GARY GILDNER - Pavol Hudak, the Poet, Is Talking Pavol is drinking hard cider or !

reak ast" You #ould not guess this, !ut he is a ver$ good %ick%ocket" He travels to %rett$ Levoca, a %ros%erous to#n" I could &ake a ine living here, he thinks" Rich &erchants, doctors, oreign tourists" I can sli% &one$ ro& their coats and trousers like a &agician" 'o this is #hat I do, I &ove here" You $oursel , Gar$, can see ho# success ul I a& as I drink cider or !reak ast #hile others slave a#a$" ()ne &orning in the *ain '+uare I o!serve a !eauti ul #o&an #alking to#ard &e" 'he is such a #onder ul sight, &$ e$es go #eak as she a%%roaches" I can onl$ look at her ace a e# &o&ents, then I &ust look do#n, at her !asket o lo#ers" I a& suddenl$ !ash ul, like a !o$" I even stu&!le as #e %ass each other" I a& in the clouds, a con used and luck$ lea " I touch &$ chest to cal& &$ heart" ,ait" -reathe slo#l$, Pavol" ,hat is this. *$ %urse is not in &$ shirt here, #here I al#a$s kee% it" I/& certain I !rought it #ith &e #hen I le t &$ roo& onl$ &o&ents ago" I sto%%ed no#here, sa# no one0no one e1ce%t the !eaut$" Is it %ossi!le she took it. I a& asha&ed and astounded at this thought, and curious too" 2er$ curious" (I turn, I run a ter her" *$ heart is !eating" I sa$ to her, /E1cuse &e, %lease" I &ust ask $ou a stu%id +uestion"/ Her e$es are a glor$ to look at" /I a& onl$ Pavol, a %oet and, to tell the truth, a %ick%ocket" I ran a ter $ou !ecause I a& curious" Did $ou !$ an$ chance take &$ %urse. Please, $ou can rela1, I #on/t tell the %olice i $ou did"/ ('he looks at &e a long &o&ent" 3% and do#n" I tell $ou her e$es are the color o grass and sk$" I&%ossi!le, I kno#, !ut that/s the truth" 4inall$ she sa$s, /Yes, in act I did"/ (,e talk" I #ant to sa$ a %oe& to her, !ut this other ne#s, o her great gi t, as good as &$ o#n, is #hat #e discuss" In short, I suggest #e #ork together" ,e can !e antastic5 'o this is #hat #e do, Gar$" ,e !eco&e a tea&" ,e &ake so &uch &one$ #e !u$ a house" ,e !eco&e lovers, o course, it is inevita!le" And one da$ #e decide to &arr$" ,h$ not. ,e can have children" ,e can teach the& #hat #e kno#" ,e can retire into a nice old age and let our kids do the #ork" ('o 'lavka !eco&es %regnant" It is a&a6ing ho# this ne# condition &akes her an even !etter %ick%ocket" -ecause she doesn/t see& the t$%e, does she. 'he can get closer to %eo%le" The$ trust her, o er their ar&s, and so orth" (Then the !a!$ is read$" I run or the &id#i e" The !est one" 'he !rings out ro& 'lavka a !o$, Pavol, na&ed a ter &e" He is ine looking, has those !eauti ul e$es o his &other, and is health$ e1ce%t or one thing" He holds his le t ar& close to his chest" I tr$ ver$ gentl$ to %ull it a#a$, !ut he resists" He #ill reach u% to &e #ith his right hand, !ut his le t he kee%s to hi&sel , clutched in a ist !eside his heart" (Ti&e, I think, #ill i1 things" Perha%s his co&ing into the #orld during #inter #as too shocking, too cold, although the &id#i e took care to !undle hi& +uickl$ and hold hi& close" I #atched, so I kno#" (Thus #e #ait, doing all #e can to encourage little Pavol to rela1 his ar&, o%en his hand" ,e !athe hi&, caress hi&, sing to hi&" Not even &$ !est %oe&s, #his%ered in his ear, #ill hel%" The doctors 7so&e #hose %ockets I once %icked8 all tell us the sa&e thing9 do not #orr$, nothing %h$sicall$ is #rong, a ter all, he is onl$ an in ant" -ut I a& i&%atient0'lavka too0and #e take Pavol to a

#o&an in the countr$ #ho is said !$ so&e to have old #isdo&" 'o&e even call her a #itch" In truth, she looked like one, her hair all stuck out, no teeth" ('he ga6ed at Pavol a long ti&e" 'he started to touch hi& !ut %ulled her hand !ack" This &ade &e nervous" I #as read$ to leave" 'he said, /No0#ait"/ 'he tossed so&e sticks on her ire" Then she thre# a hand ul o grain into the la&es" /Give &e &one$,/ she said, /and I #ill tell $ou #hat to do" Give &e &one$ no#"/ I %aid her" 'he counted it, the #itch" Then she said to go ho&e and tie a s&all %iece o gold on a string and dangle it over the !a!$" (,e ollo#ed her instructions" ,e tied one o 'lavka/s gold earrings on a string and I held it like this" I could see hi& look at it" He raised his right hand" I &oved the earring closer to his le t hand" 'lo#l$, ver$ slo#l$, the little hand ca&e a#a$ ro& his chest" The little ingers !egan to o%en" The$ o%ened so slo#l$ I thought a #eek #ent !$0and this is #h$, Gar$9 he #as alread$ holding so&ething5 'o&ething ver$ shin$5 Do $ou kno# #hat it #as. In his little %al& he #as holding the &id#i e/s #edding ring5( Pavol the %oet looked into his o#n le t %al&, then he looked at &e and #inked" I raised &$ glass" (2er$ good,( I said" (Do $ou think so.( (A!solutel$" ( (,ill it &ake &e rich.( (Don/t $ou &ean richer.( () course5( He clinked his glass against &ine, gave &e another #ink, and said, (To ha%%iness5( He inished his cider in one gul%" Then, li ting his ace to#ard the sk$, e$es closed, he recited the ollo#ing %oe&9 Reall$" You sa# a ha#k there s#oo%ing #ithout &erc$ on $ello# hens""" That/s li e diving head do#n on to childhood"