Читать книгу Pearly woman. Prose in English - Natalia Patratskaya - Страница 3

The pair of Alla and Yura was more sensual, and they squirmed to the fast music, not letting each other out of their hands, as if they were stuck to each other.

“Alla, let’s take a walk,” Yura whispered to her. – Leave quietly.

– We go where you say. I’ll follow you anywhere.

Yura and Alla left the circle of dancing people, not looking back at the second pair, and quickly disappeared into the bushes. Turning off the path, they stopped after a couple of steps. Lips in a kiss joined together in unison. With two hands he pulled the girl to him, their bodies pressed to each other no worse than the lips. The thin summer cloths of their clothes were barely separated.

– Yura, so it is impossible! You almost ate me, – Alla screeched.

– Alla, what are you doing? I need a woman’s caress.

– I know everything theoretically about love, but practically did not pass.

“Oh, so you don’t have a boyfriend either?” Then move on to practice. You’re turning me on. I am an ordinary man, I served the army.

– And I am an ordinary girl. With a friend, we did not reach love.

– Oh, so the gap between us! Alla, this is where you are so preserved safe and sound? – Yura quite laughed.

– At the factory for painting boxes and preserved. I painted love scenes, but I did not get into such scenes myself. I only read about them in books.

– Yes, no luck to me. Alla, we will disperse beautifully, while once again you have not led me beyond the horizon of love, while I am in possession of myself, – Yura pushed the girl away from himself.

They went to the lantern-lit dance floor. Bella happily waved to them.

“Pasha, let’s go home,” said Yura. – It is already dark, and girls are not afraid of the dark, they have to go far, but you and I are close. Come on, friend. Girls, bye! Do you reach yourself? Or you to go home? Shut up? True, I do not want to accompany you!

– Come on, – Alla said sadly. – We ourselves get to the house.

– Alla, did I miss something? Asked Bella with eyes full of misunderstanding.

The girls walked along dimly lit streets toward the house. The darkness deepened, the shadows merged with the darkness. Evening chatter sounded in the grass.

– Alla, why did they leave us? All was good. What happened? Explain to me. Such a quiet evening. “We danced nicely and everything went away,” Bella wailed.

– They need women, but you and I, a friend, have not grown to them. Pasha and Yura are boring with us. They are adult males. And we … – Alla did not finish and waved her hand with inner regret.

– But we are not men! Yes, we are shorter, but we are adults.

– Bella, well, you’re stupid and listen to mom, and I listen to you. And men, if you still do not understand, need disobedient women.

The moon was shining. Darkened trunks of apple trees. In one window of the house the light was on. Ivanovna was sitting at a table in the courtyard.

– Girls, what’s so early? I thought you would be brought with flowers.

“Because it’s too early for girls,” Alla answered briskly.

The girls washed, dressed, and sat down to drink tea.

– Alla, forgive me, but I am somehow offended. Pasha and I were so good together, and suddenly everything was over. And you appeared dissatisfied with each other…

– You know, Bella, they brought us the wind of love, but love did not work out. Tomorrow let’s go to the beach alone. I hope that white butterflies do not fly from that shore every day.

Clear morning woke Bella. She looked out the small window: Ivanovna was talking with the owner in the courtyard. The girl turned her head toward the girlfriend:

– Alla, let’s go alone to the beach. We have a little rest.

“You’re right, friend, we lived without men – and we will live,” Alla said, and a sigh of deep regret broke from her chest.

The day was sunny with variable clouds. Sunburn was, it was not. The girls sat on their rugs and looked at the sea. Ilya was lying on a white couch and sighed, looking at the girl with pearl beads around her neck, but he did not dare approach her. He noticed that strong guys were approaching the girls. Girls simultaneously hugged male hands. Strong arms hugged the girls’ slightly tanned and charred shoulders.

“Girls, we are bored without you,” Yura rumbled.

“Boys, we have no life without you,” Alla sang.

