Autumn
"What seems to be troubling you?" she asked, noting the distress etched across my face.
"They frightened me," I confessed, the memory still fresh and unsettling.
"Who did? And why?"
"The women in the pool changing room. Today, their taunts were harsher than ever."
"Was it about your weight?"
"No, it was about being single."
Laughing, she prodded, "And what was your retort?"
"I accepted the challenge," I replied with a smirk, embracing the jest.
"You sly cat!"
"There’s a woman there, quite the enigma..."
"Do tell. What sets her apart?"
"She’s a blonde, but her expressions bear sincerity instead of cunning. She drives a large sedan and always parks discreetly, assisting others despite the ample space she occupies. She’s outspoken, yet no one dares to contradict her. She once handed me a note, which I accepted as eagerly as a child takes a second helping of cake."
"Did you read the note?"
"It was honest, straightforward."
"Interesting."
"At one point, she mentioned, 'My father always told me that if you fall in love, marry. If not, just have a child when you're older.'"
"And then?"
"That sparked a whole discussion about marriage among everyone there."
Laughing, she asked, "Sister?"
"As we were leaving, we noticed an ironing expressed by the big mirror. I remarked that I'd rather wear crumpled clothes than bother with ironing, sparking a debate about marriage and domesticity."
"And?"
"Well, as I was leaving, that woman caught my eye and said, 'My father used to iron his own pants...'"
"Sounds like a good man. Does she see his ghost in the remnants of communism?"
"She does seem to embody a certain freedom."
"If you see her again, ask about her father’s fate in the harsh gears of the USSR."
Winter
"Hello, sorry, but what's your name?" I inquired gently.
"Natia."
"And your surname?"
"Kuchava."
"Nice to meet you, Natia. Do you have an extra towel?"
"Yes, here you go."
"Thank you so much. Do you have a family?"
"Yes, a wife and three children."
"How lovely."
"My eldest is twenty-six, my daughter seventeen, and little Alexander just started school."
"You appear much younger than your years."
"I married at twenty-five to a classmate I reconnected with eight years after graduation. It was a marriage born of love."
"Which school did you attend?"
"I am a fifth-generation Tbilisian mathematician. I grew up in Sololaki. During the civil war, we sold household items for pennies. My father, never robbed for his neutrality, would then buy food for everyone with the collected money. My sister and I would sleep under the grand piano at night to avoid stray bullets."
"And what did you study?"
"I studied microbiology, though my father preferred computer science. I could have studied in Europe, but after winning an exchange program to Germany, I returned out of youthful patriotism rather than practicality."
"What did your father say when you returned?"
"He was glad..."
Spring
"Natia, what was your father's name?"
"Otari."
"How are you raising your children?"
"I’ve raised them with freedom and responsibility. My son was never overly monitored, my daughter will study abroad next year, and Nabolara is autistic, which drives me to advocate for better support and acceptance daily."
"Do you think they'll stay in the country?"
"Our family owns a historic sanatorium. We're deeply rooted here, both physically and emotionally. Regardless of the economic or tourism trends, we're committed to staying."
"Understood. So, how do you take your coffee?"
"Just present, with a touch of reality—sugar or not, depending on the day."
ავტორი: მაკუნა ქავთარაძე
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