There was no trace of Hanka and Bartek was asleep. And she, of course, was resting!
“What’s this?” Janusz demanded, throwing the notice onto the table. It kept going and fell to the floor. As he bent down to get it, he felt another crick in his back. He picked up the paper and pressed it to the top of the table with his palm.
“I don’t know,” Sabina answered.
“Read it.”
“Yeah okay, I don’t have to read it. It’s from the clinic. About vaccination.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw it this morning. I put it back in the postbox.”
“What?” Janusz sat down on the stool. He couldn’t put up with his wife any longer. He simply didn’t have enough strength to deal with her!
“I put it back! Maybe they’ll think we didn’t see it, or that we weren’t home.”
“Sabina! That’s not a solution!” Janusz yelled so loud that he woke up Bartek, who started to cry. Hanka entered the flat at that moment.
“Yeah, see? See? Now he’s crying because of you!” Sabina said, irritated. “Hanka, go, do something with your brother!” she ordered. Hanka put down her school bag and went to Bartek. Janusz watched her go, saddened.
“Hanka isn’t your baby-sitter,” he stated calmly, feeling a burn in his throat, as if he’d eaten a chili pepper. He tried to stay calm, to be constructive, to talk without screaming. The more he tried, the more his throat burned. “Calm down, calm down,” he repeated to himself.
“I can’t deal with him alone, with everything, I just can’t!” Sabina replied.
“And what do you have to do, actually? Apart from taking care of the house and the children?” Janusz asked. He didn’t mean to provoke her, simply to find out what the problem was. Why is she like this? But Sabina took it all wrong.
She sprang up from her chair and took her I-am-so-tired tone.
“Everything! Everything is on my head! You are not helping me at all!” she was screaming and wandering around the kitchen like the like a bear with a pain in its head. “You just fight with me, that’s all you can do! But when I need your help? No, no! Idiot!”
“Sabina, stop! I’m working two jobs, I’m taking work home. I’m trying!” Now Janusz became furious.
That’s enough!
He sweats for this bitch and what does she do? She smokes, she drinks, and she doesn’t give a shit about anything! But he couldn’t continue the argument—Hanka entered the kitchen with Bartek in her arms.
“I have to prepare the milk, he’s hungry,” she whispered. Janusz saw just how scared she was of her mother. Poor child! He got up to help his daughter, but before he could even reach for the packet with the powdered milk Sabina stopped him.
“Out!” she screamed, in such a terrible voice that Janusz actually jumped.
She yanked the flip-flop from her foot and hit Hanka on the head as hard as she could. The girl closed her eyes, grimacing in pain. Then she raised her hand again, this time aiming at Bartek.
“No!” Janusz pushed her away. Sabina flew back as far as the entrance hall. She slammed into the wardrobe. The French-polished door rattled, the hangers inside jingled. Janusz felt a strange joy. “Leave them alone!” he said, pointing a finger at his wife. “Don’t you dare!”
For a single moment he was afraid that Sabina would attack again. But his wife dropped the shoe. She brushed her hair away. She sat down on the floor and began to cry. Janusz didn’t really care.
It serves you right!
he thought, and went back to children. He examined Hanka’s head. He fed Bartek. Only then did he come back to Sabina.
“Tomorrow you will go to the clinic. Or I will kill you, I swear to God,” he promised, knowing full well that he would live up to his threat. For the children! For himself! He was fed up with Sabina.
16
Sabina—Last Journey
Sabina used to be beautiful. A beautiful girl with hair like a horse’s mane and buttocks like a horse’s round rump—a hot-blooded, skittish mare. She
“What’s this?” Janusz demanded, throwing the notice onto the table. It kept going and fell to the floor. As he bent down to get it, he felt another crick in his back. He picked up the paper and pressed it to the top of the table with his palm.
“I don’t know,” Sabina answered.
“Read it.”
“Yeah okay, I don’t have to read it. It’s from the clinic. About vaccination.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw it this morning. I put it back in the postbox.”
“What?” Janusz sat down on the stool. He couldn’t put up with his wife any longer. He simply didn’t have enough strength to deal with her!
“I put it back! Maybe they’ll think we didn’t see it, or that we weren’t home.”
“Sabina! That’s not a solution!” Janusz yelled so loud that he woke up Bartek, who started to cry. Hanka entered the flat at that moment.
“Yeah, see? See? Now he’s crying because of you!” Sabina said, irritated. “Hanka, go, do something with your brother!” she ordered. Hanka put down her school bag and went to Bartek. Janusz watched her go, saddened.
“Hanka isn’t your baby-sitter,” he stated calmly, feeling a burn in his throat, as if he’d eaten a chili pepper. He tried to stay calm, to be constructive, to talk without screaming. The more he tried, the more his throat burned. “Calm down, calm down,” he repeated to himself.
“I can’t deal with him alone, with everything, I just can’t!” Sabina replied.
“And what do you have to do, actually? Apart from taking care of the house and the children?” Janusz asked. He didn’t mean to provoke her, simply to find out what the problem was. Why is she like this? But Sabina took it all wrong.
She sprang up from her chair and took her I-am-so-tired tone.
“Everything! Everything is on my head! You are not helping me at all!” she was screaming and wandering around the kitchen like the like a bear with a pain in its head. “You just fight with me, that’s all you can do! But when I need your help? No, no! Idiot!”
“Sabina, stop! I’m working two jobs, I’m taking work home. I’m trying!” Now Janusz became furious.
That’s enough!
He sweats for this bitch and what does she do? She smokes, she drinks, and she doesn’t give a shit about anything! But he couldn’t continue the argument—Hanka entered the kitchen with Bartek in her arms.
“I have to prepare the milk, he’s hungry,” she whispered. Janusz saw just how scared she was of her mother. Poor child! He got up to help his daughter, but before he could even reach for the packet with the powdered milk Sabina stopped him.
“Out!” she screamed, in such a terrible voice that Janusz actually jumped.
She yanked the flip-flop from her foot and hit Hanka on the head as hard as she could. The girl closed her eyes, grimacing in pain. Then she raised her hand again, this time aiming at Bartek.
“No!” Janusz pushed her away. Sabina flew back as far as the entrance hall. She slammed into the wardrobe. The French-polished door rattled, the hangers inside jingled. Janusz felt a strange joy. “Leave them alone!” he said, pointing a finger at his wife. “Don’t you dare!”
For a single moment he was afraid that Sabina would attack again. But his wife dropped the shoe. She brushed her hair away. She sat down on the floor and began to cry. Janusz didn’t really care.
It serves you right!
he thought, and went back to children. He examined Hanka’s head. He fed Bartek. Only then did he come back to Sabina.
“Tomorrow you will go to the clinic. Or I will kill you, I swear to God,” he promised, knowing full well that he would live up to his threat. For the children! For himself! He was fed up with Sabina.
16
Sabina—Last Journey
Sabina used to be beautiful. A beautiful girl with hair like a horse’s mane and buttocks like a horse’s round rump—a hot-blooded, skittish mare. She
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