The Underwear

The Underwear

There are many yards in the down town of Odessa, which are small, dirty and smell with a cats’ urine. This smell is very specific and represents the old story of the city. Who lives in these old and ruined by wars buildings? Who takes care of those aged women, who live on miserable pensions, on alms of forgotten children? The stories of these people are banal – they die, as soon as everyone stops to invite them to the school meeting to talk about the horrors of the war.

They are replaced by poor students or by workers from Afghanistan, Armenia, Byelorussia, who are looking for the cheap flat or room for a rent.

Here, just here a risk of barbs of the un-balanced social castes can be seen. The allocating feature of Odessa (and all ex-soviet cities) is that the bottom class is intermixed with the class of rich businessmen and their wives and mistresses. Can you imagine this contrast of poverty and lust?! I can connect the lust with money because people owning money and wealth are corrupted; behave as animals in golden cells. They enjoy this contrast of their wealth and doomed to poverty people. It grows an envy to rich people and sometimes directly to money.

But fortunately there are sometimes persons who understand the destroying force of un-shared wealth. They can’t deny it; they can despise. The stars burn brightly for them not because of their wealth – as it is for others, but because of their opportunities in life, using parents’ money.

They use it for the education usually. Sometimes for traveling. But they always find a usage for the superfluous money.

Our hero is from this type. We meet Arkady in the dirty yard, one of those which I’ve described. He is smartly dressed, with some untidiness in it. He was clean shaved; he had just had his hair cut. He entered the yard quiet, easily, with no fastidiousness (which was strange for the person of his level).

He entered the front door of one of the buildings and rang the doorbell of the first flat. The door was opened after a few minutes by a man. He was smartly dressed too, but had a look of the rich man, who didn’t have a possibility to dress properly. He said “Hello” shortly and ran away. Arkady entered the flat.

It had two rooms and a kitchen, owned by one person. The first room had a bed and a sofa in it. The bed was un-tidied. Arkady grinned. He went to the second room, where were a table, bed, a mirror on the wall, and a toilette table. A girl was sitting next to the mirror, brushing her hair.

She had a long dark hair, dancer’s back and very expressive face. She was naked.

“Won’t you tell me a lie? About the spent day” – asked Arkady.
“When the place night’s dark covers the world… I feel free” – she said.
“Have you decided already?”
“Oh, please, it takes so long to think. I was busy” – she reddened.
“What can I see?” – He smiled – “You are ashamed of yourself”.
“No I am not!” – She screamed – “Look at me! How can be ashamed?” – She stood up and turned round, showing her naked body to Arkady.
“You are a strong drink” - He concluded.
“That’s why I can’t decide. And actually accept your offer. Arkady, I am popular – I have everything I want. You don’t have to take me out of here, as you said. I am satisfied”
“With what? With all these clerks, who come to humour themselves with the help of you” – He said it very calmly – “I’ve offered you a way to start new life. Thus, forgive me. I thought the life is more important, that just sex”.
“So – go away!” – She said, looking at him.

He grinned, nut stayed. She started to brush her hair again, singing quietly:
“My friend Kamchat is distant now.
I am heading right to you; to you
Whose beauty followed me?
 Around the world…”
“Stop it” – He laugh.
“I’ve said – go away.”
“And if I pay?”
“What do you mean?” – She was afraid.
“I mean to pay. I order you. For this not private night. Come here, I pay!” – He threw some banknotes to her.

She looked stressed. She hid the tear and turned to him.

He grinned again. She followed him to the first room, where there was underwear all around. He kissed her lips. The night dissolved her scent. He kissed again her neck.