Context
Across the River is a story about a friendly person named Vera who wishes to make sure that their friend Vanya does not suffer from regrets. This chapter is from the point of view of Vera’s landlord (Grandpa Kasha) who dearly misses his beloved from sixty years ago. Vera has gotten ahold of said beloved’s notebook and is trying to deliver it to Grandpa Kasha in order to help Vanya move on without regrets.
Did I mention that Vanya is a ghost and said landlord’s beloved?
This chapter is about an afternoon in the life of Grandpa Kasha. Nothing really happens, but I think that’s part of the charm of this piece, as you get to know a good amount about Grandpa Kasha from this chapter.
Across the River, Chapter Thirteen
The dandelions on the roof are like a painting. Unlike the personality of the person who takes care of them, they are a happy color. There is an old radio on the roof next to the planter boxes, and it is reciting the news going on in the world today. The old man kicks it every time there is mention of a war.
After he has watered the dandelions, he dumps out the remaining water into a birdbath. He says that he does not like the birds, and that he is going to get a cat to chase away the birds, but he still leaves out seeds and fills the birdbath. The dented watering can is placed upside down next to the dandelions to prevent mold from growing. (Or perhaps to make it more of a bother to pick up next time—the bottom is quite wide.)
He makes his rounds and hits the doors with his cane and yells for rent that will not be due for two weeks. After the walk, he goes into his office and turns on the television. Channel one? No, that is dull, there is another speech by a person time will soon move on from about some thing that could have been solved easily. A comedy show on channel two? No, life isn’t something to laugh about. A reality show on channel three? Reality isn’t something to recreate, fiction is meant to laugh at reality. A comedy show on channel four? These are all overused jokes.
The kasha doesn’t taste good today, but it’s a waste to throw it out. He tried to eat it, but it tasted bad. The paperwork on the desk seems less interesting than usual, so he doesn’t bother working on it. He leans back in his chair and closes his eyes.There’s nothing interesting today, so he may as well wait until a more interesting day.
There is a knock on the door, and he opens his eyes. It is probably someone complaining about a spot of mold—paint over it, move on.
“Grandpa Kasha?”
An irritating voice comes through the door.
“I have something to show you.”
The man in the chair with his eyes closed stays still. He does not want to be bothered.
“I would like to make amends. I will pay for coffee,” the irritating voice says, again interrupting Grandpa Kasha’s “meditation.” He does not like coffee, so he stays still. Pretending that one is not home is the best option when there are unneeded visitors.
“Don’t you miss him?”
This is another question that he has forgotten to list. However, him may mean someone else. Perhaps the voice means someone else. Maybe it means the salaryman who paid his rent on time then moved away. Maybe it means the dandelions that became puffballs and flew away a long time ago.
“I’ll pay my rent.”
Grandpa Kasha yawns. It might be a good idea to open the door. Maybe he can negotiate tea instead of coffee. Not like he has anything better to do—the pile of books in the corner on the floor can be touched later, there’s nothing interesting on the television, and the voice might not go away. Tea is much better, coffee was mainly what Vanya drank a long time ago…Misha also preferred coffee. What foolish people—at least Misha came back (even if he wasn’t that useful). It has been many years, but Vanya still hasn’t returned.
“Fine,” Grandpa Kasha says, sitting up in his chair. He stands, turns off his television, and opens the door. It’s not like he has anything better to do today, maybe a cup of tea would be nice. If things go badly, he can evict the irritating person.
Photo by Niklas Hamann on Unsplash