93
MAY THERE BE GOOD ON EARTH
good minutes and hours and even days. Then everything around us rejoices.
Remember, dear Papa, when the apple tree was only just starting to blossom
a little? You and Mama saw the first little flowers, and you took Mama’s
hands and spun her. And Mama laughed like a bell so that everything around
her rejoiced, the leaves and birds. And I wasn’t hurt at all. Because you took
Mama in your hands and not me and spun her, because I love our Mama very
much. I rejoiced at the time along with everyone. But then another time
came. Now I understand that it’s you, dear Papa, who made it different. You
left us for a very long time. Little apples had started appearing on the tree
even. You still weren’t here. Mama would walk up to the apple tree and
stand there alone. But no one spun her, and she didn’t laugh like a bell, and
there was nothing for everyone around to rejoice in. Mama has a completely
different smile when you’re gone. A sad smile. And that’s a bad time.”
Dasha spoke quickly and emotionally. All of a sudden she fell silent and
then she blurted out:
“You shouldn’t make it worse when it’s good. . . . Time. . . . Papa dear!”
“Dasha. . . . In a way you’re right . . . Of course. . . . But you still don’t
know everything about the time in which we all . . . The time we live in. . . .”
Ivan Nikiforovich said in a confused way.
He was upset. Somehow he needed to explain the necessity of his trips.
Explain it comprehensibly for his little daughter. And finding nothing better,
he began telling her about his work, showing the missile plans and models
on his computer.
“You have to understand, Dashenka. It’s nice for us here, of course, and
it’s nice for those who live near us, too. But there are other places, other
countries, in the world, and there are all kinds of different weapons there. In
order to protect our beautiful orchard, and the orchards and homes of your
friends, the papas go away sometimes. Our country has to have lots of mod-
ern weapons, too, to defend itself. And recently . . . Dashenka . . . You under-
stand, recently, in another country, not ours, they came up with a new
weapon. Right now it’s stronger than ours. Look here at the screen,
Dashenka.” Ivan Nikiforovich pressed a key and the picture of an unusually
shaped missile appeared on the screen.
