– Walter, do you want eggs with sausage or tomatoes? – Susan asked, looking faithfully into her husband’s eyes.
Walter opened his eyes with difficulty, looking at her in surprise.
– What? – he asked.
– Do you want scrambled eggs with sausage or tomatoes?
– Oh God! – Walter exclaimed and rolled over to the other side. – I don’t care! Let me sleep at least on the day off!
Susan gloomily wandered into the kitchen. It turned out that there was no sausage. Her son must have finished it.
Susan took out tomatoes, onions, herbs and began to prepare a simple breakfast. Half an hour later she put the eggs on plates, which steamed beautifully and smelled delicious.
-Walter! Eggs are ready!” Susan announced, looking into the bedroom.
-You’re so annoying with your eggs! – Walter exclaimed irritably, defiantly covering his head with a pillow.
Susan was offended and returned to the kitchen, meeting Andrew, their 14-year-old son, on the way.
– Mom, good morning! – he greeted his mother. – What do we have for breakfast today?
– Eggs with tomatoes! – she proudly announced.
– Mmm, super! – the boy approved, and mother and son sat down to breakfast.
– What are your plans for today? – Susan asked.
– We are going to Sam’s house. We will test a new game.
– Well done.
In fact, Susan did not approve of these computer games. “It would be better to play football” – the woman thought with a sigh. Although, on the other hand, the guy did not live with one computer. And, to be honest, it was not the time for that now.
Recently Walter became strange and irritable. He quarreled with his wife and son, reacted sharply to elementary questions, ignored requests.
Susan’s attempts to call her husband for a frank conversation were unsuccessful.
– Walter, are you in trouble at work? – she asked cautiously.
– What makes you say that? – the man snorted.
– Well, you are some kind of…
Susan couldn’t find the words.
-What?
– Some… strange, – she replied, carefully choosing her words.
– You imagined it, – Walter said and stared at the TV, letting his wife know that the audience was over.
And so for a whole week.
Andrew ate breakfast with appetite and went to Sam, with whom he studied in the same class.
Susan was finishing her coffee when Walter appeared in the kitchen door.
-“I could eat something, – the man said as if nothing had happened. As if Susan hadn’t told him some forty minutes ago that breakfast was ready. And he dismissed her!
In other circumstances, Susan would certainly have expressed this to Walter. But now she understood: it was better not to touch.
– The eggs are cold, Susan said guiltily.
– It’s okay! – Walter waved his hand.
– Do you want something else? – she asked in the tone of a waitress who expects a generous tip.
– No! – Walter exclaimed so that Susan flinched. – I’ll have a cold one!
– Okay, okay, – she mumbled. – Tea or coffee?
– I’ll pour it myself! And stop treating me like a child.
Susan hurried out of the kitchen. “My God, what’s wrong with him?” she wondered.
The rest of the day passed in almost complete silence. After breakfast Walter told his wife that he would like mashed potatoes with cutlets for lunch and sat down in front of the TV. Susan peeled the potatoes in advance and then started to do her nails, which she had no time to do.
Lunch and dinner passed without incident, but Susan had a feeling something was going to happen.
Waking up at half past seven, she did not find Walter next to her. It was not like him. Usually he liked to lie down until the last.
Susan went to the kitchen, looked in the bathroom, toilet, balcony and even in Andrew’s room, who was sleeping peacefully. Walter was nowhere to be found.
Susan returned to the bedroom, and only now noticed that her husband’s mobile phone was also missing. She opened the closet. Some of Walter’s things were missing.
Susan thought about it. If her husband had decided to leave her, he would have taken all his things. “Maybe Walter went on a business trip and forgot to tell me about it?” she thought. The thought seemed a bit ridiculous to Susan, but nothing else came to mind.
Susan dialed her husband’s phone number, but the subscriber was temporarily unavailable.
Suddenly her eyes fell on a piece of paper. It was lying on the floor. Looking at the sheet, the woman realized that it was a note. “The wind must have blown it away,” Susan thought, “the window is open.
She picked up the letter and began to read. “Susan, dear, I probably should have told you about this, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I’m seriously ill, and I don’t have much time left. I’m sorry I was harsh with you, but I thought it would be easier to put me out of your mind. Just don’t come looking for me. I won’t. I want you and Andrew to remember me just the way I was.”
After reading the letter, Susan cried bitterly.
Susan told Andrew everything, and now mother and son sat hugging and crying.
– “What are you going to do?” asked Andrew’s friend and godmother Diana.
– “Like what?” – Susan rounded her eyes. “Of course, to look for Walter! I have to be with him to the end! Or you don’t agree with me.
– Oh, Susan,” Diana sighed, “you’re right in theory, of course. But, first of all, Walter has made it clear that he doesn’t want you to see him like this. After all, when he passes away, you will be informed one way or another. But secondly, and I think this is more true, I don’t like all this.
– What’s that?
– I saw your Walter a week ago, and he didn’t look like there was anything wrong with him.
– Diana! What are you saying?
– I’ll shut up.
Susan spent the next two weeks in tears. She wrote a statement, but the result was zero.
Andrew was sullen. After school he returned home. He understood that now, more than ever, his mother needed his support.
A month passed like that. “I wonder what Walter is up to?” thought Susan.
– “Susan, why don’t we go to the sea?” Diana said one day, “God knows you could use a break.
– But my husband is ill!
– So what? You’ve done all you can. What good will it do you to stay at home and worry?
– Really, Mom, go! – Andrew intervened. – Well, I can’t stand to look at you anymore. Anyway, if there’s any change, I’ll let you know.
– Can you manage?
– Well, I’m not five years old! – exclaimed the son. – One day you have to get used to being independent.
– There! – Diana said approvingly. – The words of a man, not a boy.
The friends decided to fly to Turkey. After a snack in a cafe, they returned to the waiting room. And suddenly Susan saw Walter. He was walking towards the check-in counter with a young blonde woman. He looked great!
-“Diana,” she whispered, “look over there!
-Walter! Well, what did I tell you? Come on, let’s go say a few words to him!
And the women caught up with Walter and his blonde companion, decisively blocking their way.
-I see you are feeling better? – Susan asked with a smile.
– Walter, who is this? – asked the blonde.
– This is… an acquaintance.
– Are you sure? – Susan asked with a smile and, taking out her passport, said: – I’m his wife!
– So you are married? – the girl was surprised.
Walter was silent.
-What are you? Tell the girl, – Diana said sarcastically.
But the blonde’s trace was gone.
-Satisfied? -Walter said quietly. -I just started living with Veronica for real. I’m sick of you with your soups and pies!
And he imitated his wife:
“Walter, what shall I bake pies with today?”
– Is that all? – Susan asked. – And I have nothing more to say!
– Check-in for the flight begins.
– Ours? – she asked Diana.
– “Yes.
Susan had never had it so easy. Her husband is fine. Well, the fact that he turned out to be a scoundrel is even better. A holiday romance is what she needs now! And then we’ll see.
