Untitled #2 (the Son faces his ailing Mother) It was around midnight, I think, that my carriage was passing through the hamlet of Dwirce, when we suddenly heard the screams of Ms. Zaegorova's stable girl, who was begging us to come to a halt. Thankfully, I had just woken up, otherwise my coachman wouldn't have dared to interrupt my sleep during such a long journey. As soon as we stopped, the stable girl bolted towards the carriage and woefully informed us that her lady has been awfully sick all day long and that she's in desperate need of medical care. You see, the menacing storm prevented all the nearby doctors from getting on their horses that night, while I was determined to make the journey in order to attend our scheduled meeting. After hearing this terrible news, I got off the carriage and told the coachman that we would spend the night in Dwirce and depart from there at sunrise. The reason why I made that decision was that this woman happened to be a good friend of mine; many times in the past
I've had to perform surgeries on residents of that hamlet, and she was always there to provide assistance, taking care of the patients as if they were her own family. A really joyful and giving person, Ms. Zaegorova... I was sad to hear that she was now living all alone, as her husband died during the war while her only child, Mitar, had to move to Goriza in order to find work. From the moment I crossed the threshold of the house, I could hear Ms. Zaegorova's cries in the upstairs bedroom. The poor woman was laying in the floor, squirming in pain. I knelt down to check on her; she didn't realise it was me until I called her by her forename – Mirjana. It was obvious that she was burning up with fever; she was hot to touch and couldn't stop coughing. I immediately asked the stable girl to bring some towels, cold water and vinegar. I then helped Mirjana get back on her feet and walked her over to the bed. I could hear her whispering "am I going to die, Branko", as I was rubbing her body with the wet towel. "You're a strong woman, Mirjana", I responded. I had already noticed, however, the
rose spots on her chest... I told her to try getting some sleep and left the room. I thought that it would be too dangerous for the stable girl to stay around Mirjana, so I kindly asked her to go to her father's until Ms. Zaegorova gets a little better. I noticed that my coachman hadn't come up to the guest room yet, so I went to look for him at the stable. He was feeding the horses. I told him how important it was for Mitar to come to Dwirce as soon as possible, so he can see his ailing mother. I knew that boy well and I wanted him to be there, even at my own expense. After the carriage had departed for Goriza, I went back to the master bedroom to check for any changes in Mirjana's condition. I ended up staying awake all night, trying to find a way to relieve Mirjana of the agonizing pain and the constant vomiting. At various points, I remember, she would open her eyes and start begging me to give her something to stop the pain. And every time I would try to explain to her that I was in the middle of a business journey, so I had nothing that could help her. I was obviously fearing for my own health the whole
time, but I tried to be as careful as I could. It was a long night... But the morning eventually came, along with the carriage that carried Mitar. What followed Mitar's arrival has to be one of the most unusual and unexpected events I've ever experienced. I can only speculate on what caused Mirjana's reaction; the glow of her son's youth, the freshness of his face, the vigour and energy that he possessed... She resented him for bearing these qualities. She envied him. What a pity, I thought, that these would be the final moments of a once happy family. And how appalling it was to see Mirjana summoning up all her remaining energy, draining her life to the last drop, on these terrible cries of hate and despair. It took me days to recover emotionally from that shocking event. But I believe that I have finally grasped the meaning of my experience; a man should be left to die alone. And when my time comes, I want my son to be removed as far away from me as possible, as I have now seen the depths of man's dependence on the material world.