Mrs. Sokolov

Like every morning, Sveta walked calmly thinking about the things she had to do before coming back home. She greeted the neighbors. She spent some time with the ones she liked most. She checked prices and goods, she talked about how soon the winter arrived that year, she talked about how expensive was life becoming.

Sveta went to the butcher´s shop.

- Good morning Svetlana, how are you today?- asked the butcher

- Ok, I´m ok sweet heart, I can´t complain I guess- Sveta answered

- And your husband, how is he?- the butcher asked again while she was cutting some chicken

- At home- she said- with his things, you know

- How is he doing?

- Do you have livers?- asked Sveta while she looked the goods they had

- Of course! And very big ones. I was asking about your husband, how is he doing?- she insisted

- Well..like always sweet heart, like always. Can you give me two livers and half a kilo of sausages. How much is it? Here you have, thank you, god bless you.

- Thanks Sveta, god bless you too, be careful, the floor is very slippery.

Sveta left the butcher´s, she put the bag into her purse, she tied the scarf into her head and went back home walking calmly.

When she walked through the park Sveta saw a group of young people running and having fun. She looked for Kolia. He lived in the same street as Sveta, a little bit further. He was such a good boy, Sveta thought, so polite and always very willing, so happy…Of course, must be the youth, she thought, when I was young I was also full of energy and dreams. But, where is he?, he must be with that girl..what was her name…

And thinking about Kolia she arrived home. She went up the few stairs kicking with her feet against the floor in order to get rid of the snow. She opened the door and at once she could hear Misha greeting her cheerfully.

- Hello Misha- she said with a very sweet voice while getting closer to it. The small bird beated its wings energetically and it gave her a trill.

Sveta opened the cage and Misha flew to the little woman´ silver head. She laughed.

A bout of caughing made her snap back to reality. Vladimir.

Sveta put some water on to boil, those infusions were good for him, they relieved the coughing a bit.

She left the kitchen with a steaming cup and went walking slowly towards the livingroom. There, sitting on his coach, was Vladimir Sokolov with a flushed face, with his nails stucked into the coach.

- Take this, I made it fo you

He didn´t move

- I´ll leave it here.

In the kitchen Sveta lighetd the coal stove and started cooking. She sang to herself. Misha was flying from one place to the other one.

- Food is ready!- she said to Vladimir. She went to the livingroom to help him to stand up. She held him firmly while he tried to sit up. Sveta noticed how shaking the legs of her husband were. In the kitchen he sat down with his back to the stove. Sveta served the soup.

- It´s tasteless. And that bird has been the whole morning screeching, I have a headache.

Sveta didn´t answered.

- And, what is this? Liver? Again liver?

- Doctor says is good for you

- Doctor says, doctor says. And what else does the doctor say, does he tell you to make my last days bitter?. Don´t look at me like that. God…this woman! I should have gone long time ago, even with the army, but now…that the only thing I have left is my illness…where do I go?, huh?, tell me Svetlana, where do I go.

Sveta cleared the table.

- Do you want the liver or you don´t?- she asked

He, pushed by anger stood up and went to his couch limping.

Misha appeared.

Sveta sat down on a chair and watched the bird eating the peaves of bread on the table. She suddenly stood up, she tidied the kitchen, put some liver stew on a recipient. She put on the jacket, the coat and went to the door.

- I´ll be right back – said to no one. And no one answered to her.

She went to the street, turned around the corner and knocked at Kolia´s door.

- Mrs. Sokolov!, come in, don´t stay aout there, it´s very cold.

- Good afternoon Kolia, are you busy?

- No, no! How are you? Is there any problem? Do you need some help to move some old furniture?- asked Kolia smiling.

Sveta also smiled.

- No, that´s not it. I bring you some liver stew I cooked. I thought you hadn´t eaten.

- Thank you, you are so sweet… you are spoiling me- he answered- And yoou? Did you eat?

- Yes, yes, don´t worry, we already eat. Well, I must go, you must have things to do, young people are always so busy…

- Are you ok Svetlana?. Asked Kolia worried about the woman- you don´t talk too much today.

