Lala by Jacek Dehnel

Author:Jacek Dehnel [Dehnel, Jacek]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786073594
Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Meanwhile, the life of the Karnaukhov family (or rather the Karnaukhov and Rogoziński families, now that Lala and Julek were married) had shifted to Lisów. Living in the countryside meant greater safety and better supplies, and besides, it was the only way for everyone to live together: Granny, her parents, Aunt Sasha, Aunt Ewa, Uncle Maciej, my great-great-grandmother Wanda and Julek. In fact there were grim incidents that took place in the countryside too, but the peasants defended the manor, and no mistake.

‘One night the partisans came, tired and dirty. “Is this Lisów B?” So I sleepily rub my eyes and say: “No, it’s Lisów A.” “Then we’re sorry to have bothered you – the villagers won’t let us take advantage.” I offered them some food, but they politely declined it. They left, bowing and thanking non-stop. There was a large basket of apples in the hall, so I said at least take some apples, but they said no – “the villagers won’t let us.” Finally, when I just about forced them, they took one or two apples each and stuffed them into their pockets. They didn’t want more than that. But at Lisów B, at the Libiszowskis’ house – in the plural now, because the niece of Mr Libiszowski the wastrel had come to live there – oooh, things were different there. The partisans stayed the whole night, demanded to be fed and entertained, and stripped the place bare, even taking the furniture – to a point where the family had to hide their clothes in the bread oven. But old Mr Libiszowski told them to call him “Squire” and to kiss his hand through his sleeve. Yeees. At the very start of the war he asked my father: “Have you installed shutters yet?” “Shutters? What for?” “What do you mean?” snapped Libiszowski. “To defend you against the peasants.” But our peasants liked us.’

‘If anyone had let me cheat and rob them as much as the Brokls let those peasants, I’d have liked him too.’

‘They were aware of that. One day my father went to see Milewski…’

‘Milewski was the intelligent peasant who knew the world?’

‘Yes, Milewski was highly intelligent and amusing, and he was worldly-wise too, because he’d been in the tsarist army for years and had fought against the Japanese. Before the war, whenever we spent the holidays at Lisów, we bought our milk from him. So that day my father went to see Milewski, to tell him we wouldn’t be getting milk from him any more, because until then he had sent us a can each day… oh yes, one time such a beautiful girl brought the milk that my father got up early especially to open the door to her and feast his eyes on her; the local race was very handsome in Lisów… so Papa went to see Milewski and said that because of the war, the crisis, for lack of money and so on. And Milewski replied: “Counsellor, I’ve lived off you for fifteen years.

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