Аннотация: Новелла "Здесь слишком жарко!" в переводе на английский. Спешу обрадовать всех друзей. :-)
- It's hot here! It's too hot! - Slava was repeating all the time.
- You can get used to adapt, to accept ... But love - not! .. Everything is too strange, it will never become ours.
Life goes here aimlessly. I feel as if I have not lived all these years ... I've been in the army here and seen a lot of things ... And there is no life, there is nothing to remember! Work - bills, work - bills, work - bills! And all the time this senseless war! Outside and inside! You do not live - you only survive. If there is no war now, then later it is will be. There you are an enemy, and here you are a stranger. One pleasure is that all are Jews here. But can it make me happy that all are Jews here?! - Flushed with wine and emotions, Slava poured out his soul to us. We all listened to him in silence, without interruption, and none of us condemned it: if you want to leave - leave. We live in a free country. You're not the first, nor the last.
Slava was different from other leaving people that the left, or rather flew, loud, too loud, as if he was ashamed of something and kept apologizing, or to us, or to himself.
All the others were leaving quietly and when talking about leaving, were extremely sparing: submitted documents to the Canadian Embassy, the interview took place, waiting for permission to enter the country, got tickets ...
Now the time when we were the whole, seems to me as far as the era of ancient Greece. And it was only some seventeen years ... For the life of mankind it is a fraction of a second, but for a person - an epoch, the time for which to be born and grow up a new generation that has little resemblance to its predecessors. Another life ...
After these seventeen years, almost no one left from our common friends. But at first all of us were "we." It happened later that our friendly company divided into friends and foes,into lucky and losers, and later into those who left and those remaining.
The first who left was Stas - a quiet and unobtrusive fellow in our company. He never missed our gatherings, and was the one who was always sober. He spoke rarely, always remained serious, and this was the cause of many jokes on him. Stas studied diligently and just like all of us, worked in his spare time, wherever it was possible. He went to the army after having graduated from the University. After serving compulsory military service, he has signed a contract and stayed in the army. Now he was a lieutenant colonel. Stas blended well into a new life, enjoying family happiness and was rising three children. I do not remember when he stopped coming to our binge drinkings and gatherings. From time to time we remembered him, but he was already not with us.
Igor became a police officer, not finding work after the army, and Michael, following his example, serves as an officer of the prison guards. We lost touch with them for a long time, too, though a few times while meeting them talked to everyone as old friends. But still our relationship was over.
The first who emigrated were Felix and Faina. They met in our company and got married when they were still students. Faina, a quiet, modest young woman, was a diligent student, but didn't "get stars from the sky".. And Felix, on the contrary, a daredevil and a child prodigy, "aidishe kopf" as proudly told his mother proudly called him. He defended his master's degree, two years after having received the first degree, and soon after he had got his PHD, he and Faina left to the USA under the contract. All the assumptions of friends and family that they would stay in America forever, Felix categorically rejected: they love Israel and can't live without it. They will work in America a little then they'll and come back forever. But as the years passed, and Felix did not come with Faina even to visit, to see their parents and friends.
- We have no time - Felix lamented over the phone. - Too much work ...
Meanwhile, they bought a house in California, then changed it to a different, more spacious. In America, they gave birth to children whom they had identified in the first kindergarten in the Jewish community, and then to a private school in the same community. Felix himself became a devout, though not so much as to devote himself to the study of the sacred books. But he likes to go to the synagogue and observe the Sabbath.
Edward and Ella, on the contrary, had little sympathy for this life and their way to Canada were punching hard from the beginning, as a tonel in the rock. With the study they did not succeed. Edward left the University, having studied for a year and a half. Ella studied for more than two years and left her studies when their first-born appeared.
For Edik studies at the university, in the long run were not needed. Subsequently, he always spoke contemptuously about university professors who only knew how to "teach others like themselves, "and to go on strikes." Edik himself was a master of all trades. He had a special talent for any job. Whatever he undertook, it turned out better than at someone else doing the same job. He worked as a welder, cook, at construction, and whom only he may be ... But he was very annoyed with low wages and high taxes as compared to other, more prosperous countries .
They both last completed programmers courses, quickly found a job in a large firm, and getting experience quite easily and quickly, moved to Canada. From time to time we communicate with them on Skype. During these sessions, more sentimental Ella talks about her nostalgia for Israel, complains that she forgets Hebrew, and says that she teach the language of the Holly land their children -so to finally not to forget it herself. Apparently, she did it - via Skype her children even once sang us songs in Hebrew.
