Hot night promising foul weather upheld its promise only partially. Puddles left by morning rain were drying in the rays of broiling day. Light breeze was stirring the curtains in opened windows. Lime trees all along the road behind the fence haven’t still ceased blossoming and smelled. It was summer, a real summer, similar to the one described in the poem “Summer in the city” written by Boris Pasternak but with small improvement to the locality – that’s because our story happened in holiday village.
Summer in the countryside is a real summer. Especially if you have comfortable (would better to say “heartwarming”) garden pavilion next to your house where it’s so nice to have rest in the evening with cup of aromatic tea. Mikhail Borisovich, professor in retirement, nodded to his pleasant thoughts about this garden pavilion and taken a cord, tape-measurer and sticks started marking dimensions of the future construction. Trees crowns created nice shade.
Mikhail Borisovich was thinking in advance – about fast growing lianas raising along the poles of the pavilion, about his wife’s smile when she would come from the city and would see this summer pavilion which would give the garden special charm; he was thinking about delicious barbecue and about his old friends around the table. That was a real pleasure to think about those things but big job was waiting for professor: to dig pits, to install columns, concrete works, beam dressing, floor and double-pitch roof construction, inside finishing…
“That’s ok, no problems, I’ll do it”, - Mikhail Borisovich was encouraging himself. What was important that he had courage and desire; the space also gave the possibility thanks to the dimensions of vertical gas tank.
Three years ago professionals from Group of Companies “Terrikom” installed “Antonio Merloni” independent gas tank on the lot of Mikhail Borisovich; they inspected and launched a system of independent gasification.
Three years of perfect operation. Invisible operation - this would be more correctly to say and more honestly. When the equipment functions without being noticed and when it never bothers by caprices, these facts are the compliment to its quality. One time per year Mikhail Borisovich called gas carrier to charge underground cistern – here the efforts about Italian gas tank finished up. Professor watched the “hat” of the gas tank, dressed in decorative stone, better with aesthetic than with technical glance.
But Konstantin, the neighbor of Mikhail Borisovich…
… meantime Konstantin was nervously cruising around his horizontal gas tank, exactly to say around its necktube which was peeping from juicy grass. He was approaching the “hat” of the cistern, then he was walking off cheapening, looking about the house, screwing up his eyes, measuring by eye and then after he re-measured by the tape-measurer he shook his head getting upset.
“Sauna, my sauna bites the dust”, - entrepreneur was thinking, making next circle. - And not only the sauna…. Even a garden pavilion cannot be fit here! Heh! Here are the dimensions of the gas tank!”
Konstantin was turning his head toward the fence which was in common with Mikhail Borisovich, then was funny jumping up and shook his head again. Neighbor – professor was working in the garden; before you know it he will call you for cup of tea in his garden belvedere.”
Konstantin’s just realized that he was biting his lower lip; he’s been doing that for a long time, to the blood. The reason was the nerves! How could I get it with this horizontal gas tank! Besides the winter when it refused to evaporate gas – I had to buy expensive evaporator – moreover, it “gobbled up” the space; so, there is no space now to install a pavilion. It is not allowed to break the normative standards about distances from gas tank to the house and other objects; it’s also impossible to put asphalt above the cistern, base plate also cannot be laid. Konstantin remembered the huge pit made to install gas cistern – it was two to five meters where you could make a swimming pool for children; that day installers ransacked all the lot.
It doesn’t give, horizontal one doesn’t allow being in all glory. Only the flowers and grass are given “green light” around the gas tank.
“Heh, I didn’t listen to the neighbor then. I should have called “Terrikom”… to make over completely from the beginning, to install high quality Italian equipment, vertical cistern but not “hanging up” evaporator of horizontal cistern”.
Hrmph, evaporator! That was one hell of a headache… Of course, it solves a problem of gas evaporating during the frosts: it takes liquefied gas from the bottom of the gas tank, delivers it to the chamber where transforms it to vapor phase and transfers to the house. But, as Konstantin understood, such measures were reasonable only if big productive capacity would be required. But in his case … First, it was expensive, this evaporator cost him so expensive - it took almost ten thousand Euro from his pocket. Then, it was “tucking in” electricity, fifteen kilowatt per hour. And third …
Konstantin gave a wave of the hand. Enough about evaporator! Too much proud to it! The entrepreneur gave twitching glance around his lot. Panic was approaching his throat. His mind was uncontrollably attacked by the lot of his neighbor, Mikhail Borisovich, where there was installed vertical gas tank! – gas tank which took the space three times less with similar capacity and without any evaporator keeping its efficiency during hard frosts.
