Ball of Suet: Selected Short Stories by Maupassant

Chapter 26 Family (2)
After hearing the doctor's words, Galawang made a "plop" and lay on his mother's body, crying loudly, with tears hitting his mother's face continuously.His mother's death seemed to make his heart ache, and he cried and trembled.The wife standing behind him was also weeping softly, rubbing her eyes with her hands from time to time, and her grief was just right in her hands.Her husband was crying, his face was swollen, he looked very ugly, and his hair was messed up.Suddenly, he stood up and asked Chenai "Doctor": "Doctor, are you sure my mother is gone? Could you be mistaken?"

After hearing this, "Doctor Chenai" got a little angry, walked over quickly, opened the old lady's eyelids, let Gala look at it, and said, "Dude, don't worry! There will be nothing wrong! Look at this Eyeballs, where are the eyeballs of a living person." His expression was like that of a businessman loudly promoting his own products to customers.Compared with the eyes of ordinary people, the old lady's eyes are the same except that the pupils are a little bigger.

At this moment, Galawang was already trembling with fright.Then, "Doctor" Chenai fiddled with the old lady's body again.He first grabbed the old lady's skinny arm, opened her fingers vigorously, and said to Galawang: "Look at this hand again, it is so stiff. Don't worry, I have practiced medicine for many years, and I can't make a mistake." .” His posture seemed to make the other party speechless.

After "Doctor" Chenai finished speaking, Galawang lay on the bed crying and rolling, the cry was like the wail of a cow.The wife next to him pretended to cry while arranging the bedside table.She spread a tablecloth on the bedside table, lit four candles, and put a plate in between, and placed a branch of boxwood behind the mirror on the plate.It was time to pour holy water into the plate, and if there was no holy water, she simply used clean water instead.After thinking for a while, she picked up a pinch of salt and put it into the water.After doing this, she thought she had done the best deathbed service for the old lady.

"Doctor" Chenai also went to help Mrs. Galawang with this and that, and when he was done, he told her that Galawang should be pulled away.After Mrs. Galawang agreed, she and the "doctor" Chenai raised Galawang's two arms respectively, and helped him onto the chair.

Mrs. Galawang kissed her husband on the forehead, and then enlightened him: "Birth, old age, sickness, and death are natural laws. You have to obey the destiny. Don't be too sad." At this time, the "doctor" Chennai also advised him: "You can't come back from death, you have to mourn! You have to be strong." Galawang, who was crying bitterly, cried even harder when he heard their persuasion.

Seeing that the persuasion had no effect, the two helped Mr. Kalawang again and took him out of the room.He walked like a robot, seemingly not even aware that he was going down the stairs, his fat body was limp, his arms were dangling in the air, and his legs were powerless.Mrs. Galawang and "Doctor" Chenai helped him sit on the chair in front of the dining table.On the dining table was a soup basin that was almost bottomed out, and there was a spoon in it.Galawang's mind went blank, and he stared at the wine glass dully.

Mrs. Galawang led "Doctor" Chenai to a corner and asked him about formalities and funeral matters.After the conversation, "Doctor" Chenai seemed to have some expectations, and said while holding his hat, "I'm so sorry! I have to go, I haven't had dinner yet!" After speaking, he saluted and was about to leave.At this time, Mrs. Galawang said loudly in surprise: "Ah? Haven't you eaten yet? So you can eat at my house! You don't have to be polite. Meals in my house have always been simple, so you can just eat as you please."

"Oh, no! How can you be ashamed?" Chenai "Doctor" declined.

"What's the matter? You should stay and eat. As a friend, you should stay with us. Besides, my husband really needs something to eat. If you persuade him, he may listen."

"Doctor" Chenai said with a smile: "In this case, I have no choice but to be respectful rather than obedient." So he took off his hat and put it back on the furniture, and sat down at the dining table.Mrs. Galawang said in front of the maid: "I don't have any appetite at all. Why don't you accompany the doctor. I'll sit next to him and eat something casually, just to put on a show."

