Marek blushed and stared into his cup of tea. Gracia laughed softly. Pani Felicia shook her head and put the letter aside.
"Oh, Marek, Marek! You are the smart boy but you're so lazy," his aunt said, "I'll have to find teachers for the summer to pull you up for the exams, and here's something else. If you want, you don't have to go back to Torun to my sister when the fall comes, you could live with us. It's a big house, and I'll put you up in the outhouse."
"Thank you, Aunt Felicia," Marek said.
The young man had already visited his aunt two or three years ago. Marek remembered this large dacha and the pine tree forest and the lake nearby. Here, in a dacha village, there lived a girl with whom Marek were friends and with whom he was secretly in love. Katarzhina by name.
"You're at a difficult age," his aunt sighed and looked sadly at Marek through the bangs that had fallen over her eyes. "Pani Xenia writes that you absolutely do not know how to behave… Marek, do not expect me to close my eyes to your bad deeds! For your own good, I will be strict with you. Do you understand me, Marek?"
"Yes, Aunt Felicia," said the young man without raising his eyes.
"Whatever happens I will always love you," continued Pani Felicia. "Don't ever forget that. And try not to be offended if I have to punish you."
"I promise, Pani Felicia."
"Very well! Now kiss your beloved aunt and go to bed."
Marek woke up early in the morning because of the sunlight and birds song. In his dream Marek saw Aunt Felicia's beautiful, sad face in the dim light of the living room. Her bare full arms. Then the young man dreamed of a naked Gracia. The maid had small breasts and long, thin legs. Gracia walked around the garden, smiling thoughtfully and cutting birch twigs… while Marek was sleeping, his penis rose and hardened. The young man yawned and, throwing back the blanket, slowly began to pull his penis with the hand. For the past year Marek has been doing this handwork every morning.
The door creaked and his aunt looked in for some reason. Pani Felicia's laughing brown eyes ran around the room. Marek felt hot with shame, covered himself with a blanket and turned to the window. Marek hopped her aunt would pretend not to notice and leave. But it didn't work out that way. Pani Felicia quickly crossed the room and, bending over the bed, grabbed Marek by the earlobe.