The boys laid a large bedspread and both sat on it. Their impressive figures excited unintelligibly and almost tangibly.

“Let’s play cards,” suggested Yura and took out the cards.

“And we will play cards,” Alla replied, straightening dark glasses in front of her eyes and getting up from her mat.

The girls sat on the bedspread guys. Young people began to play cards together. But the cards did not go – during the day they were bored with boredom. An alarming and pleasant feeling appeared in Bella’s soul. Male legs captivated her eyes, she involuntarily looked at Pasha’s legs.

He appreciated her gaze and said:

– Today is a concert at the local house of culture, there are four tickets. I suggest that the girls put on evening dresses in the evening and show up in full parade to the house of culture, and we will put on tuxedos and we will arrive in the carriage.

– Well, we will go with you to the house of culture, and then alone we will return home! Parting we have already passed in the last meeting, and we do not have evening dresses! – Bella responded. – And there are no carriages!

The guys on her words did not pay attention.

The girls carefully prepared for meeting young people. Hairstyles – curly. Persons – like painted boxes. Couples after the meeting at the house of culture changed: Alla with Pasha, Bella with Yura, so they sat in the concert hall. The scene is now heavily lit, then plunged into darkness along with the hall. Saving darkness brought couples together. After the concert, all four stopped in front of the entrance to the House of Culture. Pasha suggested:

– There is a proposal to break up in pairs, but in a new composition.

– We disagree on new couples, – Alla answered and went with Pasha.

Pasha did not attack Alla, did not embrace. They walked through a warm summer evening. Were silent. Bella walked with Yura and was also silent, but for a long time she could not stand the new companion and caught up with Pasha.

– Pasha, I need you! Screamed Bella with sadness in her voice.

– And I need Yura, – Alla responded and approached him.

Both couples, as if on cue from above, hugged and sighed.

– Girls, we live on the first floor of the fifth building of the boarding house. The windows for you will be open. We will give you a chair. You will climb a glass of champagne over it to our room, “suggested Yura. – You can go through the main entrance, but there may be problems.

“Where ours did not disappear, we climbed through the window to you,” Alla replied, always pleased when it came to adventure.

The guys entered the building through the main entrance, and the girls climbed through the window.

“We entered the history of our life through the window of love,” Bella said with a lyrical mood, looking at the decor of the room.

There was champagne on the table. Lying apples and a box of chocolates. The room had a sofa, two armchairs, a TV, a cupboard with dishes and a table with chairs.

“I am very happy about this,” said Pasha, hugging her by the shoulders, “I like you very much, Bella!” – And he gently kissed her cheek.

They all sat around the table. Wine glasses filled with an effervescent drink of happiness, loudly knocked them in a fit of feelings. Who ate the candy, who the apple… We sat at the table for half an hour and went into rooms.

Alla and Yura just fell on a double bed made up of two. They did not talk, but clutched at each other with their hands and could only torment themselves and their clothes. In Pasha’s room there was a sofa in the unfolded form, on which Bella sat down. He sat down with her. They sat and talked. There was still champagne on the table. Lay candy. The room served as a living room. He was watching TV. She looked at the screen and ate an apple quickly.

– How are you feeling? He asked, putting his arm around her waist.

“Fine,” she replied, stuffing another candy in her mouth.

She looked toward the TV. On the screen, the actors kissed each other. He hugged her again. She was unknowingly afraid of continuing the banquet of untouched love.

– Pasha, I’m probably stupid, but let’s get out of here! Let’s go through the window. Please leave, “Bella said. The frivolity of a few sips of champagne eroded from her head.

“Well, I’ll get out through the window with you,” Pasha answered.

He lowered the chair by the window. They took turns descending to the ground. Then he put a chair on the windowsill, pushed it into the room and covered the window. I heard the sound of glass. But they did not pay attention to him.

– Oh how good! Bella exclaimed and hugged Pasha herself, and then pushed him away. – Let’s walk! The night is so warm. Crickets sing. It’s nice to be with you.

