The February of this year was somehow especially snowy. Looking through the window, it felt like all the life would have been snowed under huge snowdrifts. Also the balcony was covered by a thick mantle of snow. Ellen`s day began as usual, like it has been already for several past years.
She woke up about 7 a.m. and left to lay in her bed for some more time before going to the kitchen, slowly and carefully to avoid any chance for tripping. She put a teaspoon of coffee grounds into her cup, added the boiled water and let the drink to mature for a while. There was no right start of the day without the coffee, and this time could be well used for making some sandwiches, spreading butter to the bread and covering them with cheese slices – all the same movements, in exactly the same order asin every othermorning.
Ellen has been active as a teacher during all her life, having taught mathematics to hundreds of schoolchildren. She just liked the accuracy, exactingness and order. When accidentally met on the streetslater on, many of her former scholars have been recognized how strong basis in sciences they got for their lives under Ellen`s supervision. Such words filled Ellen with a deep satisfaction, creating a feeling that her life`s work hasbeen succeeded and she lives on in her pupils.
Some years ago, just after the death of her husband, Ellen has decided to give up her teaching profession and go into retirement. Although the years would have allowed to stay at home already much earlier, she has realized that it was the right time for such a decision. Another big decision has Ellen done during this time as well – she sold out the house that they have built with her husband in their youth to spend her senescence in a flat with all modernconveniences. Every added year has left a markalso on her health, and despite the lively mind and active interest in everyday events, the morning backaches were sometimes so hard that it was even complicated to get up from the bed.
This is the senescence – has Ellen thought in these cases and spent her day in the best way possible, by hoping that it will be better again tomorrow. Due to increasingly worsening back pains, Ellen has also preferred not to go outside anymore so often, just in fear of stumbling and falling. It is much safer to stay at home, where it is possible to lie down whenever needed or take some analgesic drugs to improve the state.
In the last early-autumn, Ellen has even ordered some bags with different vegetables from a farmer to the home, after reading such an advertisement in a newspaper. She has spent a couple of long days in sorting the delivered vegetables into smaller black bin liners and left them to stay on the floor of the balcony. In this way, potatoes, carrots, turnips and beetroots could all be easily taken, at least up to the arrival of the first night frosts with several minus degrees, and most importantly, the hunger was avoided.Ellen has actually always liked to cook herself, and her especial favorites includedthe simple foods. Homely hotpot reminded Ellen her childhood in the post-war years, when her mother threw various vegetables into a pot to feed their large family.
Warm meals had to be on the table everyday, and Ellen was convincedto date that this understanding belonged to a self-respect and care. Moreover, the ordered and sorted vegetables in the balcony meant also some small money saving. No matter how to manage, recently, the retired pay tended to run out still before the end of the month. In some respects, Ellen even did not understand the meaning of all the modern services listed on the utilities bill, but the total sum had to be paid and here was no place for dissent.
Therefore, the vegetables in the balcony were also a way to improve a little the budget, whereas an extraordinarily long and warm autumn hadmade it possible to use these foodstuffs still beforethe Christmas. Although a couple of small black bin linerswith some few vegetables had left under the first thick snow cover, Ellen decided duteously to clear them away in the spring,as soon as the snow isagain melted.
Ellen`s everyday morning routine was discontinued by a piercing phone ringing.
“I am your neighbor” sounded the irritated voice of a youngish man. Just before Ellen could start thinking who this strange person can be, the voice continued: “Why you have the bin liners lying around your balcony? You must clean them away as soon as possible. Otherwise, mice and rats will be runningin our house and all sorts of insects will be flying as well.”
“Yes-yes, of course. I will make everything clean as soon as the snow will be melted. With my backaches, it is very difficult to put things in order under the thick snow cover”, could Ellen hardly say, after composing herself from the first astonishment.
“I can only imagine how your flat even looks like inside”, continued the stranger, taking no heed of Ellen`s words.
Now, the Ellen`s dignity wasseriously affected. During all lifetime, she has been a respected madam, known for her special cleanliness and perfectionism. Just with a couple of sentences by a stranger, she has been momentarily made a scavenger. Ellen ringed off, sat on the sofa and felt how an avalanche of humiliation pinned her down. A wide range of different thoughts started to whirl in her head: what kind of person can call potatoes and carrots as trash, even though they are kept in black bin liners? How can a few small bin liners under a thick snow cover disturb anybody? How it is possible at all to think in this way?
Couldthe caller be this businessman who recently combined two flats to a larger residence a couple of floors above? The same man who drives with these black luxurious cars? But why is he angry to me? Does he have some serious business problems which cannot be solved by any other means? – Inthis way, Ellen tried to find whatever justifications to this disturbing phone call. And as a result, she just decided to forget this unpleasant incident and go on with her usual life.
The time passed, day by day. Ellen has found again her equilibrium and put the humiliating phone call behind. Until in one forenoon, anybody rang the doorbell behind her door. Before Ellen reached the door, the doorbell ringing was followed by a loud hammering against the door, then again ringing the bell and again a violent banging against the door. Several journal articles came into Ellen`s mind about the recent attempts to burgle the flats of elderlies and instantaneously she decided not to open the door.
Peeking through the peephole, a taller person with uniform could be seen, who wrote something on a paper and turned away. Being confident that the uninvited guest has gone, Ellen opened carefully the door and found a small note on her doormat. Big bold capital letters on an official letterheadof the social security officedenoted the message: WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT YOU NEED THE SOCIAL ASSISTANCE. PLEASE CONTACT WITH US.
With these words, the highly respected and beloved teacher who has decided to spend her senescence in a flat with all modernconvenienceswaslike made officially an asocial person. She was thought to be unable even to read the lowercase letters. Suddenly,Ellen felt a sharp pang in her chest. The humiliation has prevailed any other feelings in this time, invading deep into the body and disrupting the blood supply to the vital organsof the old woman. Ellen`s body collapsed on the floor of the vestibule that was just only a day ago made impeccably clean with a vacuum cleaner.
Since this small moment, the disrupted aorta can never bring any more nutrients to any body parts of the old teacher, neither from potatoes nor carrots. Just because one heartless and uncharitable neighbor has regarded vegetables in the black bin liners on the balcony`s floorto be trash. The vicious words and dirty acts of this cruel person have done their job. The external shine of the real estate has swallowed a life.
Dense snowflakes fell continually against the window and covered the surrounding with a tight white mantle of snow.
2023
By: Ita Srankk (pseudonym)
