Ilja Tschlaki

IN THE PARK

(В парке)


Translated by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp and Francisca Everduim

Characters:
Christina – early 30s
Sylvia – early 30s


A warm summer's evening. A woman is sitting in the park: Christina. She pulls out a packet of cigarettes and casually lights up. A short pause. Sylvia appears. She walks up to Christina and looks at her.

Sylvia:   Hello.

Christina nods, barely looking up

Sylvia:   May I sit here?

Christina:   Sure, go ahead.

Sylvia sits down. A short pause.

Sylvia:   Lovely weather today.

Christina:   Yes, lovely.

Sylvia:   No trace of that storm yesterday.

Christina:   No, none.

Sylvia:   Have you got a cigarette I could have?

Christina:   Sure, go ahead.

Christina gives her a cigarette. Sylvia lights up.

Sylvia:   I don’t normally smoke. Almost never – just two or three times a year, no more. But today I fancied it; I don’t know why. Today seems kind of...

Christina:   Kind of…?

Sylvia:   Gloomy.

Christina:   Maybe.

Sylvia:   Do you live nearby?

Christina:   Not particularly.

Sylvia:   I love this park, too. I do live nearby, but that’s not why... Even if I lived at the edge of town, I’d still come here.

Christina:   That’s why I come.

Sylvia:   I’m sorry, am I disturbing you with all my chattering?

Christina:   Not at all.

Sylvia:   I should have asked.

Christina:   If you were disturbing me, I would have said.

Sylvia:   Amazing.

Christina:   What?

Sylvia:   I saw you and thought: there’s a lady it would be nice to sit with and have a chat, or just sit quietly. Something about your face attracted me... You don’t often see that.

Christina looks up and looks intently at Sylvia.

Sylvia:   Is something wrong?

Christina:   No, everything’s fine.

Sylvia:   The way you looked at me was… odd, somehow.

Christina:   That’s just how it seemed to you.

Sylvia:   The expression on your face – it was like you recognized me. Do we know each other?

Christina:   No, I’ve never seen you before.

Sylvia:   It’s a bit dark here, that’s why. There are so many trees here that even on a sunny day it’s not very light.

Christina:   That’ll be it.

Sylvia:   I wonder who you thought I was. Who did I remind you of?

Christina:   I don’t know...

Sylvia:   I wouldn’t say that your face filled with joy just then.

Christina:   Well... I thought...

Sylvia:   You don’t need to say if you don’t want to. Was it some unpleasant acquaintance?

Christina:   I don’t know... No, I don’t know her...

Sylvia:   You don’t know her? Why that funny reaction, then?

Christina:   I’d heard too much about her.

Sylvia:   I guess it wasn’t all good?

Christina:   No, quite the opposite.

Sylvia:   Seems very complicated. I don’t really understand. Well, good luck to her, your non-acquaintance. If she’s that bad, then there’s no point talking about her.

Christina:   I don’t know what she’s like. I don’t want to know, either.

Sylvia:   Me neither.

Christina:   You don’t work?

Sylvia:   What makes you think that?

Christina:   Because it’s day time. Most people don’t work at night.

Sylvia:   Oh yes, of course. No, I do work and everything’s fine... I just took the day off today... It’s that kind of day... I can’t even bear to think about it!

Christina:   You look like you work in science.

Sylvia:   No, I’m a secretary. Very ordinary... But my boss can’t live without me. I’ve been telling him all week that I can’t work today, that there’s nothing I can do, I can’t get out of it. If only you’d seen what a fuss he made about granting me leave. Can you imagine?! And on this day...

Christina:   I don’t work.

Sylvia:   Really?

Christina:   I’m unemployed.

Sylvia:   But presumably you have a husband?

Christina:   No, I’m not married.

Sylvia:   Hmm, that’s a shame... I understand, because I was unemployed for quite a long time, too. But all the same, things were easier before the death of my...

Christina stands up energetically.
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