Като тръгва влака

Тъжно ми е много, като тръгва влака

Ще ми липсват, чудните вечери

Такива, не съм имал от години

Боли ми сърцето, че тръгва влака Чувствам се бездомен, без цел

Скитам, няма място където не съм ходил Държам куфара ми в лявата ръка, билетът ми в вдясната

Във вагонът, пият чай Аз пия сълзи, от тъгата

Но винаги като тръгвам, помня едно нещо Моите златни спомени, на аз и ти

Дъждовни капки на прозореца, сълзи на лицето От любимите ми, няма сбогом

Където си ти, ще съм там и аз От любимите ми, няма да се разделям

Духът е студен, земята е студена И във вагонът е хладно, като тръгва влака

© copyright 2017 - All Rights Reserved

Stanimir's August afternoon

Stanimir Petrovich woke up and set straight up in his bed. Awoken by the rooster, it was not even 6 in the morning. He got out of bed, put on his loafers and his dark green bathrobe. He opened the balcony doors and picked up the rakia glasses from the evening before. He emptied the ashtray onto the grass, the way he often did. The sticky glasses were put in the sink. The sun peeked into the room with a strange flowery wallpaper. Suddenly, the dog started barking outside. Stanimir tied up his bathrobe, walked outside and scared the dog by pretending to hit it with his loafer. It backed down. “Good thing you have that monster on a chain. Good morning Stanimir, it's your post.” “Thanks, the dog goes crazy for men like you” said Stanimir. “It must like seeing a man actually breaking a sweat, doing something instead of walking around sockless al day.” “Enough with the comments Emil. I’ll go read my paper now if you don’t mind.” Stanimir pulled the paper from the mailman’s hand and slammed the door behind him.

He put the paper down on the table and poured a cup of coffee. He grabbed some milk from the kitchen counter and twisted his ankle. Softly mumbling some grave insults he sat down and went through the paper. He didn’t get to the second page before he realized he was hungry. He got up to open up a cupboard, only to find some stale bread that he didn’t feel like eating. Second page of the newspaper. “Bread factory opened in town”. Stanimir had been without a job for several months now, as he was fired from his last job for ‘being untidy’, or at least that’s what his boss said. Stanimir had worked as a plumber and went past houses in town. Some people had called the hotline and complained about Stanimir’s muddy boots, which he never took off at the door. He’d then throw his toolbox in the corner, got to where the plumbing problem was, and bent down. He spent most of his days in boiler rooms or with his head inside kitchen cabinets, arching his back in some questionable shapes just to reach some piping that needed replacement. When he was otherwise bent down, he’d feel the eyes of the homeowners spearing right through his back. “Lift up your pants please. I saw the crack of dawn this morning already and it was indeed a much prettier sight.” Stanimir would then get up, banging his head under the kitchen counter and loudly swear something in terms of “Do your plumbing yourself then, stupid bint!”. Another call to the hotline. Complaints varied from his stench of garlic to the unkept, grey beard he wore. And so he was eventually called into the office and told to return his toolbox and leave. “But why, after years of service?” asked Stanimir. “It’s because you’re not representative, I rather put up my clients with my toothless great grandfather instead of you. Your beard is disgusting, do you wash it just for Christmas, if even?” “No need to comment on my beard if it’s not related to my performance, boss..” said Stanimir. “What do I care? You come here smelling of garlic, do you put it on your toothbrush? You eat stale and nearly moldy bread at the customers’ homes. Just seeing you gives me the nerves.”

It was clear that Stanimir had no horse in the race. His boss wanted him gone. “You’d only wish you could grow this beard, dummy!” he yelled at his clean-shaven boss with fancy glasses and a fresh haircut. “I wouldn’t even touch it if my life depended on it, I don’t even want to think about what is hidden in that dusty piece of grey wool” said the boss. “Not even the wolves are as manly as I am!” argued Stanimir. “At least they have wives and little pups! You’re not even worth your last payslip for all I care, go weep at home in shame! Brush your teeth and get a vacuum cleaner through that beard of yours!” Stanimir had had enough, he threw his locker keys onto the desk and told his boss to get the toolbox out of there himself. “Enjoy the stale bread I left in the locker you heartless punk. You don’t know about life, even less you know about plumbing. You can’t tell connectors from couplings or valves from pipe fittings, you’re just here to elevate yourself above your people and judging them unfairly from your pedestal.”

