8/3/2019 Vasyl Stefanyk - LES' FAMILY

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Vasyl Stefanyk 

LES' FAMILY

("Leseva familiya," 1898, Synya khyzhechka)

Les', as usual, stole some barley from his wife and was taking it to the tavern. He didn't just carry it, butran with it to the Jew and constantly kept looking back.

"Yes sir, here she comes with the brats, may they break their necks. If only I could reach the tavern, for if she catches me again, there'll be a row for the whole village to see."

And he ran on with the sack over his shoulder. But his wife with the boys was catching up. Just beforethe tavern she clutched at the sack.

"Don't run away, don't run, don't squander my work for the children.""You wretch, again you want to cause a row in front of all the people! Where's your face, for crying-out-

loud!""With such a man I never had a face and never will have one!! Give me back the sack and be damned.

Or else we'll beat you, together with the kids I'll beat you right here in the middle of the village. Maycontrition fall on the whole world. Gi-i-ive it to me!"

"You old bitch, you crazy or something? I'll hang you and those brats of yours!""Andriy, my son, hit him in the legs, only in the legs, so that he don't squander your bread at the Jews'.

Hit him so that you break his legs. Somehow we'll manage to support a cripple, but a drunkard—never."She spoke to her boys who stood with sticks in their hands and timidly gazed at their father. Andriy wasalready ten and Ivanko only about eight. They did not dare approach and hit their father.

"Go ahead, Andriy, hit him; I'll hold his hands. Hit him in the legs only, only in the legs."And she hit Les' in the face. He fixed her one even better, so that blood started to flow. Now the boys ran

up and started pounding their father in the legs."Better break his legs, sons, so that he drags them after 

him like a dog."And she spit blood and turned blue, but held onto his hands.The boys became more courageous and ran up like little yelping dogs, and hit him in the legs and ran

away, and then came at him again. They were almost playing, almost laughing.Several people ran out from the tavern."Boy, as the world is old, no one has ever seen anything like it. Look at the hitting. Look at them. The

teat has not dried yet by their mouths! This is perdition for the whole world!"

The boys attacked like mad dogs, and Les' and his wife stood petrified, bloody, and did not move."Watch it, fellows, or you'll strain yourselves from hitting your dad . . .""You should've taken longer sticks, so that you could reach 'im better ...""Hit 'im over the head, where his brains are, in the soft of the skull..."So some drunkard out in front of the tavern encouraged the boys.Les' threw the sack to the ground and stood there stupified. He never expected such an attack and did not

know what to do. Finally he laid down and took off his jacket."Andriy, and you Ivanko, now hit me; I won't even twitch. You're still small and it's hard for you to keep

running up like that. Go on, beat me . . ."The boys stood a little to the side and looked strangely at their father. Slowly they dropped their sticks

and looked at their mother."Why aren't you telling them to beat me. You see that I've lain down; go on, beat me!"Les' wife bawled for the whole village to hear."How am I to blame, folks? I break my back at the potato fields with the kids, on dry bread, and all that I

 bring in he takes away to the tavern. Folks, I can't do anything because of him; I can't leave the house onaccount of 'im. He has left us without even a rag in the house. Whatever he gets a hold of he takes to the Jewsfor whiskey. I can't support both the kids and the Jews. I don't care what happens, but I can't go on any more

"Go ahead, beat me, I won't lift a finger.""May merciful God beat you, you wretch; for you've squandered our life and orphaned the children. You

have beaten us so much that we've never ceased being black and blue. I can't even keep a dish in the house, for you break everything. And how many times have the children and I slept out in the frost; how many windowshave you broken? I don't want anything from you; may God punish you for me and the children. Oh, have Iever prayed out a fate for myself . . . People, folks, don't be surprised for you don't know half of it."

She picked up the sack, threw it over her shoulder and stumbled on home with the kids, like a winged bird.

Les' lay on the ground and did not move."I'm gonna go to jail, forever to jail. Once! No one has ever seen or heard anything of the kind. I'm

gonna do something which is going to make the earth shake."Les' lay there and whined audaciously.

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Les' wife took everything out of the house and carried it to the neighbors. For the night she and the kids bedded down in the weeds in the garden. She was afraid of Les' when he came home drunk at night. For thekids she spread out a sack and covered them with a fur jacket. She herself watched over them in a jacket of wool.

"Oh, my children, my children, what are we going to do? I have fixed it for you today for the rest of your lives. You'll die and still you won't rid yourselves of the disgrace. I can't pray this away from you ..."

And she wept and listened for Les' approaching.The sky trembled together with the stars. One fell and Les' wife crossed herself.