Stone Upon Stone (69 page)

Wrona said yeah, he’d met him a couple of times. He was walking through the village. But where was he going? He didn’t want to ask, because why
would you ask someone where they were going. If someone’s walking then they’re going somewhere, they know best of all where, it’s not necessary for everyone else to find out.

My legs wouldn’t carry me any farther. The right one felt like it had a nail stuck in it, the pain was shooting all the way up to my armpit. I could barely put weight on it, so I mostly just dragged it along the ground. My hands were swollen from the sticks. I thought I’d go by Wojtek Kapustka’s. It was unlikely Michał was there, but theirs was the closest house. Oh, you’re back, they’d say, and I’d at least sit and rest up awhile, get a drink of water, because my throat was dry. But as if out of spite they weren’t yet back from the fields. The only person there was their boy, he was bringing in the cows. I asked him, you haven’t seen my brother Michał have you? Guy with a beard down to here? He looked at me like I was trying to strangle him and didn’t say a word. Was he a mute or something? He’d been able to speak when he was little. So what grade are you in these days, Iruś? Still not a word.

His grandfather appeared out of the barn all covered in chaff and straw. Michał? I was looking for eggs, cause those damn chickens, they lay them and you can’t find them afterwards. They lay them in the nettles, under the raspberry bushes, then later that dragon of a daughter-in-law of mine says I stole them and sold them to buy cigarettes. I don’t even smoke, hand to God I’ve not smoked these fifty years. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t sleep nights, so I quit. Plus, all this used to be mine. Mine, not hers, damn outsider. I could throw eggs at the fence, at the barn if I wanted. It was mine, as God’s my witness. He was an important guy, that brother of yours. I saw him, but way back when. He came here once in this big black limousine, I remember that. Big important fellow, but he still recognized me. Shook my hand. Asked how much I got out of the land reform. If things were fair now. Two and a half acres, Michał. Other people got eight, ten. It’s hot, he could have gone down to the river. Look, Kulawik’s coming up the road. Ask him. Hey, Sylwester, you’ve not seen Michał anywhere have you? Szymek’s brother?

Michał? Oh, your brother, Szymek. So you’re back. Praise the Lord. And you still have your legs, they didn’t take them off. Thank God. I saw him standing in the window one day, be a week or two ago. I was on my way to the co-op, he was standing there just watching the world go by, it looked like. I was going to ask him, how are things, Michał? But how could I ask through the glass. Besides, he was looking in sort of a funny way, maybe he wasn’t watching the world. Go try Wojcio Zadrożny. One time in the pub he said he’d seen him at Macała’s place, he was cutting the tops off beets. We were having a beer.

Zadrożny got all mad and started swearing and fuming, he hadn’t said anything of the kind, Kulawik had gotten it all mixed up. Maybe Mielczarek had told him. Besides, you cut beet tops in the fall, it’s summer now. He wouldn’t even have remembered from last fall till now. That time in the pub there were twenty guys or more, not just him. And beer, he could swear he hadn’t been drinking beer, he didn’t even like beer. He drank lemonade. He’d been talking about how they needed a new director of the district administration, because the one we had now had been doing it for too long, and he was the biggest crook. That’s what we were all talking about. But how could he be replaced? Everyone was thinking about how to do it, and saying their ideas. In the end one of them upped and stood us a bottle, they said that without vodka it was even less clear how to get the job done. Then another bottle. Then everyone stood us a bottle, so how could he remember if Michał had been cutting beet tops at Macała’s. Once we saw him here, we were on our way back from church, when was that? Zośka, you remember by any chance when that was? Back in May. May, that’s right, because we were surprised it was still May and he was barefoot already. Why don’t you have any shoes on, Michał? It’s only May, the ground’s still cold.

I went out onto the road, but I had no idea where to turn next. Maybe I should try Macała? But I see Dereń coming along. You’ve had more than your fair share of suffering for your sins, you poor guy! Was Michał at your
place maybe? If not today then yesterday or the day before? If you want the truth, he wasn’t. And I’ll tell you another thing, he’s a stubborn bastard, even if he is your brother. One time in the winter I went to see him, the missus made me go over there and check he wasn’t sick in bed, there was a frost like you wouldn’t believe. And if I’m to be honest with you, that place of yours was like an animal’s den. The windows looked like someone had put lime on them, it was freezing cold in there. And he’s sitting on the bench blowing on his hands. Do you not want to come over to our place, Michał, I say, you could get warm, have a hot meal. Do you think he came? No. I tell you one thing, you’re gonna find it hard to mow or do the plowing with those legs of yours. People were saying they were going to amputate one of them. But I see you got both of them. You’ll need to get some hired help. You any idea what they’re asking for day work these days? And it’s hard to find anyone. They’d rather go work in the factories. Look, Mrs. Antosz is coming. Her head’s all messed up these days, but what does it hurt to ask, sometimes fools know better.

Have you seen my brother Michał? Why, have you lost him? You should keep a better eye on him. I’ve been gone two years. If it’s two years then you’ll not likely find him. Dear Lord, the folks that have died these last two years. Jadwisia Oko? Wasn’t a moment ago the two of us were little girls scattering flowers on Corpus Christi. I remember she had these pinker-than-pink ribbons in her hair. And there you have it, she’s gone. What’s up with your legs there? Nothing really. I just need to walk with sticks. You look like those guys on stilts. It is more comfortable that way? Yes, it is. God bless.

Szymek, you’re back! Stach Sobieraj came running out of his house when he saw me through the window standing by his gate. We were going to come visit you Sunday! Tereska was gonna kill a chicken, make you some soup! Here, come back up the house. So here you are. I was even going to bring a bottle. We didn’t think you’d be back till the fall. Sit down, tell me how
things went there. Maybe another time, Stach, right now I have to go look for Michał. I can see he’s not at your place. He was here, he’s come by from time to time, quite often actually, he’d always eat something and sit awhile. One time he spent the whole day chopping wood. We didn’t tell him to, he did it of his own accord. He took the ax, it happened to be lying by the chopping block. Have you been to Borzych’s? He’s got your cow. I was there, the cow’s back in my shed already. Then try Zadrożny. I’ve been there. Maybe Kapustka. Been there too. Tell you who’s most likely to know, Żmuda the barber. He cuts folks’ hair, does shaves. I’ve been there as well. Oh well, I’ll just keep looking. Swing by maybe Sunday, we’ll have a drink to celebrate you coming back.

Franek Duda drove by in his wagon bringing sheaves from the fields. You haven’t seen my Michał anywhere have you, Franek? What, is he missing? Yeah. I’m telling you, pal, right now even neighbors don’t see each other. Everyone’s in the fields, they’re mowing, gathering, they leave before dawn and don’t get back till it’s dark again. He might be out in the fields with someone and you’ll never find him here. Giddyup! Hang on a minute. Whoa! I think I might have seen him. It would’ve been last week, I was going over to the pub for a beer, he was sitting under an ash tree at the Malec place rocking a stroller. Their girl Elka had a baby. Go try them.

I hobbled over to the Malecs’ place, Elka Malec was actually there, she was giving her baby the breast. You had a baby, Elka? Boy or girl? A boy. When did you get back, uncle? Mama cried when she heard you were going to lose your legs. She was beside herself. She kept saying, dear Lord, dear Lord, a man like that. Does he have a name? It’s Miruś, Mirosław. That’s what Zenek wanted to christen him. Because my dad was all, call him Walenty. But that’s no kind of name for a child. Miruś, Miruś, you’re a pretty little boy. I heard Michał was here, Franek Duda told me, I’m looking for him. Yes, he was, just yesterday. He’s been here a lot. He often looked after Miruś when I had an errand to run. He’d take him out in the stroller, rock him. One time they
went all the way down to the river, I couldn’t find them. They say he can’t talk, uncle. But he talked to Miruś.

I went out onto the road. I thought, I’ll knock my sticks on Malec’s ash tree, maybe it’ll tell me. Goddammit! Evidently I was going to have to go from house to house. Only, in which direction? Toward the co-op? Or was it better to go toward the mill? No, the co-op. The mill. Co-op. Mill. It was like the road had a hundred directions. I called by Bąk’s. They’d not seen him. I went to Sójka’s. They hadn’t seen him. Sobczyński’s. There was no one in and the place was padlocked. I was shocked. They’d padlock the door when they were out working in the fields? No one ever used to lock their door. Unless these days you need to. At Madej’s I shouted, Walek! Walek! Because since they built their new house you have to go up some steps, and by this point I could barely walk on the level. I even thought I saw a curtain twitch in the window, either that or my eyes were starting to play up.

Heat poured down from the sky, and the earth was hot underfoot. I could feel it, not just in my feet and through the sticks, but even up under my ribs. My back was in agony. I’d never had any problems with my back before. I could lift all I wanted, walk anywhere, didn’t feel a thing. I needed to rest up at least a short while.

