"More beer?" Lefou put the mugs on the table.
"No, it won't help..." Gaston wrapped his arms around his head and almost lay down on the table.
"Look, but it's your own fault... You can't do the same old things if you're a married man!"
"Damn it! What old things? Nothing happened. Who gave me away, Lefou? There was no one around."
"Jesus, you're like a child. Everybody knows how to look out the window."
Gaston sighed.
"How's married life in general?"
"Oh, don't ask. I want to kill myself."
"Well, I told you it would be like this."
" What did you tell me? What did you tell me?" Gaston became heated and waved his hand toward his friend, trying to slap him.
"That you shouldn't have married the daughter of a crazy inventor."
"Oh, come on! You're supposed to be supporting me, and you're sitting there going, "I told you so"... You're going to get your head kicked in! What am I supposed to do? I'm afraid to go home, she's fighting. It's not pleasant, you know."
"I know," Lefou replied, moving farther away just in case."What's the problem? Well, except that she's jealous. That's a good thing, because she used to be so ethereal."
"You see... " Gaston said thoughtfully, as if he was talking to himself, not to his friend. "You see, she became different ... Somehow too much trying to be a good wife."
"Well, that's a good thing."
"I don't know. I'm not sure. She stopped reading. She's always cleaning, washing, cooking."
"That's a good thing."
Gaston pounded his fist on the table in annoyance.
"Good", "good", what are you talking about! You're useless. She's angry with me all the time."
"Well, she's got her reasons to be angry."
"She probably does. But what do I do? How can I make it so that we have true love? I mean, you can't get a divorce, I asked this."
"What's-what? Marry-divorce? True love? Are you out of your mind? You've gotten odd," Lefou frowned. He squirmed in his chair, thinking he was going to get a fist on the top of his head, but the hunter sat silently over his untouched mug of beer.
"Yeah... odd. That's what she says, too. She used to be odd, and now I am. She doesn't believe in true love."
"Listen, Gaston, but you want too much!" Lefoux was indignant. "The strongest and handsomest man in town, the favorite of all, a beautiful wife. And you want true love, like in fairy tales. Don't anger God. You've had enough of seeing the sea."
"How do you know about the sea?! - Gatson choked up."
"The whole town knows. Paulette told her sisters and then it was on. What's the matter? Is it a secret?"
Gaston clenched his temples with his hands and groaned. A small town and stupid people! Nothing could be done without their looks.
"All right, Lefou, good thing you said about the sea. Now, while we're gone, water my carrots and zucchini. And don't forget to check on Maurice every other day. Bring him groceries and help him clean up after his experiments. And above all, don't talk about his quirks. He's my relative, after all..."
"Listen, Gatson... Gaston..." Lefou tried to interrupt his instructions several times, for which he almost got a flick.
"What?! Listen to me first, then ask me how you can best fulfill my assignment." "Gaston... I... I... I have other plans for next week," Lefou blurted out in a deadpan voice and shrank into a ball. "Plans... What other plans?" Gaston frowned. "You see, I... " Lefou took air into his mouth and stammered to keep his courage up. It was obvious that it was very difficult for him to refuse Gaston.
"Anyway, me and the girl I like wanted to have a picnic by the river while it's still hot."
"You got a girlfriend? You? Why don't I know?" Gaston was surprised.
"But you never ask me how I'm doing."
"Yeah, well, what could be interesting about you?"
"Well, yeah."
"All right, girl. All right, you can water the carrots and zucchini, and then you can go to Maurice's, and then you can sit by the river as long as you like."
"Look, but do you think it's romantic? Watering zucchini and then sitting at a crazy old man's house. You're going to the sea, even though you're married."
"Romantic. Why do you need romance?"
Lefou frowned for some reason, and then said:
"Because I dreamed of it. Every time I was rejected, I imagined that there would be someone who would share my feelings. And we'd sit by the river and talk. Every time I walked by the river, I thought about what I would say to the one who would reciprocate. And you want to ruin it!"
"It's not my fault!"
"It's always your business that's more important. We always do what you want, what you need. Who kept Belle and Maurice out in the cold and then laid down with fever? Me!"
"You never complained!" Gaston was indignant. " Why should you?"