Bella felt the pearl beads squeeze her throat. She tried to pull the necklaces off her neck, but they pressed harder.

– Good so good, I take you home. You can walk on foot too, “said Pasha, and unwittingly noticed the girl’s manipulations on the neck with the beads.

He tried to remove the beads from her, but he failed.

– That’s nice! I love evening walks, but for one only evening walks are unrealizable, it’s scary to walk alone, – Bella tried to say fun, but she felt even more painful from pearl beads, presented to her by school friend Seryozha before leaving.

Talking, they approached the house. Bella kept her hand between the beads and the neck. Pearl beads crushed mercilessly. There was a feeling that Serezha was stretching his hands towards her, warning of another danger.

Omnipresent Ivanovna stood at the gate, lit by a single lantern on a pole. The shadow of the trees fell on her shoulders. The hostess was waiting for the tenants, as if someone had warned her that they were already coming.

– Bella, are you alone or not alone? Who is that with you? Oh, this is a man!

“Alla is delayed,” answered Bella, walking away from Pasha.

– Man, you can not come here! I warned the girls! – indignantly shouted Ivanovna.

– Got it. Bella, happy! Tomorrow we will meet on the beach! In the same place! – shouted Pasha.

– Happily, Pasha! – answered Bella, kissing him on the cheek.

Pasha did not answer. He returned slowly. From two sides of the central entrance of the fifth building, lush thujas grew. Pasha walked past the thuja, past the white columns, opened the massive door with brass handles and walked very quietly into the building of the boarding house.

Pavel was stopped by the guard on the corps:

– You have already arrived, but did not go out and come in again?

– It happens that they leave, but they do not enter. Can I sit here?

– What happens in your room? Come, see your number.

– No, I’ll go there myself now. I just walked along the chestnut avenue.

Pasha entered his room. The door to the bedroom was closed. He lifted a chair from the floor and lay down on the sofa. Sleep overcame him until the morning.

Alla and Yura rustled in the next room.

In the morning, Bella woke up and almost roared in frustration when she saw Alla’s empty bed. Or did she want to mourn the fate of her friend? Then she remembered that Pasha would wait for her on the beach, and began to gather.

Ivanovna looked into the room:

– Bella, and Alla never came? Here is her mother will set the heat at home!

– No, she hasn’t come yet. And I could not wake up.

On the beach, Pasha was waiting for Bella. He sat alone on a large bedspread.

– Bella, sit down next. Alla and Yura are still sleeping.

– I’m scared for them. Did you hear that they are alive?

– They are adults and they know what they are doing.

“This is her first time,” Bella sighed. – Oh, that will be…

– I see you came to the beach again with your pearl necklace, it does not harmonize with your swimsuit at all!

– I can not remove the pearl beads. The lock is broken.

The sun was hot. The day was getting hot. Ilya discreetly watched Bella and Pasha, who walked along the shore, then bathed and lay down on one blanket, face down. Pasha once again tried to unscrew the lock of the beads around Bella’s neck, but the lock did not yield. Then he took out a manicure set and cut the thread. Pearls rolled on the bedspread.

Bella began to collect beads. A pearl butterfly lay among the beads. Her hands shook nervously as she held the butterfly in her hands. She thought that the butterfly is not nacreous, but dead. “What if this is the queen of those white butterflies? No, this is an ordinary shell, there are a lot of them,” she thought and heard Pasha’s voice:

– Bella, if Yura and Alla do not come in five minutes, then we will go to the cafe. I don’t want to go to lunch. My heart is heavy.

– Ok, go to the cafe. They will not come.

Not far from the beach was the registry office. They went inside, where they carefully read the memo for those who want to get married.

– Pasha, here are very large terms from the application to marriage registration! No, marriage does not shine with you!

– Bella, I’m just reading. You better say: what city are you from?

– We do not have to be together, so why should I confess to my ancestors?

– I’ll go to your house with you, go to your parents.

– If only you go with me. Weakly believe in happiness. I do not feel the communion between me and you to such an extent.

