Επιμέλεια: Εύα Πετροπούλου Λιανού
We were sitting so close that I could smell all the aromas coming from the glass of Sangria that she was holding in her hands. I knew that this drink was specially prepared for her, using fruits that she likes and does not cause allergies.
–It’s a divine drink,” Tina said.
– I caught notes of orange, strawberry, pineapple in it. Aren’t there too many ingredients?
“You missed the subtle hint of bergamot oil,” she smiled. – My favorite one. There is only one drop in the drink. But the symphony lacks precisely this delightful note.…
* * *
Outside, evening was creeping west on soft paws. Eventually, he will cross the ocean and find himself in the other hemisphere when the sun begins to rise on its rays above the dark teeth of the mountains. “Getting out from behind the table with force,” my grandfather used to say when my teeth were chattering from the cold on a predawn fishing trip.
… If someone had looked at Tina and me from above, they would have seen two sunflower seeds miraculously surviving on a huge hat carefully treated by sparrows. But we were warm and cozy.
The International Conference on Family Issues has come to an end, and tomorrow we will scatter like autumn leaves in the wind.
– One girl asked me the question: “Is it possible to be happy if your husband is 15 years older?”
She is strange. When you love, you don’t notice any difference. And when there is a wall between you, you start looking for excuses for yourself.
My husband was older than me. A venerable scientist, unkempt like Einstein, torn from life like the top button of a shirt. With meat.
But it didn’t consume me at all. We have expanded each other’s capabilities through our hobbies. He helped me to master English, I opened up the magical world of music to him, he fascinated me with numismatics and philately, I made him one of the most literate in the Russian language. And again, the two of us became walking encyclopedias.
On weekdays, we chose one article from it, say, with the letter “A”. And in the evening, each of us read a short report. What is it, where can it be most effectively applied?
At first, we “ground” everything in a row, haphazardly. Then we came to the conclusion that this is the wrong approach, it needs more detailed systematization. We started with the world’s writers and poets. But they didn’t just study information about them, but tried to recognize how they managed to reveal their talent? What character traits contributed to this? How did they develop and improve?
Then they took up composers, artists, scientists, then pulled up sections of science and technology, shoveled the entire library from the lives of wonderful people. We analyzed, highlighted the main things, tried to apply the best in our lives…
It brought results. My husband was considered the smartest person in the team. And I always remembered my grandmother’s words: “Remember, Tina, everything is in your hands. A wise woman will turn even the stupidest man into a sage, but with a stupid one, even the smartest man will fall on her step.”
And can you really argue with that?!
Yuri Moskalenko, Honorary member of the International Literary Association “Creative Tribune” (MLATT/ILACT); member of the Presidium of the International Literary Association “Creative Tribune” (MLATT/ILACT). The Russian writer, poet and playwright lives in Kaliningrad. Participant of the World Economic Forum “East Davos” (2011, 2012, 2013). He is the author of 6 poetry collections, short stories, musicals and 4 modern novels.
