Practice English or Russian: Read a Story in Both Languages
Not to die on the same day
In a small American village where kind climate allows the most delicious apples in the world to grow, Juliette lives on borrowed time. Her story is not as sad as her namesake from Shakespeare’s tragedy. If her house door gets knocked on, she will open it to anybody. From the glass door a cute face wearing a wreath of platinum hair will look out and grace you with the smile of a person who saw life and seems not to experience a need for anything.
Life presented to Juliette, or Julia for short, a splendid gift made of sixty-two years of happiness that she spent with her Romeo. Also this festive package included reasonably good health, two children, a couple of grandchildren and five great grandchildren. All six decades Julia was hardworking cheerful and inquisitive. She liked going to church wearing nice dresses and treating relatives and friends to delicious meals. You could say she was steering the family ship: very often she had to inspire her husband to perform mundane heroic deeds. When misfortune came and the husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Julia spread out her hands like wings over her Romeo in hope that she will spare him from the grave. She was lucky again, and their good bye was extended for a couple of years. During this time, Julia did not sleep days or nights in order to make Romeo feel more comfortable, but despite that on one morning Romeo did not wake up.
To the funeral came who was needed and not. In the church, people as usual tried to comfort Julia with awkward consolations such as “Romeo is much better with God than here,” and “Julia finally can experience a relief.” Julia understood nothing. Her brain, eaten by the rust of insomnia was not thinking straight. Her memory started letting her down, and psychological tests showed the beginning of an age dementia. At that time, a niece, the adult daughter of Rome’s sister, passed away. And both women who used to be in a very close relationship, split apart because neither could comprehend the other’s depth of sorrow, and instead drowned in their own personal abyss.
Two more years crawled as water snakes on Earth. Julia stopped going out to buy groceries. Five days a week a woman-assistant comes to her and helps her take care of the house and prepare some food. Once a week Julia’s son who lives nearby pays his visit and brings groceries. Her daughter with her children and grandchildren comes twice a year.
Julia loves visitors. She also likes talking about her Romeo; she would show his framed pictures and also would not forget to get one out of her pocket book. If not to change the subject of the conversation, Julia would talk only about Romeo, and would repeat how the granddaughter told her she loves grandad, and how the grandson announced her the he would move in because she is too old. Julia would continue asking her adult son to find her a “feller”, but refuse getting out if the opportunity presents.
Her TV works as a comforter, which does not leave her 24/7 and lets her do whatever she wants. She does not go to church, and the latter is gradually forgetting about parishioners like Julia, especially when they stopped filling up the coffers. And the pastor has been again replaced there.
In a small American village where kind climate allows the most delicious apples in the world to grow, Juliette lives on borrowed time. Her story is not as sad as her namesake from Shakespeare’s tragedy. If her house door gets knocked on, she will open it to anybody. From the glass door a cute face wearing a wreath of platinum hair will look out and grace you with the smile of a person who saw life and seems not to experience a need for anything.
Life presented to Juliette, or Julia for short, a splendid gift made of sixty-two years of happiness that she spent with her Romeo. Also this festive package included reasonably good health, two children, a couple of grandchildren and five great grandchildren. All six decades Julia was hardworking cheerful and inquisitive. She liked going to church wearing nice dresses and treating relatives and friends to delicious meals. You could say she was steering the family ship: very often she had to inspire her husband to perform mundane heroic deeds. When misfortune came and the husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Julia spread out her hands like wings over her Romeo in hope that she will spare him from the grave. She was lucky again, and their good bye was extended for a couple of years. During this time, Julia did not sleep days or nights in order to make Romeo feel more comfortable, but despite that on one morning Romeo did not wake up.
To the funeral came who was needed and not. In the church, people as usual tried to comfort Julia with awkward consolations such as “Romeo is much better with God than here,” and “Julia finally can experience a relief.” Julia understood nothing. Her brain, eaten by the rust of insomnia was not thinking straight. Her memory started letting her down, and psychological tests showed the beginning of an age dementia. At that time, a niece, the adult daughter of Rome’s sister, passed away. And both women who used to be in a very close relationship, split apart because neither could comprehend the other’s depth of sorrow, and instead drowned in their own personal abyss.
Two more years crawled as water snakes on Earth. Julia stopped going out to buy groceries. Five days a week a woman-assistant comes to her and helps her take care of the house and prepare some food. Once a week Julia’s son who lives nearby pays his visit and brings groceries. Her daughter with her children and grandchildren comes twice a year.
Julia loves visitors. She also likes talking about her Romeo; she would show his framed pictures and also would not forget to get one out of her pocket book. If not to change the subject of the conversation, Julia would talk only about Romeo, and would repeat how the granddaughter told her she loves grandad, and how the grandson announced her the he would move in because she is too old. Julia would continue asking her adult son to find her a “feller”, but refuse getting out if the opportunity presents.
Her TV works as a comforter, which does not leave her 24/7 and lets her do whatever she wants. She does not go to church, and the latter is gradually forgetting about parishioners like Julia, especially when they stopped filling up the coffers. And the pastor has been again replaced there.