THE TICKET

Yasen Kalaydzhiev

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Interpretation on a short story by Rumen Starkovski

The day finally hushed in the embrace of the night when the bus entered the city. Among the sleepy passengers only a man and a woman differed. Only they maintained a lively conversation, started at the beginning of the travel. They were colleagues for a long time, but only now they had a chance to talk about things outside the protocol politeness in the office. It turned out, both were divorced. The man felt hope. He liked his companion, especially her soft cat-like movements. Besides, he lived in a large apartment needing the care of a female hand. He managed to hint this tactfully and was glad she reacted with understanding. In any case, the woman was reacting with an affectionate smile to everything he said, and he felt a new beginning at the end of this business trip.

The bus stopped. The man gave his hand to the woman to help her getting off the bus. She still had the bus ticket in her hand and the in order of accepting his polite gesture; she threw the ticket on the ground with one of her cat-like moves. She accepted his hand and graciously departed the bus. ‘A gallant gentleman, no doubt’, she thought. And since gallantry is a very important quality of a man, according to the standards of every woman, she decided to accept the invitation for a date, which doubtlessly the man was going to offer before they part at the bus stop.

Instead of that, the man, uncompromising in his life, politely told her that he will not bother her again with intimate conversions and bade her good night.

An hour later the woman, still astounded by the farewell, moved away from the mirror in her home and cursed the men. As always, she was so beautiful.

© Yasen Kalaydzhiev
© Veselin Veselinov - translated
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© E-magazine LiterNet, 01.08.2006