Вадим Иванович Кучеренко
Life is Boundless
–What do we have for breakfast? – He asked, knowing for sure how to improve mother’s mood, – Caution: I’m as hungry as a hunter! I could eat an elephant, if you, my dear mother, would slice it.
– Oh, but your mother has just told me that you are sleeping like a log, – they exchanged expressive glances like two coup-plotters, father and son had a tacit understanding with each other. – As far as I know, hunters don’t eat logs.
– You are mistaking, my dear parents, – the boy smiled, wolfing a huge sandwich that his mom gave him. The bread was heavily smeared over with butter, not to mention slabs of cheese and luch meat. – I have already done my morning exercises and taken a shower.
– Haven’t you forgotten to make your bed? – Father asked strictly as soon as he exchanged puzzled glances with his wife
– Have done it in the first place.
– That’s my boy! – He couldn’t help but complimented him, having forgotten that parenting should be as strict as possible. His wife once told him so, referring to either the great teacher Makarenko or some biblical antediluvian. He himself had a different opinion, but he wasn’t really of a willful kind, so he gave up on that. He was rigid only when it came to science.
–Dmitry! – The woman accented, looking reproachfully at her husband.
–Yes, honey?
–I guess there was something you wanted to tell our son, – she said pointedly.
– Sure thing… – he was about to say something, but checked himself under his wife’s indignant and ominous gaze. –Not like this… I was about to ask him about his plan… – stammering over a word, he started to turn over related questions in his mind. Finally, he picked the needed one. – Let’s say, a plan for this summer. Your school year is about to end, am I right?
–Yes, you are, – the boy looked cautiously at him. He noticed the displeasing glances of his parents. – Guess even in that prehistoric times of yours and mother’s schooling, classes ended in May.
–Prehistoric! – Impatiently exclaimed the woman. – Am I a dinosaur to you? You little ingrate!
Her husband gave a sign of silence. She obeyed that time, as the started conversation was more interesting and important to her, than her bruised ego.
–What are you going to do during your summer vacation, son?
–Got loads to do, father, – the boy answered with a bit of a condescension.
–Than tell us, sonnie, – she couldn’t resist but asked, despite the upbraiding gaze of her husband who preferred outflanking maneuver instead of frontal assault. Such method guaranteed peace and tranquility in their family life. – Me and your dad are all ears.
–To start with, mom and dad, I would like to win a city school astronomy competition,– answered the boy after a while, as if he assessed his future plans, putting them in order of importance. – It will be held next week.
–A decent ambition, son, – smiled the man, – so you are drilling for that very competition during nighttime, aren’t you? Mom was worrying that you just idly look onto the starry sky, dreaming in vain about the distant worlds… – He sighed unintentionally – as I did in your age.
–Well, I never thought like that! – Exclaimed the woman indignantly.
– Of course, you didn’t, mom, and rightly so, – conciliatory said the boy. – For I am not just looking through my telescope…
– But I indeed never said it! – She protested, looking guilty.
The boy gave her a sign of silence, doing so he looked so much the same way his father was, so the woman couldn’t help but opened her mouth in silent astonishment, like a huge drop-out fish.
–I hope to make a scientific discovery, that surely will bring our family name into repute, my dear parents. For you must know, the comet that had been discovered by Isaak Newton using a telescope, was named after him – Newton’s comet. By the way, it was among the brightest comets of the 17th century. It was also known as Great comet of 1680. Isaak Newton studied its orbit after making a discovery. He was up to confirm Kepler’s laws of planetary motion…
Alas, one must draw the line somewhere, and his mother, who listened to such scientific speech, enriched with terminology and facts, being quiet and admired to that moment, came to her senses and resented.
–Please, have some mercy on your poor mother! – She said almost in imploration, – my head is spinning! Although I appreciate your motion to glorify our family, but you don’t have to spend nights by the telescope.
– You don’t have to, indeed, – father picked up, – the brightest comet may be seen even in daytime. That’s truly a miracle!
– I didn’t mean it, – the woman protested, – think about devoting yourself to the service of art. To perform on a stage is…
But she was interrupted by her son, to whom she submitted with greater desire than to her husband.
–Mom, one talented actress is already enough for our family. And so is for one talented engineer. I’m talking about you and father. Just for the sake of variety, I can become an astronomer or an astronaut…
–Dmitry! – She exclaimed lamentably, without pretense.
– What happened, my dear? – Her husband got truly worried and rushed to her. – You have become pale! Are you okay?
– It has passed off now, – she replied, drawing her husband aside while he tried to give her tea in a tiny china cup. She could not afford herself to lose temper just because she overreacted. Many years of acting experience made it possible to her to get a grip on herself and to talk calmly:
–My dear men, I suggest us to come back down to earth and discuss the topic we started our talk with – our plans for summer. For example, I’m going to go on tour to Tashkent with my theatre in August, and I can take you two with me. Tashkent is a wonderful city! There is a fragrant air there! As if you smell a freshly baked bread…
