Trafika Europe 13 - Russian Ballet

THE DEATH OF SAMUSIS By Pavel Lembersky Translated from the Russian by Alexander Cigale Immediately after dinner, the rain began to fall. On the roof of the skyscraper opposite, four workers were tackling a supersized letter “A”. On the street below, colorful pinpoints were dimming and then growing larger in dimension – the passersby opening their umbrellas. He was standing at the window, clutching his heart. The head of his department exclaimed in passing: «Are we taking a little break now?» He grabbed onto the windowsill and his knees buckled. His coworkers surrounded him and someone ran over to the telephone. Cold drops of sweat erupted on his forehead. Once upon a time he dreamed: «I’ll finish my course of studies, get married, and my wife will love me just for who I am». He was now lying on the floor. Someone was unbuttoning the collar of his shirt. Once upon a time he dreamed: “My wife will be a homemaker”. Someone slid their hand into his pocket and removed his wallet. His breathing became more rapid. Someone said: “He’s having a heart attack. Where the hell is the damn doctor?” He wanted to object, but the sounds emerging from his mouth would not coalesce into words. Some joker from Human Resources unzipped his pants and began massaging him. When people began admonishing the man, he explained: “I’m giving him shiatsu”.

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