband.

The very next moment the recent picture of Dan’s neglected front yard arose in front of my eyes.

Just a few months before, it was impossible to see either the porch of the house, or the patio, or the walkway. They were literally clustered with old broken chairs, shelves, little tables and other junk. They were cluttered up with great number of dried, alive and half-alive plants in half-broken ceramic pots, rusty buckets and dirty boxes.

– Dan, you have a lot of things, and nobody touched them for ages, right? – I wondered when I saw my fiancé’s “lovely” front garden the first time.

– I let it go, my honey, for so long because the front yard was never dirty, just very full, – he answered. – While living alone for so many years, I found myself just surrounded by things, and now I start feeling myself uncomfortable when I listen to your comments.

– Psychotherapists say that our environment is a physical manifestation of how we feel. And, the other way around, clutter creates chaos in our brain, which undermines our ability to function.

– What magazines do you read, Vika? Do you believe in that nonsense? – Dan asked me nervously.

– That is not nonsense, Danny.

– Please, stop. I do not wish to argue with you, sweetie. Tomorrow I’ll call a local professional organizer and hire a gardener. No problem anymore.

– You do not need to hire anyone. This is your house, and we can clear it out by ourselves.

– I have no time; I’m so busy at my mom’s house. She is so boring with her endless requests and commands to do this or that, to repair the roof or fix the gate lock. I’m fucking tired. Sorry.

– I want to help you, Danny. I have enough time and Slava can help. We’ll do it.

– Okay, my dear. Thank you. You know, people said recently, “Dan, your house needs a woman’s touch. Your house should be repaired, painted and blah-blah-blah… You should do this or that…” And I know it is getting bad when the neighbors and friends begin commenting. So, OK. Do it, Vika! Help me, please, and we’ll see then.

Several months in a row, from the early morning till late evening, Eagle and I were cleaning the area and taking away all the junk from the porch and front yard. We planted new flowers; replanted few nearly dead trees, repotted bushes and organized everything there. Front yard is a face of the house where you live, isn’t it? And for me it was pleasant to see such a big transformation in a short period of time.

The neighbors were greatly surprised by my and Eagle’s ability to work so hard, quickly and effectively. They couldn’t understand only one thing: Why everything was done by me and my son without any noticeable assistance from Dan?

– You are so hard-working girl! You work too much for your husband. Let him hire a gardener. His mom has her own gardener. Before your arrival the gardener came to Dan’s house and worked there occasionally. And Daniel has never done anything in his front yard. He used to sit in the porch behind the trees and bushes till late evenings and drank wine. He was sure that nobody could see him, – neighbors told me.

I recollected one of dreamy e-mails from Dan,

“Sometimes I allow myself to have a glass of excellent Californian red wine after having a hard-working day in my garden. I turn on my stereo in the living-room and sit down into the soft deep armchair at the porch in the shadow of my favorite trees and bushes. I listen to the music, sip the wine, take pictures of the clouds and admire the sunset. It gives me a lot of energy for the next day. The neighbors passing by my home never see me”.

– Vika, does your husband pay you for your work in his garden? – One of the most curious neighbors asked me and got me unawares. – In the US everyone pays for everything. If you work for your husband, he should pay. Probably, you do not know this, but take it into consideration. Nothing is free in America. You are so great. We worry about you.

– Thank you, I really had no thoughts of the possibility of compensation or payment for helping my husband. We are the family, one team.

– Oh, dear Vika! You are working again, aren’t you? You are working too much. By the way, for painting the fence your husband must pay you double. It’s hazardous job, you can damage your health. – The other kind neighbors worried about me too. – Take care, baby!

I constantly got advice from random Americans, our neighbors and other people, almost perfect strangers to me, who lived nearby and always said respectful “Hi”, when they saw me in the front garden. Their recommendations seemed to me a little strange that time.

I listened to my hubby, but not to them, and Dan gave me different advice.

– I bought the most expensive fence paint for you, dear. It’s not so harmful, but please, be thriftier when using it, OK? – And he divided the content of the big canister into two parts. – I hope, it’ll be enough for several days. I’ll take some for my mom. She also needs the fence painted, – my hubby said and in a moment gave me some other instructions. – And please, dear be careful with the pots. Try not to break them. They are made in Italy and also are very expensive.

– And if they are so expensive dear, why are they rolling along the porch? Half of them are partly broken already. – I was at loss.

But I didn’t hear Dan’s reply to my question.

Instead of answer, my hubby joyfully informed me of the following:

– Do you know that lizards live in my pots? And the lizards bring good luck.

– Uh-huh, dear! And do you know that there are a lot of dead rats and skins under the pots? Do they bring luck to your home, too? Are you sure? No doubt, they don’t.

– Well… It’s nature, dear. – He moved his head.

– It’s not wildlife here, dear. It’s our privacy. And I wonder what the endless army of cockroaches could bring us? Extra money and happiness, Dan?

– You are so spiteful, Vika!

– Yes, now I am, since so many ants, cockroaches, lizards and rats are being disturbed in your front yard by me; such quantity of them one sees only in horror movies or thrillers. Have you ever noticed that your front garden is more like a garbage heap with many subtropical plants, pushing through to the light and sun?

Once Dan heard my questions, he became pale and furious.

– Fuck! What rats? – He mimicked me. – Where did you see them? In your dreams, dear? Show me at least one! I can see just squirrels.

– Slava, show me a dead rat! Where are they, “your rats?” – My irritated husband addressed my son and stared at me.

Slava didn’t say a word in reply and quietly left the front yard.

– Daniel, stop yelling please. I’ve told you about the rats many times already. You just laughed.

– OK. Next time, please keep the dead body of a rat and show me, please.

– Okay, dear, with great pleasure, if you like. I’ll save all of them in the plastic bags for you.

Dan was still mad.

I left him alone in the front yard.

Five minutes later my offended husband came into the house and with the tears in his eyes said: “Vika, I’m so sorry, dear! Please, forgive me, babe. Thank you for your gardening and hard job…”

Then he came up to Slava to say sorry for his being so vulgar with both of us.

I thought silently: “A start, an attack of tears and kindness”.

I didn’t tell Nick and Stacy a word about that. I just smiled at their compliments regarding me and our renewed front garden. It was obvious that Nick and Stacy came to our place to meet us, not to listen about the conflicts between me and my awful-lawful hubby.

– Well guys, – Stacy said. – And now surprise; a wedding present for you! – She handled me a huge bouquet of fresh Californian flowers; Nick gave us a gift set of selected Californian wines.

– Enjoy the wine! Our congratulations all over again. Be happy and love each other! We are so happy for you, Dan and Vika. Dan has already sent us a lot of your wedding pictures and told everything about your wedding day in all details. So we feel as we were with you that special day.

– Thank you, guys! – I said joyfully, and we exchanged hugs and kisses.

– We look to seeing you at Diane’s party. Please, don’t be late. We know that you are still just married and very busy, but nevertheless, – Stacy joked.

– Bye-bye, friends! Love you both. And you are welcome to our home, Vika! – Nick said, looked at his watch and they hastened.

In a minute Stacy started her luxurious snow-white Lexus, and, driving off, they waved from the opened windows.