Natalia Patratskaya - Diamond lady. Prose in english

– Movers brought upholstered furniture. One mover out of the apartment. The second loader with a shaved head did not go anywhere until he set the furniture in place.

«Agnessa, did you leave the room?» Loaders disappeared from your sight?

– Yes, I opened the door to the first loader when he returned.

– And what was the second mover doing in the room?

– He jerked at my appearance from the cabinet and put his hand in his pocket.

«The loader can be found in the furniture store,» Musin said, walking to the door.

– Are you leaving already? Asked Agnes nervously. – So you will not find diamonds?

«I promised to take Zoya’s assistant for one thing, I have to pick her up,» Musin replied evasively.

Detective Musin looked into a furniture store. He asked about the loaders who brought the furniture to Agnes. The loaders he needed were away. The furniture seller replied that a shaven-headed man named Georges was working in the store, his fate with a raid of transgressions. He is a strong man, works well, so they keep him. He, in turn, promised not to misbehave.

Agnes had a void in her soul. Diamonds were for her pocket monument to her husband. She lived with him a little. More and more apart lived. She practically did not know her husband’s relatives. It cannot be said that the years of loneliness always complacently influence a woman.

The female organism of Agnes continued to work and demand physical love. Sometimes she was twisted in such a way that even climb the wall, to such an extent her body needed a man. She reviewed the newspapers, they offered women’s services. Men were not offered to women. One evening an interview with a brisk journalist with an older woman was shown on TV. The question of the journalist sounded like this:

– Please tell me what to do to live long?

– Need to love yourself! I repeat, we must learn to love yourself!

Agnes remembered the answer of an intelligent elderly woman: «You must love yourself.»

The woman’s answer shook her. She thought for a long time how to understand him? In what way to love yourself? But I did not understand.

Musin met Georges with the skinhead loader and asked him:

– Georges, did you take diamonds from a client?

Georges hesitated and rustled in his pocket.

«Show the contents of your pocket,» Musin said emphatically.

The man took off his jacket, shook the straw out of his pocket. Diamonds in the dust was not.

– Georges, where are the diamonds? Ring and earrings?! Cried Musin involuntarily.

– It would be better if I did not get involved with this straw, – answered Georges with sadness in his voice. – The box stood in a conspicuous place, apparently the hostess forgot to remove her. I took the straw box in my hands, but my paws are strong. In his hand, the straw crumbled. And then the hostess returned from the hallway. I did not throw the dust, put the garbage in my pocket. And at home I found a ring and diamond earrings in the dust.

– Georges, where are the diamonds? – Musin asked with anguish in his voice, his eyes gleaming with anger.

– Diamonds are at home. What am I going to carry with them to work? Still losing, – muttered Georges.

– What do we do? We are going for diamonds immediately! – raised the voice of Musin.

– Do not give me away in the store! Fired How will I live? – the skinhead loader whined.

– Good. We will go to the mistress of the diamonds. You will repent to her, pay for the broken casket, give away the diamonds, – suggested Musin after a minute of silence.

– Oh, how I liked her! – with enthusiasm exclaimed Georges. – The mistress of the ring and earrings I really liked! She’s beautiful!

Musin looked at him in surprise, but his choice was approved.

Musin, Zoe and Georges arrived to Agnessa.

– Forgive me, be my wife! – Georges blurted out unexpectedly for everyone and handed Agnes the ring and earrings.

In his huge palm diamonds looked like small stars. Agnes broke out: she liked a cool man.

Zoe looked at the diamonds. Mussin looked surprised at the new couple. He had a suspicion about the origin of the Agnes diamonds.

Musin asked Zoe:

«Zoe, did you see the Agnes diamonds?» Did you see them well? Anything strange noticed in earrings or ring?

– Yes, I have well considered diamonds, such rarely come across. You know, they look like handicrafts, they are not real.

– And I thought so. The shops sell diamonds no larger than a grain of wheat or poppy dew in general. And she has three stones of the same size like cherry stones. Suspiciously, where could Agnes take such luxury? She lives alone. My husband went to the army, so no one else saw him. She, truth, said that he came.

– It is necessary to check the husband of Agnes.

– Do we need this? – Musin replied indifferently and mockingly looked at Zoya.

– But we need to know more than necessary! – Zoya was indignant. – We may need this knowledge to justify private activity in front of the state.

– Zoe, and you are a smart woman! Well, we will check Apollo Arkin. We must find his way out of the army. What was with him in the army is unknown, but he did not return home from the army. Where has he been all this time?

– Well, I will try to talk to Agnes. And we need to take money for work on finding diamonds.

The door of Zoe to the apartment of Agnes was opened by Georges.

– I’m to Agnes. I have to take the money for the work, «Zoe blurted out, feeling that she had come at the wrong time.

– Zoe, thank you! You helped me so much! Said Agnes with a benevolent smile that Georges never left her face after her arrival.

– Agnes, I need to talk a little bit with you. Desirable without witnesses, – said Zoe and glanced at Georges.

– Go to another room. We’ll talk there, «Agnes said, leading Zoya away from the man.

– Can I take another look at diamonds? I liked them very much, Zoya asked and immediately grabbed a death grip on diamonds as soon as Agnes opened a beautiful painted treasure box.

In her hands, the transparent stones seemed even larger and attracted by their magnificent brilliance of the faces.

– Agnessa, how did the diamonds come to you? Sorry, but I also want such magnificence! – exclaimed quite sincerely Zoe.

– Oh, better not ask! On the day of our acquaintance, my husband promised me to donate diamonds, but I didn’t believe him, but he took and presented a whole set! Apollo said that he bought diamonds at the Silver Hoof store.

– Where is your husband now? What is his profession? Where does it live? Who lives with? – Zoe asked questions, as if not hoping to get an answer.

– I would know where he lives, so I would have gone to him a long time ago, but he does not tell me. I do not know who and where he works. He does not send money to me, «Agnes yelled to justify her lonely life.

– Apollo – cutter. Agnes is a deceiver, – the parrot spoke about his beloved master, sitting in a golden cage.

«Agnessa, the parrot says Apollo is a cutter,» Zoe said.

– Oh, traitor! Yes, he worked as a grinder, once said the word «cutter».

– Does the diamond cutter work? – asked Zoe.

– Oh! He works as a diamond cutter! «I didn’t think about it,» said Agnes thoughtfully.

– Apollo can make the same diamonds for me? Your diamonds have a very interesting cut.

– I do not know. We did not talk about diamond processing. If he comes here again, then I will ask him, «Agnes mumbled. – Yes, here’s your money, I’m sorry for not giving it away right away.

– Goodbye, Agnes! I hope that the next time you meet with your husband, will you remember my request?