Verses from the Past - Part 1 (Episode 3)

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I was sitting on a bench in the hallway, bored out of my mind. The bus had arrived unusually early today, so I'd arrived at school before everyone else. The hallways were empty, except for muffled voices coming from somewhere downstairs, probably from the locker room. Now, as I looked at the school hall, it seemed so wide, and during recess, it was hard to squeeze through. I heard footsteps on the stairs. After a moment, I saw one of my classmates. If I remembered correctly, her name was Beata. She gave me a quick "hi," set her briefcase against the wall next to the classroom, turned on her heel, and walked off down the hall. I felt somehow foolish. She didn't seem to want to talk to me, or even be around me.

I sighed. Well, maybe I had something about me that repelled people?

More footsteps on the stairs. I immediately recognized Czaki's black and red hair, sticking out in all directions. I stiffened a bit. The prospect of being alone with Czaki didn't really appeal to me. I only hoped he wouldn't pick on me without the support of his crazy friends.

"Hey, Piotruś!" he smiled when he saw me. I still didn't know how to interpret that smile.

"Hi," I muttered

. Czaki sat down next to me. He placed a large, worn binder on his lap. Pages written in small, slightly crooked handwriting were sticking out.

"Are you always this early?" he asked.

"No, today is special," I replied.

I had no idea what to talk to him about. I was still afraid he'd attack me and I wouldn't be able to defend myself against his nasty remarks.

"What do you think about Robi?" he asked unexpectedly.

"I don't know... I don't know him very well yet," I said hesitantly

. "I think you two are a good match," he continued. "You complement each other."

"Yes?" I was a little surprised

. "Oh." Robi has the enthusiasm you lack, but you manage to remain calm and composed in situations where Robi is falling apart." He looked me straight in the eye. "Of course, I could be wrong. I don't know how good an observer I am."

I shrugged. I couldn't detect any mischievous glint in Czaki's dark eyes. He seemed to be sincere.

"I just keep getting the impression," he continued after a moment, "that you can't warm up to the three of us. Or maybe it's just me? I know, we act like complete lunatics sometimes, and I probably look like a complete rag-tag, but I can assure you, we don't have rabies. Or any other illnesses."

I smiled. Czaki's soft voice calmed me. The tension I'd felt the moment I saw him was now fading. I was filled with mixed emotions.

"Cha ...

I recognized Marti's silhouette. He approached and crouched just in front of us. He was carrying a thick tome under his arm.

"Where did you run off to?" he turned to Czaki, his voice reproachful.

"Should I stand by the toilet door and listen to you pee?" the other replied .

"You know all those doors have broken locks. You could have made sure no one got in

." "Well, if someone got in, it would have been a disaster," Czaki sneered. Marti looked offended.

"What's that tome?" Czaki pulled the book out from under his friend's arm. "'Decameron'? We're not supposed to read that until the second semester.

" "What difference does it make?" Marti shrugged. "I've already read all the reading material for this semester.

" Czaki laughed, then gently nudged me in the side

. "I bet he's read the higher-grade reading material too. He's the worst bookworm I know!" "Marti said confidentially,

snatching Bocaccio's work from him and, with feigned anger, lightly hitting Czaki on the head with it. He dodged a kick aimed at him just in time. They both laughed. I couldn't help but smile too. They seemed different now. Apparently, judging people wasn't my strong suit.

Marti now stood over us, legs apart, book pressed to his chest, and swayed from side to side, as if music were blaring all around.

"What, kids, are you practicing for the disco?" Konrad suddenly appeared from nowhere. "Do you think they'll shake us up much at this hazing?"

"Don't worry so much, Kondi, you'll be fine," Czaki winked at him

. "Sure! If I wanted to, I could shake everyone up already.

" "Oh, I have no doubt!" Marti laughed. Konrad wrapped his arm around the boy's neck, pretending to strangle him. Marti tried to free himself for a moment. But he gave up.

"Are you planning on finding some nice girls?" Konrad asked

. "Yes. I'll borrow one from my grandmother." Czaki was deadly serious as he said it. "She has one with a carved handle. Very elegant.

" "Ha! Ha! Ha! What a joke," Konrad roared over his head. "I thought you were capable of more.

" "Sorry to disappoint you," he smiled.