Igor also didn't succeed in Israel, though at the recruiting office, he asked to be sent in combat units. Igor served at one of the most elite units, in Lebanon and Gaza, and in many other places ... During his service he was wounded twice, although both times easily, and was promoted to officer. He was invited to stay in the army, but his appointment did not suit - army officials wanted him to stay in Lebanon, promised mountains of gold and a fast career growth. Among other things, he was promised as a new duty station's the General Staff. But as soon as he signed, he was sent back to Lebanon for the same position. Igor was shocked not with so much cynicism and hypocrisy of army officials, as with the ruin of his own ideas about life. Previously, he felt himself as a part of this life, an important, significant part. And thus Igor understand, that in no terms he was a black bone and would never become a white one.
Since then, he felt rejection. He quarreled with his superiors and with the scandal having left the army.
Igor was about to continue his studies at the university, but soon dropped it out and began working for a security firm, which he was constantly changing.
He left everywhere with scandal and cruelly avenged his former employers: one day, he cut all the wheels in the parking lot owned by the company, where Igor had worked. There was no evidence of his involvement in the deed, but no one doubted that it was Igor who made it.
The rest of the time he "broke away" on the Arabs, whom for some reason hated, and the "Moroccans", whom he wrung their hands and ribs in clubs and discos.
When we were together, he scolded light on what Israeli orders. Igor was terribly irritated by everything: rudeness and stupidity of "baboons" as he called the natives of the country, venality of "Russians", "stupid black faces" and generally "fetid East." To contradict him at such moments was unsafe: Igor became furious and crumbled all that came to hand.
After meeting with Luda he settled down a bit, but not for long. Literally the first acquaintance with the parents of the girl ended almost a heart attack for the father of Luda.
Ludmila's father was a man so cunning that many in his presence felt themselves to be fools. This man was able to settle in life in any event.
- One must have a profession - he said, and he was a master of all trades: a hairdresser, electrician, carpenter ... He chose Israel quite deliberately, even though he had the opportunity to go to Germany. But about Germany, he did want even to hear:
- Sooner or later, they will still take on the Jews - he said. - America? And what about America? .. Here I am at home. And there what? .. - It was difficult to argue with him, and it was useless. In addition, he very sincerely loved Israel and felt himself here at home. Israel paid him the same way: turning a blind eye to his "left" earnings did not deprive his benefits. The old man was pleased: in Ukraine he still had an apartment which he had (before leaving) privatized and now gave it for rent, getting an additional income allowance to his benefits.
Luda's mother was "the wife of her husband" and loved him so much.
The talk, which began with the questioning usual in such cases, - who, where from, what do you do - almost ended in a fight.
After listening to Igor Luda's father was asking him, what else he can do in life, and why did not he try to get work here or there somewhere.
Igor was complaining that he had been deceived and robbed by his superious, and the conversation inevitably turned to philosophy. But Luda's father's philosophy was the only:
- Who do you blame? Who ows you anything? You had to think and moreover, you need to have a profession ...
Neither the mother nor the father of Luda did not expect such an explosive reaction of Igor. If it was not Luda, then everything would end with a real catastrophic results.
Of course, he did not appear is in the house more . However, their break came much later. Igor went on doing what he wanted and police investigator strictly recommend him to leave the country if he did not want to go to jail.
In the end, he left to his parents in St. Petersburg and settled there as a bodyguard to his uncle, a businessman. Luda did not fly with him. The only daughter of her parents, she has long worked in the university library, had "kviyut" and to change the "established way of life on the Gangster Petersburg" did not want.
Igor flew alone, and Luda soon married a bank clerk, from "local". Now she has five children. And then, less than six months after the departure of Igor, he became crooked and lost two fingers on one hand. Igor himself said that the cause of his injury was an unfortunaly opened bottle of champagne on some family celebration. Then he got married and disappeared altogether. All attempts to contact Igor failed: he either did not respond to phone calls or short-answered " busy", and that "can not talk now."
It all began with Leshka, undersized bumpkin with a huge head, as it seemed from the outside. In fact, it was a very smart guy with good gab. He had a demanded at the time profession:at the university he studied or biochemistry, or something related to biotechnology. Be that as it may, after graduation, he almost immediately found a job in a pharmaceutical concern, where he still works.
