Levan. Listen, dear, why did you come here?
Tomov. She almost fell down into the crack. Come on, help me!
Аnnа. What’s the matter with her? Put her cautiously here.
Tomov. She got unconscious. I grabbed her at the very edge of the crack. She just looked down and got unconscious right away.
Аnnа. Oh, please be quiet! Get some water for her.
Tomov. Water! Levan, get some water!
Levan. I am carrying. Hey, why are you drinking yourself?
Sumyatov. It’s better for her to smell ammonia. She would come to herself immediately.
Levan. Where should I get it? There is some vodka, will it do?
Mancev. Unbutton her collar. Let her breathe with full breast.
Аnnа. Come on, give me a way! Hide your blushless eyes! Don’t look like that!
Tomov. Is there anything I haven’t seen before?
Mancev. How did it happen, Oleg?
Tomov. Some shit got into her head. Oh, those women… Look, while I was holding her she was trying to bite my hand. Here is a teeth print. She was crying like a crazy that her husband is dead and she doesn’t want to live either.
Mancev. Who told her that her husband is dead?
Tomov. I told you some shit got into her head. Do you have a smoke?
Аnnа. Smoke outside please! Aren’t you going to kill her with your smoke?
Sumyatov. What are we going to do with her?
Аnnа. I’ll make it all right without you… She has come to herself finally!
Аllа. Where am I?
Аnnа. Hold on, it’s all right. Hey, guys, aren’t you going to leave?
Mancev. Let’s go folks, let’s have a smoke.
Tomov. Give me a cigarette.
Men leave.
Аllа. What’s happened to me?
Аnnа. It’s all over already. Next time don’t look down at the edge of abyss. You are afraid of height.
Аllа. Terribly!
Аnnа. Thanks to Oleg you are here. He has grabbed you.
Аllа. Oh, this is him my noble rescuer…
Аnnа. So you decided to jump into the abyss because of your husband?
Аllа. I don’t know. I don’t remember. Something got over my head.
Аnnа. You shouldn’t do that. Don’t bury a man beforehand. Just imagine what he would say when he comes back.
Аllа. You think he is alive?
Аnnа. Of course he is. Such things happen in the mountains. I do know it well!
Аlla. It’s easy to say that. Your Vasil is beside you.
Аnnа. What’s the problem with you? Why didn’t you go with your husband?
Аllа. I would have gone with him if he just called me.
Аnnа. And your pride didn’t let you go without a call, right?
Аllа. He kept his plan a secret. I got to know about it only here.
Аnnа. Sorry, but I can’t believe it. Didn’t he let it out accidentally for example in bed after having hot time?
Аllа. We have been being silent with each other lately. We hardly say a word except “thank you” or “pass me salt please”. Then we stick to the TV and there is no conversation at all.
Аnnа. What were you thinking about? For such things I would punish my Vasil!
Аllа. Of course, you don’t have to complain. I was thinking: what a life do I lead? It’s grey and boring one. Only such people like you do live and we just exist.
Аnnа. You should have a baby. All this garbage will get out of your head right way.
Аllа. I didn’t want to have a baby from Pavel. I thought that I would meet a right man, fall in love with him so that I would forget everything and would follow him to the edge of the world.
Аnnа. Oh, what a fool you are!
Аllа. My Pavel is quite a mediocre. He used to sit in front of TV dressed in a night suit and slippers. Each time when I look at him I feel pinching that I spend my youth on such a man.
Аnnа. He might be silent because of your attitude.
Аllа. Don’t hurt me any more. I think that he went to the mountains also because of that, in order to make me be proud of him.
Аnnа. Don’t cry. He will come back.
Аllа. I prey for that! All will be different then.
Аnnа. And you will deliver him a bunch of kids, believe me! My grandmother was a fortune teller so I learnt this craft from her.
Аllа. Let him come back and let’s see!
Mikhalych enters.
Mikhalych. I was wondering where my daughter is. Here she is!
Аnnа. Mikhalych, dear, what brought you here?
Mikhalych. I have an urgent business.
Аnnа. Don’t scare me. Our house is sold, right?
Mikhalych. When?
Аnnа. I don’t know.
Mikhalych. I strongly advised the hosts to wait. I will screw them up!
Аnnа. So they might not sell it yet?
Mikhalych. Who said that they sold it?
Аnnа. Not me. Seriously, not me!
Mikhalych. Uff… I was about to assume that…
Аnnа. Well, it’s false alarm.
Mikhalych. They just can’t sell it. We made a promise!
Аnnа. But if somebody offers them all money at once?
Mikhalych. Well, a bargain is a bargain.
Аnnа. You are our only hope Mikhalych. We can’t make it without you.
Mikhalych. I’ve never failed anyone, my dear. Hey, listen, I’ve just talked to one of my fellows. He is quite a greedy guy, but agreed to help me and borrowed me five hundred dollars.
Аnnа. Oh, we don’t need money!
Mikhalych. Don’t worry! Little by little makes a mickle.
Аnnа. Oh, you don’t know. We have found money! Now we’ve got enough.
Mikhalych. So, you are buying the house?
Аnnа. Sure!
Mikhalych. Yeah, the house is a real work of beauty…
Аnnа. Where are you going now, Mikhalych?
Mikhalych. Towards the house. It’s better to hurry up just in case so that nobody would buy it.
Аnnа. But you have just said that…
Mikhalych. So what? I do have a tongue to say whatever I want to.
Аnnа. Mikhalych, dear please hurry up then! Tell them we are buying it!
Mikhalych. Oh, I almost forgot!
Аnnа. What’s that?
Mikhalych. I almost forgot that I came here with some business!
Аnnа. What’s the business?
Mikhalych. I have to hand in a letter. A registered one.
Аnnа. Okay, I’ll hand it in!
Mikhalych. No way. Sorry, dear but I must hand it personally with a signature of a receiver.
Аnnа. And when you hand it then what?
Mikhalych. Then I am running like a horse! Don’t worry. The house is already yours.
Аnnа. Tomorrow morning let’s go and see it together again, okay?
Mikhalych. Okay, I’ll be here early in the morning like a guard. You and Vasil will be still in bed. (Leaves).
Аllа. Are you going to buy a house?
Аnnа. Oh, what will be will be! And finally, how long are we going to move from camps and hotels? I am fed up.
Аllа. Yeah, it’s high time for you.
Аnnа. Have you noticed already?
Аllа. It’s not very noticeable. But if you look more attentively…
Аnnа. It’s growing like yeast! What if it’s going to be twins?
Аllа. You think your husband will fall out of love?
Аnnа. No way! Vasil loves me like I am. But if I deliver twins he will go crazy of happiness.
Аllа. I think I will also go home. I am going mad here. Bad thoughts are getting to my mind out of doing nothing.
Аnnа. That’s true. At home it’s impossible to do nothing. There is always some work. And when your husband comes back there will be warm and cozy home smelling with pies. He will realize that you were waiting for him.
Аllа. Waiting?
Аnnа. Of course!
Аllа. You are a good girl… Will you see me off?
Аnnа. Sure!
Аllа. Let’s go. A bus is coming soon. I don’t want to be late again.
Аllа Bokova and Anna Korobko leave. Levan and Mikhalych enter.
Levan. Oh, you don’t have to worry about! He will be here.