AT HOME

 

The bus I catch doesn't go up the hill and when I get off at the corner I catch the smell of fish and chips and I cross the road and call at the shop and buy a fish and four penn'orth² of chips. I eat them out of the paper as I'm going up the hill. I really like fish and chips and there's no better way of eating them than in the open air. They last me till I get to the gate.

It's half past ten and the Old Lady and the Old Man³ are sitting with the table-lamp on watching television when I go in.

" Do you want some supper? " the Old Lady asks me.

" I've had some fish and chips on my way."

" You'll want a drink of something, I suppose? "

" It's all right; don't bother; I'll make some cocoa."

I go into the kitchen and make the cocoa and bring it back into the living-room and sit down on the sofa at the back and light a cigarette. I'm thinking about Ingrid as I watch the picture⁴ that's on TV. I'm wondering what happened that she didn't come to meet me.

" Where've you been? " the Old Lady says in a minute.

" Pictures."

" By yourself? "

" With Willy Lomas."

" Willy Lomas? I don't think I know him, do I? "

" I used to⁶ go to school with him."

" I don't know why you pay good money to go to the pictures when you can see them at home for nothing, " says the Old Man.

" You can't show colour⁶ and Cinemascope on TV."

" Cinemascope? "

" Wide screen..... bigger."

" But they're pictures, just the same, aren't they? "

I don't bother to argue about it. The picture's finished and there's a toothpaste ad⁷ on and I get up and throw my cig-end⁸ in the fire.⁹

" Going up? " ¹⁰ the Old Lady says.

" Yes, I'm ready for it. Had a busy day today."

I say good night and go upstairs. There's a light in Jim's room. I go into our bathroom and wash my face and clean my teeth as quickly as I can. As I'm coming out Jim calls me.

" What is it? "

" A letter for you."

I take it and look at it. I look at my name on the envelope and all at once I begin to get excited.

" Where did you get this? "

" I found it behind the front door. Somebody pushed it in while we were watching television. There's no stamp on it."

There's no address on it, either; just my name.

I shut the door behind me¹¹ before I open the letter. " Dear Vie, " ¹² it says. " My cousin decided to catch a later train and I went with her to the station to see her off. The train was late and it was after half past seven when I got back. I went to where we'd arranged to meet but of course you'd gone. I'm going to be at the same place tomorrow night. (Sunday). I hope you can come. Love, ¹³

Ingrid."

(Adapted)

NOTES

1. Stan Barstow was born in 1928 in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, in the family of a coal-miner. " A Kind of Loving" was his first published novel, and came out in 1960. He has also written " Ask Me Tomorrow", published in 1962.

2. four penn'orth: four pennyworth на четыре пенса eg She bought two roubles' worth of apples. Она купила на два рубля яблок.

3. the Old Lady and the Old Man: a familiar way of speaking of one's parents

4. picture: a cinematograph film; pictures (BrE) =movies (AmE); the cinema

5. (used (followed by to+Infinitive): бывало; когда-то (знал, работал и т. д.)

We use this for repeated action in the past, generally with the idea that the action is finished now. Eg I used to go to school with him (but I don't now).

6. colour: technicolour цветной (о фильме)

7. ad: advertisement реклама

8. cig-end: cigarette-end окурок

9. fire: here огонь камина

Many English homes still have fireplaces with open fires to warm up the room in cold weather.

10. Going up?: Going upstairs? Going to bed?

The traditional English one-family house has two storeys: upstairs and downstairs. The bedrooms and bathroom are always upstairs. Downstairs are the living room, dining room and kitchen.

11. I shut the door behind me: Я закрываю за собой дверь. Note that in English this construction with behind will always have a personal pronoun in the objective case.

12. Vic: short for " Victor". The boy's full name is Victor Brown.

13. Love: this is usually written at the end of a letter to a friend. Corresponds to the Russian с приветом.