How Anton fell on the ice

A fragment of Mikita Franco's Book “Days of our Life” - about a child growing in a homosexual family

The publishing house Popcorn Books published a book by the young author of Mikita Franco “Days of our life” . The main character is Miki’s boy, who lost his parents in early childhood, but did not get into the orphanage. He was adopted by the younger brother of his mother Glory, living in an unofficial marriage with a man named Leo. With the permission of the Medusa publishing house, he publishes a fragment of a novel in which a classmate Miki Anton becomes an outcast in the classroom and comes to a lesson with a broken face.

How Anton fell on the ice

In February, Lena was eight years old, and I first got on a children's birthday. There were ten people - nine girls and me. I regretted that I came, after fifteen minutes, because from the other guests I was given aggressively increased attention. All the time they intended to hit me, then to deprive a glass of juice, then scare the ball blown up over my head.

Lena did not like my gift. For two hours I chose a book for her and stopped at the Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors, but when she saw her, she said:

- I hate read.

Strange: Leo immediately told me that I would not give a book, because she does not need books. How did it happen that he understood Lena better than me?

We even argued with her on this subject. She said:

- Why books, if there is a telly?

“But this is also Telik,” I answered. - Only in my head. Lena laughed at me:

- If you have a telly in your head, then these are glitches!

What are glitches? Why do other children always know more words than me?

I understood this, even when Anton began to tease by tights. Ilya called him a “homic” and “blue”. But by winter it became clear to me that not about everything you learn about at school, you need to ask your parents. For example, what is an “asshole” and “gondon” (rhyme to the name of Anton) is better not, because they will again ask: “Did you hear it at school?” - And they will look at each other strangely. In short, the school sometimes speak bad words that adults are very upset.

I felt that “homic” and “blue” are also bad words, so I turned to the chief specialist in Matu - Lena. She became a specialist because she had an older brother. Cousin. He studied in the sixth grade and knew a lot of intricate words, about which he talked about her.

In general, I asked Lena about this at my birthday when she laid out the tubes on glasses.

- What does the "Homic" mean? I asked.

“This means Pidor,” Lena answered. It didn’t get easier.

- And what does it mean?

- Well, imagine: you like other boys ...

- And what?

“And that’s it,” she said somehow doomedly. “So you're a Gomik.”

Apparently, this is also part of the evil reality.

- And what does Anton have to do with it? - I did not understand.

- He wears tights!

- And what?

- So the homosexuals do. They are generally like girls. It's clear?

It angered me. I wanted to answer her that I know more about it, because my dads love each other, but they do not wear tights, and she has stupid, wrong ideas about people like them. However, it would only become worse, so I said nothing.

Later, at the table, when we ate the cake, it was again about Anton. Lena told her mother that the other day he was dipped in the toilet.

- He went out with wet hair, a red face and still continued to smile!

“Poor boy,” Mom giggled Lenin. -At this pace, he will grow some maniac.

And once again he giggled. Other children picked up this laughter. I did not understand: what's the funny?

Then I first vaguely felt that in fact adults were not a guarantor of protection. That they are not omnipotent, not wise, not almighty. And if they do not consider it necessary, they will not protect you, small, from anything.

It was worse only an understanding that sometimes adults are a source of threat.

The day after the Lenin Birthday, I came to school and saw that Anton instead of a face, a bloated, murdered tomato with bruises and bruises. I have never seen this live before, only in the films of the actors, but the parents said that it was just a makeup and everything is not real. But now for real?

Everyone squinted at Anton with some kind of caution. No one else dared to joke over him, even Ilya was silent.

Inna Konstantinovna, going to the classroom, immediately saw Anton's face.

- What's happened? She asked.

Anton smiled at his usual naive smile, especially eerie at that moment, and said:

- Imagine, Inna Konstantinovna, I walked yesterday, slipped and fell face on the ice. I'm so clumsy ...

Yes, he always said that. Such long, full sentences that would not sound unnatural even from the mouth of an adult. Sometimes he used involved turns and very rare expressions in speech. And it happened that his works praised on a par with mine, and I felt unspoken competition between us.

Hearing his words, Ilya Gogettered from the last desk:

-Ha ha, a curvature moron!

It seemed that some barrier that forbidden to laugh at Anton collapsed. We all felt that something abnormal, bad, unnatural happened, but when we heard the official reason, this feeling passed. Mockery and calling again gained legality.

After the lessons, Glory usually took me, unless Lena and I did not go home (she lived right opposite the school). That day he was waiting for me at the exit of the class.

- What about Anton's face? He asked immediately.

- fell on the ice.

Anxiety for Anton has already left me. He really has very large winter boots - it is not clear how he does not get confused in his own legs. It is amazing that he fell like that for the first time!

But at home, folding the shape in the closet, I heard the conversation of my parents. They talked about Anton.

“It is impossible to fall on the ice like that,” said Glory. “It’s impossible to fall like that.” This must be specifically lying and beating face, so that this happens.

- And what are your options? - reluctantly asked Leo. Apparently, he did not like this conversation.

“His father also goes to parent meetings,” said Glory. “We are there together with his fathers, so he always sits down to me.” I answer you: he is a psychopath. Even there, he behaves like a psychopath.

“Are you the fact that he beats Anton?”

- Naturally.

- Well, what are your options? The Leo asked again. Silence hung. Only then did I catch myself that I froze in front of the closet with clothes in my hands and did not remove it.

“I don’t know,” Glory finally said. “But this is not normal.” If we know that the child is beaten at home, we will sit back?

- And this is not we should do, but his class teacher. Did you talk to her?

“She believed in history about ice,” Glory grunted. “I had a better opinion about her.”

“Maybe this is not so wrong,” Lev answered.

- In terms of?

-Well, if she intervenes, tells someone and the thing will come to the guardianship authority-what will happen next? We do not know if the boy has someone except her father, but she knows. Well, they will take him to the orphanage. Do you think they don’t beat in the orphanage?

After a short silence, Glory said the phrase that I remembered for my whole life:

- I am tired of this damned Russian choice: between violence and violence. Here, even children can only choose the executioners.

So this conversation ended, and my parents did nothing either. It turned out that in an alarming, reality that has surrounded me there are things that no one can cope with.

And I thought that adults could do anything.