13 Life in the Countryside is Quite Different Than in the City

The atmosphere was very different from his neighborhood store, where the shops looked like they were serving life sentences. He was surprised to discover that it was quite fun to shop in the local atmosphere, and he hadn't even noticed when his basket was full to the top.

When counting Konrad, the lady at the cash register, when asked about something by her friend, leaned out from behind her position to shout back the answer. Automatically she pulled out the product cart and dragged the code under the reader. When she found the cans with her hand, she stopped stuffing the products and looked at him.

"Are you eighteen?" She asked suspiciously.

Surprised, Skalski was speechless for a moment.

"Yes," he replied blushing. More than once he has bought beer and no one has asked him about it yet. He didn't know that he looked so mature, or that they all didn't care that they were selling alcohol to a minor, but this lady's question made him reach for his wallet, flushed on his face, and showed her the ID card. Satisfied, the shop assistant returned to counting products.

A bit embarrassed, and a bit pleasantly flattered by the fact that he does not look eighteen (and he was almost nineteen), Konrad walked outside the store and bowed under the weight of the heat pouring from the sky. He pulled his ice-cream from the shopping bag. On the piece of paper with a white layer of frost, unwrapped it and bit into the crispy chocolate, which cracked with a loud crack under the pressure of his teeth. The creamy, velvety contents hidden under her coat pleasantly cooled his tongue and palate.

There weren't too many people anymore, but he could hear more of the heavy machinery working in the field, and the boy had the impression that the loud engines of the combines were surrounding him on all sides. Nevertheless, it was quieter and more peaceful here than in the city, so much so that Konrad could hear the buzzing of wasps, which were gathering on the sweet remains on the pieces of ice cream thrown into the trash.

Life in the countryside seemed different to that in the city. It goes at a different, slower pace. There was more green and sunshine, fruit, insects and flowers. Kids in torn, dirty shorts rushed into the store for ice cream and orangeade, old women slowly carried their shopping bags, sunburned men stood on both sides of the fences, talking not about big politics, but what was really important to them.

"Did you hear that there were forecasts for storms today?" One asked one another. Skalski was walking slowly, they spoke loudly, so as he approached them he could hear their conversation.

"Well," agreed the other. "They're supposed to be violent. Let it not be like two years ago. The rye put so much on me that it was impossible to mow."

"At least you harvested the oats. Oat straw stayed at Waldek's for two weeks. It almost got moldy."

"In these heat waves, grain comes in two days. The oats must be mowed with the rye."

"Yes, you will always have it, Stasiek. It's good to have a brother-in-law with a combine. Such Wicek always has to wait until the end."

"Because he doesn't pay. If he prefers to dodge instead of paying for the combine, let him be glad that Stasiek will show up at his place at all. He feels sorry for Baśka. So what, do you mow today?"

"If it doesn't rain. With such a drought, the dew will not settle until ten ..."

Konrad stated that he did not understand anything about this conversation, except that it might rain today. Even fleeting, violent storms can occur. He was glad, because the rain would cool down and the unbearably hot air, which was hard to breathe, will get a little fresh. With such sunshine, he suspected that the pizza would defrost before it reached Sławek's house. Or it will even start to bake.

He went straight to Domejczuk's house. In the fields spreading in front of him, he saw three harvesters working. There were two more on the horizon. There was a tractor with a trailer next to each one. He noticed curiously as a Bizon pulled up to the nearest one and spat a cascade of grain and dust through the pipe with a loud noise.

Skalski looked at the two men on the trailer. One was older, the other looked younger than Konrad. They both stood in full sun shouting something to each other and supporting each other with gestures. Skalski thought it was stupid to work in such heat, after all, they could wait until the evening got colder, or for a less hot day altogether. After all, they themselves decided when to work and when not. Their boss won't hang over their heads if they do something tomorrow instead of today. These were no longer the days of serfdom or a private corporation.

Neither did he understand the others who appeared in the fields. Even from a distance, he could see that not only men but also women were working. Other machines, smaller than Bizon, spat out neat bundles of straw or large rolls of straw. Parcels strewn in rows in the fields disappeared efficiently, tossed with the forks on the cart, where the second person arranged them into bizarre, pyramid-like structures. Everyone seemed to rush unnecessarily and roast in the sun instead of waiting for more humane conditions.

Konrad licked the stick of the last remnant of creamy cool and tossed it over the side of the road. The heat pouring from the sky was already unbearable. Konrad could not understand why these people do not hide from the sun? It was idiotic. Unhealthy. After all, they could get sunburn or a stroke.

But that's their business, said Slawek and turned into the yard.

Hearing his footsteps, the dog lazily raised its head. He didn't bark, just stared for a moment, then rested his head on his paws again. He's a weak watchman, the boy thought. Konrad looked at him longer. He watched him all the way home so that if the dog's mood changed and he was about to attack, he could react quickly. Fortunately, he reached the door without encountering any obstacles and breathed a sigh of relief on the threshold.