here’s to your talent and exhibition debut, let good luck and success be with you! My dear Victoria Pavlovna, my angel, we have wonderful children and let love and wealth always stay at our house. Hooray!
Everybody. Hooray! (Glasses clinking, smiles, good humour and laughter).
Veselov. Yesterday I got a new issue of a magazine with an article by professor Domenico Longhi. He writes about our gallery and about visiting the exhibition on Wednesday. Let’s meet our guest first-class. Mr Lebedev, you know Italian better than the others here, would you read the article to us?
Lebedev. I would! Has anybody seen my glasses? I can’t find them.
Inna. Have you looked everywhere?
Lebedev. I have. I even looked under the sofa.
Inna. When will you stop losing them? (Laughs) You must have been rummaging in the treasure box again. (Goes off)
Aglaya. (to Orlov and Katya) Inna and dad have a secret place in the house – it’s the top drawer of the desk in the living room, they call it «treasure box». They keep our childhood drawings and crafts there.
Inna (returns). Here, take it, daddy-daydreamer.
LEbedev. Thank you, sweetheart. (Opens the journal, pretends to be reading aloud with a clever face.
If you believe in what you’re doing,
You’ll see what you really can.
You’re strong and you will win.
Don’t stop!
You’re the strongest.
Just hold on and you’ll win.
Aglaya. I don’t think it’s an article by Domenico Longhi, but the song by Adriano Celentano. That’s a funny little fellow who calls himself a professor. (Laughs)
We hear the song La pigiatura by Adriano Celentano.
Scene 2
Lebedev’s house. The same room. Inna and Mitya are alone.
Inna. You haven’t called.
Mitya. It all happened so quickly. When I came to my senses, for a few days the doctors didn’t let me use the phone. But I didn’t call for another reason… I was embarrassed that I put you all in such trouble, especially you.
He goes to Inna, takes her hands and wants to kiss them. Inna backs off and sits into the chair. Mitya comes to the window and opens it. A clock strikes somewhere In the house.
Inna. Today, when you came, I was happy. I wanted to tell you about all the things that happened here in spring… about the theatre, the exhibition… about how I missed you… but now I feel as if something has burst inside.
Mitya. I often thought of you in the clinic. I couldn’t remember what I wanted to tell you that day. And I still can’t. Yesterday Veselov told me about you prize at the theatre contest. Now you’ll finally get a leading role. This is perfect!
Inna. I don’t feel like this is so important. (We can hear the sound of a torn string). …I think I’ve fallen in love.
Mitya looks at her in silence, then sits on a chair.
Inna. Mitya…
Silence.
Mitya. I respect your choice.
Inna. I’m not indifferent to you.
Mitya. They say, people who survived clinical death have sharper perception of everything around them. I saw how you were looking at each other. And I understood everything at once.
Inna. I don’t know how it happened. And I’m supposed to be feel guilty about it, but…
Mitya. Inna! (Interrupts) You have nothing to blame yourself for. I still have the same attitude to you.
Inna rises abruptly, comes up to him and hugs tight, clinging to his cheek. Mitya holds her around her shoulders.
Come Aglaya and Lebedev.
Lebedev. Here are our lovey-doves.
Mitya. I’ve stayed too late, I should go. Thank you for your hospitality.
Inna. I’ll see you to the door.
Aglaya. Good-bye, Mitya! We were happy to see you, do come and visit us. Send our love to Lilia Vasilievna.
Lebedev. See you soon, Mr Gromov.
Mitya and Inna leave.
Lebedev. She’s grown up so fast, our little rebel.
Aglaya. She’s always been your favourite. Alexey adored her as well. This Wednesday is the anniversary of his death. Time flies by.
Silence.
Alexey and I were born a year apart and I always perceived him as my older brother. I remember our last meeting, just a week before he died in a crash during a trial flight. It wasn’t the best time in my life, I had just split apart with Frolov after I had learned he had been cheating on me.
I think I was crying and Alexey was comforting me, as he always would. I still remember his words:
«Don’t ask me where to find a decent and rich husband…
A lot of girls still believe with their whole heart that a pretty face will suffice to claim all treasures in this life. But they are wrong. Mature people are interested in a relationship between two personalities rather than exchanging money for sex.
If you don’t see a decent man near yourself, chances are you don’t have the qualities necessary to attract him, and you are moving on different orbits.
Then you should ask yourself: what are you made of? How clever are you? How educated? How interesting is your life? How successful are you at work? How much do you earn, after all? And judging upon the answers you should either improve yourself or lower your demand».
Lebedev. Alexey loved you and Inna a lot. Your mother and me miss him so much.
Victoria Pavlovna and Inna come in.
Victoria Pavlovna. Darling, the weather is wonderful today, let’s go around the garden before bedtime.
Lebedev. I’d love to, dear.
Victoria Pavlovna. Aglaya,