"I never complained. But you see, it's not friendship when one always does everything for the other, and the other does nothing. Will you cancel your plans to water my carrots?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
"Well, I can't do it. One time I refuse." Lefou lowered his head.
Gaston looked at his friend in silence. It turned out that Lefou was always around and did his errands not only because he had nothing better to do. He had thoughts, feelings, and dreams too. The hunter wondered if they had switched places, if Lefou had been handsome and statuesque, how would he, Gaston, have behaved? Would he be comforting after a failed engagement? Or would he be happy to see his more successful friend go down in a puddle. Lefou never envied him, never tried to belittle him, was always there for him. He didn't even need to be called on. But Gaston never cared about his friend, or whether Gaston was a friend to Lefou. That friendship was only on one side...
"Forgive me, my friend," Gaston finally said. "I really wasn't thinking of you or anyone else. I was only thinking of myself. Well, perhaps I should go home. He extended his hand to Lefou for a handshake, and Lefou finally smiled broadly.
"Okay, Nicoletta and I will water your vegetables and check on Maurice. Just let me know ahead of time next time if you need anything."
The man approached the hunting lodge - there was a light on. He should go. He quietly went inside and immediately took off his boots. His socks were torn again, damn... How did it always happen?
Belle, apparently waiting for him, came out with a tray of food. Threw it on the table.
"Have you enough hang around? Sit down to eat."
"I'm not hungry."
"What, you've already been fed somewhere else?" Belle frowned, and Gaston decided not to push his luck and sat down at the table.
"Of course not," the man replied peacefully, and began to eat while his wife hovered over him in a testy manner. The food, oddly enough, was fried just the way he liked it, the vegetables stewed perfectly and in general the dinner was excellent. He was really, really hungry. "Thank you, Belle, it was delicious."
His wife stepped back and began washing the dishes in the wooden basin. She saw that Gatson had eaten everything and muttered:
"Bring your plate here. There are no lackeys here."
"No who?" Gaston asked, approaching the girl. Her hands trembled:
"Servants."
"Oh, I see," he moved closer, and Belle bit her lip.
"Have you eaten?"
"A long time ago. It's not like I hang around in taverns like some people," the girl frowned, but her voice softened. She dipped the plates into the soapy water and stretched her arms out in front of her, staring at them with an unseeing gaze. " I'm sorry I hit you. I don't know what it is with me... I've never been like that, I've never laid a finger on anyone..."
Gaston took her hand, reddened by the cold water, and kissed her palm:
"You can hit me so much time you want... you, silly girl..." He put his arm around her shoulders, and the girl took a step and pressed herself against him. "I always wanted only you."
The man leaned down and kissed her soft, supple lips, Belle responded inexperiencedly, and Gaston increased the pressure, kissing her harder, biting her so hard that her legs began to shake. Hunter picked her up in his arms and stepped into the bedroom, gently placing the girl on the bed.
Belle ran her fingers through his hair, her sharp teeth also bit his weathered lips, and Gaston, emboldened by the encouragement, ran his hand along his wife's thigh, lifting her skirts. The girl lowered her hands from his neck and slid them down his shirt collar to touch his bare skin.
And that's when those beautiful people from the book came to mind.
"Like animals... First they scandalize, then they make up in bed... Ordinary people. Where are they compared to true love?"
"What's wrong with you?" Belle asked with a frown. "Why did you stop?"
"Listen, Belle," Gaston said, pulling away from her a little and trying to speak convincingly. He suspected what was coming next. "This... This is too fast. It's not right."
"What's fast? Not right?" The girl sensed something wrong and raised herself up on an elbow. "Please, just don't start this..."
The man took her by the shoulders:
"Belle, you deserve better. We deserve more than that. Imagine how beautiful this night will be when we truly love each other."
He was nimble and quick enough to reach the door of the next room and, slamming it shut, leaned his back against it while the meaning of his words reached his wife.
"Gaston!" yelled Belle, kicking the door as hard as she could. She probably overdid it, and gasped in pain. "Open the damn door! Open it or you'll regret it!"
The man put his hands over his ears:
"Belle, you'll see I'm right! You'll thank me later!"
The girl stopped hammering on the door and asked:
"Won't you open it?"
"No."
"You are odd. Crazy!"