AT THE AND OF TIME

Lantos woke up one fine day to find that he had grown old. There is no problem with that. After all, aging, just like the passing of time, is a self-explanatory, natural process, of course, if the individual prepares himself for it intentionally or - if you like - planned in advance.

Lantos worked for thirty years in a small, dusty cinema on the old grand boulevard, where people flocked by the thousands to see their favorite Hungarian actors on the big screen, as the majority could not yet afford to be the happy owner of their own TV set.

But those were the beautiful, happy times of peace in the golden age. The more famous, well-known, and therefore more popular someone was, the kinder, more direct, and of course he was endlessly humble, especially with the kind audience who went to the cinema only because of him. Thus, it is no wonder that over the years, the truly refined, or those who know the secrets, were able to successfully slow down the physical signs of their own selfish aging with professional professionalism. But even in this, the truly great were able to renew themselves and surpass the once average people, because they were able to grow old with dignity.

If Lantos thought back to the good old days, he didn't have to worry about being robbed in the subway by a frenzied gang of hooligans blessed with a desire to prove himself, since no one dares to rush to his help anymore, or that young people who are also totally intoxicated on some public transport routes will hook up with pretty much anyone. just so that they can brag with a big chest in the eyes of their contemporaries about how big they are. And, of course, the tabloid media's daily sensationalism came with its inane and utterly dumbed-down shows about how to stay healthy, beautiful, fit and young. Not to mention the fact that every day there are at least five or six people who are mainly young and still in their teenage years, that an abandoned little "star girl" whose first few minor introduction scenes already received a huge ovation, and became popular in such a way that the youth in question was hardly able to utter a meaningful complex sentence, and his word formation and phrasing would have required a certain stylistic style in the on the part of Not to mention that it might have been advisable for the studio to spit out the chewing gum and the candy immediately during the recording, or put it aside, because it's a bit indecent to have millions of people watching while you move the chewing gum from one corner of your mouth to the other and the this is the only significant, worthwhile science of the program for barely thirty minutes. and his phrasing and phrasing would also have required a certain stylistic style on his part. Not to mention that it might have been advisable for the studio to spit out the chewing gum and the candy immediately during the recording, or put it aside, because it's a bit indecent to have millions of people watching while you move the chewing gum from one corner of your mouth to the other and the this is the only significant, worthwhile science of the program for barely thirty minutes. and his phrasing and phrasing would also have required a certain stylistic style on his part. Not to mention that it might have been advisable for the studio to spit out the chewing gum and the candy immediately during the recording, or put it aside, because it's a bit indecent to have millions of people watching while you move the chewing gum from one corner of your mouth to the other and the this is the only significant, worthwhile science of the program for barely thirty minutes.

What particularly irritated and disturbed Lantos was the strange conditions in his condominium apartment. Most people, for example, if they took out the trash and the trash container was full, most of the new tenants - since the good old residents have unfortunately all died or lived out their lives in retirement homes - preferred to put their trash next to the trash cans and let it stink to their heart's content. spoiled baby, and let the already sour milk continue to sour in standing kefir juice. In such cases, every single time, Lantos had to clean up somehow efficiently, because there was a rumor that the unfriendly rats were fond of setting up shop in several blocks of flats.

"Are people really that undemanding and stupid?" - he asked rather to himself as he went down the canary-cage-shaped elevator, which was beginning to rust, to throw his garbage into the bins with shuffling, tiny steps.

Of course, if he exceptionally took the time to appear at the residents' meeting on the first Wednesday of every month, he couldn't help but listen to how much most residents grumbled and grumbled to voice their sarcastic opinions on, say, the garbage issue.

“They're just talking about it again instead of someone ordering another damn container and then we don't have to be up to our elbows in garbage. Trampled almost everything."

"I think we should order a new container!" - he raised just when the residents and the new tenants started fighting each other, and real war conditions began to take shape between the individual people.

"Then you speak easily!" You have a pension! So why don't you pay for it yourself?! - several people asked Lantos, although the retired cinema operator gladly offered to pay for the container so that his garbage could not cause further environmental damage.

During the entire residents' assembly, the young, inexperienced, university graduate, former political science student who was elected as a joint representative was busy, since conflict management was not part of his original field of expertise anyway. After everyone unanimously and silently supported it, Lantos reluctantly agreed that the common representative would order the garbage container at his own expense, and Lantos would pay for it as well as the military officer.

But then, in the everyday life of an apartment building, many problems and problems can arise, for which - at least - it is certainly not possible to prepare ahead of time. Such was the case, among other things, when the amniotic fluid of a barely twenty-three-year-old expectant mother suddenly leaked, and labor began rather suddenly than expected.

"Well then, sweetie!" If the pains come, let me press them, but as if your life depends on it! Forget the unnecessary whining and hysteria! No need for it! �" his serious, experienced, experienced, wise voice almost unexpectedly put the mother-to-be in a hypnotic state, who had recently insulted everyone fiercely and treated her arrogantly, but the old man's voice seemed to have a calming and relaxing effect on her.

There was nothing wrong. By the time the paramedics arrived, the happy and satisfied expectant mother could be the happy mother of an iron-kneading baby.

Lantos was always disappointed and resentful when a modern woman thoughtlessly entered into a relationship or, as the case may be, a child. Although the truth also included the fact that he was not a model father either. He lost his wife to lymph gland cancer, while his daughter practically ran away from her parents' home at the age of eighteen. Later, she only came forward when her son was born, of whom she sent a single photo to his father, but they did not get in touch.

And now here he was, at the age of sixty-one, completely at the mercy of something, which was mostly characterized by exhaustion, the blurring of days, temporary mood swings between hopelessness and depression, which he was able to masterfully hide in the eyes of the outside world, but at the moment they burst onto the surface with massive roots, as soon as he was left alone for good in the small forty-four square meter in his apartment.

Although his close friends always tried to visit something, they couldn't foresee it either. Lantos had been seriously ill for some time, and what he knew for sure was that he did not want to go to the hospital permanently under any circumstances, since that would have been clear from the anteroom of death. However, the news of his mysterious and strange death deeply disturbed all the residents and all the people close to him. Several farewell letters were found on his desk together with a handwritten will in which he bequeaths his books to a library and his precious manuscripts to a cultural foundation. The last mysterious letter had only one name on it. No one could know for sure that the confidential letter was addressed to his wife, girlfriend, or which female acquaintance. The minute the caretaker opened his apartment, the much-coveted garbage container arrived with the thief's key.