# The Return

Людмила Николаевна Ансельм

After heart attack Boris, frightened by the explosion at the time of the Boston marathon, comes to his ex-wife with proposal to return to the old relationship.

THE RETURN


Ludmila Anselm

translated by Jim Clinton


CAST:


BORIS (BORIA): A Russian. He has lived in Boston for 15 years.Age 75-80

RAECHKA: She came to Boston with Boris. Age 75-80


Song "My Dearest " Yuri Visbor


Scene: Boris and Raechka are sitting at a table. A cane leans against the table. Flowers in their store wrapping, a box of candy and a coffee pot and cups are on the table.


At opening: Boris is reading over soft CD music to a stone faced Raechka.


My dearest

Sunshine on forest glade,

Where we will

meet together again?


RAECHKA: So?


BORIS: Memories come flashing back... Huddled against the cold, singing with friends...The cold Fall night... The firelight made your eyes sparkle. And so we met... and married on June 1971.


RAECHKA: Boris, you haven"t called me for over two years, and now you invite yourself here to read this old song... Why couldn"t we have talked by phone?


BORIS: It's not phone "talk".


RAECHKA: Why, Boris?


BORIS: Later... Raechka, why are you so cold? You always called me Boria...


RAECHKA: So what is on your mind, Boris?


BORIS: More and more I realize that our divorce was a mistake...


RAECHKA: Broken unspoken... and spoken understandings. No children to worry over... disregard for each others feelings.


BORIS: My life has changed. I had a quadruple heart bypass...


RAECHKA: I heard something...


BORIS: I had a terrible two weeks in the hospital. Then "complications". ... Over a year to recover.


RAECHKA: I have several friends who have survived this. Don"t be so dramatic.


BORIS: And that"s all, you can say? Just "I"m sorry Boria" would have been enough. I should think you would try to understand how one feels when they realize that they will soon die...


RAECHKA: You want my pity... Nothing comes out. You still only think of yourself... You have not changed... If we can"t find another topic may be you should leave.


BORIS: You"re not interested in my inner thoughts.


RAECHKA: G"Bye, Boris...


BORIS (slowly standing): All right. I"ll go.


RAECHKA: G"Bye


BORIS(slowly going toward the door): Good bye.


RAECHKA (shouts): Boris, you forgot your cane!


(Boris returns, and sits)


RAECHKA: Take your candy and flowers too.


BORIS: My gifts? Today is your Birthday!


RAECHKA (taken aback, recovering): Well, well! You remembered!

All those birthdays you completely forget! I used to get my migraine. Each put another poisoned arrow in my memory.


BORIS: Raechka, I"m sorry. I"d like another try...


RAECHKA: Take them away.


BORIS: But you need some refreshments for your guests today.


RAECHKA: No one is coming today.


BORIS: Why nobody? What about Tanya?


RAECHKA: She has found a boyfriend. She has less time for me.


BORIS: I have lost all my friends too. They die, take care of grand children, wives sick, different interests...


RAECHKA: Where is your Galina?


BORIS: I've found that I've moderated my life. She was too active for me.


RAECHKA: You have neighbors.


BORIS: Raechka, all neighbors are Americans. With my poor English I can just greet them, and mention the weather. They are always in a hurry. I think you have the same problems...


RAECHKA: That"s life, I suppose...


BORIS: Your coffee smells good. Any more coffee left?


RAECHKA (taking a coffee mug and starting to pour): Black, right?


BORIS (accepting the mug): Thanks. The Doctor says I have to cut back on alcohol and caffein. Cutting back coffee has been harder. (Pause) Some years ago I understood, I can"t live as a hermit...


RAECHKA: But I can live alone...


BORIS: You said about my neighbors... It seems as if they are afraid of me... especially after what has happened this year...


RAECHKA: The Boston Marathon bombing?


BORIS: Yes. There is a feeling among Americans that Russia is behind some of these terrorist acts... starting with the assassination of Kennedy.


RAECHKA: Boria! You are so paranoid. That"s going too far...


BORIS: How do you explain that my neighbor John, quickly strides into his house whenever I appear? For days I wanted to tell him that Chechenia, while a part of Russia, is entirely different from Russia.


RAECHKA: Boria, you have become so boring that nobody wants to talk with you.


BORIS: No. I became vigilant.. Remember our old friends and how careful we had to be in choosing them?


RAECHKA: They could be only like-minded persons, who shared our political opinions about Soviet government and Stalin ... When we got together, what was our toast?....


BORIS and RAECHKA : "For the purity of our ranks"...


BORIS: All understood what it means. We all knew each other so well... All felt safe to talk frankly at our parties...


RAECHKA: Except one party...


BORIS: Do you mean your birthday party when Dima brought a friend? What was his name?


RAECHKA: Igor... He started to reminisce about the World War and "Father Stalin" ... I added, that Stalin was having a nervous breakdown at the beginning of the War and Molotov had to announce the German invasion over the radio...