"Hey, why am I asking you?" Konrad finally released Marti. "You complete losers! And you, Piti, are you bringing a girl?"

It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me

. "I don't think so..." I stammered.

"Oh my, another cripple when it comes to social life!" he sighed. "Who am I hanging out with?

" "Why don't you, Mr. Playboy, bring some girls for each of us?" Czaki retorted.

Clearly surprised, Konrad opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something and couldn't think of anything appropriate. Marti struggled to hold back a burst of laughter. After a moment, Konrad regained his previous confidence.

"You don't really think I'd subject some innocent creatures to the horror of spending time with you," he snorted. "The poor things would die of boredom. You have no idea how to behave with girls.

" "Tell us," Czaki encouraged.

"This isn't the time or place for your education," Konrad stated. "But if you want, for a fee, I can give you a few lessons."

Marti laughed with that infectious laugh of his. Czaki nodded sympathetically.

Suddenly, I realized I was sitting here with these crazy boys, smiling as I watched their antics, and they had no intention of making me the butt of their jokes. What's more, they treated me like I was part of their gang. They'd even come up with a nickname for me—Piti." Now I suddenly understood the nature of the relationship between them and Robi. They were truly his friends. Robi didn't mind their teasing because it wasn't malicious at all, not meant to hurt him. These boys just talked to each other. It was friendly banter.

They accepted me into their group because Robi had become friends with me. It was simply a natural progression. But did I really fit in? Could I relax, abandon all my fears, stop worrying about what people would think? Or would I always be this subdued, intimidated, unsure of what to do?

Finally, Robert showed up too. He greeted us and immediately pulled out one of his paper bags and started offering us grapes.

"They're from my grandmother's allotment," he explained. "They're healthy.

" "They don't contain any chemicals?" Konrad asked with feigned disappointment.

"Where?" "Not sprayed," Robi said indignantly.

"Ugh," Konrad grimaced, "there's no guar gum or benzoate... Everything I eat has benzoate and nature-identical flavors.

" "Too bad, Kondi," Czaki interjected. "You won't emit radiation for a day.

" "That could be harmful to my health!" Konrad took a small bunch of grapes, tilted his head back, opened his mouth wide, and stuffed them all into his mouth at once.

Marti grimaced in disgust.

"You're eating that with the seeds and stem?

" "Don't be so greedy," Czaki added.

Konrad, meanwhile, moved his lips for a moment and then pulled out the stripped stem. He swallowed the grapes and smiled broadly.

"You've never seen anything like this before, have you?

" "Oh, yeah," Robi laughed. "You're fit for the circus anyway."

"Are you starting again?" Konrad scowled. "You don't want to offend me, so you can wear it as punishment... oh, gosh, what could you wear today?" He looked around. "Oh, I know! Next time you say something offensive to me, you'll write my Polish essay for me!

" "What kind of rules are those!" Robcio chuckled.

They stood next to each other, at first glance, as different as night and day. Robert in his navy blue jeans, white T-shirt, and navy blue pullover, and Konrad in his flowing khaki combat trousers, army boots, and checked shirt. Robert's neatly combed hair sat next to his spiky dreadlocks.

"Can you imagine," Czaki whispered to me, "that they sat at the same desk throughout elementary school?

" "Really?!" I blurted out. Czaki nodded with a smile.

"Poor Robi..." he added. "Because of Konrad, he got a whole bunch of reprimands for talking in class." Kondi was always unscrewing his pens or scribbling on the covers of his notebooks. That's probably why Robcio didn't want to sit with him anymore.

Now I could see very clearly that Konrad and Robert had a lot in common. They spoke in a similar way, joked, and both, in their own way, were themselves. They didn't care how people perceived their behavior; they didn't care whether someone thought they were cool, hopeless, smart, or stupid. The most important thing was that they acted in accordance with themselves, with their beliefs. Why, exactly, would Konrad cut his hair and become serious, and Robi wear some fashionable clothes?

"I guess you like people-watching too?" I heard Czaki's voice

. "Yes," I admitted.

He smiled. For the first time, I saw something behind that smile. Something hidden deep in the boy's dark eyes. For a moment, when our gazes met, I thought there was an unspoken plea in his gaze, but he quickly lowered his eyes. And although I wasn't entirely sure, I had the impression there was sadness in his eyes.

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