After ordering the maid Rosalie to cook in the kitchen, Mrs. Galawang also sat at the dining table.She and Mr. Chenay took bowls to drink the cold soup on the table. After Mr. Chenai added the soup once, they finished the cold soup.The maid brought out a plate of Lyonnaise-style tripe, smelling like onions.In front of the delicious food, Mrs. Galawang couldn't resist the temptation and decided to taste it.The "doctor" Chenai next to him took a bite and exclaimed: "Ah! It's so delicious!" Mrs. Galawang smiled and said: "Really?" Then she said to her husband: "Poor Afu Rhett, you should eat something at least. Otherwise, how can you stay up late?"

Now Kalawang is very obedient. No matter who asks him to do something, he will do it without thinking. If you tell him to go to sleep, he will go to bed immediately.When his wife asked him to eat, he immediately took the plate and began to eat.

"Doctor" Chenai ate very vigorously, filling his plate with rice three times in a row.Mrs. Galawang kept putting tripe into her mouth, but pretended not to eat.

Soon, a plate of macaroni came up."Doctor" Chenai praised again: "Wow! I feel hungry just looking at it." Mrs. Galawang got up and filled everyone's plates, even the two children's plates were too full. Installed.The two children ate carelessly, drank some of the wine on the table while the adults were not looking, and kicked each other's feet under the table from time to time.

While eating happily, "Doctor" Chenay suddenly remembered that Rossini also liked to eat macaroni, so he became very fond of poetry, saying that he had written a poem.It starts like this:

the great musician Rossini,
Love Italian pasta...

Mrs. Galawang was not in the mood to listen to these. She was seriously thinking about what changes would happen to her family when her mother-in-law passed away suddenly.The husband next to her, like an idiot, grabbed small pieces of dough from the bread, kneaded them into small dough, and then watched intently.He seemed to have a dry throat, and he drank glass after glass of wine in succession.The huge blow made his brain become dizzy, coupled with the fact that he was drunk, his whole body also became wobbly, just like a person who is dizzy after a full meal and wants to sleep.

"Doctor" Chenai was also drunk and became unrestrained, and kept pouring wine into his stomach.Although Mrs. Galawang only drank some plain water, she also felt dizzy after being highly nervous.

Then, "Doctor Chenai" told the Galawang couple about several families where people died.In his eyes, these families were all indifferent.The suburbs of Paris are populated by provincials, who treat the dead with great indifference, even their biological parents.This is common in the countryside, where they treat the dead with disrespect and are unaware of their indifference.However, it is rare to meet in a metropolis like Paris.He said: "The family I met last week was even rarer. That day, a family member on Putuo Street invited me for a serious illness. I rushed there. When I arrived, the person had already passed away. But, The family drank the anisette by the bedside of the deceased and drank the entire bottle. It was bought for the deceased the night before that day."

Mrs. Galawang didn't listen to a word, her mind was preoccupied with inheritance.Her husband still acts like an idiot with a blank mind.

At this time, the maid brought everyone a cup of fragrant coffee with some brandy in the coffee cup.After drinking, everyone's cheeks were flushed, and their consciousness became more blurred.Later, "Doctor" Chenay grabbed the brandy bottle, poured some into everyone's glasses, and asked everyone to rinse their glasses.The sugar at the bottom of the coffee cup melts into the brandy, and the liquid in the cup turns light yellow. It brings people into a warm environment, and also makes people sink slowly and forget themselves.At this time, the two children had fallen asleep, and the maid took them back to the room.

Galawang seemed to be the same as all those who suffered from misfortune, drinking continuously, trying to get himself drunk, but his dull eyes became more and more energetic.

Finally, "Doctor" Chenai was about to leave. He grabbed Galawang's arm and said, "My friend, come out for a walk with me! If you are in a bad mood, you should go out and relax." Galawang nodded and put on his hat , took crutches, and went out with "Doctor" Chenai.At night, the sky was full of stars, and the two walked towards the Seine together arm in arm.

Through the warm evening wind, the fragrance of flowers keeps blowing.There are garden nurseries nearby, all blooming with flowers at this time.At night, they seem to awaken from their deep slumber, sending out their fragrance in the dark by the breeze.

