Too kind

Thick clouds of smoke swirled around the room, covering the people around the round table with a pungent smell. And the source of such a thick smoke was one gentleman who did not stop devouring a cigar.

Those sitting around the table did not feel uncomfortable at all, and only a few coughed from time to time, throwing sharp glances at the smoker.

The rustling of papers and sighs alternating with laughter filled everything around.

It was afternoon and it was raining outside, rainbows were rising on the roofs of the houses, creating a feeling of beauty. But the people sitting in the room did not notice this beauty at all. All they noticed were checks on which were written round sums and Adelard was sitting right in the center looking at the rainbow and dreaming about it.

One of the men with round glasses and a goatee said, "Monsieur Adelard, as always, you are somewhere far away. May I give free rein to curiosity and ask you. What is your great mind contemplating with such a flushed face?"

Slowly turning his head, Adelard waved his hand to disperse the smoke. Sadness and love adorned his black eyes making him more sophisticated.

Everyone around suddenly looked at him sharply.

'I will alleviate your pleasant suffering, I will tell you what I am thinking about. I was thinking about love."

Hearing this, all the gentlemen around looked with enthusiasm and froze.

The man with glasses said, "Oh, love. It has reached you. I'm sorry. I always thought you were a reasonable man. But you seem to be the same person as the rest of us."

Adelard waved his hand once more with a smile, and the clouds of smoke dissipated. He replied, "Love always arouses curiosity and life in people. You mean that love is unreasonable, but now you yourself look at me as if you are about to jump and ask one more question about it."

“So you have revealed my secret, Adelard. Yes. I want to ask you. But I won't. After all, the answer will be obvious. You fell in love and you fell in love with a woman. Nothing new. And if it is not new, then it is unreasonable."

"How do you think a person should fall in love then?" Adelard asked, looking straight into the eyes of his good friend.

"To be reasonable, a person must jump over his head. Jump the highest. But alas, women will not give you such strength to jump over your head. Women, they make their servant out of you, and you yourself will not notice how you have become nothing else but her shadow in whose power only to follow her and be invisible."

"Perhaps only one who has no personality becomes a shadow. Who, himself, long ago became nothing else but a shadow and who now needs the one who will inspire him that he is alive and real. That is what is unreasonable Monsieur."

The bespectacled man smiled nervously and immediately began clapping. In his hand movement, there was something that indicated surrender.

There was silence in the room.

Adelard caught the eye of Jean, who was sitting not far from him. A look that expressed complete admiration and something else.

Returning to business, Adelard looked at the papers lying in front of him and, turning towards the elderly gentleman, said, "During this month, I have sent thousands of boxes of soap to nearby countries. And now, Monsieur, with your little help, I wish to open our horizons and go beyond Europe. With your energetic method, we can build our partnership."

Delighted, the elderly gentleman exclaimed, "You intend to sign a contract with my small company!"

"Of course, Monsieur."

Embracing him, the man said, "Monsieur, I work conscientiously. My rails and my paths across the sea will be a bridge for you to a bright future."

"I just started shipping my goods. And the only country at the moment is America. But even then, I sent the product only once. I intend to expand my business."

"Of course Monsieur. You can count on me. Oh Monsieur, what a fortune it is to be your colleague," the man said, squeezing his hand.

Adelard caught Jean's gaze again. Others listened in silence, inhaling the smoke nervously.

"Can you stop smoking so much?" the elderly man asked.

There was no answer.

"In that case, I expect you tomorrow in my office."

"Thank you Monsieur. Thank you!" the man said with a strange smile.

Adelard, looking at everyone, walked with grace towards the door. But suddenly someone stopped him by asking, "Monsieur Adelard can I ask you for help?"

"Of course!"

Someone said, "Recently, I bought several lands, glorious lands near the city center. But I just need a little help. I think you know what I mean."

"Do you intend to build something in these lands?"

"Yes."

"In that case, would you like me to invest in your business?"

"If it doesn't bother you."

Adelard said with fondness in his eyes, "Of course no. I will help you as much as I can. Money should not stand in the way of someone who paves the way for a brighter future."

"You're right Monsieur," this someone said.

"Come to my office in the morning," Adelard happily said and added, "Now I ask you to forgive me."