That was he who shared all of us to successful and losers. We parted after one day, when he pretty drunk, was showing off in front of us and denounce Slava.
- Here's another one ... duck, not knowing what to do with his life! - Leshka arrogantly said, pointing to Slava. Slava turned pale, and, setting aside the guitar, grabbed Lecha by lapels.
- Get your hands! - Lecha squealed.
We then barely calmed Slava. Since then, Lecha did not show up. But we though rarely, but thought about him. After all, he made that line between us, dividing us all to those lucky enough and they fit into a new life, or left in the more prosperous countries, and the losers, who did not have prestigious and well-paid jobs and were to stay here forever. . Maybe this line was already, and Lecha just noticed it? .. The guy he was nimble and had a quick eye for detail.
And Slava - he was the soul of our company! ..
We met all in the kibbutz, where at that time we lived and learned Hebrew: there was such a program for students. Slava was the oldest of us - he was twenty-five years. Then it was a smiling tousled guy, tall and slender, with the guitar on his shoulder and a huge backpack. He took the guitar with him everywhere, wherever we went: to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, to Eilat, where Slava in the morning was catching huge Almogs, or to the Judean desert, where he climbed with his guitar on the rocks, and in the evening in one of the local kibbutzim, gave us a concert on the veranda of the collective farm dining room or on the shore of the Dead Sea, performing his own songs.
And now our soul is like leaving us. From our big company remained only a few couples and three confirmed bachelors. Borja- the traveler, as we called him, has traveled all over the world. For the sake of his travels, he lives and works. If the money for the trip to the Andes or some other exotic place he does not have, he takes loans, which then pays sometimes for years. Victor is obsessed with Buddhism. He has always symbolized for us exoticism and spirituality of the East.
- Well, why are not you leaving? You'll perish here! - Once angrily told Edik to me before leaving.
- I have left long ago without moving in space, - I answered.
Edik only shook his head understandably and sympathetically, as I thought. We did not return to thistalk any more.
It happened shortly before their departure with Ella in Canada.
Slava sincerely tried to love Israel, but he failed. Many people considered him a loser:at the university he could not study what he wanted, because he had not received the required number of points. And then he entered the profession, which points to him enough. Then he became more annoyed because the study did not account for what the soul is, and the very life consists not the way you want. With the girl, with whom they were meeting for a long time and even were planning to get married in the end nothing happened. Ne met other girls after that, but with none of them he wanted to build a serious relationship.
- Everything of them comes down to one - with irritation said Slava. - "How are you going to support my family?"
At the University he did not finish, but instead would have to work where he could find and an weekends he was writing music for his verses. Slava was about to release his disks, but always something went wrong: chronically short of money, and the studios to which he addressed his work, did not show interest.
Slava hoped to find the true connoisseurs of his talent, but the years passed, and the judges, except for us, did not appear. Maybe he just had bad luck? ..
All the talk about that he need to find a regular job and start a family at last, Slava interrupted sharply:
- For the life I have enough. For me, the main thing - is the music. Nothing more matters.
In restaurants, he refused to play, he was irritated when people were chewing and drinking under his music And then something in him as if broke, and Slava became quite different. Previously, if he still somehow reconciled with the life around him, now it's called his rejection. One day he told us that he was going to Canada. We wondered: what does he expect? .. He doesn't have a demanded profession, the money - too. But Slava was adamant in his decision and soon really flew over the ocean and was out for two months. Then suddenly he showed up and told us that he had married in Canada and now flies there forever. In Israel he came only to pick up the items, documents, and of friends to say goodbye.
During our last meeting, he said that his fiery speech:
- I'm sick to fight, to fight, to prove anything to anyone ever! What for? We won't change here anything, and in general, this country has no future.
He often repeated the phrase: "There is no future," as if these words had his excuse. None of those present did not object him. For the first time our friendship, he was separated from us.
I haven't seem him anymore. Wife of Slava older than him by seven years, if not all ten, and also a lady with a very sharp temper. She did not let to Slava to step aside, was jealous at day and night, but all that Slava suffered because without her in Canada, there was nothing to do for him. Then he had with her divorced and married two or three times more.
With us who stayed here, he no longer communicates. According to rumors from Canada, Slava plays there in restaurants and is very happy.