"Лариса Матрос. Behind the Staircase (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

‹ аЁб  Њ ва®б.

Behind the Staircase


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Copyright ‹ аЁб  Њ ва®б, 1995
Email: [email protected]
WWW: http://members.aol.com/ailin69883/LarisaMatros/index.html Ў http://members.aol.com/ailin69883/LarisaMatros/index.html
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Writers Under The Arch 1995, St.Louis

Anna leaned in front of the open window of the car, closed her eyes and
tried to imagine the coining meeting with Rudik-.-.Blowing from. the ocean
was a special caressing wind, (typical only for a summer evening in a sea
climate) which combined and mixed the sun-heat with the salt sea-water.
More than twenty years ago, the same breeze had played with the silk of
her flared skirt, uncovering her slim, tanned legs, which had carried her
tirelessly around the pedestal of the A. E. Richeliett's (2) monument on the
top of the Potyomkinskaya Staircase (3). The irrepressible laughter
prevented her from running, and finally, let her down, when she had stumbled
without strength and found herself in Rudik's arms. With all the strength of
his youthful body hardened by sport, he had embraced her so she could not
move. Raised by the wind, her flared skirt soared like the wings of a bird
and rushed to help her escape from the captivity of his arms.
"Anna, Arnushka, Annyuta, I love you. I love you. I ask you, I beg you,
don't run away," whispered Rudik, embracing her harder and harder. Her face
was pressed near his heart, whose strong beats muffled his voice and
resonated through her body with a feeling she had never had before, which
made her want to cry.
"Let me go! Do you hear me? Let me go!" She was resisting him. Then she
took advantage of the sudden clumsiness, caused by his heartbeat, and darted
down the stairway. After passing two flights of stairs, she stopped and sat
down, covering her knees with her arms and laying her head on them. Rudik
dragged himself guiltily along, and sat down next to her.
They lived in the same neighborhood, studied at the same class, and had
been best friends from early childhood. Once their parents had permitted
them to visit downtown alone without adults, the Potyomkinskaya Staircase
became their favorite place. They competed in walking up and down stairs.
They counted steps, thousands of times, and every time they missed one of
the 192 steps or found an extra one, they started all over again.
"What magic is this staircase," exclaimed Rudik, breaking the awkward
silence. "If you look upstairs behind the staircase, you can see our
glorious city. If you look down behind the staircase, there is the sea. If I
would build a cottage right here, near Richeliett, and live there, it would
be so nice, right? I would live next to the staircase and feel I am
connected with all the world through it! If Odessa would not have anything
else, I would still love it just because of the staircase! Listen, Anna,"
Rudik exclaimed. He suddendy stood up, then kneeled near her legs. "I want