“Sorry, Sir, are we colleagues? Could you please leave my office now?” This reply made Stanimir so angry that he took his waterpump pliers from his back pocket, twitched his body in a backward position and threw the pliers against the wall as hard as he could. He probably tore some part of his ankle because he heard it rip. “For the love of my dear grandmother!” he yelled as he stumbled out of the office. Behind him, his boss was speechlessly looking at the big dent in the wall.

So either way, after reading about the bread factory in his paper, Stanimir thought he might have a chance to land a job again. Only if he wouldn’t come across such a boss again. He decided to trim his beard, first with a pair of scissors and then with his electronic shaver. The battery had gone flat. Stanimir didn’t mind and left his beard as it was, partly cut and very asymettrical. “Well, it evens itself out with the asymmetrical horse face” joked Stanimir with himself as he looked in the mirror. He put on his worker jacket and slammed the door behind him. He hadn’t brushed his teeth but it would only be for a quick visit to the new factory in town. His ankle still hurt. It had stayed sensitive ever since he threw his plumbing pliers with all the force he had. Besides, still hadn’t fully released his anger.

A dog followed him down the street. “What a strange breed”, said Stanimir. He kneeled down and the dog came towards him. It started licking the beard but a ball of hair got stuck on its tongue. It ran away crying. Next time Stanimir cut his beard, he’d wash it. He even thought of buying some lotion to make it a bit softer. Stanimir crossed the street and was greeted by a soft, summer-like smell of cypress. It came from a garden. The cypress trees made Stanimir remember the one time he visited Greece on a bus trip. He heard a friendly melody of conversation coming from the garden. It sounded like a bird’s song, so soft and woman-like. The chatting and giggling of ladies was something Stanimir could always appreciate. He walked along the pavement and stopped to touch and smell a cypress tree. The chatter of the ladies was now close. Stanimir stood still and listened. Through the leaves he saw the ladies were having tea. They wore satin-like dresses and even white gloves, gently holding their cups and biscuits without thinking much of it.

“Excuse me, ladies?” Six concerned eyes looked at Stanimir. Silence, not a word. “You can’t use our bathroom, Sir, if that’s what you want. We’re three ladies and don’t want more company.” said a lady with a blue satin dress, blowdried, blonde hair and red lipstick. “Cool it, I just want to know where the new bread factory is.. I’m an honest man looking for a job, nothing more.” “Ana Pavlovich, doesn’t your husband own that new factory? The one on the other side of town?” The woman, Ana Pavlovich, with a southern appearance and a pointy nose, hastily grabbed onto her purse. She seemed a bit nervous. “Yes he is but he is selective about who he hires, you know..” Stanimir saw a slight bit of hope, took a comb out of his pocket and pulled it through his beard. “Ladies, do you even want to give me the light of day? Why are you so hesitatingly looking at each other? Don’t I seem like an honest man to you?”

“You certainly seem like you could hold a broom or a shovel, it’s just that people don’t like finding loose hairs in their bread. You seem a bit careless about your appearance, Sir..” said Ana Pavlovich quite frankly. “Whether I look like a bum or not has absolutely nothing to do with my capabilities. I could do your plumbing, bring your bread to the stores, I could test if it tastes well..” The ladies started giggling and the one with the blue satin dress decided to come down and open the gate for him. No matter his personal appearance, Stanimir did always have his way with people. His honesty shone through no matter what. He was a downright simple man and for that reason people saw no danger in him.

The same lady poured Stanimir a cup of tea. He drained it instantly and drank another four. Then the woman with the bread factory owner said her husband would come home in an hour or so, after his working day. The hot August day came to an end and the birds were singing happily, flying from tree to tree. They looked down into the garden from the branches. “We do have a plumbing problem though, if you don’t mind..” “Sure I don’t. I’m flattered by your hospitality, ladies, frankly speaking, I haven’t been treated this well in ages.” The ladies seemed to like him despite the boorish body language and the odor that came with it. “Let me guide you to the problem, then..” said the woman, she and her bread factory husband apparently owned the home. She pulled her hair backwards and tied it in a strange knot, as if she was going to work herself. She wasn’t, she was just kneeling down to a tap that was leaking. The tap was outside and was apparently used to water plants in the flowery garden. “It keeps leaking. I hear it from my bedroom.. It keeps me and my husband Mr. Pavlovich awake at night..”

