Chapter N.IV

It was not a mental sensation - someone really took her by the shoulder. The girl opened her eyes with some difficulty - she was still sitting at the dinner table, on which were plates with a variety of food, a kettle and several cups. She slowly turned her head in the direction from which the feeling of touch came, and saw that her mother was standing right in front of her chair. Little girl immediately noticed that her face was pale and her eyes were in tears.

 - Mommy, why are you sad? - asked the girl, continuing to hold her hands in shape like a boat.

Instead of answering, woman looked down at the floor and sobbed softly. For a while, the girl watched her closely, but still couldn't bring herself to even relax her hands. Meanwhile, the mother raised her head and looked at her daughter - there were still tears in her eyes and her breathing was heavy and ragged.

She didn't move for a while, but then, taking a few hesitant steps towards the little girl, immediately sank down, right on the tender knees of her daughter. As soon as the mother's head found footing, she immediately burst into tears, and the daughter felt her body tremble in time with her sobs. The girl could not understand what was happening to her mother and what made her cry so much

Still holding hands in prayer position, she turned her head towards her father. He sat on a chair at the head of the table and looked at her intently, leaning head on right shoulder. One of his hands rested on the back of a chair, and the other he was clutching a spoon, although there was nothing on the plate in front of him, except for a tiny puddle of freshly eaten Sopa de legumes. Noticing that his daughter was looking at him, the corners of his mouth turned up a little, but instead of smiling, he just shook his head sadly.

- Darling... - he said uncertainly, swallowing saliva. - I don't even know how to tell you this...

Halting mid-sentence, the father took his eyes off the baby and stared at the table, clearly trying to collect his thoughts. A tense silence reigned in the dining room, and only the sobs of the mother from time to time broke it. Narrowing her eyes, the girl continued to look at daddy, trying to figure out what's on his mind, but the head of the family remained silent, as if afraid to say something that would offend her childish heart. She shifted her gaze to the plate full of soup in front of her - fragrant steam no longer rose from there. The next second, from the opposite end of the table, her father's insinuating cough reached her ears. Turning to him, the girl saw him pass his hand over his forehead and brush back his grey hair.

- I can understand, - he began, swaying forward slightly, causing the chair beneath him to creak, - that we brought you up in a religious atmosphere and therefore it is not surprising, that you are serious about what my mother and I taught you and the problems of faith and devotion to God occupy a significant place in your life, - at these words, the father coughed and reached for the teapot that stood on the table.

The girl experienced some strange mixture of shame and pity for her daddy. She found the strength to part her palms and place her hands on the table in front of her, with a sense of satisfaction noticing that her mother finally stopped sobbing and removed her head from her lap. At this time, the father had already poured himself tea and, lifting the cup to his lips, looked at his daughter.

- But this does not mean, - he said, taking a sip, - that the issue of religion is the only problem in our lives. There are many other things that...

- Daddy, what the problem is? - wrinkling her delicate nose, girl interrupted him.

Probably she did not calculate her strength, because after her words, the father choked on tea and almost dropped the cup from his hands. For a few seconds he coughed loudly, trying to compose himself. The girl saw her father's wrinkled face flush with blood, and sweat appeared on his forehead. Finally, the head of the family got over a fit of coughing and, wiping the drops of tea that fell on his clothes, he turned to the girl.

- I will be very brief, - he spoke after some silence. - Your mother and I gave praise to the Lord and began to meal, and you, dear, continued to sit in prayerful ecstasy and did not react to anything, even on my words, so your mother and I were afraid that you had a internal bleeding, - daddy said this in a very serious and preoccupied tone.

The girl was confused by her father's speech - she still could not understand what happened in the dining room while she was praying, and only the cold soup in her plate silently testified that she had not started eating for a very long time. Gathered in spirit, daughter raised a pleading look at her father, as if asking if he was lying, but he only smiled sadly at her and shook his head. Lass looked at her mother, who, pressing her hands to her face, shuffled uncertainly as she made her way out of the dining room.

She wanted to get up from the table to catch up with her mother and calm her down, when suddenly the head of the family, noisily pushing back his chair, got up from his seat and went up to her. He put his heavy and hot hand on her skinny shoulders, and his face was right next to hers. The girl flinched slightly, but did not move away - that would have been a sign of disrespect. Father's mouth twisted slightly into a smile, and his small senile eyes narrowed a little.

- Sweetie, - at these words, she felt an unpleasant smell from his mouth, - don't worry, I'll take care of mommy myself. You eat better, otherwise all skin and bones.

Daddy not viciously pinched his cute child for chubby cheek, why did daughter twitch slightly in her seat. Then he straightened his back and winked slyly at her, as if making it clear that there is nothing terrible in what happened. Then he came to the door, but before he left the dining room he turned on his heels and said: