by Nick Dear
Lika I don’t want it. We’ll manage. (angrily) Where’s Marat?
Leonidik Yesterday evening they shelled the Centre. Maybe he spent the night with someone.
Lika (worried) Who?
Leonidik Well, he’s not repairing the water main on his own, is he? He’s got friends there. Remember he told us about these incredible Komsomols he’d met – a boy called Yura and a girl called Svetlana?
Lika Svetlana, Svetlana, looks like a banana.
Leonidik (smiles) Hey, what’s got into you?
Lika Stayed the night with a friend! Huh! I’ll bet he did! You don’t know Marat – he’s an awful liar. He tells a lie a second! One day he brought home a kilo of millet. I asked him, ‘Where’d you get that?’ He said, ‘A little girl fell through a hole in the ice, I fished her out, and her parents gave it to me in thanks.’ Later on I discovered that he hadn’t saved any little girls at all, but had swapped his fur hat for the grain! And there’s more, much more – you’ll be appalled!
Leonidik I’m sure I will. But another day – all right?
Lika (losing her temper) Why, doesn’t Marat interest you?
Leonidik Yes, but not all the time.
Lika You know what you are?
Leonidik What?
Lika You’re tight-arsed, you are. – Do you really write verse?
Leonidik (grins) I have the odd stab at it.
Lika Read me some.
Leonidik It’s bad, Lika. No damn good!
Lika Ah, you’re just showing off …
Leonidik No, I’m not.
Lika Why do you write it, then?
Leonidik I live in hope. The hope that one day I’ll write
something good.
Lika (snorts with laughter) You’re hilarious.
Leonidik Fair enough, but don’t give yourself a hernia.
Lika You’ve got dirt on your face. Little boys, honestly! Here, let me wipe it off …
She spits on her hanky and wipes his face. Marat enters and sees them.
What blue eyes you have, as blue as blue!
Marat (silly voice) Bluer than blue! And half as true!
Lika Marik!
Marat At your service.
Leonidik (cheerfully) Told you he’d be back. Lika (alarmed) What’s happened to your arm? You’re wounded!
Marat (casually) A minor skirmish.
Lika What? What?
Marat It’s nothing. Let’s move on.
Leonidik Hey, you – don’t be rude. She’s been worrying about you all day.
Marat Then I’m honoured to have been in the thoughts of such a public-spirited young lady.
Leonidik Nicely put.
Marat Wasn’t it?
Lika What are you blabbering about?
Marat We’re not blabbering. Not at all. (sharply) I took a German parachutist prisoner.
Leonidik Did you?
Marat Wasn’t at the waterworks yesterday. We were sent to aid the defence of the Kirov factory. There was a right old do. We were put into the line towards evening, just as the shelling began. Spent the night in the dug-out. Well, I woke up, didn’t I, and I thought I’d go on a bit of a recce. I climbed over … It was pitch dark, drizzling with rain … Suddenly in the gloom I saw a man crawling towards a bombed-out house. I went after him. He fought back with a knife – slashed my arm. But I got him. I disarmed the bastard and handed him over to the soldiers.
Lika (stroking his bandaged arm) You’re quite a man, Marat.
Leonidik Well done! I don’t know what to say. But I envy you.
Leonidik stares at Marat for a moment and then walks out.
Lika (softly) I’ve been worried about you.
Marat (affectionately) Truly?
Lika You’ve changed. You’re not like you used to be. You’re pulling away from me. Please don’t. Remember how good it was for us?
Marat How could I forget? (Pause.) It’s you that’s pulling away, not me. Sometimes I think you’re completely gone.
Lika No. (lovingly) I’m here, Marik. – What’s the matter? Are you crying?
Marat (fiercely) I hate myself.
Lika (astonished) Why?
Marat Oh, to hell with it! (pacing up and down) Listen to me! You’ve got to give up the Komsomol. You’re capable of more. I’ve had a word about you at the hospital. They’ll take you as a trainee.
