Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears Page #6

---

Nearly three thousand.

Organizing all that must be

very hard work.

It's hard getting the first three

workers organized, then it's easy.

- Is something wrong, mother?

- I'm all right, go on talking.

I'm always holding you up to the

children as an example.

You've achieved everything

you wanted to.

Only don't tell them that once

you've gotten everything you wanted

you feel like howling.

- You ought to get married.

- It's not a question of marriage.

It is. Though it's not easy

in your line of work.

Men are afraid of women

who earn more than they do.

Where are the men nowadays?

They're getting fat and lazy.

You go to the theatre or museum and

what do you see? Only women.

The men are watching television

or drinking with their friends.

Once they reach forty, they vegetate.

They don't even polish their shoes,

it's disgusting!

I hate men who wear dirty shoes.

It's crude.

You ought to be prosecuted for

exploiting a skilled worker.

It was your idea to put some away

for the winter, so don't complain.

Do you know that Ghena brought

a girl friend along?

I'd better go before his father

says something stupid.

- Gourin came over.

- He's been drinking again?

No, he's fine. He's like that every

time he comes out of the hospital.

That explains why he hasn't come

around begging for a while.

He was such a nice guy!

It's because he was so nice

that he became like that.

Everybody wanted to drink with him,

and he couldn't refuse

because he was too nice.

Now all his friends have disappeared

and left him all alone.

I'm sure he'll get better.

I thought so too at first,

I even took him to see doctors.

How I begged!

I've done my best.

Marina, why don't you have

some more?

Do you know how workers were hired

in the old days?

Shut up, I wasn't talking to you.

You're always interrupting me.

Marina has never heard this story.

They gave a worker all the food

he wanted.

If the man ate poorly,

he wasn't allowed to work there.

What have I done wrong?

I want some bread.

I met a client whose husband

hunts whales for a living.

They make a beauty cream on the side.

You use a little at bedtime, and in

the morning your wrinkles disappear.

What do they put in the cream?

I swear, your skin'll look like

marble.

All our players have gotten jobs.

I've been asked to coach

several times.

For years I didn't realize

how I was living.

I haven't been to a game

in over a year.

No, I've got to call it quits.

Right. You're still a young man.

A man can start over again

if he really wants to.

This is the pippin.

Over here we have strawberries.

And here... Have an apple.

I did this years ago.

You know, I've always envied you.

The love you share.

I was told how to meet a single man.

You go to a cemetery.

You're bound to meet an intellectual

who's a recent widower.

You let him look at you,

and the next thing you know...

A friend of mine actually

married an architect that way.

Liuda, you're unbelievable!

It takes a lot of work

to make a marriage.

I'm sure that someday I'm gonna

be lucky.

Mother, why didn't you ask me

to do that?

I get tired just sitting around.

She's getting old, isn't she?

Her husband's death was pretty

hard on her.

She was only five years older

than we today

when we first met.

As if it happened yesterday.

Hot tea here!

Get your hot tea here.

That's it. I can't carry it

forever.

Over here. Thank you, my son.

I know, I'm not proud of my shoes

either.

Well, I don't care about your shoes.

But they upset you, don't they?

I can tell it from your face.

- Is face reading your hobby?

- Sure.

I can tell that you're not married.

Because you don't see a wedding ring

on my finger?

Even if you were wearing three

wedding rings on each hand,

you still have that unmarried look

about you.

You mean single women have

a special look about them?

Their look is kind of searching.

The same look police usually have,

an executive has it,

and a single woman has it too.

- I'm in the police then.

- No.

- An executive?

- No...

You work in a factory, but as what?

Specialist, right?

Though I see you also in a position

of leadership.

Maybe the factory union leader.

Is that what you do?

Yeah, you're almost right.

I'm a specialist myself.

A tool and die maker.

I'm single in case you're interested.

- Then you're not so perfect.

- I've just had bad luck in marriage.

I see, you had a bitchy wife.

No, she was sweet. She even found

herself a second husband.

So that was your fault?

Actually I'm a very nice guy.

And how about...?

What? Oh, I love to have a drink!

But never on the job

and never on an empty stomach.

Not far from where I live there's

a pond and birch trees.

- You sit in the shade...

- With boisterous children around.

No, we go where no one bothers us.

And we always make sure

to leave the place clean.

I've got a friend who has an ulcer.

He can't eat anything.

But he likes to watch us eat.

It makes him feel good.

When you make a sandwich of rye

bread with slices of onion

and maybe some anchovies...

You're already making me feel

hungry.

You're invited then.

I don't go any place with men

I don't know.

- Never made an exception?

- Goodbye.

Could you carry my samovar?

All right, but let's hurry up.

- I think I'd better see you home.

- What for?

I happen to have five rubles,

so I can offer you a ride.

That will be enough only for one way.

I'm gonna walk home.

Walking never hurt anybody.

- What is your name?

- Goga.

But you can call me Gosha.

All right, Goga.

That's all I need.

You're getting home pretty late.

I've been waiting two hours for you.

- Why?

- Because I had to see you.

- Why?

- I need you.

All right. Come on up, I'd like you

to meet my daughter.

- You've got a daughter?

- Are you surprised?

Do you have a husband waiting too?

Is what you need an unmarried

woman?

You and your husband had a fight

and you use me to pay him back?

With an observant mind like yours

you ought to work as a weather man.

Come on in.

I want you to meet a friend of mine,

Georgy.

Alexandra. Pleased to meet you.

Put all this in the refrigerator,

will you.

All right. No husband.

- What do you think?

- It's all right.

- Take yourjacket off.

- And what about dinner?

Let me rest first. I'll start

making dinner in a few minutes.

No, just relax.

- Are you going to eat?

- And what if I am?

In that case you can start

peeling the onions.

Dinner is ready!

- How does your mother call you?

- Maroussia.

I think I'm gonna call you

Maroussia too.

And I'll call you Vassya.

I've got a lot of nicknames already.

There's Jora, Youra, Gosha, Goga,

Georgy...

Do you work in the same factory

that mother does?

No, we don't work together.

Though we're going to live together,

I hope.

You mean that you want to marry her?

Yes.

Have you known her for a long time?

Forty-four hours and

about twenty-two minutes.

But Mother has always been

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes