З життя
Мрії стати на місце брата змінили моє життя назавжди
Усе життя я мріяв бути на місці брата, але скоро все змінилося.
Моя мама завагітніла мною у вісімнадцять років. Батько покинув нас, щойно дізнався новину — йому не потрібна була сім’я, лише безкінечні розваги і друзі. Батьки мами, мої дідусь з бабусею, були в люті. У невеликому містечку під Полтавою дитина без чоловіка вважалася ганьбою, і дідусь вигнав її з дому з криками: «Не хочу бачити таку безвідповідальну дочку!» Я навіть уявити не можу, як їй було — юній, самотній, з немовлям на руках. Але вона витримала: поступила на заочне, знайшла роботу, вибивалася з сил. Їй виділили кімнату в гуртожитку, і ми почали життя удвох. Мені довелося дорослішати швидше, ніж іншим дітям — ходив по продукти, прибирав, підігрівав їжу. Ігри? На них не було часу. З малих років я був її підтримкою, її єдиним чоловіком.
Я ніколи не скаржився — пишався цим. Але скоро в нашому житті з’явився Віктор. Він мені подобався: приносив цукерки, пригощав смаколиками, дбав про маму. Вона розквітла поруч з ним і одного разу сказала: «Ми з Віктором одружимося, переїдемо в великий будинок». Я був щасливий — мріяв про справжнього батька, і сподівався, що Віктор ним стане. Спочатку все було наче в казці. У мене з’явився свій куточок, я міг відпочивати, слухати музику, читати книги. Віктор допомагав мамі, і її очі сяяли від радості.
Але потім вона оголосила, що чекає дитину. Невдовзі Віктор сказав: «Тобі, Станіславе, доведеться перебратися в комірчину. Там буде дитяча». Я не зрозумів: у будинку багато кімнат, чому саме я? Наступного дня мої речі вже лежали в тісному кутку, де ледве поміщалося ліжко. Це було несправедливо, але я промовчав — звик терпіти.
Коли народився брат Миколка, почався кошмар. Його крики не давали мені спати, я ходив наче зомбі. В школі оцінки пішли вниз, вчителі сварили, а мама кричала: «Ти повинен бути прикладом для брата! Досить нас ганьбити, ледарю!» Миколка підріс, і на мене звалили нові обов’язки — гуляти з ним, возити коляску по двору. Хлопці сміялися з мене, а я червонів від сорому, але мовчав. Все найкраще — іграшки, одяг — купувалося Миколці. Я просив щось для себе, а Віктор сухо відповідав: «Грошей немає». Я водив брата в садок, забирав, годував, прибирав дім — жив в очікуванні, коли він виросте і дасть мені свободу.
Миколка пішов до школи, і мама наказала допомагати йому з уроками. Він був розпещеним, примхливим — навчався жахливо, і мої спроби його врозумити закінчувалися його скаргами мамі. Вона завжди ставала на його бік, а я отримував догану: «Ти старший, маєш бути терплячішим!» Його переводили з школи в школу, але він всюди провалювався. Врешті решт його віддали в приватну школу, де за гроші закривали очі на його двійки. Я ж пішов до технікуму на автослюсаря — не тому, що хотів, а щоб втекти з дому.
Потім були заочні курси, робота — я працював день і ніч, щоб накопичити на власне житло. Одружився, знайшов спокій. А Миколка? Віктор подарував йому квартиру, але він все одно живе з батьками, здає житло і витрачає гроші на дурниці. Працювати не хоче, валяється перед телевізором. Одного разу на Новий рік ми зібралися в батьків. Прийшла його чергова дівчина, Лєна. Я випадково почув їхню розмову на кухні.
— Тобі пощастило з братом, — говорила вона моїй дружині, Тані. — Станіслав такий роботяга, відповідальний. Чому Миколка не такий? Я прошу його з’їхатися, завести сім’ю, а він тільки до мами приклеюється. Гроші з оренди є, а толку?
— Так, Станіслав молодець, — усміхнулася Таня. — Кидай Миколку, він тобі не вартий. З нього чоловіка не вийде.
Я застиг. Миколка змінював дівчат, як рукавички, але жодна не затримувалася — мама їх усіх проганяла, вважаючи недостойними свого «золотого хлопчика». А він і не чинив опір, жив у своїй ліні, як у коконі. І тут я зрозумів: я більше не заздрю йому. Усе, про що я мріяв — бути на його місці, — виявилося порожнім. Доля дала мені випробування, але й нагородила за них. У мене є сім’я, любляча дружина, дочка, дім, який я побудував своїми руками. Я пишаюся собою, і вперше в житті мені не шкода, що я не Миколка. Моє життя — моя перемога, вистраждана і справжня.
For Five Years, Helena Thought She Was Married to Her Husband—But Realised She Wanted to Live with Him as if He Were Her Mum
For five years, she believed she was living with her husband, but only later did she realise shed been hoping...
The Nuisance Next Door “Keep your hands off my crystal glasses!” shouted the former friend. “Mind your own eyes! You think I don’t see who you’re ogling?” “So you’re jealous, are you?” Tamara Barrington was taken aback. “Just look who you’re after! I know what I’m getting you for Christmas—a lip-zipping machine!” “Why not keep it for yourself?” retorted Lynda, undeterred. “Or have you already worn yours out? You think I don’t notice?” Old Mrs. Tamara swung her legs off the creaky bed and walked over to her home icon shelf to read her morning prayer. Not that she was especially religious—she believed there was something out there running things, but who exactly remained a mystery. This all-powerful force went by many names: the universe, fate, and, of course, the Good Lord—a kindly old gent with a white beard and halo, sitting on his cloud and worrying about folks down on Earth. Besides, Mrs. Barrington was long past life’s halfway mark and edging near seventy. At that age, it was best not to quarrel with the Almighty: If He didn’t exist, believers lost nothing. If He did, non-believers lost everything. At the end of her morning devotions, Tamara added a few words of her own. Ritual, done. Soul at peace. She could start her new day. In Tamara Barrington’s life there were two main troubles. Not, as you might think, the usual English gripes of weather and taxes—those were old hat! Her nightmares were her neighbour, Lynda, and her own grandchildren. The grandchildren were predictable: today’s kids, not an ounce of effort in them. But they had parents to deal with them—let them take that on! Lynda, however, was a classic nerve-shredder of a neighbour! Only in the movies do the spats between national treasures like Dame Judi Dench and Maggie Smith seem sweet and charming. In real life, it’s nowhere near so cute—especially when the nitpicking is personal and persistent. To make matters more colourful, Mrs. Tamara had a chum with the nickname “Pete the Moped.” In full, it was Peter Ephraim Cosgrove—the surname a solid English sort! The origin of his nickname was obvious: In his youth, Pete Cosgrove—such a ring to it, eh?—loved zipping around on his scooter. Or as his mates called it, his “mopette.” In time, the battered moped gathered dust in the shed, but the nickname stuck like only village monikers can. In their younger days, they were family friends: Pete and his wife Nina with Tamara and her late husband. Now both of their spouses were resting peacefully in the village cemetery. So Tamara and Pete, whose friendship went back to school days, carried on together by habit—he was a true, loyal friend. Back in school, their trio—her, Pete, and Lynda—had pulled off friendship splendidly. Real, pure camaraderie—no teenage flirting involved. They always moved as a trio: Their strapping gentleman between two smartly dressed ladies, each on his arm. Like one of those double-handled English tea cups—built not to be dropped! As the years went by, the friendships changed. First came a chill from Lynda, then outright spite. It was as if Lynda had been swapped for someone else—a different script altogether! This switch came after her husband passed away; before that, things had been tolerable. It’s no surprise: time sharpens certain traits. The thrifty turn stingy. Chatty types grow unbearable. And envy—well, it will tear you to pieces. And there was plenty to envy! First, despite her years, Tamara stayed trim and neat, while Lynda had become rather dumpy—a common by-product of time. Tamara always cut a better figure. Second, their old friend