Stanimir took the plumbing pliers from his back pocket. They had become his signature tool, he carried them anywhere. He didn’t even have a pen, neither a signature. He liked getting his hands dirty with old-fashioned plumbing. He adjusted the pliers around the tap and slammed it as hard as he could, as a peasant slapping a cow on the butt when it refuses to seek shelter. The leaking stopped instantly. As the ladies applauded Stanimir Petrovich, a car pulled in the driveway. “It’s Mr. Pavlovich”, said Ana. “Clean your hands. Throw that tool away and wash your beard! I might do a good word for you.” Stanimir hadn’t washed his beard ever since he cut it, only the street dog had licked it. He washed it right under the tap and the white tiles underneath the tap were covered in long grey hair. It was like Stanimir finally came clean and left a part of himself down there, right under the tap.

“Stand up now and fast!” hissed Ana. Stanimir jumped up and turned around in one and the same movement and splashed the remains of water from his beard right onto the suit of Mr. Pavlovich, whom just walked into the garden. The ladies all covered their faces in shame of what an unmannered man they had invited into the garden. “I just fixed your tap, Mr. Pavlovich. I’m Stanimir and I can work for you..” With a rough handshake and Mr. Pavlovich visibly hurt because of it, they looked each other right in the eyes. “I see a bony and poor man with an oral health which is just at least as poor. But I see a man with honest eyes. I could use a man fixing things in my factory. You can start tomorrow. Now take these muddy shoes from my white tiles and report at 8:00 tomorrow morning. “Yes, Mr. Pavlovich, I will even be there at 4:00 if you want me to. Do you have any more plumbing issues in your house I can take care of?” “No, but if anything gets clogged, you are the man..” said Mr. Pavlovich. The ladies giggled and the birds in the trees seemed to do the same. Stanimir walked home as the sun set.

© copyright 2017 - All Rights Reserved

#Shortstory

The ship to Silistra

The ship was set to leave the port of Vidin at 8:45. On this misty day, it would take a lot longer to get to Silistra. They had to leave in a bit. Dimo lit a cigarette and looked at his shoes and jeans that were black from shovelling coal. He wasn’t a rich man and had no wish to be. Shovelling coal was all there was to do. Oddly satisfying. There was nothing much to life for Dimo. He was a quiet man and that’s what he enjoyed. “Quit standing there you useless whimp!” he heard from the other side of the ship. It was his father, Jane, whom he had crossed the Danube with for years on end. Ever from being a small boy, Dimo didn’t care much for making friends and instead loved to come with his father. All along the river they delivered freights. Even through the Second Balkan War, which had only just passed. It was a hectic period. Traumatic at times, but Dimo and his father had come to terms with it after some years. During the Siege of Vidin by the Serbians, in 1913, Dimo and Jane listened to the offshore radio, just to be updated on the latest news from their hometown. The father and his son had been through a lot together.

Jane yelled once more to command his son back down to the engine room. As soon as Dimo got into the room, sweat was dripping down his face. “Not a job for the faint of heart”, he thought. He started shovelling, and then some more. It would be just about ten more minutes until he’d be replaced by the next guy. The heat was just unbearable. Dimo had prepared a pot of tea, which was boiling at this point. He took it off the steaming engine and his replacement entered. He’d be suffering for the next fifteen minutes. What a workout. Dimo left the engine room and wiped the sweat off his face. He got to the bridge, where his father was steering the ship. They were moving in the direction of Lom. Dimo poured Jane some tea. It was piping hot. He put down the pot and they both enjoyed the view together. “Have you seen these damned rats on board, son?” “I have, father, I got bit in the toe by one just last week. I screamed like a little girl, it hurt so much! I was undressing in the shower room, picked up my towel from the floor and there it was. I had no time to even jump, it bit me right in the big toe. The little fucker!..” “You have my permission to take them all down, I don’t want these disease spreaders on board of my ship.” “I’ll take care of it, father..” said Dimo.

