Gullible Mikey. Chapter 3

GULLIBLE MIKEY

On the following morning it turned out that Chika's alcohol had not cured the headache at all, it only relieved the symptoms for a while. Cardan was not functioning adequately. Some urgent action needed to be taken. It took a moment for his somnolent brain to recall the last day's events, whereupon consciousness was upon him again. "That really was a bit too much booze yesterday," Cardan thought painfully. "You have to keep on spinning!" his inner voice urged him. He got to his feet, his head was throbbing. After drinking a mug of cold water and washing his face, he went to look for another gullible simpleton.

Meanwhile, Michael, called Mikey, was speaking to a self-taught TV repairman called Miner. This IT specialist moved from Donbass to our region, where he had worked in the coal mining industry. That is why he had such a nickname.
“Come on, show me your TV set,” Miner said, holding a tool bag with a flashy display.
“Come in, over there, in the corner,” Mikey pointed at an old TV set. Make yourself at home. Do you need anything?”
“Nothing yet.”
"Just the other day I managed to fix a Japanese television. I'm sure it will be a cakewalk with this one. This is the old model. I know it like the back of my hand."

The Miner opened the back cover of the TV set and began checking the printed circuits with an ammeter.
“Yes-yes. Not here, not here, uhu-uhu-uhu-uhu,” he muttered into his nose. “Well, well, well, everything is clear to me now: it's not here either uhu-uhu-uhu-uhu. So, we checked over here, now let's go over there. So, what do we have here this time? It's absolutely obvious that it's not here, uhu-uhu-uhu-uhu.”
It might have elapsed half an hour, or even an hour or two; Mikey lost track of time. Miner could not put his thoughts together and come up with something more meaningful. His words started sounding unconvincingly, totally without rhyme or reason. Wild horses could not seem to drag Miner away from his work. Finally, Mikey could not take it any longer and broke the ice, “Maybe we'll have a drink now?”
“I appriciate your urgency, but in case you haven`t noticed, I`m working". Then he hesitated a moment and added, "Do you have something there?”
“Yes, I do.” Mikey hit the nail on the head.
“OK, I`m not done yet but if you insist I can have a break."
One shot, two shots, three shots and the bottle got empty.
“You know, I need to go home. I'll come back tomorrow to give it a finishing touch. There's a peculiar pleasure in helping people. It's much more intoxicating than you'd think.”
“With all due respect, I'd rather you didn't. I'll take it to a town TV repair shop. There`s a very serious breakdown, I think. I am sure it can be fixed only there.”
“Even if I couldn't detect a faulty part, then you'd definitely need to take it to the TV repair shop,” Miner agreed.
`It`s nice when someone else is honest enough to say it.`

Mikey led Miner into the street, said goodbye to him and lit a cigarette. The scorching sun shone mercilessly at his head, forcing him to urgently find a cool place. Mikey moved closer to the fence and, squatting down, found shelter from the unbearable heat in its shade. "And how could I trust such a woeful repairman? He turned out to be so smooth with his talk, which must've led me astray: "I! I! I! I can fix any TV set"... It's a reward for my gullibility. Trust everyone but cut the cards," Mikey`s head was boiling with bitter thoughts. He shut out the thoughts that tormented him and pressed his lips together, looking around.

Up ahead in the distance a man's silhouette appeared that was approaching him in a confident gait. In a minute or two it was already possible to discern in him a cheerfully inspired face of Cardan. Greeting Mikey, Cardan struck up an amicable conversation, “What are you doing here? Are you hiding from the scorching sun?”
“Yes, It`s too hot today. Guess what,” started Mikey dejectedly, “Miner came by just now to fix a TV set, spent two hours, trying to identify the problem but couldn't do anything about it."

“If you asked me, you shouldn't trust him. He is an awful repairman, let alone he is a liar. He hasn't been able to fix a single television successfully yet. He just drops by the villager's, bragging about his technical expertise. Fumbles with electrical appliances until someone treats him to a drink and a meal. He would get what he's up to, even if he had to resort to some open trickery."

The reality of what Mikey had just been through was setting in. “Boy, I'll tell you, I swallowed the bait too. He had a composure, self-confidence that was so remarkable so I fell for it. I wish I had never asked him for help. I wouldn't live through such ridicule again. Anyway, thanks for the heads-up. Or else I would run into trouble with him again. Once you meet someone and start trusting him, and then you realize that he is a crook. After a while you meet another one that strikes you as an honorable man, but at the end of the day he fails you too. I`m getting tired of this circle of life. You know, I've got a terrible headache because of him now.”

"Here`s the thing. You ought to be more careful in your choice of people you deal with. You should trust only those people who have withstood the test of time. Miner absolutely has no compunction about taking advantage of others' misfortune. Look, don't beat yourself up about it, OK. My head is also heavy after yesterday`s party,” Cardan smoothly brought the conversation to another topic.
Mikey had a sense that he was giving him his undivided attention.

“Listen, Cardan, I`ll give you some money now. You`ll nip to the shop and buy a bottle of vodka. We`ll have a drink and mull it over.” Mikey wanted to complain to a sympathetic man and to make a clean breast of the pent-up indignation.

