Elena Speranskaya

Imprint of Heart

Illumination with love

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© Elena Speranskaya, 2018

A detective story tells about a successful career for a woman who can overcome difficulties in life. The author delves into the psychology of love relationships and experiences of her friend through poetic insight. The mechanisms of disorientation are launched due to the criminal activities of individual elements, which are successfully investigated by the city police, where the main heroine lives and works.

ISBN 978-5-4490-9492-6

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Contents

1. Imprint of Heart
2. Prologue
3. 1. August. Memories
4. 2. New Meetings
5. 3. Alexey
6. 4. Visible Windows
7. 5. Acquaintance with Plant
8. 6. Father
9. 7. Happy Hours Are Not Watching
10. 8. Party
11. 9. Business Trip to Moscow
12. 10. Arrival
13. 11. Heart-to-Heart Talk
14. 12. Prize
15. 13. Proposal
16. 14. Wedding
17. 15. Honeymoon
18. 16. Brother
19. 17. Vacation
20. 18. Break with Alexey
21. 19. Freedom
22. 20. It’s Nice Where We Do Not Exist
23. 21. Successful Career
24. Epilogue
25. Illumination with Love
    1. In the Sands of Karakum
    2. Red Wings

This book is dedicated to Ivan, Mary and their son Semen.

“… on days when you do not fight for peace, you are helping the war.”

N. Grieg

I am the man who looked for peace and found

My own eyes barbed.

I am the man who groped for words and found

An arrow in my hand.

I am the builder whose firm walls surround

A slipping land.

When I grow sick or mad

Mock me not nor chain me:

When I reach for the wind

Cast me not down:

Though my face is a burnt book

And a wasted town.

“War poet”, Sidney Keyes

(1922 — 1943)

Prologue

The monotonous sound of the wheels announced the appearance of a column with the wounded and killed. The paratrooper rose on his elbows and fell. He was found when all the marines were loaded into covered cars and sent to a hospital in the territory adjacent to Iran. Two Red Cross nurses from the French Legion — one of African descent, the other from the Transcaucasian regions, speaking in a mixture of Anglo German dialect — tried to drag the body on stretchers. On the way, they came upon a mine.

The mine of the time of war in Dagestan exploded, leaving three corpses lying on the ground: two young women and a guy, presumably of the same age, that is, reached of the adulthood that arrived to this remote country from the Chechen aul, where he served along with his other comrades from Russia. The three of them were crowned by death. They are nobody and nothing.

The body of the guy, torn to pieces, with turned insides, the paratroopers carefully wrapped in a cape-tent, put in a barely survived, dust-covered armored car of self-propelled gun and drove to the nearest point where all the wounded and killed were together.

They were transferred to the boards that had appeared from near the point, and all the attendants lit cigarettes stuffed with tobacco, causing a gag vomit reflex among the Kurds children standing next to them.

The tall boy, Ramil, dirty appearance stayed at the curb and accidentally pushed his bare-foot a cord — a silver color metal chain with a jetton — a token of appreciation and the number of the paratrooper killed during the explosion. Having rummaged in the dust, he found more scraps of scarves and letters, blood-soaked female nurses. Ramil collected all the contents, except the tattered fabric, including a token, and, hanging it himself on his neck, fled into the village. His family ate up the remains of dinner, consisting of dried bread and drinking water from mugs.

“When we solved the Afghan question, we forgot to put an end to this area,” recalled the major, the battalion commander in the fight against terrorism, barely remembering the Russian words. His age did not tell anyone anything. He tensed and spit out the remnants of a viscous makhorka stuck in his yellow teeth. “May he rest in peace.”

Getting accustomed, everyone recognized in this short man a helicopter pilot of landing troops, a pensioner and a professional warrior. All those killed on the same day were taken to the port, where they loaded it on a submarine with the letter “K” at first and taken to an open ocean. The submarine met the cargo with the least losses for itself, having arranged final send-offs to the heroes.

The whole structure of the unit lined up on deck. Wreaths of foreign countries, twined with black, mourning ribbons, swam through the dark water, changing greatness and morality in everyday life and habit. Moving bodies to the sound of music blurred throughout the space. Who will find their corpses in a faraway country, where they did not come of their own free will? Seagulls, usually sitting on the handrails of the upper and the only deck, met these victims with a preference never to fly away from here, favorably having got in touch with the boat until the end of the voyage and demanding more and more new gifts from the attendants on duty in the galley. Their guttural cries lost their power and slowed down with the advent of aircraft, in which the combat power was several times greater than a nuclear-powered submarine.

The fatigue of the living sailors made it clear to the commanders of the divisions that the only way to follow the voice of reason is to swim in an endless voyage along the road of revenge and insanity. All the rest is a foolhardy carnival of shadows, costumes, faces.

Night views perished in the day’s hustle and bustle. Shredded in small handwriting, the sheets were strewn all over the bottom of the submarine, when three representatives of the commander-in-chief, one of them a doctor, full, in a white coat, checked the condition of the cabin.

“It is required to clean the room before mooring,” concluded, on the right holding, the captain of the second rank.

They went back to the cabin and began to straighten their things to land on the beach in the morning.

1. August. Memories

Warm August days were standing. Hot summer to everyone’s pleasure came to an end. Everyone was waiting for the autumn. The season of holidays was more than ever stifling and dry. Even the most ardent opponents of sunburn have visited the beach and at least once bathed in the Volga. The winners were those who had vacation for any other time of the year. To escape from the heat they could only be in the walls of institutions where air conditioners are installed or on the banks of a cool river. The shadow inspired the idea that winter is an invention of evil people who have never experienced the “charms” of summer heat.

Examinations in higher education institutions were handed over and new-born freshmen were attached to student life at the construction site, in dormitories and subsidiary farms as trainees.

Those who did not enter the university were also not saved from the heat, but it was easier for them — all the year it was possible to prepare for the next entrance exams. The specialists who left from the city to their destinations no longer had a black envy for those who were fortunate enough to stay on the distribution, at least they were avenged.

For Lucy Uvarova summer flew faster than ever before: State exams, a trip to the Crimea, and then to Moscow. By the time she practically did not prepare. Everything that had been done in the last year was repeated. They did not pass new themes; only in practice they used the received knowledge. Therefore, the time for self-training was enough, and to go to the beach, and have fun in the cinema, after watching a blockbuster — action-packed movie with the participation of Bred Pete or Steven Seagal.

To the cinema, Lucy loved to go alone, so as not to spoil the impression of the movie because she had her own, special approach. With many actors of Russian and foreign pictures she was familiar in absentia and was with them on “you”.

Lucy, like all the girls, when she was at school, dreamed of becoming an actress, so that her photos would be displayed in all the windows of newsstands. But she perfectly understood the minuses of her face, and she could not really reincarnate. Her appearance did not meet the standards of female beauty. Everything spoiled, in her opinion, a rather long and unsympathetically extended nose, like an owl. Lucy’s eyes were light green, the mermaid’s, her hair was chestnut, thick, shoulder-length. With them she had to constantly fight. A female braid from hair has long out of fashion, so after graduation, the first independent step was going to the hairdresser and to do a haircut in the fashionable style of “square”. She took the braids with her, as a reminder of her school years.

One day, Lucy read in the medical journal that in Moscow at the Beauty House plastic facial operations are being done, and the next step was to fix the nose.

Money she accumulated for a trip to Moscow, where she intended to buy something fashionable and make a plastic operation of the nose. All the plans were fulfilled exactly.

Operation was successfully completed. Now her profile, corresponding to the world standards, could easily be placed on the pages of a fashion magazine.

Studying at the university attracted Lucy. She was well aware that mathematics was much more important for her than theatrical farce or philology. In mathematical precision, she found her romance. It gave her a pleasure to make discoveries for herself in geometry, astrophysics, and mathematics. … Einstein, Curie, Landau… She wanted to learn about these scientists as much as possible. How did they live, who surrounded them, were they happy, whether they loved or not? She found answers to these questions in fiction about their lives. But this seemed to her little, often stayed late in the scientific library of the university. Classes took a lot of energy and time.

But there was no regret, as the wide perspective and research work abroad opened in one of the successful and prosperous scientific laboratories of Belgium, Germany, Canada, the USA, Japan or France.

2. New Meetings

Two years of study passed unnoticed. But after the first course there were complications. Lucy was sick. The sudden death of a blind mother was unsettled. The whole household was on her. It was necessary to cook, to wash, and to clean the apartment. To do this, it took time, but it was almost not there.

Lucy and during her mother’s life helped her, but she did not suspect that everything would not be so easy when the native person died. The blind father was a weak support and continued to teach Braille in a school for blind children.

Her nerves shook, she began to smoke and because of this often hurt. She had to skip classes. It so happened that they did not allow Lucy to pass the winter session, and they offered to take an academic leave at the dean’s office, otherwise she would be expelled on poor grades. Academic leave was issued without unnecessary ceremony. It was necessary to work a year, not forgetting about studying, to read that did not have time. Uvarova went to work to the post as the postal operator. There was no special preparation, although she had to learn the speed. The work was replaceable. Sometimes, about once a week, she had to go out into the night.

At the post Lucy was not tired; she even liked to be a conductor of thoughts and feelings. When she picked up a bunch of letters, it seemed that she was holding all of Russia in her hands. Joys, sorrows, grieves, victories, failures — all these fit on ordinary sheets of paper, despite the fact that the Internet has conquered the whole world, the letters did not decrease.

There was more work for the holidays, so they did not indulge in the days off, but the vacations were paid doubly, and the money to Lucy was very useful. She wanted to dress nicely, buy model shoes, and generally look no worse than others. The collective was purely female, even the chief of the shop was a woman, however, several men of retirement age worked at the delivery.

Lucy befriended one girl. Her new girlfriend was Marina. She came to the city from an area where she had elderly parents. She lived here with her aunt. Aunt helped Marina get a job and wanted her to go to college, because she said “now you can not break through with school education”. But Marina did not think about any studies, she met Alik, and devoted all her free time to him. Alik was an Azerbaijani and, apparently, was going to marry. Lucy knew all the details of their relationship, up to what he was wearing, and how much each of his things cost.

Lucy also wanted to get acquainted with some nice male representative, but to ask Marina about this Lucy was shy, and there was practically no time for walks. She did not want to leave the university before the time, especially since Marina was younger than Lucy, and Lucy was too proud to drop herself in the eyes of a friend younger than herself for two years. Therefore, Lucy kept mum, and when the conversation came about her personal life, she tried to translate into another topic, which she successfully managed.

Soon Lucy got acquainted with Natasha and Larissa. Communicate with them was interesting. Natasha was older than all of them. She was twenty-five years old, serious, but her appearance caused a smile: small and very plump, like a donut. She traveled twice to the Czech Republic and told many interesting things about her trips, about the sights of the Czech Republic, about the castles, the palaces of Emperor Charles IV, the church of St. Vitas, the picture gallery of the Prague Castle.

She came to the post office by accident; she was a photographer by profession. But for some unknown reasons she left the photo studio, where she worked before. Larissa was her constant companion. They were fond of movies and often went to the cinema together. They were interested team wise. Familiar guys they probably did not have. Larissa was younger than her friend and prettier. Soon Lucy got acquainted with another woman, who was called Katya. During the break, she smoked cheap Magna cigarettes and boasted that she was buying a cigarette from her daughter Natasha, who worked with them. During the work Lucy met almost all the team. There were employees who worked at the post office for ten, or even fifteen years. To them, the chief of the workshop, Aleksandra Petrovna, treated with special respect.

The year passed by unnoticed. She worked on shifts, studying, reading fiction and wanted to learn, see, and do as much as possible. Walking in the air was minimized, so if the second shift ended a little earlier, she was walking home. At work, too, often walked on foot, so as not to deprive her of the pleasure of breathing fresh air. Lucy dressed modestly.

Once while she was working at the post office there was a strange case. The operator Natasha, who received communal payments, did not come out on her shift. They forgot about her forever, but along with her, a large sum of money disappeared from the cash register. On that ill-fated day, strangely enough, the encashment was delayed. All the day’s earnings, left on the table in a gray-green tarpaulin, disappeared completely together with the package when Larissa went out to meet the detachment of guards with automatic weapons, which was called in order to clean up the premises for visitors.

Nobody wanted to go out, and everyone was indignant that the working day set by the administration was too short. Natasha calmed down the customers and made order with her eyes on the routine. Once she came out when Larissa asked that the neighboring car repair shop not “stare” at the windows. The scandal dragged on. Encashment left with nothing, Natasha wrote an explanatory note and went home in a terribly bad mood. The next day she did not appear at all at work. All suspicions of missing money fell on her.

The investigation interrogated all employees, except for Natasha, who simply blatantly robbed this post. The case was conducted by a woman in a Renault-Megane car from the criminality’s department, which was embedded in their team as an operator, so that all employees were happy to put over her all responsibility for the mail. It turned out that the private detective and investigator in one person — Tatiana Ivanova — took the side of the missing Natasha.

When the next day after the disappearance of three hundred thousand rubles Ivanova began to search all the safes, she accidentally found an empty bag of collectors in the dust under the safe, and near, wrapped in an old newspaper, the missing amount. Larissa and Lucy were assigned to recalculate the money. The whole operation took away an hour or so from them. Then Tanya called the administration and happily reported:

“The case of the loss of encashment can be closed. Some dwarf threw it. Do you have such specialists in the database?”

At the other end, someone was looking for something for a long time, and finally the detective loudly proclaimed: “I’ll come, we’ll play solitaire.”

In her report to the authorities there was one miscalculation, she did not take into account neighboring private enterprises, and justified her evidence solely on the speculation of postmen and operators.

Lucy’s jaw squeaked with tension when she heard the whole story, because she knew all the details of the case. Alexandra Petrovna alternated her disagreement with obscene language, but continued to work and even delivered a bottle of Bosco Italian champagne with a peach taste to settle relations with postmen and Lucy, who simply had a desperate situation. The investigation in search of the vanished Natasha has reached a dead end.

She disappeared suddenly. No one was hoping that she would appear. Several times they were called from the police and even the prosecutor’s office for a month, but the girl seemed to have dissolved. They were told that it turned out that she was married to a university lecturer — the son of a professor. Her husband had an older brother, a Ph. D. student. Lucy remembered that she had heard about this family of physicists, where they all devoted themselves to science. Soon they with Larissa visited a low house without a garden and a courtyard where the newlyweds lived. Acquainted with the youngest of the Skripals, who was very friendly, he invited the girls to the table.

“No, no,” Lucy hurried, and Larissa added modestly: “Natasha loved children very much; maybe she went to work in a nursery or a kindergarten?”

“Who told you about this?” answered Eugene, smiling sweetly. “She had health problems. I sent her to be treated abroad, to Germany, where the Russian tsars were vacationing, to Baden-Baden, and she would be back soon. Then she will go to work. Imagine having paid for this pleasure a thousand dollars plus road and various documents. It turned out almost one and a half bucks.

“Where did you get that kind of money?” Larissa said imperiously, crouching on the edge of the stool at the front door.

They did not meet a more miserable home in life. A cobwebbed ceiling, gray walls, a dirty veil on an old sofa. On the table, eaten by a scrub, there were cans of canned food and bread crumbs. In the corner was a stove used to store things. In the passage between the room and the hallway there was a gas cooker for two hot plates, where there was an empty pan.

“The millionaire was killed,” the host replied glumly. “Try it yourself. I do not have anything to pay for the house and electricity. My parents have died long ago; she and I have no other relatives.”

“Did your father teach at Physics department of the University? I met such a name in the list of teachers,” Lucy became interested in surprise. “He read us lectures on physics at the first course.”

“No, this is a mistake. It is either a namesake, or a distant relative. I have no one and the point.”

Lucy did not like his familiar tone at once, and a scrawny smile resembling a wolfish grin.

The girls went off upset that they did not know the details of the life of their employee. Most likely, she cohabited with this Zheka, as he presented himself to his wife’s friends. Neither the one nor the other from Natasha heard of any husband. So, the boyfriend has appeared recently and at once has entered the rights of the husband and the lover simultaneously.

