Дикарь. Алексей Жак

      They have got acquainted casually, but this meeting was not such accident. They searched everyone. Perhaps, there will be no it, she would find another and on the contrary he would meet another, there will be no it. Very much can be. But the case has reduced them. And further everyone has made from its part everything that acquaintance has outgrown in attachment. They did not speak about feeling. It was their silent mutual agreement.

      In a city where she lived, in a resort corner of the earth as in any resort at the height of summer the carnival – a carnival of colors reigned, natural paints, light, elegant people, nothing anxious and taking life easily. Dresses of all colors and shades as it is necessary on a carnival, dazzled on beaches which were stretched by an infinite strip of whitish sand along the rolling rustling hills hissing on hot stones, and also on approaches to beaches – in the hilly sandy folds covered with fur-tree needles, in prickly thickets of bushes, in very tall pine wood.

      Red, green, violet, yellow, snow-white fabrics, dark blue, crimson, lilac, gold, a combination of colors; slippers, bedroom-slippers, hats, caps with a peak; straw features, bikini, terry towels, beach handbags – ripples in eyes.

      Man dug in hot sand, over hot and jumps and sand fall from him like a water stream. He runs and with running start flops in water, lifting a cloud of splashes. And the naked girl with the rubber goose, irrigated from head to foot its fountain, all in drops, turns away, without falling nearly, and is blocked by a hand as though water is hot and can scald. And the dark blue seagull flies by in the distance, the sharp lowered wing dissecting air. Young men play volleyball a white ball, and a ball, falling in sand, is lost track. The girl carefully tries water, and its varnish the casting foot plunges into foam on an ankle and turns green.

      Then the carnival by the evening passed in a city, and on streets procession at which did not exist neither heads, nor a tail, – it as circulation, became isolated in a ring rushed. Paints slightly turned pale, evening dresses prevailed: lilac, beige and olive, silvery. Purple of a decline have faded, and like a salute volley street illumination flashed.

      People here shared to two signs: on the visitors having a rest, and on aboriginals where those who has arrived for a long time joined also, lived constantly and worked in a city, built your life more or less comfortable.

      He was among visitors, only has arrived not to have a rest – in business trip. He lived in hotel but as any cheerful person was weighed upon the loneliness and did not love the hotel room, avoided to remain there in the evenings, left all the same where. Often dropped into restaurants he also looked after, as was able, for women.

      It did not say about him «a beauty’, but all the same something was pleasant to women in him, of it was convinced time and again. Probably, it was congenital gentlemanliness – with the woman he was underlined polite, attentive. Because of natural shyness in a youth he shunned girls, was not able to pay compliments, look after, to conduct conversation tete-a-tete, and therefore has been compelled to write down in a writing-book variant of the acquaintances obtained from all possible sources. Diligently he wrote down them and learnt by heart.

      She lived here for a long time, years ten, can more, has arrived from village, was learnt on the dressmaker and worked now in studio. For those years that she has spent here, she has learnt not to notice fun having a rest, has got gradually used to a rough carnival celebration which did not cease in a summer time minutes.

      And at night when shouts of the walking about companies sounded, recorder music was necessary to sleep under a pillow.

      She had a room in two-room apartment of the house rented by association of workers of a life under a hostel. After work she came here, every day did tidy up a room: wiped a dust, vacuumed an oriental carpet. She sat down in a deep armchair and sadly threw the possession, without knowing than to be engaged where to get to from melancholy rising by the evening.

      Summer – that time which attracts changes, fireworks of feelings and new novels. Him occurrence in her life did not promise her anything in the future, absolutely anything. And, however, she has let him in it, also started up daily. He promised nothing, did not ask. She in the answer also demanded nothing. They had strange relations which, however, suited both.

      The sun seldom looked in a window turned on the north. It filled in all streets with bright celebratory light, both a grass, and trees, and asphalt which burnt underfoot. She liked to look in an open window, sitting on a frame, while he lain on a bed. What about she thought? What wanted to see behind a window in this chaos and the turmoil, alien to it? He was on this party of the world.

      And there, below, in the opened wide chasm which has absorbed the world of people, cars and buildings, between green squares of plantings something moved live, reminding swarm, ant turmoil. The city groaned, set fire August. Two squeaking ferries did not cope with transportations, became angry, let out soot, strewing heads of passengers ashes, as in revenge for the old age. And those which have sweated, tired of a crush, directed looks on a thin strip of violently overgrown plait, from the opposite which invisible party the desired beach was stretched.

      Overcoming wide, but quiet now the channel, a counter populous stream, danger break to pieces about which is quite probable if not to adhere to right-hand movement, – a necessary condition of achievement of the general purpose. At last, walk on shady avenues of a pine forest, as an award for the torments, the inconvenient sandy hills full of sand of a slipper, and here it – the sea.

      By the evening splashed in a muddy liquid of saltish smack, on shoal to which does not have the end, it is pleasant to appear under cool protection of squares, observing of sliding fragile boats with a tiny sail. The rope for management is in hands of the child, which dreaming to appear this minute not in the silent channel, and at Open Ocean.

      It is possible to plunge into vortex of entertainments, as in a whirlpool, or at least slightly to wet a head and to come up. That is not simple. The temptation is great. The heated sun burns down a head. Around, where do not look, – a holiday, and any wild celebration. It reigns everywhere: at restaurants, beer, cafe, in streets, on the areas, at fountains, on benches along park sculpturing’s.

      …Weak knock at a door. There is just from a rain he shy, wet, in the doorway. From his curtailed umbrella a thin stream in the beginning flows, then water drips. In tired, apparently, eyes – a mute question: it is possible, is not present?

      – Pass.

      Each time when he here so knocks on its door, she shudders, she lost, fusses, without knowing for what to seize first of all. He, when is opened a door, costs perplexed how the gatecrasher, always thus, wondering, will let in or not this time? Was afraid that is not present, but, it appeared, in vain. Therefore knock turned out weak, irresolute as knock, beforehand understanding that thereby will disturb rest of owners.

      – Pass, – she in a red jacket, on a neck the black satiny scarf tied by a cowboy’s tie, as always she is outwardly quiet, but in eyes – a ray. To her very much there is this scarf which has added not home-style the bright dress.

      He is going to say a compliment, but immediately stops short, after all this bright accessory – a death symbol, a mourning detail of clothes, instead of its ornament. Her much ill father had laid to the death in village hospital, which she visited occasionally during week-end. He with alarm has thought the death of the father somehow will affect their mutual relations?

      – I already know, – he has told. – Came some times. The neighbor has told.

      – To me have transferred. Pass. Undress.

      She always told these «pass, undress», as something obligatory