by Nick Dear
Marat Fine. (He snatches his hand away, and jumps off the bed.)
A landmine explodes in the distance.
Lika They’re going away. – Marik, why are you looking at me like that?
SCENE THREE
14 April. Towards evening. Lika is at the table, taking tins of food out of a small packing case. Marat enters. Lika runs towards him.
Lika Marik!
Marat Wait! First item: distribution of presents!
He gives her a red rose made of paper.
Marat Happy birthday! Sixteen! Every cinema manager in town must now kiss your boots!
Lika Where did you get it?
Marat Did a swap. Some stuff I didn’t need. And there’s more. (He holds out a small lump of sugar, in the palm of his hand.) Sugar!
Lika Sugar! Thank you. Now, close your eyes.
He closes his eyes. She takes his hand and leads him to the table.
Open them. Look! Let’s celebrate! (He’s silent.) What is it …?
Marat You got a parcel.
Lika Yes! Aren’t you glad?
Marat Makes my sugar-lump look a bit meagre.
Lika No, not at all! To show you how much it means to me, I shall eat it right now! (She puts the sugar in her mouth.) Mmm, bliss! He’s quite a man, this Marat! Let’s give him a bite too!
She bites a piece off the sugar, and places it in Marat’s mouth. They both suck the sugar slowly, with indescribable pleasure.
Marat (indicating the parcel) How did it find you?
Lika It’s clever. Look, there’s condensed milk … stew … even jam!
Marat (salivating) Jam …
Lika And a letter. Mother’s well. She’s got a medal.
Marat So you’re happy.
Lika You’ll be happy, too, Marik, you’ll see. Please don’t be sad. I’ve got what I wanted: I’m sixteen! Let’s have a party at once!
Marat Your mother wrote to you.
Lika Don’t spoil it …
Marat (softly) Fine. Let’s have a party.
Lika It’s the thing to do, isn’t it?
Marat stares at her strangely.
Marat Once upon a time an old, old man lived with his old, old wife, in a little house in …
Lika What are you talking about?
Marat You wouldn’t understand.
Lika Am I such a silly fool?
Marat No. You aren’t a fool. (seriously) I could tell you what you are. But I shan’t.
Lika Oh, bugger off then! – The kettle’s boiling. Open some tins!
A shell explodes close by.
It’s started.
Marat Twenty-one gun salute in your honour.
Lika … I have to say, I think that’s a rotten joke.
Marat Well, today it’s me that’s a fool. A poor bloody fool. I could tell you why. But I shan’t.
Lika That’s a relief. Have you opened the stew?
Marat (opening the tin) We’ll eat half of it. No more. Half. Understand? Lika Yes, commissar.
Lika takes the tin of stew and heats it in a pan on the stove.
Marat What did you do at the Centre today?
Lika We inspected Number 17, down the road. Went through all the apartments, carted out the bodies. It’s funny, I’m not scared of corpses any more. I’m used to them. Is that good?
Marat Yup. Probably.
Lika You’re a wise man.
Marat Very wise.
Lika What did you do today, oh wise man?
Marat Worked on the water main. Think how terrific it’ll be if we can get the supply back on. Spring’s coming, be the first of May in a fortnight. (thoughtfully) Do you remember May Day?
Lika Oh, yes! Mother and I were on the rostrum once, watching the parade.
Marat It will be the same again.
She looks doubtful.
(Stubbornly) It will be. It will be!
Lika No, it won’t be the same …
Marat What will it be like, then?
Lika I don’t know. Different.
Marat Better?
Lika Perhaps. But definitely different.
Marat I don’t want it to be different. I want it to be the same.
Lika Poor Marik …
Marat shrugs ‘maybe’. Pause.
The smell’s driving me mad. Can you smell it?
Marat Absolutely.
They stand at the stove, savouring the aroma of the meat.
Lika Lovely, lovely stew …
Marat It looks so beautiful …
Lika Come on, let’s eat it. Quick!