Lika When did they put that bandage on?
Marat At dawn.
Lika Then I’ll change it.
Marat There’s no need. At the hospital you’ll witness things that will break your heart. But it’s got to be done, do you understand?
Lika I’m still going to change that bandage. I’ve got my first-aid pack.
Marat I don’t want you to! Get it? You’ll be a trainee for a couple of months, you’ll sit some exams, you’ll progress. You’ll be doing some good. Do we have unanimous agreement?
Lika Yes. But the wound must be cleaned, Marik …
She takes him by the arm.
Marat Don’t! It’s not necessary!
Lika I know how. The comrades at the Centre taught me. I’ll do it beautifully.
Marat (beaten) Oh, bloody hell, all right.
Leonidik returns and stands in the doorway, watching. Lika sits Marat down and starts to undo the bandage.
Lika Now don’t move. – Was he strong, the Nazi?
Marat Yup.
Lika Very big?
Marat Normal size.
Lika removes the bandage and looks at the arm for a long time.
Well, normal for a Nazi, which is – oh, hello!
Marat sees Leonidik. Lika turns and sees him too.
Lika That’s a rotten deep wound. I’m going to clean it up. Sit still now … (Her eyes meet Marat’s.) Does it hurt?
Marat A lot.
Lika (cleans and re-bandages it) It will get better.
Leonidik goes to Marat and hits him lightly on the shoulder.
Leonidik Put a brave face on it, old chap.
Lika (fiercely) Don’t you touch him.
SCENE SIX
4 May. A bright sunny day. Lika is alone. She’s been doing her laundry. Marat enters. An uncomfortable pause.
Marat Good morning!
Lika We’ve said good morning already.
Marat So we have. (Pause.) Where’s Leonidik?
Lika He went for a walk. The doctor said he can start work tomorrow.
Marat Good for the doctor! Good for Leonidik! And good for us. He owes it to us.
Lika gives a weary sigh.
Shall I belt up?
Lika Whatever you like.
Marat Have you been to the hospital?
Lika I’ve no need of your advice, thank you. – Why are you back so early?
Marat We stopped the war for a tea break.
Lika Don’t you ever give up?
Marat (shyly) Look at me.
Lika (continuing with the laundry) Why?
Marat You haven’t looked at me for six days.
Lika Saved any more girls from drowning? Or caught another parachutist?
Marat Four of each! (He clenches his fists and drops his head.)
Lika How can you clown around like this? There’s so much suffering, children starving to death next door, corpses piled up at the graveyards, and you … (fiercely) Tell me the truth. What’s the scratch on your arm?
Marat … I slipped and fell on a roll of barbed wire.
Lika (relaxing) I guessed it was something like that… . It’s good they put iodine on the cut; it won’t get infected. (with exaggerated concern) Poor little boy …
Marat Lika …
Lika Shut up! I was ashamed. And I told Leonidik a lie: ‘What a deep wound …’ Makes me sick to think of it! And you didn’t say anything. Still hoping I’d believe you … (plaintively) How could you have done it, if you had the slightest feeling for me? – Why are you laughing?
Marat Who said I was laughing?
Lika Bugger off! You’ve no idea how much
I despise you!
Marat Despise me?
Lika Yes! It’s over now. All over!
Marat (to himself) Dead right.
Lika (spinning) What did you say?
Marat I said it’s over!
Lika takes her laundry basket and goes out. Marat gets his suitcase and quickly packs a few things. He takes a piece of paper, and, placing it on top of the suitcase, writes fast. Leonidik enters and sees him.
Leonidik What are you doing here at this time of day?
Pause. Marat keeps writing.
Two more tram-lines are running. And the water’s on in the house next door. Have we you to thank for that?
Marat Right, come over in the sunlight, let’s have a look at you. Oh, Leonidik, you lovely blue-eyed boy …
He unexpectedly hugs Leonidik, then goes to the bed and places his note on Lika’s pillow.
