Year 2006
– Hey boys! Are we playing on a beater today, kicking ball or playing on the computer? – I shouted to Dmytro and Ivan, who were holding a soccer ball in their hands. – We are replaying the match between Spain and Ukraine. You are Andrij Shevchenko, you are Maksym Kaliniczenko, and I will be on goal. You score goals for me. Then we play caps, a popular game in Poland from the childhood of my uncle, and we race as if on a real race track – I suggested the order of the games to my friends. – Ok, let’s play! – colleagues replied in chorus. All three of us ran to a piece of greenery, which was located close to our skyscraper. Mom sometimes looked out the window to see what we were doing. She was just cooking dinner. It’s good that it was the weekend, because we could play endlessly.
Suddenly, Vlad’s dad drove into the parking lot in front of the block in a dark blue Daewoo Lanos. – Look, what a car! I want to have one like that in the future. It’s my dream – I replied with a slight grimace on my face and snapped my finger at the cap with the Oman flag, my favorite, the fastest one, which never disappointed me, on the side of the street. This time it also did not stray from the track drawn with white chalk. – Eh, such a car costs a lot! – replied Dmytro, adjusting his T-shirt, which read Andriy Shevchenko, embroidered on the back by his mother.
Meanwhile, I admired the car, the dark blue bodywork which glistened beautifully in the sun, its headlamps looked like large, penetrating eyes of some monster. It’s true that Vlad’s dad’s brand new car amazed me, but it also scared me a little. I even had the impression that the car was blinking at me with the front left light, but it was only an impression, at least it only seemed like it at first.
Dmytro and Ivan had to go home for dinner, and luckily my mother hadn’t called me yet, so I took the opportunity and as soon as Vlad’s dad parked his new purchase in front of the apartment block, I ran quickly to see this gem up close. – You are beautiful – I said aloud, terrified that I was talking to myself. – Yeah, I know – I heard a voice and suddenly I saw with my own eyes how the lanos backed out two centimeters and pulled back into place. – Who’s saying that? Who are you? – I asked, looking around but saw no one around. – It’s me, Mr. Lanos, I bring people happiness – said the car and blinked the left front light. My eyes widened and then I heard my mother calling.
– Petro! Petro! Dinner! – My mother called from a window on the first floor. Somehow I wasn’t rushing to go home, because unusual things had happened just a moment ago, but I was getting very hungry, so I ran to dinner, constantly thinking about Vlad’s dad’s car.
—
Part II
—
That day, my mum cooked my favorite brine, which tasted delicious as usual. After dinner, my mother brought me tea with preserves to the table, and coffee for herself, as well as zefirki, my favorite fruit marshmallows. – Mom, can I dip zefirka in coffee? – I asked shyly and squinted my eyes, waiting for my mother to agree. – Okay, but just a little – my mother replied in a gentle voice that always soothed me. I quickly devoured the delicious marshmallows and started looking at some new album that I had received from my Polish cousin. Suddenly, on one of the pages I saw an article about … the Wawel Dragon, a magnificent six-meter high sculpture set on a large boulder, which is located in the Polish city of Cracow. It also wrote that Cracow was formerly the capital of Poland.
– Mother, what is this Wawel Dragon sculpture? – I asked hurriedly, because I always liked to learn something new and interesting, and I didn’t know that yet. – Honey, my cousin from Poland told me a long time ago, when I was on vacation in Poland, that the sculpture of the Wawel Dragon is connected with an interesting legend – my mother started and told the tale of the old Cracow, where the dragon sowed terror. The animal ate cattle from local residents, and people were afraid of it. There was, however, a brave man – Szewczyk Dratewka, who gave the dragon to eat cattle hides filled with sulfur. This, it turned out, was the monster’s last meal. Cracow freed itself from fear and terror.
– It’s an interesting story. Mom, I would like to go to Krakow one day – I replied with hope in my voice and ran to the kitchen to put the cup in the sink. – Mom! Mom! Have you sewed my pants out of Dad’s old trousers yet? – I asked in addition from the kitchen, finishing washing the mug. I came to the living room where mom was just trying to get something out of the closet. – Tadam. Here are your pants! – My mother announced triumphantly, showing me brand new pants with car-shaped patches on the knees. I took them and looked carefully at each side. They were really beautiful. Like a dream come true. When I put them on, I immediately knew they were perfect for me. Mom did great! – Mom, you are fantastic! I love you! The pants are gorgeous. You’re an excellent seamstress – I muttered in one breath and gave my mother a juicy kiss on the cheek.
My mother was an excellent seamstress indeed. She worked hard in the factory, and after working hours – mainly in the evenings, when we went to bed – she would sit in front of the sewing machine. She sewed us, or actually transformed her and dad’s old clothes into various pants, shirts, and even costumes for fancy dress balls. Additionally, she made beautiful sweaters on a knitting machine. We never had too much money, we saved it, and my mother sewed so beautifully that I was extremely proud of her. I have never been interested in pants or shoes with logos of famous brands. Mom created clothes tailored to each of us. So said my aunt from Poland. She also said that it is good to do something in life that is tailored to our abilities and expectations and we must strive for it.
