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(1969) David's friend Ilia Lavrov 1 A short story which is written by
the actor and David's friend Ilia Lavrov. Taken from the book entitled 'The
Notches on the Heart'. (1969) ═'The house on Usually I stick at Dodka's (David Yochimowitz), in his tiny hut where
the windows are almost flushed up with the ground. And one can hear the murmur
of the poplar trees above the roof of the hut. The
roof the boards of which have already become green. Dodya's Father, Isay Lazarevich, works in some paint artel. He is
responsible for the household. Very deaf, he lives in the world of great
silence: not a single sound impedes his
meditation. He seems to me being abstracted all the time, somewhere deep in mysterious though significant thoughts. For he can not
understand those addressing to him at once, he
looks at them with a sad, a bit guilty and embarrassed smile. To make him hear anything, one
has to shout with all one's might. Exactly this is the from-morning-till-night uproar here. Dodka is bawling, his mother,
bulky Anna Grigorievna, is shouting and the
neighbors start yelling immediately as they are on the doorstep. Only Isai Lazarevich, withered, small and with an
apologizing smile, speaks very quietly. He is a philosopher. He enjoys
preaching to us, reflecting upon the sense of life, honour and conscience. He
quotes various dicta from Bible or Travda' editorials to us. He often impresses
some wordy wisdom on us: -══ Neither ever borrow nor lend! -══ Never make a chain from sausages for the
dog! -══ You cannot hold three watermelons in one
palm! Having said it, he looks at us
significantly and triumphantly raising the forefinger in front of his face. But this philosopher becomes
apparently flustered under the pressure of his wife. She rules him. Noisy and risible Anna
Grigorievna was born in beautiful, larger and richer. She
shouts at us and sometimes she drives us out to the yard slashing our backs
with the towel. Anna Grigorievna is a vehement housewife and a frantic mother
devoted to her family and hut as an old soldier to the regimental colours. To buy a wisp of spring onions or
fennel in the market she has to spend if not the whole then half of a day for sure. David and I have seen many times
as she sawing the air all in raptures was narrating to somebody about - And you, rascals, don't take
care of yourselves!! You are lapping up unboiled water and turn upon your noses
at milk, you are too lazy to button your coats up in hard frost! It doesn't
take long to catch cold, does it! And the mothers have to grow blind with tears! Dodka gets holds of
his belly, makes a wry face, moans and wails: - Anna Grigorievna! I pledge a
word of a man to drink milk and eat curdled milk in the morning. I will even sleep in a coat not to catch cold! Still in tears Anna Grigorievna
starts swaying with laughter. These old people who are over head and ears in love with their only sun amuse me. They are still trying to hold
him near them as if he were an infant. How many fights against them Dodka has
to suffer to slip away from home! Finally, Dodka runs thunderstruck with all his might away but parents are still
shouting after him: -══ Don't get into a car accident! -══ Don't get involved into a fight! -══ Don't smoke, baby, it's harmful! -══ Button up! They rush after him into the
street. -══ Wait, wait! Have some more
milk! Dodka and I are escaping! Today it has been just like that. At night I am
awaken as usual by the clashing shutters. -══ Get up! Isay Lazarevich hammers with the
stick in the shutter,- Mom says yawning. - They've lost David
again. I go out with the coat slipped
on. Dodka's father is really standing at the window in a frosty gloom. His face is muffled with a scarf, rimy collar is
turned up, walking stick is in his hand. -══ Where's Dodya? - Isay Lazarevich shouts
indistinctly through the scarf. -══ Don't know! - I'm bawling. - He went home
from the cinema! -══ So, Ilia! Get dressed! We have
to look for him! Anna Grigorievna is going crazy, she is standing in the street
and crying. David promised to be back at ten, now it's two o'clock already.
Let's go, I ask you! You know better where he might be. -══ You don't have to worry! He'll be back! -
I'm trying to persuade him. - ══Well, you know, everything
might happen, - Isay Lazarevich is alarmed. -Could have got into a car accident, hooligans could have thrust a knife
into him, could have slipped and broken his leg...
Anything might happen. Let's go, I plead you! Cursing all those Dodka's tricks
I dress warmly and we are going into the ice-cold darkness of an empty street, we are passing through the houses
covered with snow and Isay Lazarevich, making strokes
with his walking stick, develops the plan of action. They are still trying to hold
him near them as if he were an infant. How many fights against them Dodka has
to suffer to slip away from home! Finally, Dodka runs thunderstruck with all his might away but parents are still
shouting after him: -══ Don't get into a car accident! -══ Don't get involved into a fight! -══ Don't smoke, baby, it's harmful! -══ Button up! They rush after him into the
street. -══ Wait, wait! Have some more
milk! Dodka and I are escaping! Today it has been just like that. At night I am
awaken as usual by the clashing shutters. -══ Get up! Isay Lazarevich hammers with the
stick in the shutter,- Mom says yawning. - They've lost David
again. I go out with the coat slipped
on. Dodka's father is really standing at the window in a frosty gloom. His face is muffled with a scarf, rimy collar is
turned up, walking stick is in his hand. -══ Where's Dodya? - Isay Lazarevich shouts
indistinctly through the scarf. -══ Don't know! - I'm bawling. - He went home
from the cinema! -══ So, Ilia! Get dressed! We have
to look for him! Anna Grigorievna is going crazy, she is standing in the street
and crying. David promised to be back at ten, now it's two o'clock already.
Let's go, I ask you! You know better where he might be. -══ You don't have to worry! He'll be back! - I'm
trying to persuade him. -══ Well, you know, everything
might happen, - Isay Lazarevich is alarmed. -Could have got into a car accident, hooligans could have thrust a knife
into him, could have slipped and broken his leg...
Anything might happen. Let's go, I plead you! Cursing all those Dodka's tricks
I dress warmly and we are going into the ice-cold darkness of an empty street, we are passing through the houses
covered with snow and Isay Lazarevich, making strokes
with his walking stick, develops the plan of action. Where've you been? In militia. The booth at the railway station has been robbed. So I asked
for permission to assist them. You can't imagine how smart they have done it!
-Dodka is breaking out. But he could never finish his story. Anna Grigorievna
is screaming, waving her stick at him. - Rascal! Scoundrel! Barking bursts out again. We are
throwing the cigarettes into the snow. Anna Grigorievna is approaching us as a thundercloud. -══ You are like Mazeppah rushing
at us! Go ahead! Hurray! - Dodka is screaming,
trying to imitate his mother. -Bless you dear -══ Rascal! - His Mother is
already laughing through tears.═ ln a couple of minutes in a hot and garlic-smelling hut Anna Grigorievna
is trying to pour in Dodka a pot of boiling milk and to rub his chest with the
turpentine for him not to catch cold. Then she starts ardently her
favourite talk about children's disobedience. She imagines that Dodka will not
feed her when she is too old and he will drive her away. Reveling in her self-pity she draws her future in gloomy colours.
The picture as she comes to him as a beggar woman with the staff in her hand
and he chases her away giving her a stone
instead of bread makes her burst out into the sweet tears. Sobbing, she repeats: -══ You'll find a wife, you'll find friends, but
never a mother, rascal! -══ Ah, my dear Mother, - Dodka is whispering tragically, bending his arms. Anna Grigorievna is shaking with laughter... |
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