See that she gets that, will you?
Marat takes his suitcase and runs for the door.
Leonidik Where are you going, Marat?
Marat (cheerily) To the baths!
Marat exits fast. Pause. Lika enters.
Lika Where was he racing off to?
Leonidik He’s quite mad … Said he was going to the baths … A lie, of course.
Lika is silent for a moment. Then she weeps bitterly.
What is it, Lika? Lika? You mustn’t … my darling, you mustn’t …
Lika (taking his hand) Listen, Leonidik. I may … love him.
Leonidik … I don’t think there was any need to tell me that.
Lika He’s always lying! … He made up the story about the parachutist. Only a scratch on his arm. I covered up for him. I was ashamed! I can’t cover up any more. – Talk to him! You’re our closest friend.
Leonidik You’re such a pair of idiots! (hesitantly) I mean, in the midst of this tragedy, to … (cross with himself) Fair enough. None of it matters. You’re still children.
Lika Children! We’re not children.
Leonidik … He left you a note.
He gives her the note. She wipes her tears.
Lika What fibs has he made up now? (Reads.) ‘To you and to Leonidik.’ It’s to both of us. (Gives him the note.) You read it.
Leonidik (reads) ‘All right, it’s true, I didn’t catch a parachutist. But I did meet Major Artemov, and we had a long chat that night. Waiting for the call-up in the autumn’s a fat lot of use, isn’t it? He agrees with me, and so this is goodbye. Vengeance is mine! I promise you’ll hear of me. Good luck to you, Lika, and Leonidik, don’t lose heart. Be at the hospital tomorrow, Lika! Over and out.’
Lika Marik … (Takes the note and stares at it.) No, he’s lying … He’s always lying! I don’t believe him. He’ll be back.
Leonidik Not this time.
Lika How do you know?
Leonidik He’s grown up. (Shrugs.) Happens to everyone.
Lika Do you want to go, too?
Leonidik Well, he went. So that’s the only thing I can do now. He hasn’t left me any alternative.
Very distant gunfire.
Lika Oh God! (She clutches at him.)
Leonidik Why are you frightened? That was a long way off.
Lika Every shot will be aimed at him now. Just at him.
Leonidik … He’s lucky.
End of Act One.
Interval.
Act Two
SCENE SEVEN
27 March 1946. Still the same room, but unrecognisable. The war is over and life is back to normal. Evening. Lika, now nearly twenty, an independent young woman, sits comfortably on the sofa with textbooks and lecture notes spread out around her. The wireless is on, giving the weather forecast for the whole of the Soviet Union. It takes a while. The telephone rings. Lika turns off the wireless and lifts the receiver.
Lika Hello? Yes? Hello? (Pause.) That’s an impressive silence. Any chance of breaking it, whoever you are? (stunned) What! You? When? Yes, yes, got the telegram yesterday! Course I’m not afraid! I haven’t seen you for years, and you ring from the phone in the hall …? Come up at once, idiot! – By the way, the lift’s working.
She replaces the phone, jumps up and paces excitedly. She laughs; then she grows sad. She looks at herself in the mirror. She makes a start on tidying the room, but then she hears the bell in the hall. She goes out and comes straight back.
Well, come in.
Leonidik enters, wearing the greatcoat of a Red Army private. He has matured, and is very altered.
Leonidik Wait.
He walks to the armchair, sits, puts his hand over his eyes.
Lika Say something, then.
Leonidik uncovers his eyes, smiles, and stands up to face her.
Leonidik May I kiss you?
Lika kisses him impetuously.
I’ve dreamed about this moment for four years.
They hold hands. He looks around.
It’s all so different. My camp bed was here, the stove was here …
Lika Won’t you take your coat off?
Leonidik Thing is … he can’t manage terribly well.
He takes the coat off with some difficulty, and Lika sees that he has an artificial left arm.
So. There we are.
