Tuesday: Hili monologue

Meanwhile, in Dobrzyn, Hili is being judgemental:

So much for a vacation. He got back last night. Probably had a fight. Only lights up when he sees Paulina and Julka. Paulina slid a few documents his way to sign. What are they plotting now? The administrator turned on the computer, but the screen stayed black. He propped up his head and closed his eyes. Then turned the screen on, but didn’t type the password. Same mess on the screen and on the desk. He’s examining Word files with a magnifying glass. A pretty pipe bowl arrived from Katowice, without a stem. He cut a birch twig and then whittled it with his penknife. That’s how Sławek found him.

In Polish:

Niby urlop. Wczoraj wrócił wieczorem. Pewnie się pokłócił. Rozpromienia się tylko na widok Pauliny i Julki. Paulina podsunęła mu kilka dokumentów do podpisu. Co oni jeszcze knują? Administrator włączył komputer, ale ekran pozostał zgaszony. Podparł głowę i przymknął oczy. Włączył ekran, lecz nie wpisał hasła. Na ekranie i na biurku ten sam bałagan. Z użyciem szkła powiększającego ogląda pliki Worda. Przyszła z Katowic śliczna główka fajki, bez cybucha. Uciął patyczek brzozy, potem strugał go scyzorykiem. Tak zastał go Sławek.

JAC: This extra bit was also on Listy, and Slawomir is probably the Slawek mentioned above. Don’t ask me why there are cherries in the photo. Apparently Slawek came to visit while Andrzej, after his one-day vacation, was making a stem for the pipe bowl he’d received. Don’t ask me why the pipe came without a stem, or where Andrzej will get pipe tobacco in Dobrzyn. . .

What I Know Today About Letters from the Orchard Sławomir Holand I found Andrzej sitting in a wicker chair, in the shade under a lilac tree. He was peeling bark from a stick with a small pocketknife. He was delighted to see me and asked if I wanted something to eat or drink. When I said no, he said it would be a pipe, that he’d gotten a beautiful one, but without a bowl. With deep concentration, he finished peeling the bark, then carefully and carefully smoothed it with the blade of his pocketknife. He told me to check if it was smooth enough. Then he said, “It should sit for two years now, but I don’t have time.” We went to the kitchen, he left for a moment, and returned with a hairdryer.