Natalia Patratskaya - Pearly woman. Prose in English

– There is a proposal to break up in pairs, but in a new composition.

– We disagree on new couples, – Alla answered and went with Pasha.

Pasha did not attack Alla, did not embrace. They walked through a warm summer evening. Were silent. Bella walked with Yura and was also silent, but for a long time she could not stand the new companion and caught up with Pasha.

– Pasha, I need you! Screamed Bella with sadness in her voice.

– And I need Yura, – Alla responded and approached him.

Both couples, as if on cue from above, hugged and sighed.

– Girls, we live on the first floor of the fifth building of the boarding house. The windows for you will be open. We will give you a chair. You will climb a glass of champagne over it to our room, “suggested Yura. – You can go through the main entrance, but there may be problems.

“Where ours did not disappear, we climbed through the window to you,” Alla replied, always pleased when it came to adventure.

The guys entered the building through the main entrance, and the girls climbed through the window.

“We entered the history of our life through the window of love,” Bella said with a lyrical mood, looking at the decor of the room.

There was champagne on the table. Lying apples and a box of chocolates. The room had a sofa, two armchairs, a TV, a cupboard with dishes and a table with chairs.

“I am very happy about this,” said Pasha, hugging her by the shoulders, “I like you very much, Bella!” – And he gently kissed her cheek.

They all sat around the table. Wine glasses filled with an effervescent drink of happiness, loudly knocked them in a fit of feelings. Who ate the candy, who the apple… We sat at the table for half an hour and went into rooms.

Alla and Yura just fell on a double bed made up of two. They did not talk, but clutched at each other with their hands and could only torment themselves and their clothes. In Pasha’s room there was a sofa in the unfolded form, on which Bella sat down. He sat down with her. They sat and talked. There was still champagne on the table. Lay candy. The room served as a living room. He was watching TV. She looked at the screen and ate an apple quickly.

– How are you feeling? He asked, putting his arm around her waist.

“Fine,” she replied, stuffing another candy in her mouth.

She looked toward the TV. On the screen, the actors kissed each other. He hugged her again. She was unknowingly afraid of continuing the banquet of untouched love.

– Pasha, I’m probably stupid, but let’s get out of here! Let’s go through the window. Please leave, “Bella said. The frivolity of a few sips of champagne eroded from her head.

“Well, I’ll get out through the window with you,” Pasha answered.

He lowered the chair by the window. They took turns descending to the ground. Then he put a chair on the windowsill, pushed it into the room and covered the window. I heard the sound of glass. But they did not pay attention to him.

– Oh how good! Bella exclaimed and hugged Pasha herself, and then pushed him away. – Let’s walk! The night is so warm. Crickets sing. It’s nice to be with you.

Bella felt the pearl beads squeeze her throat. She tried to pull the necklaces off her neck, but they pressed harder.

– Good so good, I take you home. You can walk on foot too, “said Pasha, and unwittingly noticed the girl’s manipulations on the neck with the beads.

He tried to remove the beads from her, but he failed.

– That’s nice! I love evening walks, but for one only evening walks are unrealizable, it’s scary to walk alone, – Bella tried to say fun, but she felt even more painful from pearl beads, presented to her by school friend Seryozha before leaving.

Talking, they approached the house. Bella kept her hand between the beads and the neck. Pearl beads crushed mercilessly. There was a feeling that Serezha was stretching his hands towards her, warning of another danger.

Omnipresent Ivanovna stood at the gate, lit by a single lantern on a pole. The shadow of the trees fell on her shoulders. The hostess was waiting for the tenants, as if someone had warned her that they were already coming.

– Bella, are you alone or not alone? Who is that with you? Oh, this is a man!

“Alla is delayed,” answered Bella, walking away from Pasha.

– Man, you can not come here! I warned the girls! – indignantly shouted Ivanovna.

– Got it. Bella, happy! Tomorrow we will meet on the beach! In the same place! – shouted Pasha.

– Happily, Pasha! – answered Bella, kissing him on the cheek.

Pasha did not answer. He returned slowly. From two sides of the central entrance of the fifth building, lush thujas grew. Pasha walked past the thuja, past the white columns, opened the massive door with brass handles and walked very quietly into the building of the boarding house.

Pavel was stopped by the guard on the corps:

– You have already arrived, but did not go out and come in again?

– It happens that they leave, but they do not enter. Can I sit here?

– What happens in your room? Come, see your number.

– No, I’ll go there myself now. I just walked along the chestnut avenue.

Pasha entered his room. The door to the bedroom was closed. He lifted a chair from the floor and lay down on the sofa. Sleep overcame him until the morning.

Alla and Yura rustled in the next room.

In the morning, Bella woke up and almost roared in frustration when she saw Alla’s empty bed. Or did she want to mourn the fate of her friend? Then she remembered that Pasha would wait for her on the beach, and began to gather.

Ivanovna looked into the room:

– Bella, and Alla never came? Here is her mother will set the heat at home!

– No, she hasn’t come yet. And I could not wake up.

On the beach, Pasha was waiting for Bella. He sat alone on a large bedspread.

– Bella, sit down next. Alla and Yura are still sleeping.

– I’m scared for them. Did you hear that they are alive?

– They are adults and they know what they are doing.

“This is her first time,” Bella sighed. – Oh, that will be…

– I see you came to the beach again with your pearl necklace, it does not harmonize with your swimsuit at all!

– I can not remove the pearl beads. The lock is broken.

The sun was hot. The day was getting hot. Ilya discreetly watched Bella and Pasha, who walked along the shore, then bathed and lay down on one blanket, face down. Pasha once again tried to unscrew the lock of the beads around Bella’s neck, but the lock did not yield. Then he took out a manicure set and cut the thread. Pearls rolled on the bedspread.

Bella began to collect beads. A pearl butterfly lay among the beads. Her hands shook nervously as she held the butterfly in her hands. She thought that the butterfly is not nacreous, but dead. “What if this is the queen of those white butterflies? No, this is an ordinary shell, there are a lot of them,” she thought and heard Pasha’s voice:

– Bella, if Yura and Alla do not come in five minutes, then we will go to the cafe. I don’t want to go to lunch. My heart is heavy.

– Ok, go to the cafe. They will not come.

Not far from the beach was the registry office. They went inside, where they carefully read the memo for those who want to get married.

– Pasha, here are very large terms from the application to marriage registration! No, marriage does not shine with you!

– Bella, I’m just reading. You better say: what city are you from?

– We do not have to be together, so why should I confess to my ancestors?

– I’ll go to your house with you, go to your parents.

– If only you go with me. Weakly believe in happiness. I do not feel the communion between me and you to such an extent.