It was time to get back down to the engine room. Dimo took the pot of tea, entered the room and replaced his buddy. He put the pot back on the engine, put a cloth in front of his mouth face and started shovelling. He had developed a muscular body because of all the hard work. When he was on land, the ladies really did notice him. His broad shoulders and strong back that he could arch in all directions. He could lift up anyone after years of doing the same work. It was just his lungs that were suffering, because of all the coal dust in this little room. Dimo was coughing loudly nearly all day. At night he’d wake up short of breath. It was all that kept the ladies from spending the night with him. “Drink some juice or tea already, or just quit the smoking if you can’t handle it!” is what they would say. Dimo thought his lung problems came from working with coal but there was no way to stop anyhow. “Well get out you spoiled broad!” he’d scream at any woman even mentioning his persistent cough. He felt kind of proud of it, just like of the anchor tattooed on his arm. He had never crossed a sea or an ocean but still felt like a man destined to live on the water. It was just his lungs that hurt him. And his big toe because of the monstrous little rat. The lack of women sticking around didn’t seem to bother him.

There was just Karmen that he somehow felt attracted to. She worked on the ship as well. As a mechanic to be precise. Karmen was a woman with even bigger shoulders than himself. Still, he couldn’t help but look at her when she passed. She didn’t seem to be much into Dimo, maybe that was part of why he became even more attracted to her. Enough with the thoughts. Fifteen minutes had passed and his replacement came in. Dimo took the tea, went to the bridge and poured his father a cup. “What do you think of Karmen, dad?” “Do you think she’s an attractive lady?” “Yes, son, I do think she is. But she’d wipe the floor with you..” replied Jane. “That’s not what I’m asking, dad.” “Well then what are you saying? It’s about time you found a woman to spend some quality time with. God knows how long you’ve been sleeping with your stuffed animals. You haven’t even thrown them out today have you?” “I didn’t ask for your rude comments, dad.. If you want me to go out and meet someone, you telling me how screwed up my life is will not make it any better!” said Dimo. “You can do whatever you want. Make your move. Perhaps she likes you too. I doubt it. And I don’t want to see you sleeping around on my ship. This is where you work. I rather see you kill these rats downstairs, with your bare hands for all I care..” Dimo was angry with his father and took the pot back down to the engine room. They had stopped in Ruse to deliver some piles of wood. They’d be on the way to Silistra in just a few hours.

The engine was shut off and the crew had some time to smoke and relax. Dimo decided to get down into the ship. He took a shovel from the engine room and took away all dirty cloths and towels from the hallway near the bathroom. He saw a rat sprint away into the corner. It was fast but Dimo had a big shovel and smashed it over the head. The rat was dead immediately. He looked the rat in the eyes. “Was it you that bit my big toe you rat bastard?” He continued to move boxes and piles of clothes from the floor. One rat escaped, ran into a boiler room. Another one slammed onto the head by Dimo. He walked into the next room, a storage room for coal. The walls were all black. The place probably swarmed with rats. He didn’t see any, after all the place was pitch dark. There was just some light peeking through the wall. Dimo walked upto the wall but slipped on a piece of coal, smacking his jawbone on an old furnace standing in the corner of the room. A loud scream followed. “I’d be damned if this coal ends up killing me some day!” he hissed under his breath. Dimo checked if all his teeth were still in place. He stayed on his knees and could just peek through the hole in the wall. He looked closely and saw the broad shoulders of Karmen. She was undressing. Probably changing clothes and going into Ruse, maybe to the market or so.. Dimo couldn’t help but looking. The strong back, those hips, the arms.. She would probably knock his teeth out if she knew she was being stared at. Suddenly, a sharp pain went through Dimo’s leg. A loud scream. “By the grace of the dear lord, a rat! Again! The pain was so intense his whole body went numb. Dimo was screaming with no end, stood up and smacked the coals with his shovel.

“Need a light, buddy?” he heard a woman’s voice say from the door. The light went on. The silhouette of a big woman. It was Karmen. “Fooling around in here, you rat boy? Looking at me undressing I gather?” She picked up a piece of coal and threw it as hard as she could. It hit Dimo in the stomach. He gasped for air and went back down on his knees again. He nearly lost it. He was in so much pain. The rat and now the woman.. She got close, picked him up by the shoulders and he stood back upright. She kissed him right on the mouth. Dimo kissed her back. They embraced each other tightly. He looked behind Karmen’s shoulder and saw the rat, far behind a bag of coal. He didn’t think much of it, the bite didn’t hurt anymore.

© copyright - All Rights Reserved

#Shortstory