PROSE
Be Happy
Nadezhda Fazilova
Blagoveshchensk (Russia)
Evening time. The snow is falling. Today I
decided to walk on my way home; three bus
stops - not a big deal. I was walking calmly,
admiring the sparkling snow in the lights of the
street lanterns, looking at the shop windows
and passersby. I didn't want to go home. Today
is a sad day: meeting the daughter's
bridegroom and their early departure to the
other city. I stopped, took off my mittens and
put the palms under the falling snowflakes.
They melted and tickled my palms. I closed my
eyes for a moment. Suddenly, something
pushed me to the side. I swayed and gasped. A
young dog galloped merrily in front of me. Its
tail was spinning like a propeller, and the leash
that was pulling behind it looked like a garland
of ice.
I looked back and saw a guy, who was
running and, waving with his arms, shouted:
-Hold it!
The dog rushed forward. I managed to
grab ahold to the leash but flopped to the
ground because of the dog's dash. My hat and
a handbag flew off to the side.
I firmly held the leash, lying on my side.
The dog, snorting ridiculously and yipping at
the same time, was trying to lick my face. The
guy ran up to us, grabbed the leash and pulled
the dog away from me.
- Did you hurt yourself? - he held out his
hand to me.
I had tears rolling down my cheeks,
leaving the wet traces on them.
- No, it's nothing…
I grasped his hand and stood up. The
dog grabbed my hat with its teeth and,
growling, began to shake its head in different
directions.
- Jam, what a fool! Give it to me! I am so
sorry, - the guy had taken the hat out of the
dog's teeth, picked up the handbag off the
ground and gave it to me.
- I am sorry! It's just young and stupid
yet. You didn't hurt yourself, did you? – The guy
started to clean the snow off my clothes.
- No, no, it's all right, - I shook the hat off
and put it on. - it's ok. Please, go. I'm fine.
The guy pulled the dog by the leash.
- Shame on you, you hardly didn't hurt a
human! You're embarrassing me and yourself.
Oh…
There was so much love and care in his
voice that I smiled.
The daughter, all dressed up and
uptight, was waiting at home. She looked at
me guiltily and was excessively fussed over.
- Mom, Egor will be a bit late. He has
some force majeure circumstances. He called
me and said he would come not alone, with a
friend. Is it ok?
- Ok, good, there's nothing else for it. - I
sighed bitterly.
There was silence, which was abruptly
broken by the ring of a door bell. I opened the
door. There was a guy and a dog standing on
the porch. The guy handed me a big cake and
said guiltily:
- I'm Egor, I'm sorry that I am with the
dog. Its name is Jam. We had such an
accident, - the guy looked at me carefully. –
You?
-Me.
We drank tea and listened to the Egor's
story about Jam's running away and its
fortunate salvation. It turned out that Egor
was looking for it for over an hour and thought
that he had lost the dog forever. Jam was
laying at my feet. My heart filled with peace.
- Be happy, children! - I suddenly said.
Daughter and Egor hugged me.
“Mummy, I was so worried that you'd
been upset,” - sobbed the daughter.
I was stroking her back and out of the
corner of my eye caught Jam stealing a piece
of cake from Egor's plate.
- Jam! – Egor shouted.
- Jam! – shouted children.
I started laughing.
Anastasia Gavrilenko
16
SUNRISE
February 2019 №2