Spring 2024 - Recrudescence

Things To Do After My Death

herself by selling off all her belongings, piece by piece, starting with the tools from the shed, then the agricultural equipment, and finally the three plots of land and her meager furniture from the house. Shortly before she breathed her last, she was in negotiations with an agricultural cooperative that was interested in buying her house to use as a granary, but she passed away before the deal was sealed. Sanyi wouldn’t have minded if the house had sold; he’d planned to leave anyway, as soon as he could, and head to Kecskemét. Or to the capital, the city full of excitement. In the afternoon the town’s main square erupted in gunshots. Someone knocked on the street-facing window: Who’s inside the house? Sanyi walked up to the gate: It’s me, Sanyi. There stood his childhood friend, Józsi, Józsi Balog, holding a hunting rifle in his hand. Reaching through the vertical planks of the wooden gate, he grabbed Sanyi and pulled him closer, and gave him a bear hug. Sanyiii, you’re home? Sanyi stepped back, opened the gate, and hugged him back. They were both overcome with emotions. Triggered by memories of childhood mischief—for which they got their fair share of punishments—Sanyi shed tears of joy and gratitude for having been reunited with his childhood friend. I didn’t know you were let out of prison early, rejoiced Józsi, curling his words with a heavy Gypsy accent that Sanyi detected immediately. He used to not talk like that, or Sanyi hadn’t picked up on it before. He whispered in Józsi’s ear: Amnesty. Józsi was ecstatic: Great! Come with me! Where are we going? Józsi explained that a revolution had broken out: My friend, he said, it’s 1956, and we have a revolution on our hands! Let’s chase away the president of the council and the party secretary! Life will be much better without them, trust me! Some of his optimism rubbed off on Sanyi; he located his father’s beat up Flobert rifle in the shed and, despite not being able to find any bullets, decided to take it with him. By the time they made their way to the main square, at least thirty armed men were 107