Soon the police stopped the inquiry. And one day Larissa accidentally informed Lucy that she had met with Skripal, and they were about to sign marriage contract.

“How is Natasha?” Lucy was surprised, worrying when they came back after the shift.

“And she stayed there, in this state forever,” Lara explained. “They have the opportunity to get a job as migrants. And we have already arranged our accommodation and will register soon.”

“Fast!” Lucya rejoiced. “Will not it be disgusting for you to live with this scumbag?”

“Why? He promised me a local residence permit and treated me to wine. It is difficult to imagine that such a person will be my husband.”

“What a man he is. A real beast! And the house is about to collapse.”

“Are you envious of my happiness?”

Larissa laughed and shook the snow off the collar of her sheepskin coat.

“Do whatever you want!”

They broke up. A few days later, Larissa called and told them that their house was on fire, and all her husband’s documents and belongings were burnt. She will spend the night with relatives in the hostel.

Suddenly, Zheka appeared on the post with his girlfriend, and they stayed overnight, where there were no surveillance cameras, that is, in the office of the postmaster, where Larissa had an access, since she managed to become a deputy in a short time.

Tears will not help for sorrow. Everyone sympathized with the young people. The house was going to restore and allocated from the trade union committee money for repairs, like fire victims.

Larissa began an affair with Zheka. They bought a second-hand foreign car, somehow repaired the house for money, allocated by the team. All employees — operators and postmen — accurately handed over two thousand, which amounted to thirty thousand rubles. Zheka did not work and lived well at the expense of the concubine: he got drunk and threatened with reprisal “to all the neighbors who planned to come to visit them.” This story was presented by Lara when investigators came to her home.

On her return from the academic vacation, Lucy got into another social environment.

She became friends with her former fellow students, so she did not feel comfortable in the new group. They seemed like children to her. After a year of work, Lucy understood much, became more serious. Life no longer seemed so cheerful and bright as it was before.

It was not very difficult to pass the “tails” exams over. The girl did a lot and worked hard throughout the year. At the last courses the studies went smoothly. Lucy spent all her scholarship on herself.

Her father bought food, and she cooked. Lucy was able to cook quickly and deliciously. She liked occasionally to pamper her father with some delicacy. He was not cranky and ate everything that Lucy had given him.

After the third year, the study went much easier, since the main foundation of knowledge was already laid. Lucy knew almost all teachers; she was used to the requirements.

The group, with whom Uvarova studied after the forced leave, consisted of ten girls and six boys.

Gradually, she was recognized as “their own mutual like-minded girlfriend” and she was elected the monitor. Discos were rare, it was very difficult to get there, but, as an elder, she could at any time get a ticket.

Several times she and her group mates visited the café “Student”, where dancing took place. She liked the music of modern, fashionable authors, rhythm, and tempo.

It was good to be shaken, distracted from all problems to the sound of the guitar. Many songs pleased Lucy with their melodiousness. But a frequent visit to the disco was tiresome.

Sometimes she visited the café as necessary, as the head of the stream, but this did not happen constantly. The more often she attended discos, the less she wanted to get there again.

In the fifth year, many of the girlfriends got married. Lucy could not yet decide on someone specific. Familiar young men were enough, but she had not wanted to bind herself by bond of marriage yet and so she frequently refused to meet.

One tall, dark-haired guy with blue eyes and a dark mustache — Yuri Preobrazhensky — stayed in Lucy’s memory for a long time, perhaps she remembered him always, even when she did not want to think about him.

They met by chance at a friend’s party on the occasion of May Day. Yuri was a surgeon and taught at the Medical University. He liked all of Lucy’s friends right away, was very modest, always inventing poems, tricks and it was fun with him.

It seemed that in his spare time he only did that he was preparing for admission to the circus school. Although, with all this, he worked well and managed to take the session without the triples. They did not meet often, but enough to get used to each other.

Yuri often invited Lucy to concerts, to the cinema; he was very attentive and helpful. Their meetings continued throughout the year. In the spring he stopped calling Lucy, and it seemed strange to her. From friends, she found out that he had some other sympathy — a brunette older than he for a year.

Lucy severely experienced the gap and, by her youth, decided to fall in love with no one, or at least not to get used to it, since she considered studying and future work to be her main task, and lost all interest in her private life. She represented her future career in black paints.

She often said to herself: “In any case, happiness is not in love, but in work,” and recalled how mom, the teacher of literature and the Russian language at the school of the blind, quoted Schiller: “…Enlightened mind ennobles moral feelings: the head must educate the heart.”

Lucy’s parents were blind. They lost sight during the war, were brought up in a boarding school, and there they met. Together they entered the university, helped each other at school, graduated from high school, got married. Lucy was the second child in the family. Her brother Vladimir was seven years older. With him, Lucy had a good relationship, since Vladimir grew up independent and purposeful. He graduated from the geological department of the university, married a girl named Lucy, too; they had a son. Vladimir decently earned and, as soon as he married, went to his wife. Soon Vladimir received an apartment. His life was arranged as best as possible.

3. Alexey

After the completion of the State Examinations, a banquet was held in the restaurant, in a low circular room with sparkling walls. Glittering parquet. Glittering chandeliers. Glittering white tablecloth. Sparkling glasses.

The whole day was unusual and full of adventure. So it stayed until the end… They will have dinner in a restaurant. In the restaurant! This one word caressed an ear. It was much more pleasant Lucy to think about the restaurant than to recall the worries experienced and realize that now the former students already graduated soon will part and perhaps forever.

At the table, everyone was quiet and felt at first uncomfortable. But the girls were given absolutely new, specially tailored dresses and shoes that had never been worn before. The guys did not lag behind the girls. Smart, festive suits and shirts were very much corresponded towards their young and happy faces. Lucy was a bit scary… The atmosphere was solemn, as if in a temple!

People were not enough in the beginning. Their table stood at all in sight, as on the stage, in the very center of the hall. Performed dignity waiters carried dishes and put drinks. At the beginning they brought ragout, and then served a meat assortment. On the table there were already sandwiches with black caviar and balyk — smoked fish, spring salads with fresh vegetables. Among the fruits there were grapefruits and apples. Separately there were served fried pieces of rabbit and chicken in oil. At the dessert — coffee with ice cream and candy.

Everybody were satisfied with assortment, this was the merit of Lucy, as she had previously agreed on the arrangement of the banquet, so she worried more than others. But when everything went off as smoothly as possible, Lucy sighed with relief. Now everything would be okay if she knew how to behave, where to put her hands: to keep on her knees or lean on the edge of the table? Lucy was in the restaurant for the first time, so everything was new and unusual for her. Yuri never invited to a restaurant, and in general, Lucy was negative about alcohol, preferring only dry wines, which was not enough on the table: only six bottles of dry and two bottles of champagne. “Boys” ordered separately cognac for themselves.

Several hours flew by unnoticed, as if someone had specially accelerated time. Dusk fell outside the windows. Lucy looked around the room. All the tables were occupied. On the stage musicians appeared, the hall came to life, the light of the chandeliers became less bright, multicolored lights jumped on the walls. Everyone cheered up. Stiffness disappeared somewhere, life seemed simple and carefree, as if there was only happiness ahead of all, and grieves and sorrows are the destiny of other people.

Lucy danced almost all the dances, except those when she simply physically tired and could not get up from the chair; in this case she had to refuse.

At one point, she thought that she saw Yuri when he appeared in the foyer of the restaurant with a girl. Apparently, they wanted to get into the hall, but they came too late. There were no more places. He also saw her, recognized and became doubly annoyed. She did not look the same as he used to see her, but surrounded by cute guys whose presence Lucy was not indifferent… She just sparkled with beauty and youth in a dark-maroon, tight-fitting figure, a dress with a white collar of lace, in white sandals. In the ears of Lucy were gold earrings with rubies gleamed. On the head there was a high hairstyle, done in advance at the hairdresser.

Yuri immediately wanted to continue acquaintance with her, and he seemed to be ready to leave his companion, which was a burden to him, but it was too late. Lucy did not even pay attention to him.

That night she was in shock, she laughed incessantly, talked a lot. She was very dizzy from the champagne, and she seemed to have forgotten all the hard things she had experienced: both her mother’s death and illness, and a forced break in her studies, and a break up with Yuri. She believed in tomorrow, in her future interesting work at the plant, where she received direction, in love, in happiness. That was great! Be able to overcome all adversity and come out victorious in a fight with life. This evening, she seemed to have realized and experienced all over again, so as not to repeat, perhaps, the mistakes made to her, but to go always with her head held high.

At the height of the evening, a young man of pleasant appearance approached her, about twenty-seven years old, fair-haired, in a fashionable suit. He immediately liked Lucy. They met. The guy was called Alexey Izmailov. He worked at the plant as a programmer. About himself Alexey said that he graduated from college, left the army, and then returned to the plant.

As it turned out, Alexey worked at the plant where Lucya received the direction for the distribution of vacant seats. This fact was very pleased a girl. Now it was not so terrible to appear in the new factory team, at least one familiar person. All subsequent dances Alexey did not depart from her, accompanied Lucy home in a taxi. On the road, he told her a lot about the plant. He found himself in a restaurant on the occasion of his friend’s birthday. Lucy felt that Alex liked her, but she did not want to stay ahead of the event, as she was afraid, he would not want to meet her if he realized that his presence was also not uninteresting to her.

The evening was warm. After the heat of the day and the stuffiness of the restaurant it was pleasant to walk from the taxi to the house. Lucy realized that he was very fond of his country when he served in the army.

“Why do not you want to continue studying at the Technical University?” Lucy asked insolently when they stopped near the entrance.

“This is not the time,” Alexey said shortly and hesitated a little.

Lucy did not ask why “not time” and when there will be time, as she feared that the friend was offended. They parted friends and agreed to meet on Saturday and go for a walk.

Rising to her room on the fourth floor, Lucy immediately laid down her bed and lay down. Her father was already asleep. It was about midnight. Usually, returning from somewhere late, Lucy found her father waiting for her, but today he knew that his daughter had the final banquet and was calm. He completely trusted her. Lucy was a good daughter. She often shared her interests with her father, talked about her troubles and worries. Father morally could always support Lucy and calm her. She often read aloud or together they listened to a tape recorder with recordings of radio shows and performances.

Lucy could not sleep for a long time, because she was very excited: the banquet, the appearance of Yuri, unexpected success, a new pleasant acquaintance with the man who immediately liked her. All this together for a long time swirled in the girl’s head and a loving heart pounded in rhythm.

In the morning she did not want to get out of bed. Yes, in general, she could relax a little, because there was a lot of work to be done, and it was necessary to approach it with all thoroughness. Lucy had a two-month vacation after taking the exams. During August she had to start work. A good rest is necessary for a full-blooded work with the greatest impact. She wanted to stay a week in the city, and then go to the Crimea and from there to Moscow. But she did not want to go to the Crimea alone, therefore agreed in advance with my two friends — students of the medical institute — Olga and Irene, who studied in the same group, about the trip. They bought tickets beforehand, so could calmly gather and prepare for their departure. All three lived next door and often met with each other.

Accidentally, Lucy ran into Alex twice. Once they went to the movies, and the second — just so walked along the street. He was not talkative on the last date. They met at the corner, near the trolleybus stop. There were many people. To be noticeable, Alex walked away a little to the side. And now, finally!

Lucy walked, holding a small bonnet from the wind. She wore a light blue dress and small, white, pearly beads around her neck, a handbag in her hands, and white sandals on her legs. Alex was frightened. Every time Lucy liked him more and more. He wanted to rush to meet her, but he pulled himself together in time and decided not to do it. She ran and slyly said:

“Hello, I seem to be a little late.”

“No, that’s right. I just came up,” Alex answered, and even more embarrassed, hugged Lucy around the waist. “You look great!”

It seemed to him that he had done something wrong and, perhaps, she had joked at him. Alex wanted to see himself from this moment. Suddenly he realized his mistake, he had to buy flowers. “This mistake can be corrected,” thought Alex and boldly said:

“You know, we’ll walk to the square.”

“With pleasure,” answered Lucy and took his arm.

There was a flower market on the market square, where Alex planned to buy flowers. In the street there was a crowd. At 6:00 p.m. everyone was in a hurry from work. Alex took out a pack of cigarettes and smoked eagerly.

“What to talk about? Even there is no one to consult with. And why, in the end, not to tell Lucy one of the books read recently?” Alexey reflected. He was fond of military memoirs and detectives.

“Lucy, do you like detective stories?” Alex asked as politely as possible.

“Yes, I do. I have read the whole Conan Doyle. I even have his complete works.”

Alex realized that according to the detectives, Lucy was more educated, than he and it was pleased, that they had the same tastes.

The road to the square seemed to Alex very long, but there was a lady alongside and this fact brightened up today. He came on a date right from work and felt a little tired. When the light breeze blew in his direction, he sensed that Lucy was emitting a fragrance of good perfume. “Maybe even French ones,” Alex decided.

At the entrance to the market, next to the kiosk “Seeds” was a bright blonde with vases filled with armfuls of peonies. Alex chose five barely begun to blossom white and pink buds. Luce really liked the bouquet, and she looked at the guy with tenderness, feeling that he was the person with whom he could share his sorrows and cares.

He also longed to meet a good, smart, pretty girl. Following the voice of reason, he realized that Lucy was the only one about whom he secretly dreamed.

“Let’s go to the cafe,” Alex decided. “We’ll have a snack and have a drink of juice. I am immediately after work and did not have time to go home to eat. I will pay.”

Offer to drink beer Alex was afraid that Lucy would consider him an avid alcoholic.

“May be it not worth?”

“What nonsense! If you do not want to eat, I’ll order ice cream. Do not you like Popsicle? Especially it is such a heat.”

Alex was right; it was tedious and uninteresting to walk around the streets for a long time. So, the proposal was almost adopted, as by silence he realized that Lucy was ready to agree.

“All right,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “Come on!”

They went to the cafe “Arabella”. A small, extremely clean room was located on one of the busy streets.

“Of course, it would be better to go to a restaurant,” he said.

In his pocket he had only five hundred rubles, and going to a restaurant with this amount was just silly. Lucy knew “Arabella” for a long time and repeatedly visited with her friends. There it was possible cheaply and satisfyingly to eat, sit, talk, listen to music, throwing a coin in the jukebox.

Lovers of strong, spirits were not interested here, as the menu was full of only dry wines and juices. They came here to pass the time. As a rule, this ordinary cafe visited the same people. It was a sort of private youth club.

“It’s good that we came here,” Lucy said, crossing the threshold of the establishment. “Perhaps later, Olga and Irene will appear here, and I will introduce you to them.”

“Do you like it here?” he asked, looking around the room.

“Yes, I do, because I often visited my friends here,” answered Lucy, as she understood that they had chosen the right place to spend time.

“How many respectable personalities,” he continued.

The couple passed between the tables and took a place close to the window. They were served quickly. Alex ordered an entrecote, a salad of tomatoes, Lucy — two bottles of beer. Conversation again went about work.

“Over the past year, I made two business projects. One of them was introduced into production, and with the second there was a delay. The production manager believed that it was necessary to wait, to check all the pros and cons of the new method and only then to put his ‘agree’, ” he talked about his complicated relationship with the production manager.

Alex, in his youth, was impatient to see the fruits of his labor in the business as soon as possible. In Lucy, as in a young specialist, he saw his supporter.

“You know, Lucy, it’s great that we met. I really want you to enjoy our production. We have our own hostel on the banks of the Volga. We can get tickets there, if you want, we’ll go to the next Saturday for two days.”

“No, I’m traveling with friends to the Crimea,” she stressed her independence.

“Very sorry. We’d have a nice weekend there. You can get there on the river boat.”

“Will you wait for my return?” she smiled coquettishly. “I will go to the plant, will go in the camp site as a full member of the team.”