“Afternoon, Seweryn!” Old Grabiec was sitting on the bench outside his house. I’d been sure he was dead already. I don’t know where I got the idea. It was another matter that at his age he could have been dead three times over. Perhaps someone told me in the hospital. “I’ll join you for a minute.”

“Help yourself, there’s room enough for the both of us. And who are you?”

“Don’t you know me? It’s Szymek Pietruszka.”

“Right, Szymek. My eyes are going dark, son, I can only half see. But now I see you. You used to be quite the fighter at the dances, you put on a show. And you used to like to drink. Are you coming from the fields?”

“No, I’m looking for my brother Michał. He’s gone off somewhere.”

“Doesn’t he know where he’s gone?”

“He probably does, but in his own way.”

“How else is he supposed to know? Everyone knows in their own way. Is he older than you or younger?”

“Older.”

“Then he’ll know better than you. Are your folks still alive?”

“No, they died a long time ago.”

“They did right. There’s no sense living too long. One war for one life, then a person should move on. Not like me, four of them. Were you in a war as well?”

“I was. But that was a while back.”

“I thought you might have been, cause you’ve got walking sticks.”

“That’s not from the war. It was on the road.”

“You fell off a wagonload of sheaves.”

“Kind of.”

“There’s no point taking too many at one go. The wagon can rock. And it’s harder for the horse. It’s better to make two trips. Tell me now, is it true about them Sputniks?”

“Well, they’re flying up there, it must be.”

“I guess, though who’s actually seen them. You can see the stars on a clear night. And the dogs would bark.”

“It’s too high for dogs.”

“The moon’s even higher, and they bark at that. Have you heard anything about a war, maybe? Are they getting ready to fight?”

“Why are you so interested in war? It’s not been that long since the last one.”

“Because the powers that be have to go head-to-head. Otherwise they wouldn’t be powers. At least I might get out of paying my taxes. It’s got to the point I owe thousands, dammit. They keep adding penalties. And I’ve got nothing.”

“No one does, Seweryn. One harvest goes well, then the next one rots. How’s your grain been?”

“Like everyone else’s.”

“Kernels big?”

“Neither big nor small.”

“Why aren’t you mowing yet?”

“I’m waiting for one of them to bring their wagon.”

“What did you sow?”

“Nothing. What’s the point in sowing when there’s no one to get the harvest in.”

“Doesn’t it pain you that the land’s just lying there?”

“Why should it pain me. Pain doesn’t feel pain. The world was there, then it went away. You have to accept it.”

“Get your scythes! Get your scythes! Get out into the fields! Another day or two and the weather might turn.” Gula had appeared in front of us, his missus had sent him out to buy salt for their dinner and he was on his way back from the co-op.

“Say, Marian, you haven’t seen my Michał anywhere, have you?” I was only asking, because I knew he wouldn’t know. And Gula just casually says:

“Yeah, he’s mucking out at Skobel’s place.”

“Mucking out at Skobel’s?” I jumped up and grabbed my walking sticks. “Damn, and here I am looking all over the village for him!”

“What were you looking for him for? You should have just gone straight to Skobel’s.”

Luckily Skobel’s place wasn’t far, he lived right the other side of the co-op, it was just a bit downhill, closer to the river. It would never have occurred to me to go ask Skobel if Michał was there. No one ever went to Skobel’s even to borrow a whetstone for a scythe, or leaven for bread, base for
żurek
, you wouldn’t borrow his plow or wagon or horse, not to mention money. I walk into his yard and his dog comes out at me, it won’t let me take a step farther,
just stands there yapping at me. I whacked it on the back with my stick like it was Skobel himself. Get lost, you little sod! It yelped and slunk back. Skobel came out of the barn.

“What’s the dog ever done to you?”

“Where’s Michał?”

“What are you all upset about? You’re supposed to say, Christ be praised, when you go visiting someone. He’s in the cattle shed, he’s mucking out.”

I hurried into the shed and I saw Michał, my brother, barefoot, up to his ankles in manure, working a pitchfork like he was Skobel’s farmhand. He was skin and bones. His beard reached his chest, his hair was all the way down his back. I barely recognized the brand-new dark blue suit with white stripes that I’d bought him the Easter before I went into the hospital. Thirty-five hundred zlotys it cost me. And it looked like he was wearing the same cherry-red tie with white dots I’d gotten him at the same time, since he had something tied around his neck. But I was just guessing, because he was covered in filth from head to foot like some animal.