З життя
Ти куди? Хто тепер обід готуватиме?
— Що це ти? Куди зібралась? А хто готуватиме нам? — зніяковів чоловік, побачивши, як Оксана зайнялася своїми справами після сварки зі своєю свекрухою.
Оксана глянула у вікно. Сірість і понурість, навіть незважаючи на початок весни. В їхньому невеликому містечку на заході України сонячних днів майже ніколи не було. Можливо, тому люди, які тут жили, були похмурі й недружелюбні.
Оксана останнім часом все частіше помічала, що зовсім перестала усміхатися, а зморшка на лобі, який був постійно насуплений, додавала їй зайвий десяток років.
— Мамо, я піду прогуляюсь, — заявила її донька, Вероніка.
— Так, — кивнула Оксана.
— Що «так»? Гроші дай.
— А що, прогулянки тепер платні? — зітхнула жінка.
— Мамо! Ну що за питання?! — втрачала терпіння донька. — Мене чекають, давай швидше! А чому так мало?
— На морозиво вистачить.
— Ну й скупа ти, — кинула Вероніка, але відповіді матері вже не почула, бо зникла за дверима.
Оце так… — похитала головою Оксана, згадуючи, якою милою дівчинкою була Вероніка, доки не почався перехідний вік.
— Ксюшо, я голодний! Ще довго?! — роздратовано крикнув чоловік, Андрій.
— Іди їж, — байдуже сказала вона, ставлячи на стіл тарілку.
— А принеси мені, а?
Оксана ледве не впустила каструлю. Чого надумав…
— Їдять на кухні, Андрію. Хочеш, їж, не хочеш… як хочеш, — сказала вона й сіла за стіл сама.
За п’ятнадцять хвилин Андрій прийшов на кухню.
— Холодне… фу.
— Довше збирайся.
— Я тебе просив! Жодної любові, жодної турботи! Ти ж знаєш, що я дивлюся футбол! — на ходу запихаючи до рота курку, буркнув Андрій. — Несмачно.
Оксана лише закотила очі. З тим футболом її чоловік був сам не свій. Ставки, атрибутика, дорогі квитки… пристрастився, хоча в молодості ніякого інтересу до спорту не відчував.
Так і не сівши за стіл, Андрій схопив пиво для настрою, чипси «з голоду», і пішов назад до телевізора. А Оксана залишилася на кухні, розбирати брудний посуд.
Дарма готувала. Ніхто не оцінив.
Вона жахливо втомилася після зміни — працювала старшою медсестрою в лікарні. До неї приходили зі своїми проблемами роздратовані, хворі люди. Так і виходило — на роботі стрес, а вдома не куточок тепла й затишку, а друга зміна: подай-принеси-постій-упорядкуй.
— А є ще? — чоловік поліз за новою пляшкою в холодильник. — А чому немає?
— Ти все випив! Я що, ще й це тобі купувати маю?! Совість май, Андрію! — не витримала Оксана.
— Які ми ніжні… — фуркнув чоловік і образливо грюкнув дверима, відправившись поповнювати «запаси» для нового матчу.
Оксана вирішила лягти спати, бо наступного дня було багато роботи. Але не могла заснути. Вона хвилювалася за доньку, де вона гуляла, з ким? За вікном уже стемніло, а Вероніки все не було. Дзвонити їй було ніяково, бо донька починала її сварити.
— Ти ганьбиш мене перед друзями! Перестань мені телефонувати! — сварилась Вероніка в слухавку. Після таких розмов Оксана припинила їй дзвонити, заспокоюючи себе тим, що доньці на днях виповнилося 18 років. Працювати вона не хотіла, навчатися також. Закінчила школу і взяла паузу, щоб знайти себе.
Трохи задрімавши, Оксана почула радісні крики чоловіка. Мабуть, хтось забив гол. Потім він почав гучно обговорювати гру із сусідом, який випадково до них зайшов і залишився. Потім сусід привів свою подругу, і вони почали «хворіти» втрьох. А вночі прийшла Вероніка, погриміла тарілками, потупала й пішла спати. І як тільки все затихло, і Оксана, нарешті, змогла заснути, загорлав кіт, вимагаючи їжі.
— В цьому домі, крім мене, хтось може нагодувати кота?! — зла і замучена від мігрені та безсоння, Оксана вискочила з кімнати. Їй хотілося, щоб її почули, але донька була в навушниках і лише покрутила біля скроні. А Андрій так і захропів перед телевізором із пляшкою в руках.
«Набридло… як же все це мені набридло!» — подумала Оксана.
Наступного дня її розбудив дзвінок від свекрухи.
— Оксано, дорога, ти ж пам’ятаєш, що пора садити розсаду? І в село треба б з’їздити… прибрати.
— Пам’ятаю, — зітхнула Оксана.
— Тоді завтра й поїдемо.
Єдиний вихідний Оксана працювала на дачі під керівництвом свекрухи.
— Що ти так метеєш?! Треба держати віник інакше! — сидячи на лавочці, командувала вона.
— Мені майже п’ятдесят років, Віро Іванівно, я вже розберусь… — наважилась відповісти свекрусі Оксана.
— Ось Андрій би…
— Де ваш Андрій? Чому не приїхав? Не привіз рідну матір на дачу? Що ми з вами автобусом три години тряслись? А ви все Андрій, Андрій…
— Він втомлюється.
— А я? Гадаєте, я не втомлююся?
І тут почалося… Оксана пошкодувала, що не прикусила язик. Віра Іванівна була жінкою балакучою і любила справедливість. От тільки її справедливість була однобокою і до Оксани не стосувалася. Все життя Віра Іванівна тільки й робила, що поклонялася Андрієві, а Оксана для неї була робочою конячкою, яку вона милосердно терпіла.
Назад жінки їхали в різних кінцях автобуса. А наступного дня Віра Іванівна поскаржилася синові на невістку, і той розійшовся не на жарт.
— Як ти посміла на мою матір рота розкрити?! — лаючись, кричав Андрій. — Якби не вона…
— Що? — схрестивши руки на грудях, запитала Оксана. Вона зрозуміла, що більше не хоче терпіти таке споживацьке ставлення до себе.
— Та ти б так і працювала в поліклініці! — дістав козир з рукава, нагадавши, що Віра Іванівна допомогла влаштувати невістку на роботу в обласну лікарню. Там зарплатня була вища, звісно, але окуплювалась вона нервами та сивим волоссям. Тому Оксана не раз пошкодувала, що піддалася і проміняла спокійну місцеву поліклініку на лікарню. — Що це ти…? — зніяковів чоловік, дивлячись, що робить Оксана.
Те, що зробила Оксана, Андрій не міг навіть уявити!
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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…
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