Leaving the room, he walked without thinking about intentions, about intonation, of those who were sitting in the room.

"What a fool," someone said laughing. "I heard that he is stupid and naive as a child, but I did not think that he was that stupid."

“Monsieur Adelard has a kind heart, and that equals stupidity."

"Poor fellow!" someone exclaimed and the room was filled with laughter. The poisonous laughter of people who well described all times of human existence at once.

Striking the table with his fist, Jean stood up and quickly left the room slamming the door with a loud sound.

"What's with him?" someone asked.

“He’s a friend of Monsieur Adelard?”

"Yes. He is."

"I think Monsieur Adelard is up to something. It's not for nothing that he is so kind. There are no such people and never will be. I'm sure he intends to destroy everyone."

"And for me he is just stupid."

"I feel sad for his father. If he only knew that his son would lead the affairs of his life to ruin."

"Yes," sad voice was heard and clouds of smoke enveloped everyone.

Hiding the truth that everyone had in their hearts.

In a cold sweat, among the dark sheets that carried his dreams far away, that very night, Adelard woke up with a cry that woke all the servants in the house.

And even when his eyes were open, he still could not understand what was happening.

It was just a nightmare, but nevertheless, everything was too real and being a superstitious person, Adelard quickly lit a candle and began to look at the flame of the fire.

The cool wind was gentle and somewhere far away the owls were telling their stories. But he could not see all the beauty of this night. His thoughts were directed towards the dream that he had seen.

Frightened, he lay back and covered himself with the blanket, he closed his eyes.

The whole sheet was soaked in his sweat.

Feeling cold and soon shivering, he got to his feet and, putting on a robe, left the room.

A strange dream in which he saw himself bleeding, was too real. And most of all, he was frightened by his own face, which expressed nothing. The eyes were frozen, but not frightened. And the whole body was like a stone that fell to the bottom of the ocean and was forgotten by everyone.

Thinking about dream as something very important, Adelard did not even notice that exactly one hour had passed and during that hour, insomnia had time to take possession of his soul.

Time knocked loudly on the wall, the pictures around him looked at him, and only the flame of a candle sometimes swayed in a light breeze.

Fear did not let him go, and after a while, he decided that he should forget about everything.

"It's just a dream," he whispered and tried to smile, got up from his chair and left the room with a huge number of paintings and portraits.

But even when his head touched the pillow, he could not fall asleep and his eyes, surrounded by fluffy eyelashes, fluttered like a bird, carrying all his worries into the world of dreams. And so, until the morning, he lay without the slightest movement, imitating his image that he had dreamed of.

Having met the morning with open eyes, Adelard was in no hurry to get up, on the contrary, he decided that today he would allow himself a day off. But the noise that was downstairs was nothing to compare.

Suzanne's voice was too loud, loud enough to heal anyone and bring them to their feet.

"And where is my baby? Is he still sleeping?!" she exclaimed loudly and there was a quick stomp, and then, the sound of a falling picture.

"It's okay. I'll hang the painting back," Nicholas said with his gentle voice.

And just when Adelarde was about to sit down and make a plaintive appearance, Suzanne quickly opened the door, like a storm that was about to demolish the whole house.

"Honey! Why are you still in your pajamas?!"

“I feel bad,” Adelard replied and looked sad. But he always did that. After all, Suzanne was someone like a best friend, and sometimes even a mother, in front of whom one could be weak and cry.

Throwing herself at him with hugs, she kissed him on the forehead and threw her hat aside, said, "Today, you will come with me to one place. And I do not accept refusals. And if you have things to do, then cancel them all."

Only now, feeling terrible fatigue and trembling all over his body, Adelard fell on the bed and covered himself with a blanket.

"I haven't slept all night. I feel like my heart is hanging by a thread. I think I won't be able to do anything today."

Putting her hand on his heart, Suzanne pretended to be a doctor and then with an intelligent and knowing expression on her face, she said, "You're okay."

"Monsieur, breakfast is ready."

"I'll be back soon, Nicholas!" Turning his attention to Suzanne, who was in a beautiful and expensive dark green suit, Adelarde lazily asked, "And where do you want to take me?"

"Get up! Life will not wait for you! Hurry!" Suzanne said in a commanding tone and left tired Adelard. With his heart on a thread.