— Uncle Petya, are you a fool?
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How many unnecessary words adults have! Here, for example: Seryozha drank tea and spilled it; Aunt Pasha says:
— What a sloppy! Do not get tired of tablecloths on you! Not small, it seems!
Here all the words are unnecessary, according to Serezha’s opinion. First, he had heard them a hundred times already. And secondly, even without them he understands that he is to blame: as he spilled, he immediately understood and was upset. He is ashamed and wants one thing — that she quickly removes the tablecloth, while others do not see. But she keeps saying:
— You will never think that someone washed this tablecloth, starched it, ironed it, tried …
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Seryozha explains to her. — My cup slipped out of my fingers.
— The tablecloth is old, — Aunt Pasha does not let up, — and I darned it, sat all evening, how much work I put in.
As if if the tablecloth is new, then you can pour it over.
In conclusion, Aunt Pasha says indignantly:
«If only you had done it on purpose!» This was not enough!
The same is said if Seryozha breaks something. And when they break glasses and plates themselves, it’s as if that’s how it should be.
Or how, for example, mother makes sure that he says “please”, and this word does not even mean anything.
“It means a request,” Mom said. — You ask me for a pencil and as a sign that this is a request, you add: please.
«Don’t you understand,» Seryozha asked, «that I asked you for a pencil?»
— I understand, but without «please» — it’s impolite, ill-mannered. What does it look like — «give me a pencil»! And if you say: “Give me a pencil, please,” it’s polite, and I’ll gladly give it.
“And if I don’t tell you, will you give it without pleasure?”
— Not at all! Mom said.
“Okay, please,” Serezha tells them “please,” “for all their oddities, they are strong and dominate the children, they can give or not give Serezha a pencil, as they please.
Here Korostelev does not worry about trifles, he does not even pay attention — Serezha said “please” or did not say.
And if Seryozha is busy in his corner and he can’t be torn off, Korostelev will never ruin his game, he won’t say something stupid, like: “Come on, I’ll kiss you!” — as Lukyanich says, having come from work. Having kissed Seryozha with his stiff beard, Lukyanich gives him a chocolate bar or an apple. Thank you, but why, please tell me, by all means kiss and tear a person away from the game — the game is more important than an apple, Seryozha would have eaten an apple later.
… Different people go to the house — for the most part to Korostelev. Uncle Tolya happens most often. He is young and handsome, with long black eyelashes, white teeth and a shy smile. Seryozha has respect and interest in him, because Uncle Tolya knows how to compose poetry.
… But not everyone who comes to the house is so entertaining and pleasant. Uncle Petya, for example, Seryozha avoids: his face is disgusting, and his head is pale pink and naked, like a celluloid ball. And nasty laughter: “gee-gee-gee-gee!” Once, sitting on the terrace with his mother — Korostelev was not there — Uncle Petya called Seryozha and gave him a candy, a large and rare one — «Clumsy Bear». Seryozha politely said: “Thank you”, unfolded the piece of paper, and there was nothing in it — a dummy. Serezha felt ashamed — for himself, that he believed, and for Uncle Petya, that he deceived. Seryozha saw that his mother was ashamed, she also believed …
— Gee-gee-gee-gee! Uncle Petya laughed.
Seryozha said not angrily, with regret:
— Uncle Petya, are you a fool?
He was sure that his mother agreed with him. But she exclaimed:
— What is it! Sorry now!
Sergei looked at her in surprise.
“Did you hear what I said? Mom asked.
He was silent. She took his hand and led him into the house.
«Don’t you dare come near me,» she said. “I don’t want to talk to you if you’re such a gu.e.yang.”
She stood, waiting for him to repent and ask for forgiveness. He pursed his lips and looked away, his eyes turning sad and cold. He didn’t feel guilty; Why should he ask for forgiveness? He said what he thought.
She left. He wandered back to his room and busied himself with toys, unconsciously trying to distract himself from what had happened. His thin fingers trembled; sorting through the figures cut out of old cards, he accidentally tore off one of the black lady’s heads … Why did mom stand up for the stupid Uncle Petya? There she is talking to him and laughing as if nothing had happened; but Serezha does not want to talk …
In the evening he heard her tell Korostelev about the incident.
«Well, that’s right,» said Korostelev. It’s called fair criticism.
“How can you allow,” my mother objected, “a child to criticize adults? If children start criticizing us, how will we educate them? The child must respect adults.
— Why should he, for God’s sake, respect this fool! Korostelev said.
— Must be respected. He should not even have the thought that an adult can be an idiot. Let him first grow up to this same Pyotr Ilyich, and then criticize him.
“In my opinion,” said Korostelev, “he mentally outgrew Pyotr Ilyich a long time ago. And according to no pedagogy, you can not charge a guy for calling a fool a fool.
Seryozha did not understand about criticism and pedagogy, but he understood about the fool and felt gratitude to Korostelev for these words.
A good man Korostelev, it is strange to think that before he lived separately from Seryozha, with his grandmother Nastya and great-grandmother, and only occasionally came to visit.
He takes Seryozha with him to the river, to swim; and learn to swim. Mom is afraid that Seryozha will drown, and Korostelev laughs. He removed the side mesh from Serezha’s bed. Mom was afraid that Seryozha would fall and hurt herself, but Korostelev said:
“What if you have to take the train?” On the top shelf? Let him get used to it like an adult.
Now Serezha does not have to climb over the net in the mornings and evenings. He undresses, sitting on the edge of the bed. And sleep like an adult.
Once, they say, he fell out of bed. It was at night; they heard him fall, and they put him back, and in the morning they told him what had happened to him. He didn’t remember anything and didn’t hurt himself anywhere. And if you didn’t hurt yourself and don’t remember, then it doesn’t count.
But somehow he fell in the yard, got his knees covered in blood and came home crying. Aunt Pasha gasped and ran for a bandage. Korostelev said:
What are you, brother. Now it will pass. And if you go to war and get hurt, how are you then? ..
“And when you were wounded,” Serezha asked, “didn’t you cry?”
— How I would cry: my comrades would laugh at me. We are men, that is our business.
Serezha stopped crying and said: “ha, ha, ha!” — to prove his masculine essence. And when Aunt Pasha approached him with a bandage, he said recklessly:
— Tie it up, don’t be afraid! It doesn’t hurt me!
Korostelev told him about the war. Since then, sitting next to him at the table, Seryozha felt proud: if there is a war, who will go to war? We are with Korostelev. Such is our business. And mother, aunt Pasha and Lukyanich will stay here to wait until we win, such is their business.