Читать книгу A play for 5 people. Defrosting relationships - Николай Лакутин - Страница 3

Mom's apartment.

A cozy, modest home of the average Russian pensioner.

Aurora Moiseevna is busy with the housework, a little nervous. The small table has been set for a long time, there are no guests, she alone puts the room in order, puts the final touches so that everything is decorous and noble.

Yakov enters the apartment.

YAKOV (not too festive, more businesslike): Hey, Mom. Happy Birthday to you.

Aurora Moiseevna turns at her son's voice.

AURORA MOISEEVNA (delighted, but a little nervous): Hello, my son. Thanks. Why didn't we go for so long? Why one? Where is Susanna?

YAKOV (calmly): We had a fight…, a little.

AURORA MOISEEVNA (restrained): Because of what?

YAKOV (undressing): Because of whom!

AURORA MOISEEVNA (restrained): Because of me?

YAKOV (passing by, passing a package with a gift): Well… in a way. Here's a gift, here, and there's something for the table. Happy holidays, Mom!

He kisses his mother on the cheek, hugs her, goes to the table.

Mom is upset, she is not up to a gift, she puts the package aside without looking at it.

AURORA MOISEEVNA (in frustration): Thank you, of course, but… Wait a minute. Like in some way? What happened, Yasha?

YAKOV (carefully examining the table, taking aim at what is tastier): Mom, what are you doing?.. like a little girl, by God. You don't like her yourself, and it shows. What is not the reason for the quarrel?

AURORA MOISEEVNA (busily): I'm your mother! My status is supposed to dislike your chosen one, no matter what she is. But this does not give me the right not to respect your choice! And mind you, I have never allowed myself to reproach you for your choice. Yes, I don't like Susanna. I don't like a lot of things about her, but I am aware that she lived in a completely different family, she had completely different ways of life and established views on life. I don't understand how a woman can sleep until eight in the morning, I was taught that you need to get up at six and prepare everything for breakfast for your husband and child. I do not understand why, with a living and healthy hostess, the house is constantly in a mess, dust and dirty dishes. I basically do not understand the passion for entertainment in clubs and restaurants. For me, the age of dancing and a light, reckless, carefree life should end on the same day when a marriage stamp is put in the passport! Your chosen one likes to go to clubs. For corporate parties or there, for a friend's birthday. In fairness, I must say that now I seem to have settled down, and before I often walked and had fun. I didn't like a lot of things and I don't like them, and I'm sorry, but I can't force myself to love your Susanna. And I don't want to!

YAKOV (calmly): Here!

AURORA MOISEEVNA (busily): But! With all this, I do not interfere in your life. Or at least I'm trying to stay out of it! It seems to turn out…

YAKOV (with doubt): Yes, not really …

AURORA MOISEEVNA( with interest): Well? What did I do wrong again?

Yakov glances at his mother, starts eating, invites the hero of the occasion to the table. The mother reluctantly sits down next to her, supports the meal symbolically, looks with interest at her son.

YAKOV (trying to change the subject): Where are your friends? Why is there no one here? Or did you just invite us?

AURORA MOISEEVNA (suspiciously): Yes, there were friends, they have already left. I specifically invited them three hours earlier. To make everyone feel comfortable. Again, I thought about you and Susanna. And you're talking… In general, do not talk my teeth. Tell me, what happened with you?

YAKOV (eating and answering the question): Well… at first, she took a long time to get ready. Something got stuck, something kept pulling the rubber. And you know how much I hate waiting, right?

AURORA MOISEEVNA (approvingly): I know! No one likes it.

YAKOV (eating and answering the question): You know. And my wife knows perfectly well. Not once was she told to be faster. And everything is like peas against the wall. Or maybe she's deliberately making me angry every time, trying to annoy me… Don't know. But, in general, until she tried on her entire wardrobe, she did not calm down. I finally chose something! I had already called out to heaven with gratitude, but then she remembered that she urgently needed to send some report that she forgot to send yesterday. Well, God be with him, it's a matter of a minute whether it's a long time to send a file by e-mail. Well, wherever there is… I sat down to send it, chatted with a friend. Word for word, I'm already all over it… Went out, in general. I point at my watch, twirl my finger at my temple, and she waves at me, saying, now-now. They came out later, of course. Then there was a queue at the checkout in the store, but she also forgot something there, she had to go back. In general, word for word. She freaked out and ran away. And here I am. And happy birthday to you for the third time. That's it!

Yakov defiantly throws something from the table into his mouth, at the end of his story. He has spoken out, he feels good, he tastes good, life goes on.

But the mother is sitting in a misunderstanding.

AURORA MOISEEVNA (questioningly): Well…?

YAKOV (sincerely not understanding): Well, what?

AURORA MOISEEVNA (inquiringly): Well, so, what does it have to do with me?

YAKOV (sincerely indignant): How does this have anything to do with it? Were you in a hurry for your birthday?

AURORA MOISEEVNA (relieved): Oh…, well, yes. I presented it here, so I presented it. You can't get away with it. My fault, I admit. I repent. I'm a bad mother-in-law. Look what you've decided… She took it into her head to celebrate her birthday, which called into question a strong, cohesive, reliable and unbreakable marriage like the army of the Vatican.

YAKOV (appreciating the sarcasm): Come on. There will be irony. Well, of course, everything I've told you is just the consequences. And the source of ignition of emotional and psychological processes began even before that, on the eve of today's visit. She doesn't want to come to you. So he comes up with various scandals. So he tries to create situations in which we will inevitably quarrel. I understand all this. I endure – I endure, but my patience is not unlimited.