“Great idea. You literally read my mind. If you give me the money, I'll be back in half an hour. It just a hop, skip and a jump away from here. A driveshaft is spinning, so the car is running. Everything in this world is always in the flow of perpetual motion."
“That's wise. I've noticed that simple truth either. So, while you`re away, I'll make some chips and lay the table.”

There was no such willpower that was able to disguise the excitement in Mikey's eyes as if he was about to have the time of his life. He was as happy as a kid on Christmas morning. His mind was overwhelmed with the expectation of upcoming fun. "Don't waste your time by talking to anyone on the way. Buy vodka and come running back. Come on! Get a move on!"

"Give me a break. I'm not as unreliable as Miner. I'll never let you down. I'll pull it off in a blink of an eye."

Cardan set off to buy alcohol and Mikey zealously went about making a snack. He peeled some potatoes, heated a frying pan, splashed a little sunflower oil into it. Sizzles! Wow, yummy! It made his mouth water. "Maybe one bottle is not enough?” a thought flashed in Mikey`s head. “It's obvious that with such a snack, we`ll probably be able to finish off even a liter of vodka. I was definitely wrong. I should`ve given him more money."

The smell of frying potatoes spread around the kitchen. `Cardan will come any minute soon, I need to get a move on.` Mikey took out cucumbers and tomatoes from the fridge, cut them into slices, added an onion, sprinkled it with some salt and seasoned it with sunflower oil. Then he put the salad and chips on the table and sliced some bread - the snack was ready. He sat down on a chair and began admiring the dishes cooked by him. "What a beauty! My heart is beating so fast. For a complete feast only vodka is lacking. Cardan will be back soon. I can`t wait to sink my teeth into it," joyful thoughts filled Mikey`s head with a delightful expectation. However, fate had another twist in store for him. Half an hour had already elapsed, but Cardan was not back yet. Mikey went out into the street and began to peer into the distance - no one. He started twiddling his thumbs impatiently. Then he sat down vehemently. Got up. Paced up and down the street in front of his house. He was all over the place. An hour passed by, then another. There was still no sign of him. His patience started running out.  "Goodness, where is he?" Mikey mumbled plaintively. The situation was getting out of hand. Cardan was not likely to show up any time soon. He could not believe that Cardan didn't keep his end of the bargain and tricked him so cruelly.

"I didn't see that coming," he thought. The realization of his mistake began to sink in. It started nagging at him with increased intensity.
"What am I supposed to do?" he murmured wretchedly.

Finally, his patience has run out. "If he's not going to come to me, I'll come to him. One way or another, he's going to pay for it dearly." Mikey got bent out of shape with annoyance. "I won't allow anyone to play games with me," he squeaked and quickly started off down the street in search of Cardan. After a short while, Mikey ran into him. He was walking home drunk and singing,
“Love me, do not love me;
I'm still young, after all.
Time will come - you`ll fall in love with me.
But, darling, that will be too late.”

Mikey mustered his courage to face Cardan and launched his calculated attack at him. With adrenaline coursing through his veins he darted to his prey like a rapacious predator with all his might.
“So, there you are! Where's the bottle? Where's the money? You`re a swindler, you've decided to make a fool out of me?!”
The destiny of Cardan appeared sealed but then a twist of fate intervened. Cardan realized that he would be beaten and went towards the approaching aggressor, hopelessly grasping at a straw. Against all odds he miraculously evaded Micky`s attack by falling to his knees and embracing his legs with his arms. Displaying remarkable cunning Cardan began to exclaim plaintively, "Oh, my dearest, oh, my nearest Misha! Oh, my little one!" I'll give it back! I'll give it back! I'll work it out - I will! Sorry! Sorry! I had a horrible headache! I could not resist the temptation!
I'll give it back! I will give everything back to you! I did it inadvertently! I'll make it up to a penny!”

Never had Mikey been so infuriated, nor had he ever been begged for mercy so pathetically. His heart was crushed. His determination melted away. Anger, like thawing snow, dripping from a warm hand, changed it`s physical state. Compassion and pity gripped his heart. It was clear to  him that Cardan did it against his will. His conscience was as clean as a whistle. His intention was completely different: i was benign. It must've been the devil's work.
“Well, let's cut it to the chase. When will you give it back?” He demanded soothingly.
"Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I will make up for everything!”

As luck would have it fortune turned sour. The things got messed up and Cardan did not pay off his debt neither the next day, nor on any another one... Mikey could not wrap his head around it. There was something weird about him that he was not capable to comprehend. This thing seemed to be repeating itself over and over again. He had an inkling that it was in the cards and there was nothing he could do about it. All of a sudden it came to him as a revelation. He clearly realized that his credulity to people had led him ferociously astray. At first he refused to face the obvious, but slowly, grudgingly he accepted his fate. His brain was short-circuited for a minute. Was naivety part of his nature? Would he ever grow out of it? What lessons may he derive from it, what changes ought he to make in his own conduct? After a prolonged and painful remorse, he simply came to accept the truth as one acknowledges that an arm or a leg is a part of one's self. Then he sighed and whispered angrily through his clenched teeth, like a dog with the tail between its legs that has been given a kick, "Story of my life! I didn't even anticipate that Cardan would turn out such a creep. Oh, that frigging swindler! He won't get away so easily next time! That's for sure!"