They went into a small cafe. Pasha ordered food for two. Have eaten.

– Bella, I would love to go to you. I do not want to go to the boarding house! I do not want! Come to me, and there Alla sleeps or Yura sits! Let’s go to your house, tell the hostess that Alla has been replaced by me.

– Pasha, do not joke like that! I am responsible for her in front of her mom, she asked me to look for my girlfriend. Her boyfriend Vasya went to the north to serve.

– Where should I go? They sleep together in a room there. For a couple of hours we will come to you, it will be easier to wait for their appearance.

– Well, for a couple of hours we will go to me, and then we will go to the beach.

They came to a little house. Ivanovna shouted after:

– Only until the evening a man can be in the house!

Pasha lay down on Alla’s bed and fell asleep. Bella lay down on her bed, peacock feathers twisted for a long time. She carefully looked at Pasha and fell asleep.

Alla woke them up:

– Sleep – and apart! And let me sleep!

Pasha rose from her bed. Alla laid down on the bed and blacked out.

Bella and Pasha went to the beach.

– Bella, an hour sunbathe, swim, and then go together in a boarding house. I don’t want to go there alone, the brake has settled in me.

– I will go with you, do not worry, but we will go into the building through the main entrance.

They passed through the central door of the boarding house building, entered the room and froze: Yura was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He moved his fingers slightly. His head was in blood. The bottle lay nearby.

“I’ll call the doctor,” Pasha shouted, and ran to the duty corps.

Bella remembered that while they were walking into the room, she saw the doctor’s office. She called the doctor. Together they went to the room. On the way, Pasha caught up with them:

– I called an ambulance, he will come soon.

The doctor examined Jura’s head and said that everything was fine with him, although the blow was strong. Then she saw a broken vodka bottle.

– It is clear where the blood is from. He broke the bottle, hurt his hand.

“I didn’t want to go here,” said Pasha.

– Young man, help put a man on the sofa. An ambulance will not come here quickly. I’ll look at the wounded man, tie him up. He is alive. The wounds on his arm are not dangerous, but he has lost a lot of blood through them. We have a security department in the boarding house, go get a detective story. His name is Ilya. Let him examine everything in the room, “said the doctor, continuing the examination of the wounded man.

At the gates of the boarding house, one guard was on duty, and the rest of the guards were in the service room, located next to the gate. Ilya played dominoes with the guards.

– Ilya, for your soul came. Look, what a serious couple is asking you, “said the guard.

“Yes, we need Elijah,” Bella confirmed.

– I have all the attention! – quickly answered the young man.

– Problems in building number five. You need to go there with us, – intercepted the initiative Pasha.

The three of us went back. On the way, Pasha brought Illya up to date.

Ilya, having listened to the story from the words of Pasha, made his conclusions:

– From the story, I realized that you both did not participate in the bloody fight, that you have an alibi for this time. According to you, you were seen in a cafe and the hostess of the girls’ house. I should talk to Alla, – Ilya concluded his conclusions.

“She’s sleeping,” Bella said.

– Wake up, bring me. I will find in the fifth case.

Bella returned to her house, tried to wake up Alla, but she slept very strangely. It was impossible to wake her up. All efforts were in vain. She called Ivanovna.

Ivanovna got flustered:

– Guys, it is clear where Alla was all night! All are engaged in love, but they also go to work and wake up! And with her the problem is different. She does not even respond to shaking her shoulders. How did she even get home?

– I came and immediately fell asleep. Do you call the doctor? Asked Bella.

– First aid call! I did not have enough deaths in my house, and then no one would rent an apartment from me. Phone on the veranda! “Call me, man, we have one ambulance in the village,” she shouted to Pasha.

Pasha went to call an ambulance for the second time that day.

The duty officer asked:

– Man, you call an ambulance for the whole Apricot?

“No, to one couple that split into two parts in different places,” Pasha answered by phone, then he turned to Bella: “Bella, Ilya should be informed that Alla is sleeping and not waking up.”

