The Last Wish

4

He had come home hammered, as usual these last few days. After the son's death, he was on unpaid leave. Everyone understood his reason, they all felt compassionate.

He went straight to the kitchen, where Olga with her back turned was cutting a cucumber to make salad. Since what happend to Roman, she did everything to occupy her mind, so that she did not have think about that terrible thing. It was a struggle though.

̒About time you got here. I was starting to think that something had happend to you,̕ she said, without looking at him.

̒I told to you to have it scraped off. You can't say I didn't. Now you are reaping what you sowed.̕

The clacking of the knife stopped. Nobody moved. Only disobedient tears rolled out of Olga's eyes. She put the knife next to the half-chopped cucumber and leaned on the counter.

̒Martin, you've been drinking again, haven't you?̕ Still turned from him, she tried for a belligerent tone. Her husband was not a believer in domestic violence (at least in Olga's opinion), but truth was, he had hit her a couple of times. Perhaps she deserved it sometimes, but this time she wasn't having any of it. Especially when he brushed against the most valuable thing she had left. A memory of her son.

She turned suddenly and to her own surprise she was holding the knife again. Between them, so he could see it.

Vozabal was looking straight into her eyes and started waving his arms.

̒What are you on about?̕ His tongue was addled, but his words hit the target like a tip of a poison arrow. ̒I must have been drunk when I let you give birth to that bastard!̕

She did not react. Her mouth slightly opened and her martially raised arm dropped. She felt hypnotized. In that moment, she could not figure out how could she ever have fallen in love with this person.

̒Dear Lord, why do you say this? Nobody could predict this would happen,̕ she finally said and almost let go of the handle.

She did not have to wait long for a reply. The slap threw her to the side and even though she tried to catch herself on the sink, she fell to the floor. The knife dropped next to her. New tears of pain and rage burst out of her eyes.

̒It's all your fault! Do you understand?! Your fault!̕ he bellowed and bend over. He wanted to hit her again, but the long tone of a doorbell stopped him. He heard banging on the front door.

̒Police! Open the door!̕

Vozabal left Olga and, unsteady on his legs, bolted. After his suicidal run, during which he almost missed the frame and more fell than jumped out of the window, he ended up at an empty tram stop.