There was no one on the street, it was very quiet.There are gas street lights on both sides of the road from the urban area to the Arc de Triomphe.Over there, in the urban area of ​​Paris shrouded in red dust, there was a constant noise, as if something was rumbling.Echoing this rumble in the distance is the whistle of a train.The sound was loud, reminiscent of a train at full throttle, galloping across the fields, ready to head for the Atlantic coast.

The fresh air outside hit their faces, and both of them had a different feeling."Doctor" Chenai staggered around.From the time of eating to the present, Galawang has been confused and weak, and now it is more like walking in a dream.After the great grief and pain, he became numb, and after the pain, he didn't feel pain anymore.The scent of flowers at night made people feel very comfortable, and after he felt no burden in his heart, he completely broke free from the pain.

After they reached the bridge and turned right, a fresh breeze blew from the river.The stars in the sky are reflected in the river, shaking with the river, like swimming in the water.There is a row of tall poplar trees on the bank, and the white mist floats gently on the embankment on the opposite bank.At this time, the two breathed a damp breath.Suddenly, Galawang stopped, and the scene on the other side reminded him of the past.

He seems to have seen the appearance of his mother when he was a child. At the door of the house, his mother bent over and knelt by the stream to wash clothes.On the quiet mountain, he seemed to hear his mother calling him, and she shouted: "Alfred, go and help mother get a bar of soap." At that time, they were still living in the distant hometown of Picardy.At this time, he smelled the breath of running water and saw the mist on the other side, both of which were so similar to those in his hometown, which made him seem to have returned to his hometown. The memory is gradually awakened.

He stood there motionless, feeling himself being pushed into the abyss of grief by a draft, and feeling his misfortune illuminated by a flash of light, and despair took possession of him.He felt hopeless, felt that his heart was being torn, that his life was being torn in two: a youth with his mother and a youth without a mother.With the death of his mother, his youth is gone forever, and his youth is gradually dying.Since then, no one has accompanied him to recall the past, talk about his hometown, and talk about the details of his childhood life.

Then, the past kept pouring into his mind, and the image of "mother" when he was young came to his eyes again: she was wearing an old dress, and she had been wearing that old dress for many years because there was no change of clothes.Probably because it often appears together with his mother. Kalawang has long regarded him and his mother as an inseparable whole. When thinking of his mother, he will naturally think of the old dress she was wearing.Later, he remembered some forgotten things in the past.In these scenes he saw his mother again, saw her, heard her voice, revisited her habits and idiosyncrasies, remembered the wrinkles on her face and her fingers, remembered her anger and Often pose.

Thinking of this, he lay on the shoulder of "Doctor" Chenai and began to cry, his soft legs kept shaking, and his whole body kept shaking. He cried and shouted: "Mom, my poor mother!"

"Doctor" Chenai wanted to go to a place he frequented to have some fun, but he didn't expect that soon after he came out, Kalawang burst into tears again, and he felt very disappointed.So he helped Galawang to sit on the grass by the river, and then he slipped away as soon as he pretended to see a patient.

Galawang sat alone on the grass and cried loudly until his tears dried up before he stopped.He felt less pain, more comfortable, and experienced a peace he had never felt before.At this time, the moon came out, and the dim moonlight illuminated the scenery on the ground.The towering poplar trees on the opposite bank shone silvery light, and the mist in the distance was like floating white clouds.He could no longer see the stars swimming in the river, and on the surface of the flowing water there seemed to be a layer of pearls glowing in the moonlight.In the fresh and soft air with bursts of fragrance, the earth has fallen asleep.Galawang greedily enjoyed everything at night. He felt that the fresh air he breathed entered his body together with the tranquility and comfort here, and reached every corner of his body, even every nerve. His mood became more comfortable. .

However, he felt that he shouldn't be in a good mood at this time, so he kept shouting: "Mom! My poor mother!"

He thought he must cry, but the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't cry, as if nothing could arouse his tears anymore.Then he started to get up and walk back.He felt that the joys, sorrows, sorrows and joys of all things in the world will not affect nature, which is still so peaceful, and his heart calmed down when he thought of this.