They leap into action, grabbing plates, Lika spooning the stew from the pan.
Marat Equally, now, equally. No, that’s too much for me!
Lika But I get to scrape the pan.
Marat My God, talk about a life of luxury …!
They sit at the table and eat in silence. Finally Lika pushes away her plate.
Lika Fantastic. And now … the milk! Fetch the glasses! Quick!
Lika pierces the tin of condensed milk as Marat fetches glasses. Lika measures the milk out with a spoon.
Marat One spoonful each.
Lika No, two, today.
Marat All right. One and a half.
Lika And biscuits.
Marat Two each.
Lika Three each. Today.
Marat Look, who’s in charge of the supply-line here?
Lika I wouldn’t’ve lived without you. We know that.
Marat (rising) Your attention, please! I shall now make a speech, that is, propose a toast, that is, deliver a peroration –
Lika A peroration?
Marat A euology!
Lika (hooting with laughter) A euology!
Marat Could you control yourself please? (raising his glass) Congratulations, Lika. One year ago I was sixteen. So I know what it’s like. So I know what you’re going through, et cetera, et cetera. But … Be happy, Lika. Little Lika … who are you? I could tell you. But I shan’t.
Lika Bravo! What an orator!
Marat (the toast) Fuck Hitler!
Lika (raising her glass, bravely) Fuck Hitler!
Marat And long live Lika!
They chink glasses, and drink.
Now I must kiss your hand.
She looks concerned.
It’s the protocol. Now you’re grown up.
He takes her hand and kisses it lovingly.
Does that please the young lady?
Lika The great Marat Yevstigneyev kissed my hand. Unforgettable experience.
Marat Have you ever kissed anyone?
Lika … Let’s get this straight. I love my mother and I’d never do anything to displease her.
Marat You always got full marks for conduct, I expect.
Lika Yes. Didn’t you?
Marat Never more than three out of five.
Lika I can’t say I’m surprised.
Marat So you haven’t ever kissed anyone …?
Lika Well, I did once.
Marat (astonished) Really? Why?
Lika Oh, it happens, you know … The mistakes of one’s youth …
Marat (suddenly sad) Quite.
Lika Mother writes that I should be evacuated to Moscow. When she finds out that Nanny’s dead, and the building doesn’t exist any more, well … she’ll pull some strings, I expect.
Marat … You better go, then.
Lika … You want me to go?
Pause.
Marat (old man’s voice) Don’t leave me here alone, Lydia Vasilyevna. Have pity on our little ones. Don’t go.
Lika Idiot.
Marat Absolutely. You don’t know what an idiot I am. I could tell you, of course. But I shan’t.
Lika It’s dark. Open the door of the stove.
Marat We’ll lose the heat.
Lika I don’t care. It’s my birthday.
Marat opens the stove. The room is filled with its flickering light.
Shall we dance?
Marat There’s no music.
Lika
We don’t need it. We’ve our own. (She begins to hum a slow waltz.) Know this one?
Marat Yes.
They both hum the waltz, and circle slowly around the room, holding each other. Distant gunfire.
Lika Marik …
They come to a halt.
It’s awful … there’s so much pain and sorrow … and here we are –
Marat (softly) It’s not our fault.
Again they circle the room, humming. Then they stop. They stand still and say nothing for a long time, their arms around each other.
Lika (breathless with excitement) Marik … Marik …
Marat kisses her on the lips.
My God … what’s going to happen?
Marat I could tell you. (Whispers.) But I shan’t.
Lika (happily) My poor darling Marat.
The door opens. Leonidik staggers in. He takes a few steps towards the fire and falls heavily. Lika and Marat rush towards him.
Leonidik (mumbling incoherently) Firewood … got firewood …
SCENE FOUR
21 April. A week later. A home-made camp bed has appeared in the room for Leonidik. Marat sits beside him. It’s the end of another April day – sunset outside the window. Lika enters the room.