– Pasha, Ilya gave me his business card, call yourself.

Pasha took a business card and called detective Ilya:

– Ilya, you are disturbed by Pasha. Alla does not wake up.

“Your friend sleeps well too.” The doctor bound his wounds. The ambulance did not take it, they said that there was no reason for X-rays. He is whole.

– They are not poisoned? What could happen to them?

– Good idea, check it out. When the doctor comes to you, let him enter the fifth building, take the second person with the poisoning.

Pasha decided to clarify the situation of his life in a boarding house.

“Bella, we’ve fooled you a little.” You see, there are three people living in our room. Yura and I live in a bedroom in which two beds are separate, we moved them for you, and another man lives in the living room. Therefore, I did not want to go to the room.

– Pasha, and where is the neighbor? He who? Where is he He drinks? – Bella quickly asked questions.

– To know who he is! Strange type. Then it was still not clear where the bottle of vodka came from. Yura does not drink vodka!

– Your neighbor could bring vodka. You can check the prints.

At this time, the ambulance doctor appeared and asked:

– Where is the patient? If sleeping, wake up! – in a command voice said the doctor, impatiently looking at Alla.

– I can not wake up. With Alla something happened. There is a chance that this night she had a man for the first time in her life, Bella said confidentially.

– I will examine the patient. Everyone out the door!

Five minutes later, the doctor went out into the yard of the house and said:

– Guys, I can say: the girl has no injuries, and there has never been a man. Your girlfriend is a girlfriend. We will take her to the hospital, she does not wake up.

– What?! – asked Pasha. – Why is Alla a girl?

– I can not add anything. Man, you will go with us.

An ambulance drove up to the fifth building. Ilya was sitting on a bench. The doctor turned to him:

– Ilya, is the champagne again guilty?

– Yes sir! They drank champagne. Put the girl on the second bed, let him sleep. On the first bed a man sleeps.

– Where am I to sleep? – asked Pasha.

– You better answer, where did you buy champagne? – Ilya asked with a hard intonation in his voice.

“I bought a bottle of champagne at the buffet.” And what not?

– The barmaid has already been taken to the police, a special conversation with her. Champagne local spill, it was added sleeping pills. From such a drink in the boarding house everything appeared. Paid on a fee.

“But Bella and I also drank champagne!” – exclaimed Pasha.

– You drank a little, and wanted to sleep? – asked Ilya sympathetically.

– I want to sleep now. Why is a bottle of vodka broken?

– You, man, give, you broke it. Chair thrown into the room from the street?

– I threw it, I put a chair on the windowsill, and he rolled into the room.

– So I broke a bottle of vodka, left her neighbor at the table leg.

– And the blood? Where so much blood on the Jura?

– Yura fell from the couch and hurt himself on a bottle.

– Why is Alla a girl?

– You, man, give! Alla wakes up, you ask her why she is a girl, and now go to bed yourself. The nurse will look after you. Ha, why is Alla a girl? Nobody ever asked me that, and, satisfied with the exposure of the incident, Ilya withdrew, taking with him a bottle of champagne.

Pasha lay down on the sofa and fell asleep. Bella slept in her room, she had a dream, as if she were a white butterfly and was flying across the sea…

Storm clouds gathered in the sky. Lightning lit the fifth building, it began to rain. Belated travelers fled through the puddles, flying into the hull wet.

It was the third morning from the date of acquaintance. Outside the window the sun was shining, it called its rays to the sea. Bella woke up, turned over, began to recall the events of the past day, going to the beach. Alla came with the guys. The sand after the night rain was still wet.

“We all got poisoned with champagne,” said Yura.

– Do you have anything with Alla was not? – asked Pasha.

“Tell me everything, but I didn’t open Alla like champagne,” Yura answered with a hint of irritation, looking at Alla from head to toe.

– What are you talking about me?! – Alla worried. – I am fine.

“It’s good that everyone is whole,” Bella concluded. – Where is your neighbor?

