Michael set down the buckets of water on the bench in Agatha’s hallway and was about to leave when the elderly lady grabbed his sleeve, signaling for him to follow her into the cottage. He sat on the wide bench by the door, waiting for further instructions from her.
Agatha silently retrieved a pot from the stove, gestured towards the clock as if to say it’s time for lunch, and poured cabbage soup into a large bowl. She served it with a slice of bacon, an onion, and a crusty piece of bread. Then she remembered and placed a quarter bottle of homemade brew on the table. Her hunched back was wrapped in a woolen shawl. Although the room was warm, she wore slippers on her feet.
Michael spoke in a quiet voice, “I won’t say no to some cabbage soup, but I won’t drink, I’ve sworn off it completely. Told my priest, I won’t touch the stuff again after that brawl at the club when I got jealous over Vera while drunk. It’s a wonder I wasn’t thrown in jail for those broken chairs I had to pay for. Mum said you had a back problem, so I came to bring you water. I’ll enjoy the soup and then fetch some firewood. Maybe you’ll find me some more chores. Whenever my mum catches me relaxing by the television, she starts picking at me for work.”
Michael chuckled at his own cleverness, causing himself to choke. Granny Agatha began thumping his back with her fists as if hammering a nail into a wall. Michael continued enjoying his soup with bacon and onion, then asked, “Granny, when you sleep, does your back straighten, or do you have to stay curled up?”
Agatha gave him a look full of twinkle-eyed mischief and waved her hand dismissively.
“I bet you were quite the young beauty, with that mass of hair and the arch of your brows on your wide forehead. And those eyes, like fireflies, must have sparkled at night. My Vera’s beautiful too! Come on, name a quality of hers and count them on your fingers, but I doubt there’ll be enough fingers on both hands: she’s beautiful, stately, modest, kind, hardworking, neat, tidy, thrifty, sings well, dances beautifully, not greedy, never been married, doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, never out late. Look at all these virtues.”
Michael saw laughter in Agatha’s eyes, her chest heaving with silent chuckles, but her voice stayed mute. “Granny, what lovely eyes you have, so clear for your age,” noted Michael. “Granny, you know Vera, don’t you?”
Agatha shrugged, spreading her hands as if to say, “Who knows with you young folks, whether you’re good or not.”
“Of course, we’re not like you. You feared your parents, listened to them. We, on the other hand, if we’re nagged, we speak up and march straight into action. We have opinions about everything. Dad always consults with me before making decisions. Mum treats me like the man of the house. My brothers scattered to the cities, so as the youngest, I’m the one who’ll stay until I marry. I want to marry and have lots of kids. Vera is a sturdy one, I’m telling you as a vet, she could have as many as possible. Oh, and she’s healthy, forgot to mention that. I bet you ran out of fingers counting her virtues, didn’t you?”
Michael filled up nicely, the warmth from the stove made him drowsy. Despite Agatha’s aching back, her home was spotless. The bed stood out with its high featherbed, pillows reaching to the ceiling, and a valance.
Michael mused aloud, “Oh, how I’d love a bed like that for my wedding night! Or maybe not, you’d just melt into that featherbed and forget about everything else.”
Out loud he continued, “Once Vera finishes her studies and returns to the village, we’ll throw a wedding party. She’s training as a nurse. Imagine how great this is: I treat the animals, she’ll care for the people. Although my mum often refers to Dad as a beast. Look at us, no better than critters. Heard about Steve? He stole Peter’s motorcycle and drowned it in the lake. Isn’t that beastly?! And Victor was smoking in the hayloft and nearly burned the place down. Another beast!”
The most beastly was Steve. He courted Nadia, deceived her, got her expecting, and then brought a bride from the city. Nadia nearly lost it, we feared she’d do something desperate. But yesterday she was walking about, tummy forward, smiling, saying they’re expecting a boy – a blessing from God. I wonder how that beast can pass the house knowing his child lives there. But I’ll never leave Vera. Her very sight makes me want to hug her so tightly, until we become one. She’s a decent girl, won’t cross any line before marriage, won’t drag her across the mark for anything. She’ll make a fantastic nurse, she’ll sort your back out in no time! Her injections are painless, like a mosquito bite. Sometimes I think, once we get our cottage from the council, I’ll miss you, Granny. We won’t be nearby, but I’ll find time to help and chat. What else do you have for me to try?”
Agatha deftly used the hot handlers to fetch a pan of savory porridge with meat. The aroma was mouth-watering! Michael sniffed so enthusiastically he nearly twisted his nose. He grabbed a spoon and beat it against the table like a kid. Agatha’s face lit up with joy seeing him relish her food.
“Why don’t you rest on the feather bed while I eat? Or is it just for show? Don’t worry, Vera and I will find a way to break it in.”
Michael coughed again, though Agatha didn’t thump his back this time. She wanted to comfort him, thank him for the company, for the time he spent not rushing home, but sharing so much. Her rough, calloused hands gently patted his back and kissed his head before standing up from the table, saying, “Now, how can I work with such a full belly? Time to crash on the feather bed.”
He laughed and headed outside, bringing in several armfuls of firewood, sweeping the porch, checking on the pig’s pen, bowing to the lady of the house before heading home.
“Where have you been? Vera’s been calling, couldn’t you tear yourself away from Agatha?”
“How can you, when she’s always asking for stories?” he replied with a chuckle. “Mum, was she born mute?”
“No, sweetheart. As a girl during the war, she sang like a lark,” his mum revealed. “Roamed from house to house singing patriotic anthems. And once when the Germans came, during a partisan hanging, she launched into ‘Sacred War’, and they cut her tongue. The partisans saved her before they could shoot. We thought a mute lady settled among us, but recently the chairman shared her story. Her village dwindled while ours grew, and the veterans’ association helped her get a home here. People can be worse than animals, hiding in their corners, not caring for others. But she understands everything, mute or not.”
“Mum, she talks with her eyes! When we chat about Vera, she lights up. When I mentioned Steve, you could see the lightning in her eyes! And you know, Mum, her hands are surprisingly soft. Seems like she’s nothing to me, yet talking and sharing with her feels so right.”
“And you know why? Because she has kindness, she speaks with her soul. And Mum, she doesn’t use gestures like the deaf, it’s more like she’s not mute but deep in thought. I’ve promised to nail something in her barn tomorrow, she really needed it. So, don’t pick work out of nowhere for me, I’ll be busy.”
