– I am sorry about that. I wanted to see you! When will we see each other?
– I can give you homework for now and check it when you back to school.
– Ok, I understand. I will keep doing exercises from the book then and do some literature reading. Classmates visit me so they will inform me of the program and help if that would be needed.
– Ok, Maxim, get well! Take care.
– I’ll miss you, – Max added and hang up, not being able to play with feelings of his beloved one.
Svetlana heard the phone tones for a while till they became irritating. She felt anxiety again and got angry at herself for not saying anything warm to Maxim, even thought she had a lot to say. Svetlana tried to get herself together again and remembered that after the surgery she needs to stay in bed. What is the point to torture yourself when you are so weak? Lying at the couch, she had another cigarette, turned on the quite music and tried to breathe evenly. She felt how her heartbeat and breath are getting normal. Svetlana put away unfinished cigarette, watching it producing smoke, and then felt the weakness in the body and later freedom from it.
– What did she want, Maxim? What did she ask? Maxim! Do you listen to me?! – Valentina Nikolaevna tried to reach out to her son. She was watching his rapidly changing mimics with surprise and couldn’t believe how fast his mood and face can alter. She became concerned that he was silent and didn’t move. “What should I do?!” – She was worried, and after looking at herself in the mirror started to worry even more. All of the sudden Valentina Nikolaevna realized that if her son remained still and silent, she wouldn’t be able to contain herself and would blow up. She came close to him, touched by the shoulder and asked: – Maximochka, what is wrong dear?
Instead of giving an answer, Maxim looked in the mirror at himself and his mom and understood the reason of her fear. Leaning on the self-made crutch, he left for his room without saying a word. He was walking down the hall slowly, fighting pain and dizziness, holding to the walls sometimes and taking breaks when dizziness was getting worse. Valentina watched him with astonishment and she had a feeling that she was watching his whole life passing by. Just like that, despite all hardships and difficulties, her son would be overcoming all life problems. With hard effort but so confidently, oh God! He would be able to achieve everything! Valentina Nikolaevna, with horror in eyes and pain in the heart suddenly understood that her son – almost mature man, and very soon she would lose him from life. He became dissolved in the adult life which would swallow him, just like her and the rest of people. Mother felt uncomfortable-she realized that everything started with that phone call and started to cry soundlessly, so that Maxim would not hear from his room. She felt down and tears were shedding even more. Very disappointed, she went to the bathroom and washed with cold water. Looking at herself in the mirror, Valentina Nikolaevna said to herself: «Why am I being stupid and keep on crying? I need to be glad for my son! Help him out. Gosh, what is going on with me? Why is it affecting me so strongly? What is happening»? Cold water made her calm down, so when she left the bathroom she proceeded to Maxim’s room.