BORIS: Yes, now I remember... Igor became angry and shouted: "I won"t permit having such a great leader as Stalin talked about so disgracefully!"... At that moment our good friends started to prepare to leave. Then you were so brave and said to Igor. "You have not come to the correct address!"...


RAECHKA: Oh my God! How frightened we all were... If he should go to the KGB, we could be arrested...

(Pause)

Boris, I don"t understand how Dima could have brought such a person without our permission to my birthday...


BORIS: Reachka, I have to confess... Dima did ask me, and I agreed that we would meet his friend Igor.


RAECHKA: And you have kept it a secret this whole time? You coward!


BORIS (guiltily): Forgive me... Luckily, we survived...

(pause)

Raechka, I didn"t ask you an important question... Where were you, when the bombs exploded at the Marathon?


RAECHKA: I was home...


BORIS: And I was in Copley Square watching like we used to do. I was moving around trying to get a better view. I was safely far away from the explosion...


RAECHKA: Why should you want to be pushed around by such a crowd?


BORIS: I don"t know... I couldn't bare to sit home alone... (pause)

Earlier when I arrived in America I was completely happy, but now I"ve become more and more anxious and impatient. If anybody can just make a bomb from Macy"s pans, or buy a gun at Walmart. What can we do?


RAECHKA: Here we have FBI and police...


BORIS: We know that our phones could be listened to by the FBI ... And in spite of them listening to a lot of phones the FBI could not save us from these terrorists


RAECHKA: Now I understand, why you said that you didn"t want to talk by phone...


BORIS: Right...


RAECHKA: But Boria, who would be interested in your conversations?


BORIS: I don"t know... But I know, that I can talk about my inner thoughts and worries only with you...


RAECHKA: And your worries are...?


BORIS: It seems to me, now in America, the government has made us to be vigilant... (Pause) If the small boat owner was not vigilant and hadn"t seen blood on his boat the police would never have found this Chechen terrorist...


RAECHKA: So, what do you think?


BORIS (depressed): We have to be the same as we were in Russia, to care for our survival ourself... I don't feel safe...


RAECHKA: Oh?


BORIS: We have to be on the lookout for suspicious people, black bags, even look out our windows to see if criminals are hiding in our yard...


RAECHKA: Boria, you are really in a bad way... You are depressed.


BORIS: Do you know a good medicine for depression?


RAECHKA: Sorry! No!¡


BORIS: I do know that only you could make me happy. In these times we should be together.


RAECHKA: We never could be on the same page.


BORIS: You never felt sorry for me?


RAECHKA: And were you ever sorry for me, when we were together?


BORIS: Well in some sense... The divorce was your idea. You knew how badly I was taking it, and yet you insisted.


RAECHKA: I waited a long time for you to change..


BORIS: I"m sorry... I didn"t have the right attitude about our relationship.


RAECHKA: What was your "attitude" about your marriage?


BORIS: Back then... When we met, and courted, you so wanted to marry... In the end I decided OK, I would be your husband, but I would continue to do as I was used to...


RAECHKA (upset): Your reasoning... It never occurred to me...


BORIS: I couldn't tell you. You were so happy. I thought I might change...


RAECHKA: Yes, I was happy, when you decided to marry me... I loved you... And you, did you love me then?


BORIS: I loved you then, RAECHKA ! And I love you even more now...

.

RAECHKA: You are joking (she admits a young flirtatious laugh)


BORIS: How do you manage to hide such a flirtatious young laugh?


RAECHKA: I don"t know. I do so seldom laugh and smile now...


BORIS:The divorce ruined the whole of our life. We have lost each other...

(Boris moves chair closer to Raechka) Do you think it was easy for me to leave you and the old familiar nest?


RAECHKA: What "nest" are you talking about? We had only just arrived here and you continued to feel free enough to chase every pretty skirt you saw. I didn"t trust you.


BORIS: Now you can trust me. I promise. All I want is a few years in a peaceful comfortable situation, to help you...


RAECHKA: Do you want us to live together again?


BORIS: Why not? We are of the same ilk. You are also a homebody. We both have so much to talk about, so many common memories..


RAECHKA: Maybe I don"t want to remember.


BORIS: I often think about our past ... How close our relationship was in Russia...


RAECHKA: Yes, we were joined by our common danger... survival.

(Pause)


BORIS (dreamily): And do you remember how we used to go camping? We lived in tents... We set out to find firewood in the forest and made a fire... And then we boiled potatoes in a kettle...


RAECHKA: We never boiled potatoes in a kettle... We put them right in the fire...


BORIS: Ah yes! We argued about how long to wait before taking them out.


RAECHKA: We were ravenously hungry... and burned our fingers opening the potatoes" hot, black skin...


BORIS: The night was cold and clear... All clung to the campfire and each other... (Boris moves closer to Raiechka)


RAECHKA: Dima brought out his guitar and started to play ...


BORIS: We all sang... Let us sing our favorite song?


RAECHKA: "My dearest"? I"ve forgotten the words.


BORIS: I have them right here... (Boris switchs on the magnetophone). Happy Birthday Raechka!


(Low music from CD disk...BORIS and RAECHKA listen to the music)

The END