The rays of hot June sun were flowing in the collar. There was a smell of juicy grass, of the echo from morning rain and of the problem which has not been solved. The panel of evaporator installed on two supports rose over next to the neck tube and looked almost unfriendly; it looked like being angry laughing: “Ha! He wants a pavilion! Ha! Sauna!” Konstantin set his teeth and painfully knocked his forehead with the fist several times.
His dreams about sauna, barn or garden pavilion drew the drain. There was no spare space. No.
He will have to accept this fact as well as the fact that he has evaporator or….
… to string yourself up to profound changes.
To the phone call to “Terrikom” Company.
Garden pavilion is excellent. Weakness in the body was pleasant like a fatigue caused by realized job, tiredness from well done work.
But the main opinion about the work done by Mikhail Borisovich was always made by his wife
- Now I’ll stay here for sure, - smiled Valentina. – With this beauty.
- For summer? – Mikhail Borisovich asked?
- Forever, - his wife answered.
- But what about your work?
- A left for part-time. I’ll work freelance and will be sending articles. Everything is agreed with publishing.
Valentina stepped to her husband. She was wearing “countryside” cloth – sport pants, T-shirt and cap. Mikhail Borisovich embraced his wife and called to the shade of garden pavilion. The couple set down on the bench near the blank wall which provided prevention from the wind.
The lemonade was waiting for them on the table.
- Holy shit! – there was a sound from behind of the fence.
The birds took wing from the fence; they flew up to the sky fervent heat.
Thin eyebrows of Valentina rose up:
- What happed there with Kostik?
- He is still struggling with his horizontal gas tank. One time ago he spent half a winter in cold house before he received evaporator. And now he doesn’t have enough space on his lot because of cistern dimensions.
- Poor fellow.
Mikhail Borisovich nodded, took a pitcher with lemonade and melting ice-cubes there and fulfilled two high glasses. Hexagonal wooden garden pavilion was wrapping around with comfortable freshness.
- Lets call Kostik to visit us? I have a pie almost ready, - offered Valentina looking at her husband. Settled decision in his wife’s eyes was established and confirmed; only small formality was required – approval of Mikhail Borisovich.
- Let’s invite him, - professor smiled.
- So, call him. And me, I go to the kitchen!
- It’s so nice here, - Konstantin said.
Mikhail Borisovich looked as if he didn’t hear it. He tuned in to a reflection and was rolling it in his head.
- Kostik, you know what I was thinking about, - he said. – Some phrases applied to one situation or another sound interesting sometimes. Our gas tanks, for example. “The size doesn’t matter” – we know this phrase, but the situation with our lots and gas tanks completely denies it.
- You are right, the size is important – Konstantin nodded running his finger along the column of the pavilion treated with the varnish. – It’s a factor of dimensions, where is the surprise. It’s a real problem, I experienced it by myself. You made nice pavilion, Borisovich. Well done!
- You’ll also make it too , - assured Mikhail Borisovich.
- Hum, I should dig out “horizontal” and mess about “vertical”.
- No need to mess about it. The guys from “Terrikom” will come – everything will be done in one day.
Konstantin still doubted.
- But what about evaporator… so much money dumped in… that's a shame…
- This is it that you dumped in. Like if you threw it to the ice-hole. You’ll leave it as a souvenir, like museum piece. I saw what happened with these evaporators in couple of years: chamber turned to a strainer and gas spread around the lot like a smog.
- Hardly!
Mikhail Borisovich nodded. Professor looked calm and little bit sleepy. Garden pavilion was surrounded by lime trees and blooming cherry trees; small garden with flower beds delighted for the eye and somewhere in the center of this flower beds under decorative stone there was hidden the “hat” of vertical gas tank from “Antonio Merloni”.
The neighbors were drinking tea looking at the sun setting behind the roofs of town houses. When Mikhail Borisovich’s wife appeared on the porch with apple pie and a pitcher of berries drink Konstantin was not glooming anymore, he was smiling – he came to decision and now he wanted to enjoy light conversation and nice people.
