Plays on the 5,6,7,8,9,10 people. Collection №4. Nikolay Lakutin

(from the last hope): What about grandchildren?

      Dina thinks about it. Her face shows confusion and a sly smile.

      DINA: Actually, I didn't want to tell you, my granddaughter is about to be born. Ah, well, I was, I wasn't.

      Dina gives an elaborate wave and returns to the office.

      ZHANNA (to Cyril): And what have you been doing all this time? One?

      KIRILL: Yes, it's fine, I'm used to it. At first, it was certainly difficult, but this is good. It was distracting from the loss. Then everything settled down more or less. Dimka I have almost no pain, a strong guy. He's good.

      JEANNE (sympathetically): My God, my God, my God…

      NELLIE: Excuse me, but what do you work for?

      KIRILL: I was a pilot until the tragedy happened. Then I had to leave. I devoted myself to my son.

      Julia: but what about you…

      KIRILL: WHAT did you live on?

      YULIA: Yes!

      KIRILL: pilots have a fairly high salary. I managed to work for ten years, saved a good amount. I planned to buy a Villa in Spain and move my family there, but I didn't have to. That's how they lived with their son. I then successfully managed to invest in dollars, the exchange rate increased and the amount doubled. Everything is not just so in our life, somehow everything is predetermined as if. Or it may not be a foregone conclusion, but it is provided for – that's for sure.

      JULIA, JEANNE, NELLY (chorus): Yeah…

      NELLIE: About a foregone conclusion or provided for… I've been thinking. (Turns to Julia) You say that your uncle bought toys for orphanages.

      JULIA: I bought it. And toys for the new year and some things brought. Why do you remember that now?

      NELLIE: You asked me what I did for my country. So I managed not to die in this mess, and survive!

      JULIA: Great credit. You say that because you have nothing to compare it to. Didn't she talk to her parents, her grandparents, as they had to?

      NELLIE: That's just it… There was no one to talk to… I grew up in an orphanage.

      Sad, quiet music plays.

      NELLY: They didn't teach us much about high morals. I was taught only one art from birth, the art of survival. Our brother's gratitude is eliminated from the body after the first few nights in the shelter.

      JULIA: I'm Sorry. You don't look it. You look pretty decent. Educated, well-groomed…

      NELLIE: She made herself so. It's been a long time coming and I'm still on my way…

      Mommies look down.

      NELLY (Julia): So what kind of orphanage did your uncle bring toys to?

      JULIA (almost crying): I honestly don't know. I wasn't particularly interested.

      NELLIE: WHAT'S your uncle like? Describe it?

      JULIA: Well, now he is bald, but the beard remains, as it was in his youth. I never changed my principles.

      NELLIE: is the beard red?

      Julia looks at Nelly in disbelief.

      JULIA: Red-haired…

      NELLY: He's tall. In a raincoat with a torn pocket?

      JULIA: Noooo. No. No. This can't be happening. I do not believe. He did have a bit of a torn pocket, and he wouldn't let his wife sew it up. Because this pocket was torn by a child in an orphanage. I clung to it, didn't want to let go. I asked to go with him. And my uncle couldn't take me in, there were enough children of his own, and my wife was against it, but as a memory, he didn't sew up this pocket.

      NELLIE: this pocket was torn by a girl…

      Nellie and Julia approach each other, stand, stare at each other, their eyes filling with tears. And suddenly, in a sharp mutual impulse, they embrace, pressing each other in a strong embrace.

      The climax of the music sounds louder. The music plays, the music stops.

      The door in the fifth office opens, Dina comes out, or rather the doctor pushes her out.

      DOCTOR: that's enough. Who's next there? Go.

      Nelly and Julia let go of each other.

      DINA (to the doctor): Well, what are you, just a little bit more would have waited, and would have broken for sure!

      DOCTOR: stop playing around. 1:1. So that Cahors with half of take. That's it, go, you also need to work sometimes. (Turns to the patients) Next, come in!

      Dina leaves, Zhanna calls Rudik, who comes running and they hide in the office with the doctor.

      KIRILL: I'll go and see how the children

      are doing…

      Nellie and Julia sit on chairs.

      Nellie: CAN you arrange a meeting with your uncle? I want to see him and hug him.

      JULIA: of course, he will be happy!

      NELLY: only don't tell his wife anything about it…

      Julia looks at Nelly with incomprehension.

      NELLIE: No,no, I don't mean anything like that. It's just that you yourself say that he didn't take me because of his wife, she was against it. I don't think she will appreciate my impulse to see someone who instilled faith in the best not only in me.

      JULIA: Yes… you're probably right. She doesn't want to know. In this case, the less you know, the better you sleep. All the more reason to think of something else. In her old age, she became somewhat nervous.

      NELLIE: You know, those gifts were so important to us.

      Julia nods her head knowingly with a tender, tremulous smile.

      NELLIE: we were all very much waiting for the kind uncle to come and do something for us just like that. We had everything at stake. If you want an extra piece of bread, you can get it, but you will have to give something in return. And then just take away the rights of the strong. And then there was this… other person. He smelled good. I still remember his smile. He stood a little way off and watched the children take their toys apart. And so pleasantly, gently and warmly smiled. That's when I rushed to him, because I felt that such a person in my life may never meet again. Of course, I wanted him to be my father, but I knew that it was unlikely that my wish would come true. Pocket I then he blew up…

      Julia gently hugging Nellie.

      The door to the office opens, a satisfied Jeanne and her son come out, say goodbye, and leave. The doctor looks out of the office.

      DOCTOR: Next, please.

      The doctor closes the door behind him.

      NELLY (Julia): Will you go?

      JULIA: No, I'm going there, in General… Write down my phone number. Call me when you're free. I'll arrange a meeting with your uncle. I promise!

      Mommies hug one last time, Nellie calls her daughter Marina and goes into the office with her.

      Julia waves goodbye to Nelly, leaves the clinic.

      The corridor – stage remains empty.

      Soft, soft music plays.

      Kirill enters the stage, leads his son Dima by the hand, and holds a stack of drawings in his other hand.

      They sit on two chairs outside the office.

      Cyril puts his arm around his son, and they have a silent dialogue. They look at drawings, discuss something, the father smiles, laughs inaudibly, the son also smiles, animatedly explains something to the father. Their dialogue is inaudible, the music plays, the music stops.

      The office door opens and a distressed Nellie and her daughter come out. Nellie holds the recipe in her hand. Mother and daughter hurriedly leave the stage.

      The doctor comes out of the office, examines the corridor, looks at the father and son with emotion, approaches Kirill with the child.

      The music stops.

      Doctor