- Is just I´m a bit tired, I´m too old I guess- she said while walking to the door- Good bye Kolia, god bless you.

- Good bye- he answered – god bless you too.

Sveta went back home, took off the jacket and looked into the livingroom. He was sleeping. Better, like this he didn´t suffer so much.

She went to the kitchen and she started to shred a peace of bread. She put the pieces in a plastic bag.

- Misha, Misha! Come here! – and the bird landed on her shoulder. She took it carefully and put it back into the cage. She put on the jacket, the coat, the wool cap, the gloves, she took the plastic bag and went to the street.

She walked to the park and there she started feeding the few birds she found. When a cold wind arrived she went back home.

Vladimir was awake.

Sveta sat on the livingroom. Silence. She watched through the window.

- The pills- Vladimir said- bring me the pills

- It´s not the time yet

- I told you ti bring me the pills!- insisted

Sveta brought the pills.

When the dinner was ready she went, like always, to the livingroom to help his husband. They walked to the kitchen, he sat with his back to the coal stove and she served the dinner.

- And the liver?- asked Vladimir without taking his eyes out of the table.

- There´s nothing left- answerd Sveta calmly.

- What do you mean?

- I gave it to Kolia.

- To Kolia? That long haired poor devil?

- He´s very kind. And very polite

- Did he pay for it?

- How is he gonna pay me? You said you were tired of liver- she answered

- I don´t know what do you have in your head Svetlana. You will the death of me.

After preparing the infusion for Vladimir, Sveta went to her room, she undressed and went to sleep.

She opened her eyes and she saw there was coming too much light through the window. She woke up fast, she got dressed and she went to the livingroom. He wasn´t there. The couch was empty. She went to the kitchen and she found him sitted on the chair, in front of an empty cup, with the spoon in his hand and looking to the table. No one had lighted the coal stove.

Quickly she put water on to boil and prepared the stove. She put some wood and some papers to make it burn faster.

She drank her tee very fast, she took the coat, the gloves and the hat and she went to the market.

Oh!, she thought, I forgot to say hello to Misha.

She did the shoping without distractions, today she was a bit late, and she went back home.

When she was close to her house she saw a figure sitted on her stairs. Who was it? Kolia! She started to walk faster.

Kolia stood up, he was serious, and what was Misha´s cage doing outside? Sveta didn´t understand anything. Kolia went to her veru upset.

- Mrs. Sokolov- he said- I was getting some wood behind the house and..

- What´s wrong Kolia? What is Misha doing here outsode?- she asked scared

- I found Misha´s cage behind the house Mrs. Sokolov. Misha is…

- It´s not possible!- she sobbed- it was at home, last night I said good night to it

- Sveta, someone put Misha here, do you understand?

- But, who, who can be annoyed by a little bird?- asked Sveta

Then Svetlana Sokolov went pale. She half-close her eyes fixing her thoughts. She took the cage and turned around.

- Sveta, Sveta, wait, where are you going?- Kolia asked – what are you gonna do?, do you want me to help you?

But Svetlana didn´t answer and kept walking. She arrived to a clearing close to her house and there she kneeled, she made a hole on the floor with her old hands and with her eyes full of tears she buried poor Misha.

She stood up and went home. Kolia was still there, where she left him. The young man looked at her saddened.

- If you need anything you know where am I- he said

- Thank you son, god bless you.

She went back home, she put the empty cage in the closet, she dried her frozen tears and went to the kitchen. She sat next to the stove and she frolicked a bit with the iron poker. Vladimir´s caughing brought her back to reality.

She cooked some food and when everything was ready she went to help his husband to stand up. They sitted at the table and he ate everything Sveta had prepared. She didn´t eat a single bit, she just looked at him with her eyes full of hate, but Vladimir didn´t realise about those things, it was long ago since he looked to her wife´s eyes for the last time.

The day went by normally, Vladimir snoozed on his couch when the cough wasn´t too bad and Sveta, in the kitchen, cried in silence Misha´s death.