Pete now lavished more attention on lively Tamara. They whispered and laughed over private jokes, their silvery heads nearly touching. With Lynda, conversation was limited to short, dry remarks. And Pete visited Tamara far more often, while Lynda had to beg for his company. Perhaps Lynda wasn’t as clever as infuriating Tamara, nor as quick with a joke—Pete had always loved a good laugh. Ah, there’s a fine old English word—”yakking”—which would fit what Lynda did these days: picking fights over every little thing. First, she complained Tamara’s loo was in the wrong spot and stank! “Your privy stinks up the whole place!” grumbled Lynda. “Rubbish! It’s been there for ages—you only just noticed?” Tamara riposted. “Oh yes! And your eye implants were on the NHS! Nothing good comes free, you know!” “Keep your nose out of my cataracts!” shot back Lynda. “Watch who you’re giving the side-eye!” And so it went, again and again. Pete even suggested filling in the old outside toilet and setting one up inside. Tamara’s children pooled money to sort out an indoor loo for their mum. Pete himself helped fill in the old pit—problem solved. Lynda, find something new to complain about! She did: Now she accused Tamara’s grandkids of stealing pears from her tree, whose branches hung well into Tamara’s plot. “They thought it was ours,” Tamara tried to explain, doubting the kids took any—she hadn’t seen any missing. “Besides, your chickens are always scratching round in my veg patch!” “A chicken is a simple creature! Either a broiler or a layer!” Lynda retorted. “And you ought to be raising your grandkids right, not giggling with old men all day!” On it went: the pears, the tree branches, the chickens, and always some new row to pick. In the end, Pete suggested cutting back the offending branches—after all, they were on Tamara’s side of the fence. Under his watchful eye, Lynda kept silent for once. Once that was sorted, Tamara took exception to Lynda’s new breed of chickens, which now truly did dig up her beds. She politely asked Lynda to keep them fenced in. Lynda only smirked: “Sweep away for all I care—see what you can do!” Tamara would never dream of catching a chicken and roasting it to prove a point—she was too soft-hearted for a risky experiment. Instead, clever Pete suggested an idea from the internet: quietly scatter eggs in the beds at night, and collect them next morning. It worked! Lynda, seeing Tamara returning with a full bowl of eggs, was flabbergasted—and her chickens never trespassed again. Couldn’t they just make peace now? Not likely! Now it was the smoke and smell from Tamara’s summer kitchen that bothered Lynda. “Yesterday I didn’t mind it, but today I do! And maybe I’m vegetarian! Haven’t you heard Parliament passed a law about barbecue smoke?” “Where do you even see a barbecue, Lynda?” Tamara tried reasoning. “You might want to wipe your glasses once in a while!” Always patient, Tamara finally lost her cool. Lynda had become utterly impossible—some words just suit her! “Maybe she ought to be sent off for experiments,” Tamara sighed to Pete over tea. “She’s eating me alive!” Weary and thin from the daily stress, Tamara thought she might waste away—but Pete encouraged her to hang in there. One bright morning, Tamara heard a familiar song: “Tammy, Tammy, come out from your cottage!” Outside, Pete stood proudly beside his newly repaired moped. “Why was I so glum before?” he proclaimed. “It’s because my moped was down! Now climb on, darling, let’s relive our youth!” Tamara hopped on. After all, Parliament had officially cancelled old age: everyone was now an active pensioner at sixty-five! She rode off into her new life—literally and figuratively. Before long, Tamara became Mrs. Cosgrove—Pete proposed, and the puzzle was complete. She left her worries (and her cantankerous neighbour) behind and moved in with her new husband. Lynda remained a solitary, grumpy woman—who, with no one left to argue with, turned all her bitterness inwards. But you can bet she found new things to envy. So hold tight, Tamara, and maybe don’t step outside too soon! Village life—it’s a real song, isn’t it? What did you expect? All that fuss over a loo, for nothing…
Annoying Neighbour Dont you touch my reading glasses! screeched my former friend Jean. You ought to mind your own eyesight!...
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