Lika (smiles) Fair enough. The war. It’s as it should be.
Leonidik Yes, fair enough. (Smiles.) That’s why I mumbled rubbish on the phone. I didn’t want to scare you.
Lika My goodness, I’ve seen worse. I’d say you were pretty lucky.
Leonidik Not that lucky. I lost it a week before they surrendered. Bit of a pity, that. I did write to you that I was wounded. I wrote from Manchuria. I wrote from Khabarovsk. (embarrassed) But we won’t go into details.
Lika All right.
Leonidik (laughs) Heavens, am I really back? Have I come back just like that?
Lika (laughing) You have! I promise you!
Leonidik When he saw Nevsky Prospect this morning … When he saw the sky over Leningrad … there’s nowhere like it in the world, you know! – Do I sound mad?
Lika No, not at all… . I understand.
Leonidik (gives her a parcel) For you.
Lika (opens it) Slippers?
Leonidik From Japan. And look. This comb. Isn’t it something?
Lika pins the comb into her hair in front of the mirror.
Lika (laughing) Straight out of Madame Butterfly! It’s gorgeous! Oh, you – you’re attentive, you’re wonderful, you’re terrific. (She kisses him on the cheek.) Want some tea?
Leonidik Love some.
Lika plugs in an electric kettle.
Lika We’ll have to wait.
They sit and look at each other in silence.
What shall we talk about?
Leonidik How you have lived. All that has happened.
Lika I sometimes think there is nothing that hasn’t happened. Everything that could possibly happen has happened. (Pause.) You know it all from my letters. You both joined up, my mother got killed, so … so I couldn’t leave Leningrad, could I? Where would I go? So I worked at the hospital, and studied. The shelling was a nuisance. But that’s how I lived. (She smiles.)
Leonidik And now?
Lika Second year of medical school.
Leonidik You’ve got everything you hoped for?
Lika … Not quite.
Leonidik Better keep trying, then. (He takes her hand.)
Lika (laughs) Not everything’s under our control.
Leonidik That’s undeniable. But everything will be fine.
Lika Think so?
Leonidik Sure of it.
He holds her hand a little longer than is appropriate.
Lika Kettle’s boiling.
Leonidik Clever kettle!
Lika Why?
Leonidik Boiled in the nick of time.
Lika busies herself making the tea.
Lika Where are you staying?
Leonidik My cousin’s. He was evacuated. Came back last spring. What’s this jam?
Lika Quince.
Leonidik My cousin’s weird. I don’t expect we’ll get on. (cheerily) Actually you’re the only one left, the only one in the whole wide world.
Lika Just me?
Leonidik You and Marat. The three of us. That winter of ’42. Nobody could forget it. Is that true?
Lika It is true.
They’re silent, sunk in memories.
Leonidik Nice jam.
Lika More?
Leonidik Yes, please. Remember I ate that honey your mother sent you?
Lika (smiles) Marat was a bit miffed.
Leonidik No, he wasn’t. He pretended to be. He gave me his food all the time. Funny old Marat … (He stares at her.)
Lika Yes. (Pause.) What will you do?
Leonidik He isn’t sure yet.
Lika He’s got an inkling, presumably?
Leonidik He has the possibility of working on a newspaper. He was a frontline journalist for three years. But that would only be a stopgap. Because he’s brought home a suitcase full of poems.
Lika Any good ones?
Leonidik No, not yet. Some contenders are beginning to appear.
Lika I think we may call that progress. (She smiles.)
Leonidik I was with the shock troops for the first year. In the teeth of the war. Incredible, that I was spared. Incredible! Had friends, too; but I’m the only one left alive. I was always lucky, from the moment I walked into this room and ate your parcel.
Lika Aren’t you still?
Leonidik I suppose so. Well, I’ve just eaten all your jam, so I must be. (Indicates his false arm.) My luck ran out just once.
Lika (softly) How did it happen?
Leonidik I caught a parachutist.