Sveta´s anger increased, how could he have done such a thing? How was he able to leave the poor bird on the street? How could he go on like nothig happened?

- Svetlana! Svetlana! Where are you woman? Can´t you see I need you?- he shouted from his couch.

Svetlana went to the livingroom

- Bring me those books

- You should do it yourself. I know you move by yourself some times

- What are you talking about? You know nothing. Bring me those books I said and leave me alone

Sveta put the books closer and she stood up in front of him for a second

- What do you want? Do you want me to say thank you or something?

Sveta turned around and she went to the kitchen.

Somebody knocked at the door. Sveta startled and went to see how was it?

- Hello Kolia! Come on in

- How are you? Do you feel like going to the park for a walk?- asked the young man

- No, thank you son, it´s too cold.

- Are you ok? Do you want me to stay for a while?

- Do you want a tea? – asked Sveta

- Yes sure, if you drink one too

- Yes, we will have a tea then

- Where is he?

- In the livingroom. Sugar? I forgot- said Sveta smiling

- No sugar

- What´s the name of that girl who was with you the other day?

Kolia laughed

- Katia, her name´s Katia

- And where did you meet?...

When they finished the tea Kolia left.

Sveta went to the place where Misha´s cage was hanging. She was going to open the cage to free the bird for a while. She cried.

When the food was ready she went to get her husband.

- What´s wrong Svetlana? You don´t talk too much today- said Vladimir ironically –Whay did that Kolia want?

Svetlana left the plate in front of him.

- It´s cold here, sure you forgot to put on more coal

She looked at the stove, the coal sack was empty. She went to get another one, she dragged it to the kitchen while his husband put the spoon in his mouth. She rested the sack against the wall and she took the iron poker to poke the little fire.

- Bah! This soup is disgusting- said Vladimir.

Svetlana Sokolov, with the poker between her hands looked at her husband´s back. She raised her arms, arms that for the first time since long ago weren´t shaking anymore and she took out on his husbands´s head all those years of pain and anger.

The head bent forward, it sank into the disgusting soup, there were spasms and dark and thick blood dripping.

Sveta looked for some sheets, she wrapped the head, she put the body on the floor and wrapped everything again and again, she cleaned everything, the blood, the soup, tha glasses, she cleaned years of memories, she scratched and scratched till there was nothing left, except for Vladimir Sokolov lying on the ground, with a blood stain that was getting bigger and bigger.

After sitting for a while not to think but to stop thinking, she stood up and went outside. She got round the corner and knocked at Kolia´s door.

- What are you doing here? You´re gonna get sick. Come on in- said Kolia

- No, no, are you busy? I need you to come with me one moment.

- Sure, what´s wrong?

She didn´t answer, they got inside Sveta´s house and she went directly to the kitchen. Kolia followed her. Then was when he saw the wrapped body on the floor of the once known as Vladimir Sokolov.

- Oh my god! But, what did you do? What happened? Ok , clam down, We have to call the police.

- No, I don´t want to call the police. I want to take this thing out, take it to the mountain- she said- Sorry Kolia, I shouldn´t have called you, go, go home please and say nothing to no one.

- But, how can I leave you with all this? Besides you already got me into this Mrs. Sokolov

They left the house through the back door and half carrying, half dragging the got the body to a remote place. It was snowing, that was good, so the footprints will be gone, Kolia thought. He couldn´t belive yet what was going on.

They started digging and after a long time there was no Vladimir Sokolov anymore.

- Go home Kolia, you already did too much. Thank you

- An what about you?

- I will stay here for a while, you can leave now son

So Kolia left, trying to assimilate what he just did. Everything went so fast… He felt terrified.

Sveta took a deep breath, she tightened the scarf and turned around. She went to the place Misha was buried. She crouched and dug the bird up. She went back home, put Misha inside the cage again, she drank a glass of vodka and she slept.

Text: Vanesa Pomar
Art: Miguel Sp
Contact: vainillap@gmail.com