He started to fidget. Then again.
— Something’s strange, — he muttered. — My stomach is churning.
— That’s normal, — I remarked calmly. — The medicine is starting to work. It’s flushing all the sickness out of you.
Another ten minutes passed. His face began to change color. First, it turned red. Then it turned pale. Then it took on a greenish hue. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
— Yana, something’s wrong! — He sat up on the sofa, clutching his stomach. — The pain! It’s completely different! Not in my back! It’s cutting! What did you give me?
I looked at him without a shred of sympathy. My heart didn’t waver.
— The truth, Pasha. I gave you a cure for lying.
He stared at me with a look of incomprehension.
— What? What are you talking about?
— I saw a doctor today. A different one. He said you have the spine of an astronaut. Absolutely healthy. And your test results are perfect. And your “Neurostabil” is just a regular vitamin that you were buying with my money.
Understanding slowly began to dawn on him, like a wave. His suffering face transformed into a frightened one.
— You’re… you’re lying! — he stammered.
— No, Pasha. The only one lying here was you. For six months. Since there’s some kind of disease inside you, since you’re suffering from it so much, it needs to be urgently flushed out of your system. Completely. To the last drop. The medicine you took is excellent for that.
At that moment, his stomach made such a loud and unequivocal sound that there was no room for doubt. Animal terror flashed in his eyes. He shot up from the sofa and, bent in half, bolted towards the toilet. The door slammed shut behind him.
I remained seated in the armchair, listening to the sounds coming from behind the door. The performance was over. The cleansing was beginning.
An hour passed. Pavel did not come out of the toilet. Only muffled groans and sounds I tried to ignore came from there. I sat in the armchair, drinking cold tea. For the first time in a long time, I felt calm. Not happiness, no, just solid, cold ground beneath my feet.
Suddenly, the key rattled in the lock in the hallway. The door flew open, and Vera Andreevna appeared on the threshold. Her face was red, her eyes shooting daggers. Apparently, her darling son had managed to call and complain to his mommy.
— You tried to poison him?! You wretched thing! — What did you give him? I’ll have you arrested! I’ll destroy you!
I slowly stood up. Without raising my voice, I took the folder I had brought from the doctor off the table and threw it onto the coffee table in front of my mother-in-law.
— Read this, Vera Andreevna…
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