Lika Is he asleep?
Marat Yup. Why are you so late?
Lika I was held up at the Komsomol Centre. Have you fed him?
Marat I heated up the porridge when I got back. He’s weird. Terrified of hospitals. Couldn’t tell you why. He’s something of an eccentric.
Lika An eccentric? What’s that?
Marat It means he’s peculiar. Damn shame he ate all of your parcel. Still, I think he’s recovering.
Lika At first I thought he had pneumonia. But obviously it was only a chill. Because if he’d had pneumonia he’d have died.
Marat Yes. You’ve got to feel sorry for him. I mean, I’ve seen stacks of people die. But he’s nice.
Lika The oddest thing is, he doesn’t look like anyone. Everyone looks like someone. Except him.
Marat What about me? Who do I look like?
Lika (thinks) You look like everyone all together.
Marat Bully for me!
Lika But you’ve got to admit, it helps, me being a doctor’s daughter. I’ve cured him in a week. Though you’ve been terrifically useful.
Marat I’m a terrific person. And I look like everyone all together. Not many people can say that.
Lika I wonder why he’s got such a funny name: Leonidik.
Leonidik (eyes closed) He also wonders that.
Lika You’re not asleep!
Leonidik (pulling himself up) It is a funny name, isn’t it? Leonidik. Leonidik. (Laughs.) Who can ever know what a mother is capable of? (Pause.) Is your mother alive, Marat?
Marat No. (Laughs.) Well, I’ve never met her. She might be.
Lika The way you two talk is appalling.
Leonidik Why? Marat’s a man who loves his father. Simple.
Lika You’re both bonkers.
Leonidik We’re not bonkers. It’s just that we’ve seen everything. Everything there is to see, we’ve seen!
Marat Relax, old chap. Lie down. You’re not well enough to get hot and bothered.
Leonidik Leonidik. There’s no denying it: the name is hilarious. Now he wants to tell you a story. Well, he ate your food parcel, didn’t he? That makes you his nearest and dearest. Instant kith and kin. Just add water. (fiercely) And he’s got to tell someone what happened. (Pause.) I loved my mother. I haven’t the language to tell you how much I loved her. But my father, well – busy man, you see, always at work, very popular, very successful. Fair enough, he used to try to talk to me, every Sunday, after lunch – but he had no idea when my birthday was, or what I was doing at school. He died five years ago, when I was twelve. Do you remember, in those days we used to bury people, one by one, and make a big fuss about it? Loads of his friends showed up at the cemetery, and they all said what a remarkable man he was. Well, fair enough. But he died, and I didn’t feel any different. Nothing really changed. Except we suddenly had less to eat. My mama meant the world to me. She was always cracking jokes, always cheerful, always kind. We did everything together. Then another man came along. Another man … can you grasp the significance of those words? … And she just – well – forgot me. Mama forgot me. Can you understand that at all? He was hardly young, and hardly handsome. But he’d sing to her, the whole time, singing to her, soft and low … At night they’d dance in the sitting room – just the two of them! Dancing! When the war broke out, he wasn’t accepted for the army. No surprise: he was so short-sighted, he couldn’t tell a tank from a train. Thankfully he wasn’t a complete sissy, and didn’t go to pieces during air raids. But then the siege began. And then the famine. I watched them get weaker and weaker. By the beginning of this year, they were both emaciated. Oh, I felt sorry for them, of course, but there were things I couldn’t forget … still can’t … (Pause.) One day, about a month ago, when neither of them had the strength to get off the bed, I saw her give him part of her bread ration. He didn’t notice. He just ate it. She grew thinner and thinner. All right, his eyesight was bad, you could say he didn’t spot any difference in the portions. But I did! She died looking at him. My mama. Said her last words to me, of course. Know what they were? ‘Leonidik, look after him …’ (Pause.) He’d hardly noticed me before. But now everything changed. He started to tell me about his life, how lost he’d been, how she rescued him. And sometimes he’d sing to me the songs he sang to her. One day he stared at me for a very long time. He said, ‘Leonidik, you’re just like her. It’s extraordinary.’ And then he started giving me his bread. Naturally I tried not to take it, but he made such a fuss, and he was so delighted when he got me to eat some. When he smiled, the skin split round his mouth. I should’ve forgiven him, shouldn’t I? I know I should’ve. But I couldn’t! It wasn’t until just a few hours before he died that he suddenly seemed to understand. And he asked me to forgive him. (Pause.) After he was gone I cried. But I still remembered what he’d done to me. I couldn’t forget. Still can’t.