This day was full of excitement. So I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, because I was thinking about the dark blue lanos all the time. – Does this car really have magical powers? – I fell asleep with this thought.
Year 2021
Suddenly the alarm clock rang. The watch read 5.45 in the morning. I got out of bed slowly, but with a smile on my face. – It was just a dream, but how interesting – I thought, yawning a little and went to turn on the kettle to boil water for coffee. I put two teaspoons of coffee into the mug and waited until it started to boil. – Amazing! I dreamed that I talked with the navy blue Daewoo Lanos, the same car that my friend’s dad from childhood had. It seemed to me then that this car had human characteristics. In the dream lanos was also magical: he talked to me and even drove me to the Wawel Dragon, hehe – I saw my beaming face through the eyes of my imagination. The kettle turned off automatically and I poured water into the cup. I immediately felt amazing aroma of coffee, the smell immediately put me on my feet. The smell also tempted my wife, who came into the kitchen and took a sip of coffee.
—
Part III
—
– Dear – I said to my wife. – I dreamed of a navy blue Daewoo Lanos, a car from Vlad’s dad. I told you that there was a car in the neighborhood that made me so impressed that I decided to go to the car school. I guess thanks to Vlad’s dad and his lanos I am repairing cars today. It is interesting how in a teenage boy rides with a lanos could arouse admiration, and at the same time release layers of adrenaline. It was a beautiful car that I even managed to go on a trip with alongside Vlad and his dad a few times. I told you that I once thought that this car spoke to me and blinked at me, but I guess I was tired after playing with the guys in the yard and it was just my imagination. Amazing, this dream was so real – I started my monologue and gave my wife a kiss on the cheek. – You know, that Vlad’s dad’s car was liked by all the kids in the block back then. Oh, and you know what, I remembered that on the day, when Vlad’s dad first came to the neighborhood by car, my mother told me the legend of the Wawel Dragon. What an interesting coincidence that is. I also dreamed of the Wawel Dragon. It’s amazing that today, whenever we want, we can go see the Wawel Dragon, because we actually live in Cracow. Following this track, I will probably see some dark blue car in the repair shop today – I laughed inwardly as I suddenly looked at my watch. It was 6:15. I took a few more sips of coffee. Half of it was left in the cup.
At that time, my wife was eating breakfast in the living room. – Remember that today we are going to choose a car and maybe we will buy some dark blue lanos similar to the one I dreamed of today – I replied to my wife, still clearly amused, thinking about my dream. – Why did I dream about this car after so many years? Daewoo lanos, daewoo lanos – I heard my thoughts like a mantra.
The day started very well indeed. Car repairs in the workshop were going smoothly when suddenly what didn’t suppose to happen happened. The client arrived in … dark blue daewoo lanos. It was a real twist of fate. The car looked like the one Vlad’s dad had in my childhood days. The day was shaping up to be very interesting and my dream turned out to be prophetic.
The owner of the vehicle complained about the improper suspension. It turned out that the springs of the rear suspension were breaking, and the pivot pins were also causing trouble. The repair, however, was relatively quick. When the colleagues from the workshop went to dinner, I was left alone with the lanos and began to watch him closely – You are beautiful even though you are quite a few years old – I said aloud, terrified that I was talking to myself. Fortunately, no one heard me, well almost no one. Because what happened 15 years ago happened once more. The car blinked at me with its left headlight. So I started rubbing my eyes in amazement, but that didn’t help. Lanos blinked and blinked. – I’m working, I’m finally operational. My colleague, Mr. Lanos, knew that you would become a specialist in your profession one day. Today you are an excellent mechanic and electromechanic in one. Mr. Lanos brought you luck. You will see, someday you will have your own car repair shop – the car spoke and spoke, but I couldn’t get a single word out of my mouth, then it suddenly stopped because my colleagues returned from lunchtime.
– Did you hear that? – I asked my associates. – What? – They replied clearly surprised. Everyone went back to their duties, and I couldn’t help but think that the second dark blue Daewoo Lanos had just spoken to me, after so many years. – Maybe it was all just my imagination? – I wondered for the next days. When the customer picked up his car, lanos didn’t blink goodbye. I even started to wonder what my life would have turned out if it were not for Vlad’s dad’s lanos, would I repair cars today, or come to work in Krakow? There were many doubts, but in Poland I found my second home, and you know what, I decided to buy some “old man” – a dark blue Daewoo Lanos, because I hope that this third car will also speak to me one day.
Meanwhile, I think that there are no coincidences and that some past events affect our present, that various cases and events cause fate to throw us to places where we have a special role to play or a mission to fulfill. My profession and passion is car repair. Many of my colleagues also come to Poland to work, and you know what, they feel fulfilled here. They live and earn with dignity. The Polish market can open up to anyone.
#BajkiPajmona
