Chapter Two

If you are married, you should always be prepared for troubles, large and small, insignificant and significant. I got tired of these disappointments and decided to finish his marathon of endless lies.

“So, where were you this time?”

“Well, my boss had lights down in his country house. I had to go to repair the electricity “

“Oh, there are no other electricians at the plant?”

“Everyone went home already. Why are you asking?”

“So you were the only one who didn’t leave? Why was that?”

And so on and so forth. This went on for a long time. It was hard to believe that after sixteen years of seemingly happy married life such things could happen. I really couldn’t remember how long this lie lasted, because I never had a habit of lying and trusted every word of my husband Aleksei.

But recently I began to notice that my good relationship with my son was somehow changing for the worse. He became irritable with me and frequently replied to me with a disdainful smile and dismissive words. That was if he replied at all. At first, as usual, I was thinking it was the awkward age that would pass soon. But with time more and more often I could hear, “You are so-and-so, yelling at me, making me do all these chores, while Aunt Marina...”

I became tired of hearing how wonderful Aunt Marina was. Whoever she was.

In 1991, the Soviet Union, the “Inviolable union of independent republics,” collapsed. Ukraine became an independent state. As a result, everything created before was destroyed, while nothing was built to replace that. Not even offered. Enterprises turned bankrupt or were just closed so it was incredibly hard to find any job. Those who were lucky enough not to lose one had to manage without salaries as no one was planning to pay them for some time.

Six months later, when the backdated salaries were paid, inflation had grown by 300 percent or even more. Everyone survived as best they could; many people abandoned the city to develop little plots of food crops, and to get away from the noise and dust. One could have fresh tomatoes, dill, and parsley there any time, or could even start growing flowers, just for the beauty.

We decided to enjoy village life as were so many others.

So now we were sitting in the courtyard, surrounded by flowers, shaded by apple and pear trees. Watching how my hubby was plying a good knife and fork while we were having our usual conversation, I kept thinking, Do you really think you are the first one to try to get away with this? Do you think you are smarter than everyone else? From time immemorial men have been lying to women, all giving the same excuses, and it has never occurred to them that there is no need to say anything. Looking at this guy, who, to put it mildly, did not sleep at home, everything became obvious: twinkling eyes, avoiding looking at me, and this facial expression of a tomcat, who had just loaded up with cream or done something even worse for a decent man but so usual for a tomcat.

“So,” I said. “If you really need this Marina, go! Adieu! But don’t take my son there.”

“Oh, so you’re still going to tell me what to do!”

It is a well-known fact: attack is the best form of defense. Oh my gosh, I was so tired of all this! I had to find out who Marina was to objectively evaluate the situation. Though I’m an active and emotional person, I’m also a Virgo, and therefore had some common sense. I preferred to draw conclusions after having at least some basic information.

So. Who was he calling much lately?

Ira Romanova? No way. We had lost contact with her and her husband Sasha a long time ago. I wonder why? Somehow our paths diverged. It was a pity. I truly missed Irina. It would be so good to find her, find out how she was doing. And how was her daughter Karina doing?

Okay, this was not the main event now. Who could this other woman be? That’s what I had to think about now.

There had to be someone who knew at least something about her, he had to talk of it to someone, to grumble and to discuss what a wonderful woman Marina was and what a bitch I turned out to be. Without a shoulder to cry on and to huff and puff about unfair fate, everything lost its meaning for my husband.

Ah! I knew! Raia Eremina. He was working with her in the laboratory. It had to be her. She must know something. It had become a habit for him to call her, her but not her husband Igor, which would be more logical. Which was what he used to do. The time had come to act!

“Raia? Hi, honey, how are you?”

“Oh, Polina, hello! Do not even ask. I almost broke up with Igor.”

She was telling me the issues right from the start.

“Well, almost does not count. What happened? Look, this isn’t a phone conversation. Pop by and we can chat, go over all of it.”

“I would love to. Okay, tomorrow night, at five, I will be there.”

“I will be waiting.”

Raisa was a blonde woman with a nice body. She had large gray eyes, and was always using black eyeliner to show them off. In my opinion, a little too much eyeliner, but Raisa became extremely offended if you tried to give her advice about putting on make-up. So I was used to keeping my mouth shut.

Well, imperfect make-up was not the most important of Raia’s disadvantages. The eyeliner was, as always, a bit too much, but I totally didn’t care today. I put on my diplomatically sweet facial expression and I was ready to meet her, faking my pleasure to see her:

“Raisa! Hi, honey! Haven’t seen you for ages! I’ve missed you incredibly.” Forgive me for my insincerity, I prayed. “Come in. Come to the kitchen at once! You must be hungry.”

The kitchen is absolutely irreplaceable for these kinds of chats. You can use it almost like a torture chamber, while it looks the exact opposite of one. People are ready to tell you much more than they have ever planned to.

“A glass of something?”

After the third vodka, the ice had been broken and Raisa began to complain, “Imagine, Polina, my Igor became jealous of your Aleksei. Big deal, so he took a few nice pictures of me, but it doesn’t mean anything. Well, now we talk on the phone a little more often than usual, but we do work together.”

Is there not enough time to talk at work? I seethed inwardly, but in the kitchen, I just kept refilling her glass. There is old Ukrainian wisdom that warns, “Say nothing to your girlfriend.”

But Raisa was either not familiar with Ukrainian folklore or because my kitchen and vodka began to do their job, went on. “Well, we can’t discuss our private affairs at work. And anyway, it’s not about me. All of this is about Marina. How to help Marina.”

Raia must have gotten completely confused as to whom to drink with and what to say.

“Can you imagine, her husband left her when their daughter was born six years ago, and just up and moved to Israel. The poor woman has been alone for so many years, not a single man in six years. And then she met Aleksei. His wife is such a—Oh! Polina, I am so sorry. This is another Aleksei, not yours, and I have to go now.”

Raisa tried to stand up, but I pushed her shoulder to seat her back down, softly but surely. “Shhh. Stay!”

I pulled myself together. Relying on my pedagogical and psychological education, I cautiously continued, “Keep cool, Raisa! We have been friends for so many years. All men cheat. Generally speaking, I don’t care anymore, but I feel so sorry for my son Vova. He’s only fourteen, and can’t understand everything; his whole life could go awry. Let’s have one more glass for our friendship, for real women’s friendship.”

Raisa, knowing my, to say the least, extremely emotional nature, was looking at me like a rabbit looks at a boa constrictor, and I continued to dissemble.

“You know, I don’t want anything from him anymore. If Marina needs him, I am ready to let him go. Clearly, though, it’s going to be hard to be a single mom. All I need is just to talk to her. On the phone.”

Raisa was speechless. Her mouth was hanging open.

“Well, let’s have another glass for our kids, for their happiness.”

It’s almost a sin not to drink for that.

“Raisa, all you need to do is just give me the phone number. I will not tell anyone that you have given it to me. I will just talk to her. You also have a daughter. I am sure you want her to be happy. All men are bastards, and there’s nothing more valuable in this case than women’s solidarity.”

I had no idea where such thoughts arose from, maybe even not thoughts but just words. In my head I was smearing Raisa over the wall with my anger and it finally seemed that she read all of this in my eyes. She slowly took the offered pen and paper, and wrote a phone number down.

I said to myself it better be the right phone number, or I’ll do to you exactly what you are thinking I will do to you.

Some friend. Female solidarity. And to say nothing to your girlfriend, not a word. I would kill her. As soon as I was done with Marina.