Lika (softly) But that was real love, do you see? Perfect love.
Leonidik I’m the only person who will never see that.
Marat You are definitely eccentric. Why are you telling us this?
Leonidik He doesn’t know. Sometimes he’s frightened. But now you know what happened. (Smiles.) Maybe he’ll feel better.
Lika (thoughtfully) A human being must always sacrifice everything for others.
Marat That’s not true.
Pause.
Leonidik Say something, Lika.
Lika … I’m just thinking about what you told us.
Marat (jumping up and clapping his hands) Right, let’s move on! Next item: the future! Leonidik, what do you want to be?
Leonidik (smiles) A writer of verse.
Lika You mean a poet?
Leonidik Oh no, that sounds far too pompous. I just mean a writer of verse.
Lika Marik, how about you?
Marat A lion-tamer.
Lika (surprised) You’re joking!
Marat Watch this.
He places two logs on the floor, and balances a plank on top of them.
What is it?
Leonidik A piece of wood?
Marat It’s a bridge! Building bridges, that’s what I want to do! That’d be interesting, wouldn’t it?
Lika Might be. (to Leonidik) Mother always wanted me to be a doctor. So when I was a kid I decided – I’ll be a doctor! But not just an ordinary doctor, with a white coat and an old bag, sticking a thermometer into your mouth. No! A research doctor! The first to discover – well, you know what I mean.
Leonidik I do.
Marat (silly voice) Got to do what Mummy tells you. Or you’ll be a naughty little girl! Naughty, naughty!
Leonidik How’d you like to do us all a favour, and quieten down?
Marat Mummy, Mummy, want my potty!
Lika goes up to Marat
.
Lika Are you looking for a punch in the face?
Marat (put in his place) Time for bed. (Lies on his mattress.) Don’t talk too loudly. I’ve got a lot on tomorrow.
Lika goes back to Leonidik.
Leonidik (thoughtfully) It seems to me, the only really hard thing in life is to fully understand your own self.
Lika (interested) Is that right?
SCENE FIVE
29 April. An overcast, windy spring day. Lika and Leonidik enter from the street.
Leonidik Tired?
Lika Very tired. (looking around) Marat hasn’t been in.
Leonidik He’ll be back. Did you hear the news today? I think in the Ukraine we’re beginning something.
Lika I wish it was here! Our boys need a breakthrough! They’ll smash the Germans and raise the siege. Do you know how often I dream of it?
Leonidik (affectionately) Get some rest. You’ve had a hard day.
Lika A sad day. To be more precise. (Lies on the bed.) There’s one thing that scares me more than anything else. It’s that we’ve got used to everything. The starvation, the bombs, the frozen bodies rising out of melting snow … we’ve got used to it all.
Leonidik That’s good. It will help us.
Lika With what?
Leonidik The war.
Lika (surprised) Will you go and fight?
Leonidik We’ll probably be called up in the autumn. Me and Marat are the same age, you know.
Lika Suppose there is no autumn, ever?
Leonidik Won’t make any difference.
Lika (staring at him) What’s going on in your head?
Leonidik Not a thing. He’s an invalid; his brain doesn’t work at all. Only the second day that he’s been out. He sat on a bench and watched how you cleaned up the courtyard and brought out the dead, and sent them away piled on sledges. (Pause.) Are we having the furniture from next door?