– What other neighbor? – Alla asked and looked at Yura.

“Girls, we deceived you,” Yura began to say.

– Neighbor by number – fake duck, he is from a gang of the barmaid. “The neighbor forced me to buy champagne at the buffet at a high price, after that there was no boredom in building number five,” Pasha explained. – Here everything is by dachshund.

All four were silent. The sun was hot young backs.

– I offer a tour of the sea. Want to go today? – asked Pasha and covered a part of Bella’s back.

– when? – Yura woke up, lifting his head from the cards.

– After lunch. Girls, why are you silent? – asked Pasha, rising from the sand.

– How much is the tour? – Alla asked, dropping the edges of the hat.

“We will pay for the trip,” said Yura, collecting a deck of cards.

– We will go on a tour. Where do we meet? Asked Bella.

“We will meet on the quay,” Pasha answered, specifying the start time of the excursion.

White ship rocked on the waves. The public went through the narrow ladder inside the vessel. Two decks with seats for passengers waiting for vacationers. On the lower deck there was a buffet. The bulk of the people sat on the upper deck, over which there was a roof, but there were no walls. The wind was blowing passengers from all sides, but they could look in all four directions.

There was music. Pasha and Bella joined the public on the upper deck. Yura and Alla sat on the lower deck, closed on all sides. They were ready to look at each other.

Sea waves lapped on three sides of the ship, and on the one side could be seen the retreating village. Water, wind, sun – in stock. The audience after dinner was half asleep. Suddenly, everyone took turns raising their legs, the cries of women were heard. Under Pasha’s feet, a small, low, long dog ran a dachshund. Under Bella’s feet, the second dog spun around and ran free.

“Oh,” Bella just breathed.

“And here the dachshunds are running around,” said Pasha, sighing.

Dachshunds quickly descended to the lower deck. There were shouts of Alla and Yura. Apparently, they finally woke up. The audience spoke animatedly. A man in circus clothes appeared on the upper deck. He set the cabinet. Dachshunds ran up to him. Several rooms with the participation of two taxes amused passengers. Two identical boys of ten came. Dachshunds and boys synchronously completed the number. The audience rejoiced.

The ship went to the first stop.

– Dear passengers, we suggest visiting the factory of grape wines, you will pass by the vineyard, you will see the cellar, located under the ground. Wine can be bought at a reduced price, “the guide said loudly.

People grabbed bags and wallets. Pasha and Bella went ashore. The vineyard grew away from the sightseeing road. About ten meters the audience walked past the transparent hedge. A small factory of old red brick suddenly appeared in front of people. Tourists were shown how to store wine, offered wine tasting.

People, having tasted wine from plastic cups, were drawn to buy it in plastic bottles. Those who went for wine, took a few bottles in their strong bags. The rest took a bottle or did not buy anything at all. People noticeably cheered up.

Pasha bought two bottles of local wine. To the touch the bottles were slightly cool, and the number of degrees on the label did not scare. He took one bottle of Jura with Alla. Bella refused wine and bought herself a bottle of mineral water in the buffet and a couple of bags of chips for herself and Pavel. He quietly drank the whole bottle of cool wine. She drank the water.

“Bella, it means that we don’t just pay for the girls, you’ll work out a ticket for this tour for me,” said Pasha, sharply drunk, through his teeth.

“You drank a lot of wine and forgot that you and Yura promised to pay for Alla and me,” bella outraged with undisguised surprise.

– What more! And the champagne! Do you know how much it costs?!

– I’ll pay you for the trip on the boat! I’ll send money by mail!

– By yourself, my dear, you will pay. Now there will be a stop, we are leaving on it, and on the way back they will take us away.

“All right,” Bella agreed, frightened.

At the next stop, Pasha took his gym bag and went down the ladder to the shore. Bella came down behind him. They both ended up on an empty beach among coastal trees. At that moment, there were no pearl beads around Bella’s neck; they were left to lie on the window-sill next to the peacock feathers.