György Dragomán

Pickaxe

Chapter from the novel The White King

 

The mechanical diggers arrived on Sunday morning, we were playing football with the guys from the other street, they were leading four to two and the game was first to five, it was almost certain we'd be beat, but I didn't mind, since I wanted to go home already, because I was always at home on Sundays waiting for Dad, because when they took him away to the Danube Canal, that faraway canal they're building to connect the Danube with the sea, he promised he'd come get me and take me with him to the sea, true, I know Mom said I shouldn't wait for him, because after eight months of hard labour I might not even recognise him anymore, besides, we'd know in advance if he's coming home, but I didn't completely believe he was really in a labour camp, even though we'd already got a couple of prewritten camp postcards, no, I thought that maybe Dad wasn't really in a labour camp but only working in a secret research institute, just like he said to me when they took him away, and because I'd read that when the Americans were making the atomic bomb in Los Alamos, not even then was anyone allowed to know where the researchers really were, and I knew that Dad would come home all right, that he'd come get me and take me with him, that he'd take me to the sea, too, and I knew that even if he didn't recognise me I'd sure recognise him, because his picture, which I'd taken out of his old military ID booklet, was with me all the time, anyway, I wanted to go home, yes, I could hardly wait for them to score another goal against us and for the game to be over.
It was us on the attack, Big Prodán had the ball, when the diggers drove off the road right on to the football field, yes, they came all the way to the middle, one of them drove right towards Big Prodán and almost hit him, Prodán just barely jumped out of the way, and then both machines stopped in the middle of the field, they were buzzing real loud, the air was full of this smelly blue smoke, and then the two drivers turned off their motors at the same time, you couldn't hear a peep from anywhere, we were silent, too, we went over and stood around the machines, they were painted yellow and were rusting in lots of places, only the teeth of the scoops were sparkling just a little bit.
One of the drivers then climbed off his machine, stood right where he was, looked at Big Prodán, and said, Get over here. Prodán went over real slow, first he threw the ball over to Öcsi,and then he stopped in front of the worker, he was only fourteen years old, but he was big for his age, he was almost as tall as the driver, by then he hadn't been going to school in a year, because his dad had given him over to a construction project, you could tell he wasn't scared of the guy, anyway, he stopped right in front of him and said, Whadaya want.
The worker broke into a grin and drove a fist into the pit of Big Prodán's belly, Big Prodán doubled up, I'll knock your brains out if you keep talking to me like that, said the worker, but he wasn't yelling, no, and then he stepped back and watched with a smile as Prodán clutched a hand to his belly, What would you like, Sir, asked Big Prodán, meantime still clutching his belly. The worker nodded and said, That's better, you can talk nice too, huh, and then he looked at the other worker, who was still sitting there in the digger's seat, Hear that, Traján, he can talk nice too, at which the other one nodded, then spat on the ground, Good, he said, I'm glad. The worker reached into his pocket and took out some money, gave it to Prodán and said, Get going, bring three packs of no-filter Karpacis, get running already, you know where to go, to the Szarvas restaurant, that's open on Sundays, too. Prodán nodded, turned, and headed off toward the asphalt road, but the worker called out, Hold on, this pockmarked worker might be there drinking, Pickaxe he's called, anyway, if you see him, tell him that Traján and his partner here say he can bring the shed, got that?
Prodán nodded and then headed off again, and the worker watched him go but then called after him, I said get running already, if you're not back here in five minutes I'll knock your brains out, you hear, and then he turned around, reached under the dredge's seat, and pulled out a big paper bag and a monkey-wrench, his eyes passed over us and he said, Come closer, all of you, don't be scared. No one moved, I was staring at his work-boots, one of the laces was red, a genuine boot-lace, but the other one was just some home-made, twine-twisted lace, anyway, none of us moved, so the worker then unfolded the top of the bag, which he then held toward us, Real caramel, he said, go ahead, all of you, dig in. The others then stepped closer, it was a real big bag, at least three kilos, I could see the caramel's coloured wrapping, so it really was caramel inside, he again held the bag toward us, Take some, he said, no need to be scared, and then Áronka took a step forward, he reached a hand into that bag and then pulled out his hand, which was full of caramels, and he popped one right into his mouth, why, he didn't even take the paper off, that's how he chewed it all up, Thanks, said Áronka, his mouth full, and the worker just nodded and held out the bag toward the rest of us, Here you go, he said, take some, take some.
One after another everyone reached into the bag, everyone had taken some, everyone except me, but there was still caramel left, there was lots left, and the worker then looked at me and asked, What's a matter, dontcha want some, then he stepped toward me and held the bag right in front of my face, Don't you go offending me, take some, he said, and then I shook my head and said I can't eat sweets just now, though I really do like them, but the day before I'd eaten so many peppermints that my stomach just couldn't handle any more sweets, but the worker shook the bag, Oh come on, he said, sure you can have some, and then he reached in the bag and pulled out a piece of caramel, yes, pinching it between two fingers he held it out to me, and he said for me to hold my mouth open, he had a real big hand, his fingers were greasy, I saw that clear as day, I wanted to turn around and run away, but then I felt someone grab my shoulders from behind, it was the other worker, he'd come up behind me without me even noticing a thing, he held my shoulders tight, I heard him say for me not to move, because he'd rip me apart, and for me to hold my mouth open at once, and then with one hand he held my neck from behind, and I felt him squeeze my jaw from the side with his thumb and index finger so I'd open my mouth, but try as I did to shake my head and bite him, his grip was too tight, and then I heard one of the workers shout, Not like that, pinch his nose shut, Traján, and in no time I felt that I wasn't getting any air, I shut my eyes and I wanted to shout for them to let me go, that my dad would knock their brains out, I didn't want to open my mouth wide, I could feel my ears buzzing, and then all of a sudden that piece of caramel somehow ended up on my tongue, yes, with two fingers the worker stuffed it right into my mouth, his fingers had this bitter tobacco taste that turned my stomach, I wanted to spit that candy out, but they pressed my mouth shut and again pinched my nose tight, I couldn't even taste the caramel, only that it was coming apart between my teeth, wrapping and all, and then they let me go, I fell to the ground and I wanted to spit it out, but by then there was nothing in my mouth anymore, only that bitter tobacco taste remained, my throat was all bunched up, but there was no way I was about to cry, no, I shouted at them that my dad was going to kill them for this, but they only grinned, and then the one the other called Traján said they'd give my father a good belt in the gob, and for me to shut my trap, or else he'd stuff it with caramels, and then he looked at the others, All right then, boys, he said, you've had the sweets, but it's best you know you didn't get them for free, nothing in this world is free, you've gotta work for everything, and as the other one gave a nod he continued, Yep, he said, and he who doesn't work shouldn't eat, but all of you have already eaten, so now it's time to work, and as he said this he went over to the digger and took a big wool-felt sack off the back and threw it there on the ground in front of us, Here it is, he said, open it up, and the bag rolled right up to our feet, it was tied with a belt, everyone stepped back, no one wanted to touch that bag, we only stood there and stared at the workmen, and they stared back at us, by now Traján was staring only at me, yes, he looked right in my eyes, I saw him lick his lips and I knew he was about to call on me to reach over there, he'd order me to reach for that bag and undo the belt, but then all at once Traján turned away, and so did the other one, they looked out toward the road, Big Prodán was just getting back with the cigarettes, he came running up to Traján, he handed him the cigarettes and the change, Traján pocketed two packs along with the change and he threw the third pack to the other worker, There you go, Feri, you go poison yourself, too, he said, and then he looked back at Prodán, Didn't you meet up with that pockmarked guy, and Prodán shook his head, and the one called Traján then spit on the ground, Fuck it, Pickaxe, fuck your mother-fucking mother, he said under his breath, then he looked again at Prodán, All right, but what are you standing here for, go ahead and hand out the shovels, and he gave that woolfelt sack a good kick, there's enough of them here, enough for everyone, so let's get a move on, we don't have all day, he said.
Prodán bent down and opened up the bag, which was full of short, ironhandled shovels, lots of them, at least forty, both the blades and the handles were painted with black enamel, Prodán picked one up, and looked at the worker called Feri, What do you want to do with them, he asked. The worker motioned toward the woods with his head, Not us, you're the ones who want to do with them, he said, A whole new neighbourhood is being built up there under the woods, you know, and one of the sewage lines will run right by here, and you will all dig part of that line, just like this, as community service work, so you can save the state some diesel oil.
Prodán looked up and said, Where? Here, on the football field? The man called Feri spat on the ground, You bet, he said, and in a sec we'll measure out exactly where. Prodán was looking at the shovel, saying not a thing, but then he spoke all the same, But this is our field, he said. Then Traján stepped over to Prodán, Sure, he said, stopping in front of him, that's exactly why you all want to help do the digging, you're the ones who asked for it, your school, we got shovels just because of you, so enough gabbing, Everyone take a shovel, the sooner you start the sooner you'll finish, too, you're kids, you don't need to earn bread, so you got the time. At this Big Prodán took a step back, I don't go to school, he said, I work at a construction site, today's Sunday, so sure as hell today I'm not taking a shovel in my hands. Traján then swung back his arm, but he wasn't able to hit anymore, because the other one, the one called Feri, stepped up next to him and grabbed his arm, Wait, said Feri, this here's a smart boy, no sense being rough with him, and then he reached out that bag of caramel toward Prodán, You didn't get any sweets, take some.
At first Prodán didn't want to take any, but then he stuck in his hand, anyway, yes, his whole hand got all full of caramel, I saw that clear as day, and as he stuffed it all into his pocket he just about dropped one, and meanwhile the worker called Feri was still holding the bag toward him, Don't be shy, he said, and so Prodán stuck his hand in one more time and again put sweets in his pocket, and then the worker called Feri folded shut the bag, All right, then, he said, you'll get more later, now help hand out the shovels, meantime Traján will measure out where the ditch will be, but Prodán didn't move, he looked at the diggers and then back again at the workman called Feri, Can I sit up on the dredging machine too, he asked.
The worker called Feri shrugged his shoulders, All right, he said, if the work goes well then far as I'm concerned you can sit up there, why, you can even start it up, but now go ahead and hand out those shovels, it's time to start the digging, don't worry, your school principal knows all about this, yep, he okayed all of you working here every afternoon, all of you attend school number twelve, don't you? Tell the others that long as they're working here they don't have to do their homework, you'll see, they'll even be glad.
Prodán nodded, Okay, he said, picking a shovel up off the ground that he then gave to Áronka, and then he gave one each to every one of us, one at a time, to me too, Here you are, Dzsátá, use it in good health. Of course he didn't give his little brother a shovel, only a caramel, he looked at the workers and said, That's my brother, he's gonna help me, at which the workman called Traján gave a grunt, but the one called Feri just nodded, All right then, he said, you two will be the brigade leaders, but if the work isn't going well, we'll find others to take your place, you'll see what a nice thing this sort of voluntary community service work is, what a good feeling it is to build the country, you can all be proud of yourselves that even being kids you're able to take part in this, besides, if you do decent work you'll finish the whole thing in a week, and that's nothing, you should just see the Danube Canal, now that's real digging for you.
A fiery heat came over me when he said that, and I reached into my pocket and felt my father's picture, no, never had I met anyone who'd worked at the Danube Canal, and I looked at that worker called Traján and saw him pull a folded-up sheet of paper from his pocket, unfold it, look at it a bit, and then he picked a shovel up off the ground, walked to the end of the field, struck that shovel in the ground by one of the home-made goal-posts, I've done it, I've measured it out, he shouted to the one called Feri, it goes straight right from here. Then Prodán and the workman called Feri lined us up, we didn't have to stand according to height, the point was only to stand in a nice neat line, not too far from each other, and then, once everyone had stood up, the worker called Traján gave Prodán a shovel, too, All right then, you don't have to work, but show the others how to use the tool, go ahead now and drive it into the ground.
At first Prodán didn't want to do it, yes, I could tell from the way he was holding the shovel that he would have most gladly attacked the worker, but then he started shovelling all the same, flinging the dirt behind him, and then the others also got down to work, and me too, the shovel's handle had a real awful grip, it broke into my palm, and the dirt was hard, so I had to drive the shovel into the ground with my feet, but the shaft was so short that I had to stoop over, and in no time my back was hurting, anyway, the work wasn't going so well, not only for me but also for the others, and while digging I kept thinking of the Danube Canal, of how hard it must be to divert an entire river, and of just what my father was doing there, after all, because he'd written only a couple of times, and even then all he said was that he was fine, not another thing, so anyway, that's what I tried thinking of, and meantime my back was hurting all the more, and so was my palm, but I didn't dare stop working.
Of course by then Prodán hadn't been working for a while, no, he was walking back and forth behind us, telling us to keep it up, he even gave Áronka a good kick on the ass, but one of the workers yelled at him not to do it again or else he'd knock his brains out, it's enough if he just keeps an eye out for anyone not putting their all into their shovel, yes, they'll take care of the rest, and so from that point on Prodán didn't bother anyone, he just walked back and forth behind us and watched how we worked.
The workers meantime spread a blanket out on the ground by one of the diggers and lay down on that, the one called Traján puffed on a cigarette and the one called Feri began to eat something, I noticed them doing that when I turned around one time, and then Prodán sat down there, too, and by then only his kid brother was walking back and forth behind us, and when I looked back again, I saw that they were playing cards.
All at once Áronka fell, he was just about to try driving the shovel into the ground when his foot slipped off the blade and came out from under him, and he fell on his side and then he just lay there with one foot in the ditch, like someone who doesn't want to get back up at all, and then all of us stopped working and wiped our foreheads and gathered around Áronka, and Prodán's kid brother asked what the problem was, but Áronka didn't say a thing, he only shook his head. Then one of the workers, the one called Feri, stood up and came over and looked at Áronka, All of you are weak, he said, you wouldn't last even a day on the Danube Canal, and then he said, All right, time for a break, and he said we can hold a fifteen-minute break, that meantime we should try to pull ourselves together, and that he was otherwise satisfied with us, because we've been doing decent work, and that we shouldn't worry, we can go home for lunch, but everyone's got to come back for the afternoon, because the work will last till dark, and he also said that they'd written everyone's name and also where he lives down on a sheet of paper, so they'll go after anyone who doesn't come back, because no one is allowed to sabotage community service work.

Translated by Paul Olchváry

György Dragomán
was born in Transylvania, Romania, where he spent his childhood until he moved to Hungary in 1988. His three works so far - two novels and a play - deal with East European dictatorship in its various manifestations. A fehér király (The White King, 2005), a novel, from which the chapter we publish was taken, is a loosely connected chain of partly autobiographical short stories.