Marina Lewycka - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

Title:

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

Author:

Marine Lewycka

Year:

2005

Synopsis:

For years, Nadezhda and Vera, two Ukrainian sisters, raised in England by their refugee parents, have had as little as possible to do with each otherand they have their reasons. But now they find theyd better learn how to get along, because since their mothers death their aging father has been sliding into his second childhood, and an alarming new woman has just entered his life. Valentina, a bosomy young synthetic blonde from the Ukraine, seems to think their father is much richer than he is, and she is keen that he leave this world with as little money to his name as possible. If Nadazhda and Vera dont stop her, no one will. But separating their addled and annoyingly lecherous dad from his new love will prove to be no easy featValentina is a ruthless pro and the two sisters swiftly realize that they are mere amateurs when it comes to ruthlessness. As Hurricane Valentina turns the family house upside down, old secrets come falling out, including the most deeply buried one of them all, from the War, the one that explains much about why Nadazhda and Vera are so different. In the meantime, oblivious to it all, their father carries on with the great work of his dotage, a grand history of the tractor.

One

Two phone calls and a funeral

T wo years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde Ukrainian divorcee. He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside.

It all started with a phone call.

My fathers voice, quavery with excitement, crackles down the line. Good news, Nadezhda. Im getting married!

I remember the rush of blood to my head. Please let it be a joke! Oh, hes gone bonkers! Oh, you foolish old man! But I dont say any of those things. Oh, thats nice, Pappa, I say.

Yes, yes. She is coming with her son from Ukraina. Ternopil in Ukraina.

Ukraina: he sighs, breathing in the remembered scent of mown hay and cherry blossom. But I catch the distinct synthetic whiff of New Russia.

Her name is Valentina, he tells me. But she is more like Venus. Botticellis Venus rising from waves. Golden hair. Charming eyes. Superior breasts. When you see her you will understand.

The grown-up me is indulgent. How sweetthis last late flowering of love. The daughter me is outraged. The traitor! The randy old beast! And our mother barely two years dead. I am angry and curious. I cant wait to see herthis woman who is usurping my mother.

She sounds gorgeous . When can I meet her?

After marriage you can meet.

I think it might be better if we could meet her first, dont you?

Why you want to meet? You not marrying her. (He knows somethings not quite right, but he thinks he can get away with it.)

But Pappa, have you really thought this through? It seems very sudden. I mean, she must be a lot younger than you.

I modulate my voice carefully, to conceal any signs of disapproval, like a worldly-wise adult dealing with a love-struck adolescent.

Thirty-six. Shes thirty-six and Im eighty-four. So what? (He pronounces it vat.)

There is a snap in his voice. He has anticipated this question.

Well, its quite an age difference.

Nadezhda, I never thought you would be so bourgeois. (He puts the emphasis on the last syllablewah!)

No, no. He has me on the defensive. Its just thatthere could be problems.

There will be no problems, says Pappa. He has anticipated all problems. He has known her for three months. She has an uncle in Selby, and has come to visit him on a tourist visa. She wants to make a new life for herself and her son in the West, a good life, with good job, good money, nice carabsolutely no Lada no Skodagood education for sonmust be Oxford Cambridge, nothing less. She is an educated woman, by the way. Has a diploma in pharmacy. She will easily find well-paid work here, once she learns English. In the meantime, he is helping her with her English, and she is cleaning the house and looking after him. She sits on his lap and allows him to fondle her breasts. They are happy together.

Did I hear that right? She sits on my fathers lap and he fondles her superior Botticellian breasts?

Oh, well I keep my voice steady, but rage burns in my heart, lifes just full of surprises. I hope it works out for you. But, look, Pappa, (time to be blunt) I can see why you want to marry her. But have you asked yourself why she wants to marry you?

Tak tak . Yes, yes, I know. Passport. Visa. Work permit. So vat? Cross, croaky voice.

He has it all worked out. She will care for him as he grows older and frailer. He will put a roof over her head, share his tiny pension with her until she finds that well-paid job. Her sonwho, by the way, is an extraordinarily gifted boygeniusplays pianowill get an English education. They will discuss art, literature, philosophy together in the evenings. She is a cultured woman, not a chatterbox peasant woman. He has already elicited her views on Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, by the way, and she agrees with him in all respects. She, like him, admires Constructivist art and abhors neo-classicism. They have much in common. A sound foundation for marriage.

But, Pappa, dont you think it might be better for her if she married someone nearer her own age ? The authorities will realise its a marriage of convenience. Theyre not stupid.

Hmm.

She could still be sent back.

Hmm.

He hasnt thought of this. It slows him down, but it doesnt stop him in his tracks. You see, he explains, he is her last hope, her only chance to escape persecution, destitution, prostitution. Life in Ukraine is too hard for such a delicate spirit as hers. He has been reading the newspapers, and the news is grim. There is no bread, no toilet paper, no sugar, no sewerage, no probity in public life, and electricity only sporadically. How can he condemn a lovely woman to this? How can he walk by on the other side of the road? You must understand, Nadezhda, only I can save her!

Its true. He has tried. He has done his best. Before he hit on the plan of marrying her himself, he searched all around for suitable husbands. He has already approached the Stepanenkos, an elderly Ukrainian couple who have a single son still living at home. He has approached Mr Greenway, a widower living in the village whose unmarried son visits him from time to time. (A sensible type, by the way. An engineer. Not a common type. Would be very good match for Valentina.) They have both refused: they are too narrow-minded. He told them so, in no uncertain terms. Now neither the Stepanenkos nor Mr Greenway will speak to him any more.

The Ukrainian community in Peterborough has disowned her. They, too, are narrow-minded. They are not impressed with her views on Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. They are bound up in the past, Ukrainian nationalism, Banderivtsi. She is a modern, liberated woman. They put out vile rumours about her. They say she sold her mothers goat and cow to buy grease to put on her face to attract Western men. They speak rubbish. Her mother had chickens and pigsshe never had a goat or a cow. This just goes to show how foolish these gossipy types can be.

He coughs and splutters on the other end of the telephone. He has fallen out with all his friends over this. If needs be he will disown his daughters. He will stand alone against the worldalone apart from the beautiful woman by his side. His words can barely keep up with the excitement of his Big Idea. But Pappa

And one thing more, Nadia. Dont tell Vera. Not much chance of that. I havent spoken to my sister for two years, since our row after Mothers funeral.