They've been living together for two years now, but it still seems to Oleg that Uncle Yura is their guest. He still gives gifts as awkward as giving them to other people's children, even if he asks for something about school, just because he needs it, not because he is interested. In general, Uncle Yura tries not to be alone with Oleg. And if it happens, they both feel uncomfortable.
And now Oleg is reluctant to return to the apartment, where this stranger is engaged in his own business and, as it seems to Oleg, in every way interferes with him. He takes off his clothes on the doorstep, hangs his jacket. The apartment is quiet and empty. What a relief. He goes to the kitchen, takes out a sausage stick from the fridge, cuts off two spotty mugs, then cuts off the bread. With a ready sandwich goes into the hall. Chirping on the couch in search of the remote control, looking through the coffee table, cabinets. Probably, Uncle Yura dragged him back to the bedroom. He likes to walk around with the remote control as if it were his property. Oleg goes there and freezes at the door.
Mom and Uncle Yura lie on the bed. He is in pantaloons, through which a large belly falls out. Mom's nightie is indecently tucked away. Oleg quickly closes the door and goes to his room. She eats a sandwich with disgust. He takes a green spider from the table and squeezes him. It feels like you're squeezing a slug. Put the spider in place. I feel nausea crawling down my throat.
***
- It's not fair that you'll live after me," says Oleg.
- What kind of hello is that?! - asks Yulia.
As always, the meeting of their philosophical mini-club is in the kitchen. Yulia pours tea for him.
- I envy everyone who goes beyond the boundaries of my life. People can cross paths, but everyone still exists in their own orbit. And I don't know what is there "before me" and what is there "after".
- Such is life.
- That's the problem. I'm tired of living like this.
Why does he say that now, in the happiest moment? He has everything he needs: good health, a full family, work. But that's probably why he can philosophize, not worry about where to get the money to repay the loan.
- A man cannot live forever," says Yulia, biting off cookies and supporting his head with his palm.
Oleg laughs.
- You mean we don't live forever?
- You understand me," says Yulia.
- Then I would prefer it all to stop.
- Everything? And our family? And our son?
- One day, he'll get bored with all this.
They didn't say anything for a while.
- Wait, - suddenly Oleg grasps it.
- I'd rather sit down, - she answers.
- No, no. I had an idea. Tell me, when our life was just beginning, did the episodes go in order?
Yulia thinks about it: - I don't know. I don't remember anymore.
- Yes, yes, it's for sure... And if we reason logically, we had to be born to do something and mature to have children.... The first circle should have been without jumps.
A little boy comes out to the kitchen.
- Hey, are you awake? - Julia stretches out her hands to the baby.
The child does not answer. As if it is not clear that he woke up.
- If we knew what happened after the first lap, why we started jumping, maybe we could have stopped the wheel...
- Damn wheel, Dad? - a boy comes alive when he hears a familiar word.
- You see," says Oleg Yule, "with the mouth of a baby...
- Let's go for a ride on the wheel, - the baby's not getting any better.
- Not now, baby, it's night out, you need to sleep. And tomorrow we will go for a ride.
Julia takes the child to the room. Oleg moves to the hall, lies on the sofa, turns on the TV, which is some nonsense. Ten minutes later, Julia returns, climbing under his arm, rubbing his head against his shoulder.
- I understand that we will not resume the meeting? And I wanted to tell you one more thought, - says Oleg, watching Julia's eyes close.
- Sweetheart," she says, "you like to twist yourself.
Oleg laughs.
The room is filled with water. Statuettes, notebooks, pencils and other trash are passing by Oleg. A pigeon sits on the cabinet in the corner and looks at it. That's where he hid.
Oleg tries to call the pigeon, and water crawls into his throat. He begins to suffocate, and the water gets farther and farther, wraps up a snake in his stomach. He feels burning in his chest.
The pigeon sits without moving. "You have to take me away," thinks Oleg, looking into his glowing eye, "You have to.
My chest starts to burst. The body twitches as if someone was beating it. Some faces flash in the head, children's voices can be heard under the ear. After a while the voices disappear and the body stops shaking. Oleg feels weakness and peace. The pain stops.
He hasn't seen his faces for a long time. For some time he saw the outlines of the objects, but soon they began not to disappear, but to blossom, stretch like an old knitted sweater, until they lost their shape. He wasn't thinking about anything anymore, he was just watching the movement of multicolored blots, colliding, flowing into each other. At first they moved quickly, then began to slow down more and more, like paints in cooling water. They were slowly crawling in front of Oleg's eyes. If Oleg could, he would have thought that now he would finally find out how it all ended up, where they went after death. But he had nothing to think about. The stains trembled for the last time and stopped.
He smiles, closes his eyes and begins to fall asleep. On the edge of his consciousness he feels that his body comes off the bed and floats. Through the murky water he sees a bird flying to him.
***
"You'd never get out of there yourself, it's a good thing I walked by. You'd have been cut off and eaten many, many times. He puts the mushroom in a bucket and goes looking for his father.
Suddenly someone from behind grabbed him. Oleg shouts, but when he sees his father, he starts laughing.
- That's all, let's move to the car. It's time to go home.
- Dad, maybe we are still collecting, there are a lot of them here.
The father looks suspiciously into his son's bucket.
- Yes, indeed, - thoughtfully scratching the temple - where did you gather so much? And what is this? How many times have I told you not to rip out mushrooms. Why do you need a knife? - Father pulls out the mushroom with the root.
Oleg is guilty of lowering his eyes.
- Okay. Let's go to the car," says his father with condescension.
- Dad, let's collect more. I won't rip it out. Please," says Oleg, "bobbing, pulling his father's hand to the ground.
- You can't, Oleg. Mom will be worried, and with her all the mortuaries and hospitals.
Oleg laughs.