At the end of the bridge, he saw the lights of the last little train that was about to leave, and the window at the back of the Universal Cafe he frequented was shining brightly.When he feels sad, he must be understood and cared for by others.So he decided to tell others about his misfortune.When he walked to the door of the cafe, he put on a sad face, opened the door and saw the boss.I thought that everyone would stand up immediately when they saw him like this, went to shake his hand and said, "Dude, what's the matter? What happened?" However, it seemed that everyone didn't notice his expression.To attract attention, he folded his head and said to himself, "Ouch! My God! Ouch! My Lord!"

Finally, the boss noticed him, glanced at him, and asked, "Mr. Galawang, are you sick?"

"No, I'm not sick. My mother died," he replied sadly.

"Oh." The boss responded, but did not comfort him.At this time, a customer asked for beer, and the boss said, "Oh, yes. I'll be there soon." Then he hurried to deliver the beer, leaving Karawang alone at the counter in a daze.

The boss let him down, and he walked over to the table of his three poker friends.The three friends were playing cards engrossingly, but they didn't seem to notice Kalamang.After standing for a while, Galawang became anxious and said, "Do you know? A big incident happened in my family just now."

At this time, the three poker players raised their heads slightly and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?" They were still staring at the cards in their hands.

"Oh, my mother is gone." Galawang said sadly.

One of them said, "This is really bad." His expression didn't change much, and he looked nonchalant.The second poker player didn't say anything, just shook his head and sighed in reply.The third poker player continued to play without saying a word. He seemed to be saying, "What's the fuss about this? Do you think it's news?"

Although he no longer felt sad at this time, Kalawang still hoped to be comforted by others.Unexpectedly, neither the boss nor the poker player had a word of comfort, so indifferent, he walked out of the coffee shop angrily.

When he got home, he saw his wife in her pajamas, waiting for him in a chair by the living room window.She is thinking about inheritance.

Seeing her husband coming back, Mrs. Galawang said, "Honey, take off your clothes quickly. Let's go to bed and talk about something."

"Isn't there...no one upstairs?" He raised his head and looked up as he spoke.

"Why is there no one? Rosalie is upstairs guarding your mother. You can change her at three o'clock." The wife said.

Worried about what might happen, he didn't take off all his clothes when he got under the covers, leaving behind his drawers and the scarf on his head.They sat on the bed.

Wearing a hat every day seems to have become a habit that Mrs. Galawang cannot change.Even when she sleeps, she still wears a nightcap with a pink bow.Similar to her habit of wearing a hat every day, every time she puts on a hat, it will be askew to one side.

Suddenly, she turned around and asked her husband, "Did your mother make a will?"

"Ah...I...I don't think so." Kalawang said.

Mrs. Galawang stared at her husband and complained in a low voice, "Look! Is there any reason for this? We have worked hard to serve her for ten years, taking care of her food and living. Give it to us. If I had known this would be the result, I wouldn't have waited on her! Look at your sister, she has been hiding away for a long time. Your mother is really ruthless. Based on this, she will be disgraced all her life !” Then, she looked at her husband again and said, “Are you trying to say that she paid for our meals and accommodation? Indeed, she did, but we can pay for her with the way we serve her. Is it? If she is a decent person, she will definitely make a will to repay the younger generation. Oh, so I have been busy for nothing in the past ten years! Hmph! How ridiculous!"

Galawang was so confused by his wife's words that he couldn't do anything for a while, so he quickly persuaded her, "Honey, don't be angry, I beg you."

After cursing to her heart's content, Mrs. Galawang gradually calmed down.Then, in a commanding tone she often used, she said, "Tell your sister about your mother's death tomorrow."

As soon as his wife said it, he jumped up and said, "Oh! Really, I forgot about it. I'll send her a telegram tomorrow morning." However, his wife immediately stopped him and said, "It can't be like that. Good morning, your sister is only two hours here from Charenton. We have other things to do before she comes. Wait until ten to eleven o'clock, which is not too late to send a telegram. She will come Well, let's tell her that you were frightened in the morning, so you notified a little later. Anyway, she can't complain about us."

Galawang slapped his forehead and said in a trembling voice, "I haven't told the department yet!" Thinking of the boss in the department, he couldn't help but tremble all over his body.

(End of this chapter)