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Yuri Vynnychuk
pharmacist and was in charge
of medications for the army
of the Ukrainian People’s
Republic, that’s why the
neighbors called Mrs. Golda
“Mrs. Doctor Lady,” and she
was very proud of that fact,
and when we wanted to cozy
up to her, we also used to
say, “Mrs. Doctor Lady,” and
she didn’t rebuke us for our
antics, but instead brought us
the most delicious onion flat
cake or salty ladyfingers with
caraway seeds; even when
we got into her washtub filled
with clean sheets that she had
just taken off the clothesline,
and we were pretending we
were sailing on a pirate ship,
so she had to wash those
sheets again.
Wolfwasaheftyguy, twoyears
older than me, too little that
he was tall, but also fat, with
such jowls that his ears were
not visible, ruddiness played
on them as on apples, but on
the other hand he was really
strong. It was superfluous
for him to demonstrate his
strength; it was enough for
him to come up when he saw
that a fight was beginning and
to gently snort and squint,
then everything settled down
immediately and everyone
took off. Even older guys were
cautious with him, but in his
heart he was good-natured
and wouldn’t even hurt a fly.
It happened that he would
pick up a little sparrow at
which rowdies had aimed a
catapult, puff at him, stroke
him, and even bring himhome
to be nursed. We repeatedly
kept making fun of him,
interested in asking whether
he sobs when he sips chicken
broth, because a chicken is no
worse than a little sparrow,
in response to which Wolf
laughed and patted himself
on the stomach, repeating
that they are all here, all the
chickens that he consumed,
all here in his stomach, and
there they are cozy, warm,