“He’s got a surprise for you, too. He’s not at home,” said Vovka’s Mama.
“Well, he has come home from school, hasn’t he?” asked Grandma. “The classes were over a long time ago.”
“It looks like he had, then went to the store, laid the table and made tea. But then he disappeared somewhere. Perhaps, he ran to Pavlushka.”
“Well, that’s quite another thing! I’ll go and bring them both, and also help Pavlik with his wheel-chair. I hadn’t played chess with him for a long time.” Grandpa was glad to go and get the boys. He liked playing chess, dominoes and lotto very much, and Pavlik played chess better than all of them.
When the door was closed, Grandma said in a low voice, as if plotting something, “We’ve got such a surprise for Vovochka – the book of a famous cheese-maker! It tells about 839 sorts of cheese – can you imagine how happy Vova will be?”
“I can imagine how much it costs. It’s so expensive that you’ll spoil the child,” said Vovka’s Mama strictly. On the one hand, she was glad that her son would have something that he had dreamed about and waited for a long time. But on the other, she felt sorry for Grandpa and Grandma. They were not very rich, so this present meant that they had been saving money for a long time, not buying anything they really needed.
“Don’t talk like that! We are so glad that Vova has this book now. He will be happy, and that is the best present for Grandpa and me,” gently said Grandma and gave Mama a hug.
Then someone rang at the door again, and they both hurried there. When they opened the door, they saw Pavlik in his wheel-chair, Grandpa and Aunt Lena, Pavlik’s mother. Vovka’s Mama looked out to see if there was anyone at the stairs. But Vovka wasn’t standing there.
“Please, don’t worry,” said Grandpa, and Vovka’s Mama and Grandma went pale. “Vovka hasn’t been at Pavlik’s today. He promised to come after school, but he never did.”
“O-h-h!” exclaimed Mama and Grandma at the same time and both fainted.
“Looks like we won’t play chess tonight,” muttered Grandpa.
Luckily, Aunt Lena was good at giving the first aid. Before Pavlik got sick, she had worked as a doctor at the same children’s clinic where Vovka’s Mama was working. That’s why Aunt Lena wasn’t taken aback and quickly brought Vovka’s Mama and Grandma to their senses. When they came to themselves, she told them to have sweet tea. For the rest it was also rather useful, so everybody went to the kitchen and sat round the table.