“Come back soon. I’ll miss you, patiently waiting for your return. Write my address and call, I’ll meet.”

Lucy liked the nice guy’s care. She felt like a child next to him. Well, if he wanted so much, she did not mind. However, Lucy has become unaccustomed to any excessive guardianship.

They did not stay in the cafe for long. At nine, Lucy hurried home, citing a headache. He did not want to leave. The music evoked pleasant memories, but she insisted, and they left. At parting, they agreed that Alex would come at the day of departure.

For a week she got ready for the journey, prepared everything she needed, did not even forget to put a notebook in her suitcase with the verses of her friend called “Illumination with Love”. She gave her to read and evaluate when they were resting with Yuri in one company at the cottage. The girlfriend studied at the Faculty of Philology and by lucky coincidence with Lucy in views.

They exchanged telephone numbers, found many common acquaintances and topics for conversation, but they saw each other rarely. Lucy often re-read one poem and again began reciting herself, remembering her former friend, marveling at the name:

Wanderer

Like white clouds,

A wanderer swims along the wave’s bounds.

He forgot peace and sleep.

An eternal wanderer in life he is steep.

Years pass, but again

The harsh truth does not in vain.

He had been forgotten and thrown by all.

Let the violins echo drawl.

The singer is cruel, cold and wavy.

But his bright face is forgotten.

The crown of thorns was heavy.

Forever he will be doting.

Anxiety, doubt, sadness trotted

And passed for him without a trace.

He is only an observer from the distance.

With longing was betrothed.

Fight, prove, and argue as a bull,

To victory go to the end and what’s?

Why should a wanderer be ruled?

Will prompt other hearts.

From now on, the fatigues mute

Will fill out a notebook with words as lute.

Forgotten other people’s suffering.

He has not any speech metaphoring.

Twice on weekdays Lucy went to the beach, where there were few people. There she, leafing through the pages of her diary, read poetry. Of course, it would be better to go to the beach with Alex, but he was at work. The week flew by unnoticed. The day of departure came.

With her friends she met at the entrance, took a taxi. The flight was morning. Alex promised to take time off work, Lucy called him beforehand. His voice was too confident in the phone, she thought that Alex was not at all the kind of person with whom she would be happy, but then she threw away such tricky thoughts and decided that she was too worried on the eve of her departure.

Alex was waiting at the airport with a bouquet of lilies. Olga and Irene were escorted by Olga’s brother — a student of the university, who came especially to Saratov to visit his parents. Five of them went into the buffet, bought champagne and drank in honor of leaving “for a smooth path.” Alex raised his glass and said:

“Look, Lucy, do not flirt much,” he sighed, “and you girls, watch my bride return home safe and sound.”

The girls laughed, and Lucy was offended by such rude patronage, but she did not say anything.

* * *

Gurzuf. Wild beach. The people are few. Here and there groups of tourists are visible. Lucy, Irena and Olga are already bored. They lived only ten days, and from the monotony it seemed that the whole summer was devoted to sunburn. The sea was turbid, slightly stormy. It was decided to return home in two days. The day before departure, Irena met a handsome guy Igor in the form of a paratrooper from Lvov. He escorted the girls to the airport on his black Ford sedan. Lucy flew to Moscow on the same day, but four hours later.

They left the terminal and returned to his house, where he worked as a rescuer. Crimea attracted by the variety of colors and flowers, the riot of plants and fruits.

In the house there were sports equipment, but in general everything was beautiful and cozy. Lucy was taken aback by the excitement. Igor hugged the girl by the shoulders, trying to calm, and they began to look for an inflatable mattress, so she swam before leaving. He suggested that she had to do a massage and undressed naked.

“I have a great experience,” he said, and showed his tanned stomach and shoulders without too much shame. “Touch me, I do not bite. Also undress. That’s more interesting.”

Lucy took off her shorts, tightly tied on her hips, a pink, glamorous jersey. She remained in a swimsuit, which immediately appeared on the floor, drawing white spaces on the body. She lay on my stomach right on the carpet. He switched on the receiver and began massaging her neck, back and legs to the beat with the music.

“Do not hurt, say if you feel something unpleasant,” Igor said, touching the body of the girl with strong hands. “Do you like?”

Lucy hugged the rescuer, and they lay down on the inflatable mattress and made love. Igor turned the girl on her back, admiring the beauty, and she pressed herself warmly to him, hugging him by the shoulders. Their sudden coition continued.

“Your friends are just as proud,” Igor said when they were already calmly going to swim. “My job is to teach you how to swim.”

The love story ended literally when she boarded the plane. Many-voiced and multicolored Moscow met Lucy hospitably and happily. Lucy took a taxi and asked to bring to the hotel near the exhibition, hoping to stay three days in the capital. The hotel administrator — a pretty dyed brunette — smiled and said:

“There is one luxury room in a double room for hundred dollars a day.”

She did not have to choose, and Lucy paid ahead in three days. She went up to the third floor, opened the door of the hotel room and looked around. From a small but spacious hallway with a refrigerator and wardrobe, the door led to the bedroom, living room and bathroom.

In the bedroom there was a bed, two bedside tables, an armchair and a chair. The room could be called “blue”, as the wallpaper, the bedspread on the beds, the upholstery of the furniture and the curtains on the windows were blue. The furniture was modern, low, polished. In the living room there was a high cabinet, a table, a sofa, four chairs, a plasma TV and a telephone. Lucy put things on and, without undressing, lay down on the bed. She wanted to rest after a tiring road.

She seemed to doze off. The feeling of hunger made her wake up. She took a bath with pleasure.

“I’ll put on something especially elegant to look more attractive and cute than ever,” she said aloud.

Once again, having reconsidered her things, Lucy opted for a bright colored blouse with short sleeves-wings and a light, sports skirt; she put on her shoulders a colorful, shortened jacket.

She went to the mirror: a young, elegant woman was looking at her. Lucy combed her hair, slightly tinted her lips with a toned lipstick of Yves Rocher, picked up her purse and thought.

“We have to figure out where to go first. Dine and then… Cover as much as possible, so you need a solid plan,” she reasoned.

For three days Lucy managed to visit many places: the Tretyakov Gallery, the Moscow Art Theater, and the Beauty House at her plastic surgeon; managed to bypass the hypermarkets and department stores, bought some of the things for father and herself.

From Moscow she called Alex twice. At the airport he met, helped carry the suitcases. The taxi was already waiting at the bus stop. Alex admired the works of contemporary artists, the appearance and tan of Lucy.

“Next time, we’ll go together. It’s bad for you to sunbathe a lot, you look like a movie star, and it scares me. I can imagine what was going on in Moscow when you were walking down the street.”

“Stop joking. I was so looking forward to this meeting, hoping to see you more intelligent. We will never find a common language. I realized…”

Lucy did not finish, as the taxi braked sharply. Because of the sudden stop, she lost the thread, what she was talking about, yes it was and to nothing, since he did not listen, but looked out the window.

“You seem to be interested in something more than I do. Then why come to meet me, since we do not understand each other,” she added.

Then he distracted from the examination of his hands and said, hypnotizing the girl:

“Come to me.”

Everything became clear to her, and she decided not to tell her father about the time of her return and agreed to stay with him for a couple of days, but changed her mind.

4. Visible Windows

Father met Lucy as usual with questions: “How did you get there? How did you rest? Where did you go to Moscow? What was the most memorable? How is your health?”

For a long time she retold the screenplay “Like the gods…” with the participation of folk artists, and herself tensely thought: “What has happened? Whence this cold? Alex was right, why did I go to the south? It would have been better if I stayed in the city to avoid conflict.”

Her father took the excitement with which she talked about the performance she saw, fatigue and overwork of her daughter, but, despite this, he asked:

“Lucy, what happened?” It seems to me that you are ill. You do not say something. Maybe you have complications at work? You’re very worried. Before you left, you had not been so nervous.

After these words, she could not stand it and burst into tears: “Here’s how it always is. My father understands me even more than I do myself.”

The next day she felt unwell. She wanted to call Alex, but he did not say if he wanted to hear her.

“Perhaps during my trip to the south he had another girl. No. So it can not go on. You can go crazy with the unknown. It is necessary to find out the relationship. Does he want to continue meeting or decided that I no longer want to see him? Let it be so, but I will say this first…”

This day Alex was loaded to the limit. It all began in the morning. He did not have time to appear in the shop, as a replacement master came up to him and said in a businesslike manner:

“You know what, Alex, two newcomers will come to our workshop today and we’ll have to debug the machine tools with programmed control. Actually, I already have watched them. They’re fine, but without you I can not let the guys go to work. You, Alex, have ‘golden hands’, ” she patted him on the shoulder. “Check the machines, please. Do not forget safety. In a word, do everything as expected. Young people need to be taught!”

“Young people need to be taught,” the last words of the master sounded in Alex’s mind.

He sat down at the computer. He had to check every machine in all working positions.

While he was working, the cell phone flashed Lucy’s number several times, but he was busy and did not answer. When released, he dialed the number himself, but no one picked up the phone.

After work, Alex went to her house: “Maybe something has happened? I am guilty myself, did not agree to a meeting in a human way.”

Lucy was alone. She met him in a light blue home dressing gown. Her hair was neatly stabbed; she looked very cute at home.

“I want to talk with you seriously,” she began first, when he came and sat down at the table in the kitchen, but Alex felt her voice tremble. “What kind of change? If you decided to part with me, then tell me honestly, and we will stop seeing each other. If you have another woman, tell me, why did you come to me?”

“Do not worry, I like you as before, but I thought that after a trip to the south, you had no desire to meet. I was busy, so I did not answer calls, but I came to you myself. If you want, we’ll go, take a walk or go to the movies, or better to a concert. The ensemble ‘Young Voices’ came on tour.”

“No, I see, you’re tired, sit down, I’ll pour you some tea and, please, do not refuse!”

Lucy set before Alex a plate of soup and a hot dish with meat. He ate everything, because he was really hungry.

“Yes, Lucy, you are an amazing person,” he said. “I love girls with a character.”

“I have adequate feelings for you,” she laughed.

Never did any of the girls with whom Alex was familiar before her liked him so much. The desire to make her an offer to marry him appeared with him when she was in the south, but he decided to wait.

“It is necessary to check the feelings. Lucy is a very nice girl and she will surely find a boyfriend, so if I’ll be in a hurry, can cause antipathy,” Alexey reasoned in a secret.

He stayed with her not for long, they still sat in the hall on the couch, listened to the music, Lucy showed him the albums of painting brought from Moscow.

They kissed and feelings seized Alexey when she offered to show him a red night dressing gown.

“French, look how handsome! Chanel,” she pulled out of the bedroom a coat rack with a nightgown on straps. “Try it on?”

“Let me touch,” Alexey got up and moved towards the bedroom, but then she blocked his way. “Come on… You allow me to smoke with you?”

“As you want.”

He lit a cigarette and went out into the kitchen again. He began to shake the ashes into a metal ashtray in the shape of a snake. Then he came back and pushed the curtains in the bedroom, and she was already dressed in a silk, blood-red shirt and lay on the bed on her side, leaning her elbows on the pillow. All the bends of the fragile body loomed. He imagined a fire in the snow from the sight of such a dazzling and burning picture. They actually froze from the air conditioner, which was switched on at full power. It seemed to him little — plus sixteen, but she forbade increasing degrees, and to smooth the trouble, she said:

“I have Crimean wine. Let’s try?”

“Prepare me something stronger to drink. Vodka can be mixed with this compote.”

“There’s no vodka. Father will be back soon,” she rose from the pillow and pulled him to her with an arm as he sat down beside her. “I’ll bring some glasses, do you mind?”

Defiantly she rose from the bed, and, causing an impression of flaming the fire of the dress, returned with a tray on which stood two tall crystal glasses filled with an amber drink.

They drank a glass of Crimean sherry and felt that they loved each other. Drink gave honey and grapes at the same time, causing secret desires, intoxicating and warming the body to the depths of the soul.

“If you want, I’ll read poetry for you. I have my friend’s notebook. It is called: ‘Illumination with Love’. She let me study.”

Without permission, Lucy began to read, turning the yellow sheets in half:

Trip to Yalta

Have long seduced southern beauties and treasure,

Why should we hide it!

How do you want sometimes worldly pleasure?!

But where do we get them quite?

Here things are tied up and tickets on the hands…

The fresh wind in bands!

Enough of boredom to wander in the clouds

We’ll wait for morning bounds.

There is the lovely sea, silk surf adventure.

Sailboat in the freedom play with me in venture,

I will run away with a wild path

To the mountains, not to overtake a bus.

For the new events the forces

I will gather for all five, without losses.

The exotic flavor is so good,

Better place for rest you won’t find with food!

“I will listen further, read, and then pour me a little more of your sherry. A fine style, something reminds me of the old fortress and the ruins of Chersonese, where I was with my parents when I was a child.”

She poured him and herself. They drank, and she began to flip through, choosing the most interesting poems in her opinion.

About Love

Who among us, trying to be reasonable,

Talked about love too simply and noble,

Denying feelings in a straight as a Wight

That is of spirituality of small height.

For love the answer is in everyone glance,

Though she recognized it once.

It is brighter than daylight nice,

Of mine, you listen to an advice.

Loving amateur for nuts and sweet,

Walking with a smoothly gait.

I don’t swear at you, don’t scold you,

Remember myself only sometimes and few.

The seventeenth spring was beautiful,

Love was not jealous and cool.

Everything was singing, growing, and fragrant;

The bird of happiness didn’t give us to sleep as ant.

They became interested in poetry and forgot about time. Alexey was dozing, and sometimes he got up and went to the kitchen to smoke, and she stopped reading and lay relaxed and remembered her mother, their talking of love, the rocking on the waves in the sea, the table covered with a white tablecloth and tea appliances, paintings by Renoir, Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Modigliani, Picasso, Kandinsky. The notebook consisted of several inserts that scattered on the floor.

“Take it, or it will break.” Alexey handed her several sheets. “I’ll hurry. I’m afraid of your father,” he got out of bed, dressed, and, slowly combing himself in the glass of the bookcase stuffed with books, he said:

“I want to explain something to you. My aunt was recently killed near the mail building. She was slaughtered by a nerd. She was on her way from work. He attacked from behind and stabbed her with an ordinary knife. The investigation was entrusted to lieutenant-colonel Kiryanov. Do you have any friends among private detectives? It’s just a perfect murder. There is no evidence, no instrument of crime, no criminal.”

Lucy put scattered sheets of poetry on the table and stood up. She rummaged in her memory and remembered that she had kept the telephone number of the private detective, Tatiana Alexandrovna Ivanova, when she investigated the theft of a large amount of money intended for encashment.

“Yes, I do, but for that, kiss.” She held out her thin hand to him.

He kissed the palm of her hand from the inside to the center. Every nerve of her hand shrank from the warm touch of his lips. With her other hand, she wrote the phone number of the detective on a green sheet with a sticky end and stuck to his arm.

“Call her for sure. A very knowledgeable woman but be careful. She does not like to be flirting with her.”

Lucy turned to Alexey’s face and removed this red glow from the Chanel caprone. The appearance of the girl turned pale and acquired quite real outlines.

Dressing and lightly beating up her forelock, she looked appraisingly at Alexey’s reaction. He was completely intoxicated and counted the number of drink wine glasses on his fingers. It turned out to be only three, but the bottle was full to the middle.

“What I do not like about you is that you are too businesslike,” the newly-made fiancé babbled, barely moving his tongue.

“Leave your comments for the cats and I need a real man with dignity and salary,” she said cheerfully, but her look corrected his perception of reality.

Her father appeared at the door of the apartment, when Alexey was already standing on the landing and looking through the cardholder where he had put the private detective’s phone number. Alexey dialed the number and immediately heard the order, the request for a date. He had nothing to do but go to a meeting with a lover of investigations by taxi, because he put off his dream of buying a car to start a wedding with Lucy, and then give her a beautiful car on wheels from Nissan-Teana.

Tanya appeared at the corner where the meeting should take place, not immediately. First she bought cigarettes, and then drove to her friends in the police, met with the homeless informant Venchik. He advised her to love her neighbor as herself for two hundred dollars an hour. That fact made her very happy and she jerked in the direction of Lucy’s house.

Two blocks later, near the restaurant “Mask”, the publishing house of the local newspaper “Regional News” and the snack-bar stood the victim and waited impatiently for her appearance.

He recognized the woman with the bag over her shoulder with supplies, including a Makarov pistol.

She smiled and invited Alexey to the shady avenues of the park called “Lime trees”, recalling Bunin’s “Dark alleys,” and, shifting her impressions on the shoulders of the classic, asked:

“Have you decided to become a lover again? Oh, I’m sorry; I’m just so simply speaking about life…”

He winced at the sagacity of the detective, but he did not give a look.

Alexey’s blossoming face and somewhat slovenly appearance spoke of the complete absence of female influence and adoration. But he tolerated the attack and immediately went to a business. Tanya listened and, making a few notes in the iPad, said goodbye to Izmailov. Before leaving for work there were only a few days. Lucy calmed down a little bit, because she realized that Alexey was still delighted with her, apparently, he had firm intentions.

Recollecting the frustrated love with Yuri, she was afraid to get used to Alexey and chased herself from all sorts of thoughts about a positive relationship with him. She liked his fatherly care, modesty, and most importantly, what attracted to Alexey the most was simple artlessness, inability to lie and dodge. This is how she imagined her future husband — a principled and honest.

The week went day by day. It was possible to postpone the arrival to the plant for another month, but she was quite well rested. After the holiday, she was impatient to go to work as soon as possible.

“Who would have thought that I would be so eager for the plant,” she told Irena on the phone. “I need money, and I do not want to borrow from my father, so that he does not think that during the holiday I completely lost his head.

“I decided on Monday to go to production, postpone and pull on there is nowhere else to wait.”

At the weekend it was cloudy. It was felt the approach of autumn. Autumn in the middle zone of Russia came quickly and imperceptibly. It seems that yesterday there was an unbearable heat, but today it was drizzling and the cool wind was blowing. Autumn no one expected, it came itself. Slowly, day by day it became cooler, and here the first frosts appeared…

On Monday, Lucy got up early in the morning and went to the plant for the production of electrical and office equipment: kettles, air conditioners, microwave ovens, irons, heaters, electricity meters and other household items.

At the entrance Lucy stopped and dialed Alexey’s number.

“Hi! Perhaps today they will tell me in which shop I will work.”

“Good luck,” he said approvingly.

5. Acquaintance with Plant

The administrative building of glass and concrete, the electronic clock on top of it showed 8.45. At the entrance there was an announcement: “They are looking for a permanent job”. The list was long. On the other side of the turntable and the glass booths with the guards there were the modern corps of the workshops.

Lyudmila went inside. On the left there was the inscription: “Human Resources Department”. She opened her purse, took out a compact powder with a mirror, looked critically at herself again, boldly opened the door and went up to the second floor. In the corridor to the head of the reception there were three more people: a young guy and a woman with a young girl. The guy quickly walked in and left with sheets of paper.

“Probably a sample application and questionnaire,” thought Uvarova. The woman brought her daughter to the factory after a school. The girl was very cute and cleanly dressed. She was worried, and she had a blush on her cheeks. They went into the chief’s office together. The woman was about forty. From the conversation, Lucy realized that one of them has been working in this manufacturing plant for a long time. In the office, the two women stayed long enough. Soon it was Lucy’s turn.

The head of the personnel department — a large middle-aged man was sitting at a massive table at the computer. On the table he had several files with printed characteristics. Lucy said hello.

“On what issue?” he nodded to Uvarova to sit down.

“I got a referral for consultation, review, or further action at your factory.”

She showed the boss the direction given to her at the university, the diploma and the passport. The head carefully studied the direction, opened the passport, looked at whether there was a local residence permit, and then again studied the direction. Here he looked at Lucy for the second time and said:

“So, it means your specialty is electronics. We need specialists in this field. You can contact with people or prefer to deal with calculations and drawings?”

“I’m more interested in working with people.”

“Well, then I can offer the work of a replacement foreman in the sixth shop, the salary is at first twenty thousand rubles plus a premium. The work is serious and interesting. You need to immediately find a common language with the team, otherwise you will break the plan, and if there is a breakdown of the plan, then there can not even be any speech about a prize. How satisfied?

“It is difficult to answer at once, but I think I can manage my work.”

“Good. Here is a sample application and questionnaire. Take a physical examination. When you prepare all the documents and take a picture, we will issue a pass and you can start working. And remember the main thing — you will work with people, everyone has his own character, but we have one plan, so everything depends on you, how you can get the job done.”

She listened attentively to the chief, took the questionnaire and a copy of the statement, said: “Thank you, good-bye,” and left the room in full confidence that the work of the replacement master is exactly what she needed, and her salary suited. A week went by for the medical commission. A week later, with all the documents, she again appeared in the office of the head of the personnel department. Now he met her already not so formal and cold. It was evident that she liked him. And Lucy was already less afraid. She was smiling.

“Here, please, my documents.”

“Very well. Your immediate chief of the workshop, Alexander Dmitrievich Torobov,” the personnel officer dialed the phone number, but it was busy, replaced the receiver, took another minute and invited his colleague to his office. “Now he’s busy with college graduates, wait. Torobov will talk about the main points of work and conduct safety briefings.”

A handsome man of about thirty-six appeared on the threshold.

“Meet — Lyudmila Nikolaevna Uvarova — a replacement master. Please love and respect.”

“Very nice. Now I will tell you about the need to observe safety procedures and specifically in your work.”

Lucy followed him into the shop. He instructed, and then added:

“You’ll work in the sixth shop. First you’ll have to learn. Six months later, you’ll understand everything yourself. Our workshop is very clean. We are fighting for the cleanliness of the workplace. By your specialty — electronics — there will be a wide field of activity. If you get down to business thoroughly, you can achieve success. We have all the conditions for trouble-free work in the shop.”

Lucy listened attentively to the instructions of the commander. He immediately liked her, spoke calmly and clearly, it was hard not to get confidence in him. “It will be easy to work under the guidance of this person,” she thought.

By lunchtime the conversation with Torobov was ended. Uvarova was a little tired. It was necessary once again to go to the head of the personnel department for a pass, but at lunch time all the rooms were empty. Lucy did not want to go home and also decided to have dinner at the nearest cafe. When she walked from the checkpoint with the employees, she felt herself a full member of the production team.

It was an August day. Hot. The weather was dry and sunny. At her heart it was easy and peaceful. Singing a fashionable tune, somewhere accidentally heard, Lucy drew attention to the age of the staff. There were mostly young people.

Lucy ran across the street and walked two blocks in the hope of seeing a cafe. She paid attention to the peasant’s house “Hut” in the Russian style and went inside.

A spacious room with walls painted with bright colors, wooden tables and chairs, where on the windows hung embroidered curtains with cockerels, carved saltcellars in the form of barrels. All the staff was in national clothes. The people were few.

Lucy ordered Russian borscht, cutlets and compote. After substantial lunch, she turned on the music in the phone, inserted a small button-transmitter in her ears, and a melody sounded that resonated with the mood. She turned off the melody and pressed Alexey’s number. He hurriedly responded to hear his beloved voice:

“What if I study a foreign language and then try to enter graduate school,” she sang in a thin voice, waiting for an answer.

“You will begin professional growth; eventually become the chief of the shop, and possibly the chief of production. Dare…”

“If my mother were alive, she certainly approved my plans. You know, I did not meet a more caring and sympathetic person, my dear.”

Lucy sat for a while in the cafe and, it seems, completely relaxed and forgot that she should go to the factory. Then she got up and went to the door.

She received the pass the same day, and from the next day she was to attend the workshop. She wanted to call Alex, but decided to ring Olga:

“How are you? Do you work with Alexey?” asked an eternally busy friend.

“That’s when everything will go back to normal at work, and then I’ll call him,” Lucy categorically answered, “if he himself does not think of calling me.”

“I’m beginning to get used to the fact that your relationship has become cool, as before,” Olga lazily sympathized. “Come in, we’ll chat…”

Suddenly Alexey called, but his voice was sad and tired.

“Tanya started a private investigation and hopes to find the killer of my aunt, oddly enough, next week for a thousand bucks,” he explained.

“That’s great!” Lucy approved and wanted to ask what was on his soul, knowing that Alex would be pleased. “I hope the mood has improved?”

“A wood grouse is a winter bird… See you, for now,” he turned off the iPhone.

The next day Lucy went to work. The first thing Torobov conducted in the shop and showed where the workplace was — a table with a computer in the room with a view from the window to the factory yard.

“The room is clean and bright. There are flowers on the windowsills, a shelf with books at the wall,” Lucy praised the chief. “Very cozy!”

“Do not think that you’ll be sitting here. Now you go everywhere with me first, until you know all the work, and then I trust you to lead the shop on your own. You’ll only turn to me for some insoluble questions,” Torobov said smiling.

She liked this state of affairs. “There will be time for professional growth,” she thought.

The working week passed unnoticed. At the end she called Izmailov:

“The feeling comes, we are an integral part of the debugged mechanism of the plant,” she said. “The industry is progressive and important. The main difficulty: to find contact with people. I kiss and look forward to meeting with you.”

“Encourage trust and understanding, and then respect for your work,” he shared his experience. “Tomorrow I’ll see you, my love!”

“Our collective of the workshop is all youth,” she admired with emotion.

“The most fascinating thing for me is communication with people,” she told Alexey when she met him. “I understood that the formation of the working man was taking place here.”

“Not a single dynasty has brought up and raised a factory within its walls.” Alex took Lucy by the arm and casually hugged her around the waist. “Previously, they came here after a vocational school with professional skills. I love your scent.”

“I understand, let’s have coffee,” she said and felt a hot breath on her shoulder as they sat down at a coffee table.

“The foundation of the working profession is laid, and, most importantly, the consciousness is being brought up that the work is needed not only for everyone individually, but for the whole country as a whole,” he added.

“Me without sugar,” she protested

When Lucy walked through the territory of the company, she repeatedly drew attention to the Board of Honor — photos of people who had devoted more than one year to work at the plant — assemblers of grinders, programmers and computer engineers, crane and electronics operators, doctors, painters and builders, electricians and technologists.

“The working dynasties in the factory were treated in a special way. They are the backbone of the team, they were set as an example, and they were equal to the foremost producers,” Alexey answered when he put two cups of coffee and a pie with dried apricots on a table.

“It is interesting to work at the plant. I’m used to rhythm. You helped me, suggested. Appealed for advice to the chief of the shop, he invariably said: “Get used to, learn, and everything will go back to normal. You will understand how to work. Not all at once is obtained by newcomers,” Lucy has shared painfully, understanding that to study it is necessary to work, to be the person.

“Did not you think about going to postgraduate studies?” Alexey asked simply.

“No, but I am doing my English on my own. I read fiction. By the way, gradually I was loved in the team. I’m sociable and I’m not afraid to help beginners,” her eyes were shining, looking at a friend. “Remember, at first time I worked exclusively during the day, but after two months they instructed the workshop and the second shift…”

“The second shift is more difficult and at the same time easier. More responsibility, since you are for the boss,” said Alexey, reaching out to his girlfriend, kissing her cheek, looking with reverence, and she herself wanted to be better, worthy of respect. “Do not forget to work on yourself, take from the library books on electronics, electrical engineering and physics. The plant continues to grow. A new building is being built, a hostel for singles and from rural areas.”

“I remember earlier they said: “We will fulfill the five-year plan for 4 years,” she answered with enthusiasm and passion. “We are beautiful even at night!”

The sixth assembly workshop, where Lucy worked, was in the yard of the plant and occupied the entire first floor of one of the buildings. Large windows illuminated the room, but despite this, each place has its own electric, energy-saving light bulb so that the worker can turn on the light.

In the evening, in addition, the upper lighting was switched on — “daylight”. The workshop — long and spacious — resembled an operating room, but many times larger. Everywhere cleanliness, the walls are lined with white tiles, the ceiling, the lathes are also white, rather not even the lathes, but, as was customary called, the workplace. The windows here and there are flowers. But it was impossible to set many plants, so as not to block daylight.

There were special relaxation rooms where employees could come and discuss their problems, read the press, relax, and distract themselves. The shop buzzed electric motors, smelled of acetone and rubber. Workers, whose work was associated with harmful colorants, received milk in half a liter a day. When Lucy first got into her shop, she thought that she was in the hall of the palace. Wardrobes for clothes stood separately. At the end of the shift, they were required to wash themselves in the showers. For those wishing someone did a manicure. Before starting work, employees wore white robes and scarves or caps.

“There are twelve brigades in the workshop. Everyone is fighting for the title of the best. Two already wear the honorary title of the foremost percussionist,” Lucy said, stroking the guy’s hand. “I learned all this long ago, after a week of work. Let’s get back together, darling.”

“Who will be against? Have agreed!” Alexey smiled generously.

They met during the break to discuss the progress of the investigation into the murder of his aunt and current affairs, since they worked in one shift.

“The private police officer reported that all suspicions fall on people living in the area where the murder occurred. But the main suspect could be a person who knows her well and who had motives for committing this atrocity. This could be anyone who needed money or gold jewelry. Most importantly, the aunt had a set of emeralds in a ring and earrings of antique value, a chain with a diamond slash of a half carat, which she inherited from her sister. These ornaments in the amount of half a million rubles disappeared from the apartment, and the search for them on the body of the victim gave no results. They examined the scene of the incident, found the scattered things from the bag: a broken case for glasses with fingerprints of the victim, a pack of cigarettes, a notebook with notes and phone numbers of employees, a pen, a pencil for eyebrows and a lipstick of a well-known manufacturer, bought at the Ile de Beaute branch. In the database, fingerprints are of a formal nature. Belonged to any mortal, except for the murderer,” Alexey told, and the detective-Tanya was sent with him sms for more details.

“How is the investigation progressing,” Lucy asked in the foyer when he went out to smoke. “Or should I not ask about this?”

“There are many problems with the evidences, there is not a single witness, and even blood stains are barely perceptible on the victim. Detective Tanya is studying forensic expertise. Her character is too energetic and lively, she all leads with her emotional nature,” Alexis’s face expressed the most tragic mask among all the representatives of the human race. “She wants to make a search herself.”

“Were there any other relatives besides aunt Kate?”

“My parents died when I went to school, I cried for them. I was sent to a boarding school in the sixth grade. And my aunt Kate had come and visited me. She brought gifts: sweets, cookies to children. She had a daughter, Natasha, but she disappeared when she worked on the same post. I already told investigators…” Alexey plunged into a dejected silence.

“I remember such a thing. Natasha disappeared about three years ago. They said they went abroad to be treated. Somewhere in Germany or Switzerland,” Lucy confessed sadly. “Come on, quit smoking, they’ll be looking for us. Come to me today after work, we’ll sit and read the poetry of my old friend Izmailov Alexey.”

“You’re joking, I do not write poetry, but I’ll try to get back what I took to read last time. I liked it very much. Tell your friend, well done! Let her write further.”

“You will return with agreement that you will find for me a private publisher to print this book of poems in a separate volume. Next we will develop the ideal murder of your cousin in the logic of poem-sized iambic or horei, we do not care. But Ivanova will calculate thoroughly every step of the criminal and force him to begin the investigation against himself.”

“I am sure that she will be right, as she hinted at the former roommate — Skripal, when she was looking for Natasha’s remains in his yard. And she found a soil soaked in blood, of the same group as that of my aunt Kate. Probably someone buried the corpse of Natasha. The investigation resumed. It is believed that the owner of the house himself was hacked and buried in the hope of obtaining a hidden amount of money, and then disappears. But his plans failed because of the smallest detail: the headmistress’s child climbed under the table to look for his toy and found a bag of money,” Alexey ascertained and in return took Lucy’s hand and stroked it.

“It can not be,” Lucy continued to sort out her notes in the phone, stunned. “And is here your aunt Kate?”

“They were very interesting women and similar in psychology. However, Tanya-detective said that it is too early to draw any conclusions. You know, there are also interesting circles, own club, where you can watch a movie in your spare time. At the club there was a children’s dance group ‘Kalinka’ for the children of the workers of the enterprise,” he was distracted from the topic. “I was fascinated by the idea of leisure.”

“No less than studying at the university?” Lucy asked impetuously.

“The plant works around the clock in the same rhythm. In the assembly shop, there is night duty for the brigades. The number of products produced by the plant at night is not less than the number of products produced in the day. For work at night they receive an additional surcharge to the salary.”

“Engineering workers on night shift do not work. Our work is connected with research, sometimes creative work and requires special tension. According to the doctors, the creative brain should work during the day,” Lucy was offended.

“The medical commission will help you get a ticket to a sanatorium or a dispensary. Soon it will be the annual medical examination. Vouchers to holiday houses and camp sites are given through the trade-union. Local committee helps large families and lonely ones. To everyone who was on treatment,” Alexey distributed compliments to the right and to the left. “Are you not accidentally pregnant?”

“No, calm down. We’ll meet at the checkpoint at the end of the day. I’m running away.”

They went to workplaces, he — to his computer, she rose a floor above, sat down at the table and opened a laptop, brought from the warehouse.

The plant — the most common, like many hundreds of other plants, became for Lucy Uvarova a second home. She realized that to find out all the work should be worked out not one year and, perhaps, not one decade. She, as a young specialist, was impatient to be at the forefront. But she did not know much and, as a young specialist, and did not understand.

Nina Vasilievna Korbutova — deputy head of the workshop — gave many years to the plant. She has developed her own style of work and constantly kept Lucy under her control, was a very strict and categorical mentor; it was easy and curious to work with her. A tall, bright brunette, always dressed in the latest fashion, but not flashy, but elegantly and simply, without unnecessary jewelry. She also demanded from Lucy neatness in clothes.

“They are equal to us, we are the face of the plant,” she loved to repeat.

Nina did not have a personal life. She was lonely, she had no children of her own, but she found her vocation at the plant not only as a first-class engineer, but also as a wonderful mentor, an assistant to the youth. The chief of the shop was respected for these qualities, with whom he had already worked for ten years.

In the beginning, he grew up to a senior engineer, and then, after joining the trade union, was appointed head of the shop. Nina helped him in everything. The educational work in the shop lay entirely on her. She was the second mother of the assembly shop. Young technicians came for advice to her even home. She lived not far from the factory, ten minutes walk. She liked the role of the second mother. She was always happy to solve any problems that arise with young professionals. No wedding, no celebration took place without Nina. She was the pioneer of all intriguing undertakings.

“In the shop, the combat leaf is issued by the post of people’s control, where they criticized the scammers and loafers. They were few, and the combat leaf with the weapon of satire and humor struggled with them and not without result. So it helped to get to his feet completely drunk Sergey Levin. He even got into the forefront of production and was repeatedly awarded with the badge ‘For excellent work’, ” explained Nina Lucy, considering the main indicators of the brigades.

“To every holiday in the shop, I noticed, a wall newspaper is always posted. They are all on the site of the enterprise. There are reflected the events of the assembly shop: trips to the sponsored farm for harvesting potatoes and tomatoes, weeding out beds, working on building a hostel and school.

“That’s right,” Nina patted Lucy on the shoulder encouragingly. “The factory is the chief of the school of this microdistrict. A sports hall was built. Funds for construction released the plant. The specialists built themselves, because their children will go in for sports there. They are growing generation, new working hands, which are so necessary for us.”

“I know that there is a college on the basis of the plant,” Lucy remembered her studies.

“So do I, our current chief of the shop graduated from it. Then, of course, there was an evening university and an army. The main products of the plant are intravenous batchers, medregistrators, iPads, iPhones, calculators, plasma TVs, monitors, computers, air fresheners, air conditioners.”

“I’m amazed at such a huge number of household items and assortments,” Lucy put in caution.

In fact, in a specially designated place there were already ready-packed products. Gradually ready made items of production were sent to various cities and even abroad, their place was occupied by others. Engineering staff worked without white gowns, but if they went to the workshop they also put on white robes, because they demanded a clean workplace for associates.

“Once a week, usually on Saturday was sanitary cleaning of the premises. Every cooperator washes his place,” the deputy chief told.

Once Lucy had been appearing in the workshop, she was standing and wondering at everything. She had imagined the factory not so immense. Someone accidentally pushed her. She turned around. Before her stood a tall, light-haired girl in a white gown and a hat. In her hands she had an open laptop, where drawings and diagrams appeared. The girl looked then at the drawing, then on the already made circuit and checked whether the product was correctly executed. So it’s no surprise that she did not notice Lucy.

“Hi, you can call me Lucy. I’m your manager.”

“Hi, my name is Sveta Erengeld.”

The voice of Sveta was low and melodic with a slight accent. Lucy later found out that she was Latvian. With the husband they have arrived on a factory after the graduation of the Riga technical university.

“I would like to know what I need to do,” asked the newcomer.

“Now I do your work, that is, I check the correctness of the manufacturing and packaging.”

Sveta began to tell how to do it. Sveta’s husband worked as a replacement foreman, but in another shop, they had two children. She loved them very much. She often told about her little ones: a boy and a girl. Sveta’s children visited the “Sunny House” kindergarten near the plant. After the shift the girlfriends went to the children’s educational combine — for the kids almost the same age. Seeing their mother from the window, they jumped and laughed. Lucy befriended Sveta. By nature, she was calm and balanced, worked well, with knowledge and also helped at first. She was engaged in the manufacture of circuits, and Lucy watched that these schemes and drawings were introduced into production without defects, connected reality with the drawings. Prior to Lucy, this work was performed by Sveta, but with the advent of the girl, she could directly engage in engineering work, that is, with the construction, the invention of a new one. All the drawings made by Sveta were tested by Razumov, the senior engineer, whose workplace was in the room where Uvarova’s desk was. When they returned home on the first day after the end of the shift, Sveta asked a friend:

“Lucy, are you married?”

“It’s a strange question, no.”

“Why? Are you against marriage?”

And then, for the first time, Lucy was seriously thinking, and after all, she is already twenty-six, she has a higher education, she is cute, intelligent, she knows how to cook and wash, and even sew and knit and thoughtfully said:

“Once I get a family. Is it possible to live alone all my life? Father is not eternal. Maybe he has ten years left, or even more, but the years go by and you can miss them.”

“It’s logical,” Sveta agreed. “Then it will be difficult to find a person for the role of husband.”

Lucy suggested that it would not be bad if Alexey invited her to marry him. She knew him well enough. Especially she used to him and remembered Alex, and not someone else.

“In the end, I will make up my mind. Whoever Alexey will be a true companion and helper in life will understand and calm at a difficult moment,” Lucy mused aloud, looking at the nearby Sveta.

“Yes, you must decide. And if he talks about marriage, do not push him away, but give consent and get to know with your father if you have not yet introduced them.”

6. Father

Tanya, a private detective, phoned Kiryanov, hoping that the lieutenant-colonel would free himself from analyzing current affairs.

He was after his duty and was sitting at the table in the pose of the “Thinker” by French sculptor Rodin, trying to make the right decision to take the hostage in the face of private entrepreneur Ivanova, finally to put an end to all the crimes of the world. Her concerns were enough for all the confusion of this cunning crime.

“Glad to hear. How are you?”

“Take a couple of your guards, come to arrest Skripal. I found a private burial in his yard near the door. This is the employee of the post that was missing a couple of years ago — Natalia, I’m sorry, I do not remember the last name, and in the kitchen, under the stove, the decayed receipts from the pawnshop were littered for the amount of the robbery.”

“We’ve that case in our archive for a long time now. But as you say, we leave urgently. And where is the owner of the cemetery?”

“Sits under my supervision. A gunshot wound in the arm put an end to vandalism and blood loss. I think that, and the death of Natalia’s mother, Catherine Vdovina, this is a business of his hands. The evidence is minimal, but it can be proved by the blood group left on the tablecloth and knife injuries of the victim that he is guilty. He has a lot of knives here and even has a massive ax and a hammer at the same time. We must prove that his guilt is unquestionable, and then he will split in the second crime himself, in order to shorten his term with a frank confession.”

“With such an arsenal, I think he will have something to think about over the course of his life,” Kiryanov turned off the phone and the computer at the same time, and called through reinforcements through the officer on duty, who was immediately in the person of senior lieutenant Garik Papazyan, who for a long time was admirer of Tanya.

Kiryanov left with two riot police to the place of residence Zheka.

The foul of the room, despite a cool day, caused disgust at the neighbor’s cat, which scraped the fence, when ten minutes later Kiryanov entered the courtyard of this one-story private, multi-apartment anthill.

Seeing the aliens, the cat rushed headlong to the opposite side and was just next to Tanya, slipped between the legs of two high patrolmen from the department of especially important crimes and the lieutenant-colonel herself, began to arch her back and ruffle her tail to be stroked.

Tanya took a hungry animal in her arms and, stroking it, threw it back to a bowl, in which, besides the empty bottom, the Whiskas cubes appeared, as the detective put the food she had taken with her, and in the presence of witnesses they began to write a report on the detention.

The neighbors who did not see anything from their houses with high fences were witnesses, but they often heard threats from this shaggy subhuman.

In a car with flashers, suspected of particularly serious crimes with aggravating circumstances, the neighbor was taken to the police and left until the circumstances of the case were fully clarified. From there, in ten minutes later, when they made him a new dressing and recording in the book of regular customers of this serious institution, they sent to the pre-trial detention cell of the federal surveillance service — FSS — investigative isolator.

After a maximum of a week, when his guilt in the second crime is proved, he will be sent where he came from, that is, to wait for the court in a prison cell. This will continue until he confesses to the second atrocity.

The material evidences will appear as soon as there are witnesses who will be more than enough in consequence, as everyone saw and even heard screams, but were afraid to leave the post office.

The whole farce concerning money was thought out by Zheka in advance, but it was poorly planned, so he decided to kill both the daughter and the mother with a length of two or three years to avenge the shortfall in profits and developed by him robbery of a mail. The employee, who agreed with him, and who caused the fire, had to pay to the cashier of the institution, the money she had taken for false information about the origin of the fire.

For Lucy, this story became edifying and she was afraid to go out on the street even at six o’clock, when she was finishing the shift, and took with her to the escorted Sveta, then Alexey.

All September days have flown by unnoticeably for Lucy. Work on shifts, evenings reading, TV. The weather was amazing. On the shelves of shops and markets, there were a lot of fruits and vegetables. Lucy especially loved early autumn. It was not hot at all, but everyone was dressed in summer clothes. After a hot summer was somehow breathing easier, and everyone secretly thought about the coming winter. What will it bring…

Particularly good were the evenings. People went out for a walk in parks and squares. In some places you could see a yellow leaf. In the flower beds, fragrant tobacco, marigold, dahlias, and zinnia smelled in a peculiar way. They seemed to want to give the air their last, outgoing scent. All the colors of the summer have faded. Early autumn was painted in its colors — crimson, orange, yellow, and brown.

Lucya began to go out for the evening walks with Alex. He usually called her, and they met in the park, near the house, on a bench. Long talked. Alexey talked about work. They practically did not see each other at the factory. Sometimes on a break, when their shifts coincided, they went to dinner together at the cafe. Their relationship has improved. He regularly called, and she gladly met him. They shared their amorous plans, impressions that arose constantly.

At one of the meetings, Lucy looked very sweet and funny:

“Today you look like, as in the evening of our acquaintance. Your dress suits to the face perfectly,” he remembered the day when they received the award and decided to mark this fact under the guise of a birthday.

“Amazing, do you like me?” Lucya doubted his sincerity.

“Of course, this can not even be a question. Would I meet with you if you were not interesting to me?”

“Cute! But sometimes it seems that you are meeting with me just because of somehow killing time. And I would be here or someone else you do not care. Maybe you’ll buy yourself some kind of thoroughbred dog, you’ll walk with her instead of me,” Lucy’s voice grew harsh. “You do not listen to me!”

“You’re not right in many respects. You want to offend me, if you say so. Did I deserve such words?” he took her hand and held it to his lips.

She did not pull back. She was pleased with his fits of tenderness. But it seemed that he does it somehow as a duty and he does not want to kiss her at all. And, in general, it should not have started from the very beginning of these meetings, if he is indifferent to her. He politely continued:

“I like you, and I would like to be with you always together. In those hours when we are alone, is it worth to torment each other with distrust. You are in vain nervous. Do not quarrel over a trifle.”

She understood the sincerity of Alexey’s words and already repented that she did not believe him. Wanted to reassure and somehow encourage close friend, but words did not go into her head. Then she remembered that she had decided to introduce him to her father.

“I want to introduce you to my dad. You have been at my house several times during our friendship, but you still do not know him.”

Alexey smiled. It was evident that he liked the idea of acquaintance.

“If you insist, I do not mind,” he thawed. “But it offends me that you are not much interested in my relatives.”

“Why do you say that? I want to support you and distract you from worries. I bought my father a shirt, a tie and cufflinks in the capital’s hypermarket and a great gift for you. I dream of introducing you closer. Your tastes match. I saw beautiful snake skin belts at a high price. Look,” she took a box out of her bag and handed it to Alexey. “Do you like?”

Alexey unfolded the cellophane, opened a beautiful, blue, shiny plastic box, picked up the belt, returned her the box, and unrolled his belt. The skin of a black viper flashed in his hands, and there were two buttons in place of the eyes. He tried on the belt.

“Ok, I’ll wear it,” he took off his belt and put it back in the package. “Bunny!”

“Tell me a secret, how is the investigation going on? But since you are silent, then you do not want to talk.” She put her hands on his shoulders.

“The investigation is over. Kiryanov referred the case to the prosecutor’s office. And I did not talk about him because when I meet you, I admire you and forget everything.”

Lucy thought for a moment. The gift cost her fabulous amount — $300. Alexey saw that she had tears in her eyes.

“As for the rest, you know everything. I had to punch my way myself, without anyone’s help.”

At these words of her friend, she blushed profusely, she thought that he hardly knows how to cook food, realized why he is always so calm, it is difficult to get out of balance. He has his own special, established opinion. She felt so small; quite a child compared to him and decided to postpone her acquaintance with her father until a more convenient opportunity, which immediately appeared.

Usually, the father returned from work tired and would hardly have reacted positively to the acquaintance. On Sundays, he usually rested: he read or listened to plays and did not approve of his daughter’s choice. He got used to the idea that she was alone, and he would not like Lucy’s plan to marry, especially since her health, as her father thought, “did not allow pulling all the household affairs and taking care of her husband.” In a word, it was necessary to wait.

In early October, when Lucya had already decided to bury the idea of her father’s acquaintance with Alexey, and the investigation was finally confused in the papers, who was the main defendant in the murder of Aleksey’s relative, the father warned his daughter:

“In three days I will have time off for work on the second shift. So do not worry, when I return home later than usual. I replace the ill teacher of history.”

Lucy estimated that after a day off, Saturday and Sunday will follow. So, the day of the meeting can be scheduled for Friday, since the father did not like any guests at the weekend. So, it was decided. Now it remained to warn Alexey about the day and hour so that he does not schedule any other events for Friday.

On Thursday, Lucy called him to work to arrange a meeting; she was on the second shift. He did not take the phone for a long time, probably it was urgent work.

“Hello, I’m listening,” he said distinctly and clearly. “I have an urgent task; I must do it before lunch. Debug new equipment sent from Germany.”

Something was jammed in the receiver and it was difficult to talk.

“Come to my place tomorrow at seven o’clock in the evening. The father will be at home, and I will introduce you. But please do not be late, as I have already warned my father,” Lucya lied, “he does not like being late.”

“Okay, I’ll be at seven.”

“Have agreed,” Lucy has disconnected phone and with relief sighed.

She had not yet warned her father, but she hoped to do so. “Anyway, I’ll say, even if he’s in a bad mood,” she decided to herself.

The working day flew by unnoticed. A new chip, developed by Sveta Erengeld, was introduced into processing and it was necessary to keep under control how manufacturing of products went on the conveyor.

By dinner Lucy had a little headache. The bee buzz of electric motors and fluorescent lamps, to the sound of which she had already become accustomed, was cut short.

Lucy began flipping through the Internet. The implementation of the scheme went slowly. Not all workers immediately realized how to build setting-up. It was especially difficult for the young. Experience was not enough with them, mastering the new technology took more time than the same operation for experienced workers.

A conveyor is not a simple matter. At a hitch or breakdown on one table there was a delay of all course of working process. On that day, the iPads were collected notably less, this means that the earnings of the workers will be rather less, but with the development of the last operation, more wares will be produced, and this will pay off a temporary failure.

Even at the university, Uvarova paid more attention to physics than mathematics. And faced with unfamiliar phenomena, she had to repeatedly access the Internet. They had enough literature in the department on electronics and it was easy for her to comprehend something that was not clear.

Returning home from work, she straight away decided to tell her father about her intention. Her father was busy, as usual, reading books. He drove his fingers through a sheet of thick paper with a lot of holes. Lucya went to his room.

“Dad, my good friend, Alexey Izmailov, will come to us tomorrow. We work together at the factory. He is modest and handsome. Maybe I’ll marry him. I want you to like him. He will be exactly seven.”

“If you want to introduce us, Lucy, I do not mind. I’m interested in who you spend your free time with. I guess Alex will like me. Do you say that you work in a factory together?”

Father spoke slowly, making a stop after each word, so that what he said was better reached the listener.

“Yes, I do. He is a master-adjuster in another department; he graduated from college and is going to study further. He is talented and managed to make two proposals.”

“So, the work is done, the father is warned,” it made her feel better. “We need to think about how best to meet Alex. I’ll cook something delicious. It will be necessary to look great, so that under the eyes without dark circles. He’s attentive and will immediately notice if I’m tired. Hairstyle in the hairdresser, in the first place, will take a lot of time, and secondly, I will have too formal appearance.”

It was decided to make permanent curls at home. On Friday, she worked on the first shift. At the beginning of the working day Alexander Dmitrievich approached her.

“I see, Uvarova, you cope with your duties, if things go on like this, then a quarterly bonus is guaranteed to us. Keep it up, well done!”

Torobov approvingly patted her on the shoulder. She right away wanted to sing. Then Nina Vasilievna approached with a severe air.

“You look very pretty today.”

Lucy was confused. Korbutova, noticing Lucy’s embarrassment, hurried to justify herself.

“As soon as I saw you, I immediately realized that we would work together. Look,” Korbutova showed Lucy in the laptop additional corrections to the schemes. “Pay attention to the notes in red color.”

“If there are any questions, I’ll turn to Razumov.”

“You are right, these are his changes.”

* * *

After work, Lucy went to the supermarket and bought a bottle of vodka, dry Bulgarian wine and some of the products. It was necessary to buy fruit. In the vegetable department she bought pepper, next to her lay grapes and watermelons. A gray-bearded old man jumped to her.

“How do you choose a watermelon? Take this one, probably ripe,” the old man pointed to a large watermelon, lying not far from her. “Here, pay attention, the tail is dry, it means ripe. And knock on it.”

Lucy hit the watermelon with her indexed finger several times; the watermelon rang as if it was empty inside.

“Ok, indeed, the old man is right. This watermelon is ripe.”

Everything that was needed was bought; she paid for the fruit and left the store. It was hard to bear. She called a taxi, comforting herself with the thought that Alex would appreciate her care, and her father wanted to do something nice.

Preparation of dinner did not take much time. For about six hours the banquet was ready.

She fried potatoes with onion and meat. Meat cooked as for shish kebabs, soaked in advance in water with vinegar. She covered a white tablecloth; put wineglasses for wine and vodka, wine glasses for water, plates for the second and salads. Wine and fruit were put in the center of the table. Then she put knives, forks and napkins to each plate. Now she had to change dress and comb her hair.

Lucy wore a glamorous, light pink dress with white chrysanthemums from Piero Moretti. A thin belt emphasized the waist line. She stabbed her hair with tortoiseshell comb, has pinned sapphire brooch of her mother. White Italian sandals, French perfumes and elixir “Nina Ricci” had completed the image.

There was a ring at the door. Lucy rushed to the door and, without asking, opened it. On the threshold stood a neighbor on the staircase — an elderly woman in a colored dressing gown with a small, trembling, gray kitten on her hands.

“Lucy, do you happen to need a kitten?” she whispered.

“No, Nadezhda Sergeevna.”

“Okay. Forgive me, Lucy, what an amazing perfume you have. Where did you buy them?”

“In Moscow,” the girl began to get angry at the intrusiveness of her neighbor. “Sorry, now I’m going to the theater,” she did not know what else to lie, so she did not intelligently close the door right in front of the guest’s nose.

“It remains to have a kitten for a complete happiness,” she thought, and looked at her watch.

Ten minutes later the doorbell rang again. On the threshold stood Alex with a beautiful bouquet of chrysanthemums. A new blue suit, brown shoes, a white with a blue striped shirt, a blue tie with brown strokes from Mastai Ferretti. He brushed his hair and handed her a bouquet.

“Put it in the vase, please,” his words aroused her sympathy.

She let the guest go into the hallway, where he looked self-assured in the mirror.

“Do not worry; my father’s name is Nikolai Nikolaevich. Try to be more polite to him.”

She led Alex to the table, sat him next to her father.

“Lucya told me about you. Pour all a little. I want to drink for our acquaintance.”

She put the flowers in a thin, metal vase of Turkish production in the middle of the table, she sat down beside her. Alex poured the wine in the glasses and, raising his wine glass with champagne, said the speech prepared beforehand:

“I want a word,” he said. “I like your daughter, we work together, and we are going to get married. Let’s drink to our friendship!”

“Alex, you said something early about marriage, I did not give consent,” Lucy interrupted him solemnly. “Engagement is a good thing…”

“And we will not ask you. You go with him and that’s it,” her father said.

She did not expect the collusion to happen so quickly. “It’s even better, we will not wait,” she thought, and barely audible said:

“I do not mind, Alex likes me. The best friend and life partner I do not need.”

“For this we’ll drink,” they all supported happily.

Lucy turned on the receiver, and a smooth melody played. She was courting her father, applying a salad, then the second. Alexey also did not suffer from a bad appetite.

“It turns out, Lucya, you are a great cook,” Alexey praised. “Eat it yourself. I’m a bad gentleman; I do not know how to take care of anything.” He took her plate and put a little salad in it and the second one, poured vodka to everyone and happily said:

“For the meeting!”

The music sounded. Alex was courting everyone. He invited the girl to a dance and poured a little wine into a glass of the future father-in-law.

“I will not interfere with the young,” her father said, and went into his room.

The couple danced and did not notice how her father left them. They forgot that tomorrow they go to work, the melody completely captured the space, and they began to kiss and hug.

“Soon we get married, would you mind?” Alex asked gallantly, hoping for a compliment in his address, since the costume he bought himself in Italy for the euro of the same firm as the tie, cost him a decent amount.

“No. I agreed,” she replied, enjoying the intimate atmosphere.

“You know, I’m a very self-interested person, think it over and over, could you get along with me?”

The words of the guy hurt her. He stayed with Lucy until ten o’clock. They finished their champagne, danced several times. At the beginning of the eleventh, Alexey said:

“The evidences are collected. Soon the court will be. Lieutenant-colonel Kiryanov advises you to come too, to confirm that you were at the post office on the day of encashment.”

“It is necessary, so it is necessary, I will come. Send greetings to the detective Tanya Ivanova.”

Alexey put on his jacket, which had to be removed, as he felt hot.

Lightening disappeared from the apartment, and she went to the balcony to see how he would go out into the corner. A minute later he appeared, stopped a free taxi, got into the car and drove away. She stood on the balcony for a long time, escorting Alexey thoughtfully. She sighed.

“Well, Alexey is not Alain Delon, but he loves me, so I love him, too.” She remembered poems written by her friend, dedicated to her, and opened a poetic notebook. At the top of page it was brightly displayed “For a friend”, and next to it there was a signature of the author:

Friend

Life said the word at last.

We broke up too quickly.

So why should I think so fast

About you as an old friend weekly?

Our holidays and everyday life, don’t cry

Will be remembered by others,

Parted, well, goodbye.

We’ll never forget mothers!

So much Talmuds are written.

Have read many volumes old.

I don’t recognize your death.

I’ll forget and leave the world.

The winds that blew to meet

Disappeared forever in the night.

The candle melted quickly from the kit.

Remained only cold white light.

To open the window widely.

To breathe of old friendship balsam…

Everything happens in this world.

I will not give you to anyone.

The girl was angry with these lines. She began to read the notebook further, trying to find something appropriate to the mood. Finally, stopping her gaze on the amusing poem, she read aloud, standing in the pose in front of the mirror, portraying the poet:

Wedding Bouquet (fable)

Ringing, wedding bouquet

Keeps the bride from possible need.

Let this truth is not new,

There no other has we view.

A brave rabbit found a rich she-wolf.

He would not believe this deep gulf.

But the rogue was too greedy,

And in the ringing of coins he was not weedy.

He would have forgotten and refused,

He ran in love to her face confused.

“Wolf, darling, be my wife!

And we will not part with you in future life.

We will live in contentment and prosperity,

Love we both will have in short priority.”

The wolf fell open his mouth with surprise

And the swallowed little rabbit was not wise.

Lucy laughed at the irony and humor and read further:

Conversations

Only the day will come again,

The talk always hinders us.

There, the rivers start backwards,

They do not end arguing here thus.

Conversations, persuasion, slander, lamentations…

Why is any suffering, as if knowing ahead?

Flashes a week again. We take the trouble in return

To say morality the guidance forget.

Politics, music, sports.

From now on, everything became one.

Whoever was crawled,

That mind also ruled the world.

Covenants, slander, loss…

All this is not for boss.

When the fanfares are silently,

Headlights flicker obstinately.

Showcases temptingly shine.

What a beautiful wine!

And how much they pay

For the cycle way?

Weekdays, concerts, holidays,

Shows, vanity and pragmatism.

Ah, why do give advice?!

Everyone will think about cubism.

Turning over the notebook, she looked for the most vivid and colorful moments. The mood increased significantly, and she continued reading, forgetting about time. She liked the syllable and rhyme, but especially admired that the verse resembled a goblet. Mentally she put in this vase flowers presented by Alexey.

She, as a mathematician and programmer, was familiar with the exact number of characters needed to write poetry and versification. On the basis of mathematical formulas, it would be easy to create more complex figures, which is easy to achieve by following the mathematical logic.

But Lucy was disappointed when she took the next page and realized that the poems were dedicated to the fan-knight in the helmet.

Modern Knights

Who you are? Can you fate decide?

Or maybe you are builders, the tamers of universe!

Perhaps your name will be called

Ship, park, institute or other world.

You, the knight of the future, stand

Before me so handsome silent on land.

In business, in my thoughts, it’s time for me

To understand the essence of human being.

Forget the sorrows until the morning,

Let us sound the harmony!

I collect all the stars in the palm of my hand

And I’ll throw them over your head.

And with a blue mane a white horse

It will leave my long path.

To him I will affectionately say

To be faithful to the end anyway.

Only tie the mane near mound

I will not ask the bright crown.

Whether will I succeed in melodies?

More fully convey than in words?

Or I’ll be in helping of a few,

While walking on the morning dew?

Removed the visor and the fire gun.

You do not know the fear run.

This is a true living steel.

Be glorified in the ages will!

Such a flowerish poetry gamut she liked more and inspired to talk with Alexey. She dialed his number, but then deleted it.

The autumn evening evoked memories of police visits, interrogations, signing of papers, a meeting with the accused, a private detective and policemen. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves on the street, and it seemed that the leaves tell each other something important and interesting. Her head hurt. She turned off the music, picked it up from the table, and washed the dishes. Having finished her household affairs, she looked into her father’s room, where they sometimes met with Alex. The father slept with the sleep of the righteous. She closed the door and took the first book that fell into her hands and began to read, trying to find in it answers to the worried questions. She read “Walking on Torments” by Tolstoy not for the first time, and knew some places almost by heart.

Thoughts constantly jumped on the poetry of her girlfriend, and this poetic notebook worried more and more. She put the book aside, and her gaze fell on another page. Lucy read carefully:

Fatigue

Tired hands and feet, headache from rumor.

What’s a steep road? I do not mind more.

As if a pink bouquet, donated once,

I bear the dream for many years of wearisome hopes.

Frozen stormy sounds and words,

Ghosts disappeared in the night.

And now the story begins

With the beautiful music and might.

How many varieties around,

Exciting songs and bounty wide.

So, that frightens me and bound

Suddenly, pushing and carries aside.

After all, the nice holiday will be ahead —

Wonderful days so stunning and mad.

But I’ll say to myself some:

“Go. Your day will come.”

Do I need much glory then?

If I will put off only the pen,

All the torments of Tantalus hell

Will want to do a struggle as well.

Hand writes, brain works a few,

For a bully is more interesting with worry.

Fatigue will answer: “What are you,

There is nowhere for you to hurry!”

She was fond of philosophy within the limits of the program of the candidate’s minimum, but these lines were touched for the living.

An example of complex orthopedic treatment of her moral appearance, she laid on verses, hoping to subsequently refer to them as questions arise in her personal life.

But the pressing everyday problems were added with catastrophic speed… They expanded the space and worsened the relationship between subjects of intraplasma reality, facilitating the amendment of the ritual of investigation and the initiation of criminal proceedings for a specific medical examination of all postal employees in order to achieve their full justification and confirmation of alibi.

7. Happy Hours Are Not Watching

That day, Tanya Ivanova laid out on the table their dice and dropped numbers, the significance of which confirmed the correctness of the actions regarding the killer of mail employees. A long term was waiting for him ahead, but Alexey had questions to him, so she called and invited him to come into the office on a confrontation with witnesses and criminalist to prove Zheka’s sanity. At the same time to find out who is to blame for the murder of the second victim. The warrant for the arrest and search, she had already used in these vicissitudes of fate.

The next day Lucy worked with enthusiasm. Contact was found with Alexey, not today or tomorrow they were going to marry. She wanted to do herself charming, to look attractive. The shopping trip was postponed until Sunday. All the working day, instead of the schemes and drawings in the head, the shapes of dresses, shoes and coats were turning. She had to look more closely at the computer to understand what changes had been made.

The deputy chief of the workshop approached, looking at the modern interior of the design department in a businesslike way:

“You look tired. Try it. If you are sick, go to get well.”

“I feel fine,” Lucya has embellished her state of health.

Nina Vasilievna was outdone. Lucy looked at her watch: it took two hours to break. She did not want to relax; she gathered her thoughts, hoping that Torobov would not notice fatigue and make no comments.

“Sveta, do I really have a tired look?” she asked a friend in the cafe.

“Something is there,” the colleague said cautiously, hoping for a continuation.

“Yesterday I introduced my fiancé to my father, and we stayed a little longer.”

“I suppose you were going to get married, right? Who is he? Are you pregnant?”

“No, it seems. He is Alexey Izmailov — the master-serviceman of the tenth workshop.”

Lucy breathed heavily, Sveta realized that she was experiencing something, but did not continue to ask questions. After dinner, the girls strolled around the park near the factory. The sun was shining, it was warm and quiet. They did not want to go to the shop. But work is work. They returned home together.

“Lucy come to me on Sunday to visit, somehow we will go a big company to the nature. There will be co-workers of the husband and some of the relatives. Take your fiancé with you.”

“I’ll try to come. I want to sew a new dress or order from Armani or Valentino, to be fully armed.”

On the way they went to the supermarket and bought a lot of tasty things: canned food, cheese, smoked sausage, coffee, steamed veal, Hennessy brandy, sweets. Back they walked on foot. The leaves on the trees darkened and covered the asphalt with a light, yellow, lacy pattern. Flowerbeds and bushes in the parks lost their summer completeness and brightness, but were no less attractive to the inquisitive glance of the artist. The girls had a cheerful mood.

“How cool everything is, it turns out,” Lucya reasoned naively, “Alexey’s friendship, your invitation, an interesting company, songs of bards with a guitar.”

“Honey, you have not seen my husband and children yet.”

“You know, if I have children, when we get married with Alexey, they will become as glorious as yours,” Lucy praised.

In the evening, Alex did not call. It upset her, but she knew that he would call later after an urgent matter or a swim in the factory pool. She admired his athletic build, heard from him that he used anabolics based on deer antlers.

Really to go shopping her alone was boring, she wanted to consult with someone, choose an expensive cloth for a wedding dress and make a stylish model from a the purchased material.

Pattern of mode was taken from the fashion magazine, which she carried to the tailor, inveterate gossiper. Two days later the dress was ready, it was very elegant, with flowing folds.

It remained only to decide length of the dress: elongated or slightly behind the knee. “The elongated dresses are fashionable this season, but since my legs are even, I can sew a little shorter,” she reasoned, staring at herself in the mirror. So it was decided.

Personal life has always evoked the envy of girlfriends, but their connections somehow interested a little, except for some details of an intimate nature. What she would prefer was the partner’s reaction to treason.

Constant modifications in the schedule of classes and visits with a barely perceptible bridegroom or a teacher caused her irritation and response to plunge into relaxation or go to the end of the world such as Italy or Cyprus, where there would be no one except the sun, sea and fruit.

When she called Alexey, he did not answer. She decided that he fell ill, and she will have to go to Sveta without him. She examined and tried to put on the old decorations of her mother and admired the taste: a silver necklace with amethyst inserts, made of old coins, like a gypsy monisto, looked delicious.

She kept it in her safe in the form of an English-Russian dictionary in the closet, which only her father knew. There were also several hundred dollars in a pack, an expensive diamond ring, earrings and a pendant with sapphire insets.

Lucy phoned Alexey again two hours later, but it has happened that he was not there. “So he will not go to work. The holiday will be broken,” she thought.

That November day was difficult. They were offered tickets from the trade union committee to the hall of philharmonic society right on the territory of the concert parlor of the plant. Everyone happily agreed and in the break they ran to brush their hair to the nearest stylist.

Lucy also preliminarily visited the Beauty Salon combed her hair in a fashionable wave style. At the solemn meeting they announced a prize for helping sponsored farms in harvesting. The director of the enterprise congratulated all present with successes, wished all the very best in their work and in their personal life, diplomas and valuable gifts were presented to the leaders.

Following the solemn part was a concert that did not last long. During the concert, she accidentally noticed Alexey in the second row. Lucy wanted the concert to end as soon as possible. All attention was turned to Izmailov. Half an hour later, after applause, everyone rose from their seats and began to walk towards the exit. She waited while Alexey came closer, called him. He turned around, saw Lucya, her eyes shone, and he smiled. He looked more elegant than ever, and she thought: “It’s a pity that we had known each other so little. Why didn’t we meet before?”

“My employee Sveta Erengeld invited me to visit her. Will you go with me as a groom?

Instead of an answer, he involuntarily embraced her. She shrank and fell silent.

“If you do not mind, we meet at six at my house on Sunday and go to Sveta,” Lucy said, worried.

Alexey nodded in agreement. She felt so well and happy that she wanted to kiss him, and she could hardly restrain herself. They walked home together, admiring the illuminations in the factory territory.

“Shall I escort you?” he asked Lucy in the wardrobe room, giving her a cloak.

“You will,” she answered shortly. “You look beautiful. Has you a haircut?”

“Is it noticeable?” Alexey answered feeling pleasure.

In the evening it was cool, and Lucy was wrapped up in a warm scarf. Romanian gloves, she hid in a brown, lacquered handbag in accordance with the color of long boots. Alexey held his hands in the pockets of a bright, English cloak from models of Poul Richard. They walked in silence.

The fallen leaves rustled beneath their feet, and in some places the ice could be seen. They passed the house a couple of times, came back and again passed by. So they walked until it got dark. They did not want to talk, only exchanged a few significant phrases. Finally, they stopped near the entrance; she looked up at his eyes and said gently:

“You know, it seems that we became relatives.”

Alexey bent down and kissed her for the first time on the lips. In the street it was quiet, there were no passers-by, they did not want to part. She came to her senses and said sternly:

“I have to go. Waiting for you exactly at six.”

Her heels knocked on the asphalt. He stood a minute and hurried home. Walking in the night city was not very scary.

“It is a pity that we broke up. I guess she scared, I hope not to death, she ran away so quickly. She will be glad of my presence as it is today, when we will meet at the factory.”

He decided to walk to the house on foot. Occasionally enamored couples came across him, and he reflected: “Why did Lucya leave me? Maybe she remembered that she had to do something, maybe her father was sick. I did not even interested, did not ask her about father. Any girl would do just that, I’m just an ill-mannered an impertinent person, I do not know how to take care of girls.”

Alexey remembered childhood. He remembered how his mother had cooked pancakes on Sundays. He ate them with sour cream and jam at once. Jam had flowed on his hands, as he had put more sour cream on one pancake to eat. Mom had scolded him that he had been all messed up, and instead of going to wash his hands, he had wiped them about himself and then began to cry, realizing that he was messing up Sunday clothes.

She changed his clothes, and Alex was running out into the street, already wearing old trousers and a shirt, where his friends were waiting for him: Sergey who was as blond as he and the red-haired Vovka. They were in even older trousers and shirts, and the three were starting to chase dogs down the street in search of new entertainment.

At home, Alexey, as usual, had supper alone, cleaned the dishes, carefully wiped off the table and went to bed. November morning was extremely foggy and cold. He did not have desire to prepare for a long time because had everything ready beforehand. The suit and shirt were ironed, the boots were cleaned. He scented with cologne, presented with a bride, put on a cloak and went out.

It was getting dank. He hurried on. At eight he went to the factory entrance, where the people crowded. The head of the personnel department presented new passes of the delegation from China. Alexey noticed Lucy. Apparently, she came earlier and stood, waiting for him.

She looked unusually nice in a beautiful, light coat, a fur cap and short, leather boots with heels from Prada. She had a laptop in her hand. Alexey called out. She turned around, went up to him and smiled.

“How are you feeling on?” she asked mechanically.

“Fine,” he answered a little hoarsely and asked: “And you?”

“And I have the best of all. Dad remembered you and said hello. He invited without fail to visit us.”

“I will. We agreed to meet you today at six. I did not forget.”

The factory column of employees, hurrying to production, resembled a raging, with different tones, river. Someone was standing and waiting for their friends. There women’s singing voices were hearing. The mood was upbeat.

Torobov came up to them. He had long been peering Lucy, and she obviously liked him. The three of them went through the turntable and went into their workshop.

After work, Lucya met Alexey in his workshop, she was worried a little.

“Are you very tired?” he asked when they were about to go to a stop.

“Yes, I am. I would like to sit somewhere to rest,” she sighed heavily.

“Let’s go to my place. I live not far from here, ten minutes walk.”

“With pleasure. I do not mind.”

“Well, we need to buy something. Would you like some beer?” he joked.

They went to the nearest market and bought an ordinary set of food for dinner, starting with sausages and potatoes and ending with butter.

Alexey lived in a nine-story house on the sixth floor, in a one-room apartment. The room was small but cozy. Furnishings: a sofa, a desk, two chairs, two bookshelves, an armchair.

A reproduction of Picasso painting “Dove” hung on the wall, a carpet of light brown color palette lay on the floor. The whole room was decorated in brown tones — curtains on the windows and upholstery of the furniture. Alexey had a lot of books. They lay everywhere: on the desk, on the floor, on the windowsill. It was noticeable that reading in his life played a major role, mainly folios of technical content: for steel, metals, machine tools and automation. Fiction: adventures, detectives and military memoirs.

“Lucy, do you want some tea?” Alexey asked when she went into the room.

“Of course I want. I’m cold, I need to warm up a little, and something is getting colder in the street. Probably this year, early snow will fall.”

“Do you know that, I have soup and fried potatoes with sausage, let’s have a good lunch? Let’s go to the kitchen,” he suggested enthusiastically.

She followed him to an unusually clean and cozy kitchen. It smelled delicious. The furniture was white with various appliances, a powerful refrigerator, and an air cleaner from Fiore and a dishwasher.

“Alexey, I’ll help you,” she said, cooking the stove, masterfully, putting the kettle on the burner, a pan of soup and a frying pan with potatoes. He had placed plates, cut some bread.

“I like cooking,” she said in a flash. “When our group was sent for cleaning work, I was a cook. I cooked for the whole brigade with my girlfriend. The guys were pleased, even the flowers were presented to us. She gave to read, a copy of her poems ‘Illumination with Love’ and then gifted it.”

After the meal they did not want to go anywhere, Alexey turned on the TV. They gave a concert with the participation of popular artists. Lucy sat in a chair, relaxed for a moment, turned off the sound, a reality show began, which could be watched without sound. Alex was cleaning in the kitchen. He returned with a bottle of red wine and poured a bit into crystal stemware standing on the table in the middle. They touched the edges of the wine glasses.

“What are we drinking for?” he said and ran his hand over her knee when he sat down on a chair next to him. “I suggest for love…”

They drank and made love, as before, with enthusiasm and passion that resembled their first date. She leaned against his shoulder, but he silently touched her lips to her chest and whispered:

“I’ll go and take a shower, sit here and dream about our happiness.”

He did not have time to return, as she loudly said to be heard:

“I’ll read this insight. I always carry it with me,” she took something from her bag. “They say that happy people do not watch at hours.”

“I completely accepted with you. Read it,” he turned off the strong pressure of water.

Word about Rock Music

The guitars rattled disparately.

The drummer is knocking on the whole hall.

My mind was numb.

The chords make the final.

And silence… As if someone

Wanted to say and was along.

But again, a whistle, a squeal, and a roar,

Barely a refrain just played a goal.

A simple matter has become complicated,

It sounds as in law enumerated.

From fear, the heart stops tears without:

What will happen if everything plays out?

The lights, the flowers, and the noise of the song…

The midnight rumbling music spread out in unison.

And the muse died of surprise.

She was killed by a guitar flurry eyes.

So sad and anxious it was. After all,

For something we exist in the world.

Yes, in our life everything is possible,

We see it day by day without exhaustible.

It’s time to get used, so what,

You can not be fooled around.

“Alas,” we can only sum up.

“The eighth miracle is not a flaunt.”

“Bravo,” he clapped when he came back and sat on the sofa, covering himself with a blanket.

“Listen,” she said, hiding herself in a silk sheet, and sat on the edge of the sofa, as an ancient Roman priestess of the goddess Vesta — vestal — in toga during a sacrifice:

Age of Computers

Rock paintings of a distant creator

Infuse energy without initiator.

The ancients were smarter. What a shame!

Predicting computerization by name.

Well, what will it be from now on that?

A covenant in the future. Nobody will forget

Neither lines, nor images of our ideas in phrases,

No thoughts of relatives, no dreams of cases.

She stopped reading and wanted to hide the notebook back in the bag, but he stopped, and they exchanged passionate embraces and kisses. They drank some more wine and got excited.

“Beautiful and modern. Take care of your father; give your girlfriend something of value from yourself. She will be pleased,” Alexey said and ran his hand along the curve of her back.

“But listen, this is for our children,” she continued.

“Maybe it’s time to create, build

And construct our owning.

We want strength to triple,

To work until morning.

To forget about illnesses and quarrels,

About compulsory vacation.

So in the boyish heads of cleverers

They would see great deeds illumination.

It takes a lot of decisions.

Fulfill a lot of problems.

And there is no disagreement in opinions,

And there are no solid dilemmas.

It will happen, I know.

Why to cheat and lie.

I bequeath to love the country.

It’ll happiness provide.”

“Did she die?” his question caused Lucy’s perplexity.

“No, but suffered a serious trauma to the skull. Have a rest. I’ll probably go.”

“I’m escorting you,” he suggested, dressing. “We’ll finish it after.”

“It’s encouraging, I’m almost ready. Come on,” she said, standing at the door and adjusting her coat.

8. Party

The next day it was Sunday. Alexey appeared at exactly six at her home, as they agreed. He greeted her father. Lucy changed her clothes. She put on her outgoing dress, remade from the mother’s old, silk.

“Dear dad, we are invited to visit our employee. Perhaps I will be late,” Lucy warned, looking at Alexey when her father listened to something on the radio.

Sveta lived completely in the other end of the city, so they had to take a taxi. They drove up to a tall, fourteen-story building of modern architecture with two high-speed elevators. The apartment on the top floor consisted of three rooms, an improved layout. Lucy and Alexey came before others.

Sveta led the guests to all the rooms, even did not forget the loggia. The rooms were large and bright. Guests liked everything.

“Sveta, will I help you to lay dishes on the table,” Lucya suggested, sympathetically.

“You may help. Here’s an apron,” she held out a thing of clothes folded in a double size. “I’ll put the children to bed.”

The guest took care of the table setting. Sveta had beautiful tableware: a Czech dinner set for twelve persons, lots of crystal, nickel silver forks and spoons. The landlady came up to her, she liked how Lucy had covered the table.

Gradually, the guests began to gather. They were introduced. Lucy met a friend of Sveta’s husband and his wife. They worked in another shop. They waited for the appearance of Sveta’s younger brother — Jacob from Riga, but he called and told to sit at the table without him, his departure was delayed due to the weather.

Sveta was very upset, but immediately invited everyone to the table and cheered up:

“We are excellent housewives,” she complimented Lucya. “You helped me,” she said softly to her. “Take salads from the refrigerator and put them on the plates, and I’ll cut the bread and spread the napkins.”

“I envy you so much,” Lucy said a little softly too. “You have a wonderful family, nice children, and an apartment. Are you probably happy?”

“Oh, yes I am, surely. But it did not come all at once. When Robert and I got married, we did not have any.”

The guests were seated in pairs. Near to Lucy on the right side sat Alex, and to the left Robert — the husband of Sveta. The first toast was offered by the owner of the apartment: “For peace and friendship between nations.”

The second toast was offered by Alexey: “For fine women.” The general merriment began: they danced, laughed, joked. Alexey did not leave Lucy all evening, but invited Sveta to dance as a sign of respect for the hostess of the house.

At the end of the evening an abundant table with several kinds of salads, hot, jellied fish, grenades and mineral water was emptied. The guests began to disperse. The first hurried Lucy:

“Sveta, I need to go.

“Of course, of course. I understand. It’s too late.”

Sveta corrected a beautiful, knitted dress and threw her head back in agreement. Dense fair hair waves were scattered on the shoulders.

“And I need to go. Lucy, let’s go together.” Alexey hurried too.

“I’ll wait for you while you get dressed,” she answered eloquently.

It was dark outside. The weather was roaring. A cold, sharp wind blew. The sky was completely black and there was not a single asterisk. While they were dancing, it rained, had not completely stopped, drizzled in small drops. There were puddles everywhere. With gusts of wind, the streams of water increased. Alex picked up his collar.

“Come quickly, Alex, or you’ll catch a cold. Why did not you put anything on your head?” she, worried, began to show maternal care.

“Do not worry. I’m seasoned. Do not wash your feet…”

Suddenly the rain was poured with such force that it was difficult to distinguish anything in front of them.

“Let’s go under the awning,” she pointed to the shield near the store, “or into the entrance, wait until it’s raining,” she offered ardently and with love.

“You’re not afraid of the gray wolves eating you,” he joked. “The bunny.”

“You’re joking, but I’m not to jokes, I’m already soaked with water all the threads. Here, touch what cold hands I have.”

Alexey touched Lucy’s hands. Yes, in fact, they were cold.

“You’re my ice, we’ll come here soon, or I’m afraid you’ll catch a cold.”

They ran into the nearest open porch. It was damp and cold, but the main advantage was that cold water did not flow from above. Alexey shook off the raincoat and raindrops from his head.

“Allow me to look after you and shake off water from shoulders.”

“Do, please, otherwise I’m really afraid of catching a cold. I do not want to hurt at all.”

The rain intensified. Lucya stood at the open door. Rainy streams densely crossed the air. The water drained to the face and to the palms stretched forward. She stood, watched as the palm filled with water and recited the memorized lines from her girlfriend’s book “Illumination with Love”:

Autumn

Yellow leaves fly as malt

And lie on the asphalt.

The wind howls, the branches are bending…

What will happen now perhaps ending?

But let go, again quiet kindly.

All around stop mildly.

Let petty rain drizzle.

Evil days by water mizzles.

“What are you whispering?” Alexey asked frightened from somewhere above, crouching on the step of the stairs and continuing to shake the water from the cloak.

“If it was not for the cold wind, then…” she did not finish, as if she wanted to say something and changed her mind, and stood and thought about something tensely.

“I’ll get a taxi now. The rain will pour all night; we can not hang around here. We’ll spend the night next time.”

He got out of the porch entrance, but so as luck would have disappeared, not a single car was rushing past. Suddenly, in the distance, Mazda appeared, sparkling with a wet roof. Alexey waved his hands. The car stopped, a driver looked out of the window and said briefly:

“Sit down.”

Alexey called Lucya. She ran out of the entrance, deftly opened the back door and sat in the corner, followed by Alexey. He said the address.

“How are you feeling? Were you chilled?

“It’s tolerant.”

The car buzzed and jerked. The driver switched on the receiver. The weather forecast was reported: “Warm weather with short-term precipitation is expected”.

“Yes, they are right, it would be nice,” said the driver. “But it is hard to believe at all.”

The couple silently supported him. The driver twisted the pen of the receiver, found a piquant music. Alexey’s warm hand lay on her shoulder, and fear completely passed. They arrived in twenty minutes. She got out of the car.

“Alex, I went, and you may go by taxi, and don’t stand and don’t catch again then.”

“I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

Alexey told the chauffeur his address, and he reluctantly agreed.

“A good owner will not drive a dog out into the street in such weather,” the passenger remarked.

The driver smiled, he felt sorry for Alexey:

“With everyone happens, why not help a person?”

After traveling around the house of Alexey, the taxi stopped, he rummaged in his wallet, took out some money and shoved the driver into his hand, and he nodded approvingly.

Alexey got out of the car and ran into the entrance. The elevator rose slowly to his floor. He went out, opened the door and entered the apartment. It was dark, lonely and uncomfortable. He remembered that soon there will be a trial, and the judge will pronounce the verdict on the murderer of his aunt.

By the morning the rain stopped. Leaves almost all flew from the trees. Naked trunks swayed in the wind and waited for the nature to put them on a white outfit.

Alex went to work. A gusty wind blew in his face. He jumped on the bus and two stops later he stood near the checkpoint, but Lucy was not there. He went to his workshop to shovel a whole heap of drawings and projects to create the most successful. He called Lucya during a break, but her father took the phone. He explained that the doctor came, found that she was sick and was now asleep.

Toward noon the wind died down, the sun came out, but it did not get any warmer.

“Hello, dear, I seem to have caught a little cold. Sore throat and fever,” answered Lucya herself, when Alexey again called his girlfriend.

“Drink hot tea with honey, aspirin and go to bed. I’ll come later. Get well,” he recommended with a passion. “Let’s meet, we’ll talk.”

In the evening, Lucy forgot that Alexey promised to visit; her father went to the neighbors on the landing. Suddenly a doorbell rang.

“Who?” she asked walking to the door.

She let Alexey go into the room. He took off his cloak, rummaged in his pockets and took out the medicine.

“Here, take it.”

“Thanks do not worry. I have everything.”

“You know, now I was walking along the street and thought, why do not we take a day off together and go somewhere for two or three days?”

“Can I go anywhere right now?”

“Not now, but when you recover?”

“I’ll get well and then we’ll see. Of course, it would be wonderful. I would like to go to St. Petersburg, Riga, Tallinn or another city. You can Kiev, Odessa or Lvov. There I have never been. I’m sorry, I’ll go to bed, and I have a bad headache.”

She lay down without undressing and covered herself with a warm, quilted blanket, and threw a blanket from above.

He looked at her room meticulously for the first time. The furniture was simple, without excessive pretentiousness, dark, polished. A table, four chairs, a sideboard, a nightstand of a sewing machine, a standard-lamp, a piano. Above the musical instrument there was a copy of painting by Aivazovsky “The Ninth Wave” in a beautiful gilt frame. He certainly did not know the author and the title of the reproduction, but he liked the content of the picture, the courage of the sailors fleeing from the hurricane and storm.

Comfort and cleanliness was emphasized by a tablecloth of red and white checkered fabric, pale pink walls, and a crystal chandelier consisting of two heavy plafonds.

Over the sofa a large portrait of the landlady hung. She was wearing an orange sweater and was looking at the guest half a turn and smiling. He compared the original and the photo, decided that the photo was taken recently, since it showed absolute accuracy.

“Did you receive the photo long ago, didn’t you?”

“No, recently. I was photographed by our factory specialist on a pass. He offered to make a portfolio, I agreed. I have ten photos, all different. Do you want to take a look?”

Lucya climbed into the closet, took out some photos and began to show him. He looked with interest at various angles of the face and accidentally dropped one card. He picked it up and put it on a chair.

“I like this girl more,” he said, and with love he stitched a kiss to one of the photos, because he wanted to take one of the cards, but she was silent, and he was shy to ask. “And in a bathing suit or without everything have you got? Do you want me to photograph the nude?

“It’s hard for me to breathe. Sore throat. Dad will be here soon.”

“And we will not drink mineral water. Father will rest in his room. Then we read poems for him, do you want to? Take off your robe. You can be right on the bed.”

He lifted an iPad to her face and took a picture. Her head was spinning, but she reluctantly took off her thin, cotton dressing gown, pulled light pantyhose and underwear, threw it on a chair, lay on her back, then turned over several times, took an erotic pose, exposing her breasts.

She looked beautiful, white and pink skin glistened with mother-of-pearl. Her thighs were overly rounded gave her a fussy and naughty appearance, but her small shoulders, sharp scapulas; hard clavicles were comparable to the type of teenage child.

She put her hands up, and then, bending, she put them under her head. From each position he took pictures, slowly undressing, controlling emotions.

He wanted to take a full perspective: neck, waist, stomach, back, legs, but she always withdrew. These photos came out especially clearly, without a cloudy shroud. They began to kiss, to embrace in ecstasy and easy fatigue.

“Let me give you a back massage,” she said modestly, examining herself, provoking him into new, more subtle caresses. “Useful…”

“Do it,” he said; lay on his back on the sofa, where they had just made love. “You can rely on me, I’ll leave the photo in your laptop, you’ll admire them whenever you like. Get well soon. Allow me to show my friend, the one you saw in the restaurant? He asked unceremoniously.”

“No. Leave it to mind,” she answered, restraining her breath and coughing.

Her father appeared suddenly and asked when Alexey carefully, in a nude, collected clothes from the floor, an athletic figure reminding the Greek god:

“Alex, have you come? Lucy gave you tea, but I’m not having anything.”

Her father went into the kitchen, where he knew the exact arrangement of objects. He poured hot water into a glass with holder. Alexey in the women’s dressing gown added him tea leaves. They began to drink tea with the cookies brought by Alexey along with the medicine, and Lucy in a red negligee swallowed the tablets.

“Papa, Alex promised to read poems to us, which, you remember, you asked who wrote,” she said softly, wrapped in a blanket.

“I agree,” Alexey answered, returning from the hall, fastening his shirt and pulling on his jeans as he went. A beautiful, new belt was inserted into the belt loops and was a work of art in his simple wardrobe.

“Take it. Choose for your taste,” she gave him a folder, sewed by puncturing.

He looked at his watch. It was about seven o’clock. Flipping through the pages the young man started reading:

Football

For football there is no limit. It covers the world

Stronger than a night marshmallow cold.

Only the finish ended.

Maradona is not tired.

Again the cup of champions

Promises all the best to the tracks.

And although we know the field,

There are no solid attacks.

Our head does not ache immediately by dines,

First, Juventus will win at all the times.

It’ll take off points from Spartacus,

And the coach will say for sure about taxes:

“You have to play sports on tennis courts.

It is difficult for those who starts, runs away,

Swims, accelerates, jumps, dive anyway.

The best way to train dousing and wiping

There will be a championship.

We need a new addressee keep!”

Alexey read loud enough for her father to hear, marveling at the correctness of the emphasis and priorities. Lucy sat down in a chair, and he continued to read without a pause in one breath, swallowing the words like tea leaves. The father took out the bottle of vodka that had been started, and Lucy put on the table faceted, crystal cups for wine nearly in fifty milliliters. Alex carefully poured into two of them. She began to drink tea and eat up the pears she had bought in the market from one bright Caucasian man. The men drank once, and the conversation acquired a poetic character.

Izmailov would read another masterpiece of his own work, but continued the poetic theme with what was available, putting the pages read aside. He loudly recited, filling the text with his own memories:

Seeing off for Army

So it was customary for the people to celebrate twice a year

Farewell to the army, so as to notice the separation never.

It’s sad sometimes to sit at a table and be silent.

Mom wipes away the tears, days begin to count.

Friends have their own motives. They give scope to the soul:

“Let us be young, playful, but do not forget us all!”

Years passed quickly. Let’s write a whole roundelay.

Something began to beat heart, dreams about campaign.

Between the young in connection with the illness of Lucy there was some kind of abyss. He wanted to help her, ease the pain, because she coughed hard. He felt that he could do it.

“Who would have thought that I would be so worried about someone else’s stranger girl,” he said, smiling sadly. “You’re my darling.”

“Why do you say stranger?” she exclaimed, pouring again and taking out of the refrigerator cucumbers, tomatoes and lard, cut into pieces to save.

“Once a stranger, but today so close and dear,” he replied.

Alexey tried to joke with her, but it turned out roughly and clumsily. He stayed with her until eleven o’clock. When, it seemed to him, she felt better, he got courage and left in the hope of returning.

9. Business Trip to Moscow

The next day Izmailov came to work upset and alarmed. His girlfriend’s illness bothered him. He worked slowly, did not want to talk to anyone, as they usually discussed all the latest news in the workshop.

“Suddenly she will have complications, and she will die. What then? Will I bring nudity to the court?” Alexey thought with horror. After work, he went to her without a preliminary call. He brought fruit and sweets. She was still very weak, but the cough a little diminished. They waited for the arrival of a doctor who had not been for a long time; he had to travel the entire site on a bicycle.

At work, Alexey literally fell down everything from his hands. In a break, his friend Vladik Poduhaylo came up to him and offered to stay after work to play a game of tennis. Alexey for the first time ever refused. Vladik looked at his friend in bewilderment.

“Did you fall in love? Look, Alex, you’ll lose your shape, who will be in favor of the factory team in the summer tennis competition?”

After work, Alexey telephoned to Lucy:

“How do you feel?” he said, when he heard a familiar voice, and his heart jumped with joy.

“It’s much better for me. A doctor came and wrote sick leave for three days. I hope your medications will help. If there is time, come.”

“I’ll try to do it. Certainly. I’ll be there in about an hour.”

“I’m waiting…”

He decided to go home, have a lunch, then to go to the store and buy her something for a speedy recovery. He wanted to finish the scheme of his invention faster, but Lucy’s illness completely knocked him out of the rut. He could no longer think about anything else, like that because of his fault, she lies in bed with a temperature and suffers from pain.

“How can I help her? Make it so that she will soon recover? It’s a pity that I am not a doctor.” He did not know how to relieve Lucy’s sufferings.

At home, he took the mail from the mailbox that had accumulated in three days. Among the letters he found a postcard with an invitation to come to visit Valentine from Novorossiysk, where his parents lived. He studied with him in college. After graduation, Valentine returned to his home and worked there as a welder at the shipyard.

“How wonderful that Valentine sent a postcard. In the summer, we can go with Lucy to the sea and relax. It will certainly benefit the southern sun and sea baths for her,” Izmailov thought.

On the iPad he found a message from private detective Tanya Ivanova. She wrote that the court collected evidence of guilty Zheka Skripal, it would be held in closed mode and it would be necessary tomorrow to appear at the specified address.

On the way to Lucy, he thought of going to the market, buying grapes and pomegranates. The bazaar was in the center of the city, it was not difficult to get there. The two-story market building, like everyone else, had a domed roof and resembled a circus. In the center, if you come from the main entrance, there were shopping rows of sellers with fruits, vegetables, berries, honey, village milk, eggs, dried mushrooms and herbs, folk crafts. To the left — rows of butchers and salesman with fresh fish, at the very entrance they sold dried fish, oil, seeds of flowers, roots and fresh flowers.

Alexey approached the counter where the autumn and summer multicolored, brought from the south, bouquets were laid out and stood in jars. He liked the carnations. He chose three white flowers. Then he walked along the rows and chose a large bunch of grapes and two pomegranates. He was satisfied with the purchases. He folded everything neatly into his bag and moved towards Lucy, whistling some kind of cheerful tune.

The weather was gloomy; a small frost ticked his cheeks. She met him with a pale and tired face, and the cough did not stop.

“It’s my phone that stopped whistling, or you died,” he said, holding out the flowers and the bundle.

“Thanks, how nice! You spoiled me.”

“The court will be tomorrow. I’ll leave work at lunch. Eat well, you’ll recover sooner,” he said and went into the room. “I received a postcard from my friend with an invitation to Novorossiysk. It would be great to go with you to visit him in the summer.”

She smiled because liked the offer about the trip.

“Yes, of course, you can go. We burned up shares where some sums were invested for a considerable amount of money, about two hundred thousand rubles. The management company of a large meat-packing plant went bankrupt. Management sold all the property for nothing. The prosecutor’s office had received the lion’s share of taxes, and then it went bankrupt that joint venture,” she continued, sitting down on the couch, but began coughing again and wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

He embraced the girl by the neck, sat her on his knees on the chair where he sat dawn, relaxed and stroked his beloved on the head.

“It is true; to prosecutorial workers nothing human is alien! We’ll earn,” Alexey hardly penetrated into the essence of a meaningful tirade.

“Due to professional specifics, the subconscious attraction of our prosecutors and police operatives to magic is reflected in specific criminal cases, forensic reports and other procedural documents,” she read out the phrases from the criminal chronicle, which were spread out in abundance on the table.

He was scrutinizing the fruit in a vase, slowly giving her one grape, like a child, and then eating himself. She continued to explain the situation:

“There was a change of the prosecutor not in a fairy tale, but in reality. For this was given a bribe of one and a half million dollars. The manager Rusakov — an accomplice of criminal authorities — received ten percent of this amount, and a certain private entrepreneur — Sait, according to investigators, acquired a solid piece of land, where he was going to equip and open a car market. There were invested in that deal eight million rubles. Detective Tanya Ivanova did not allow the launch of this project. While giving evidence in court, he explained this fact by that the normal work of his business was impeded by various checking structures. Through his intermediary, Sait chose Kirillov, an unemployed lawyer and somebody either Kirzhak, or Stryzhak, amateurs of easy gain.”

“And I was going to buy a car and give it to you. Where will we put it, in private parking or what?”

“Buy and give, but remember that our relationship is not tied to this mud.”

“Now I have no time to listen to the end of this criminal history, as it is necessary to finish the scheme of the new program. It is almost ready; it remains to think over the details. You understand,” he paused, “I’ve been working on this scheme for a long time, remember, have told you?”

She nodded as a sign of what she remembered.

“Well, then, you would help me with the theory of electronics. Without theory, I can not finish the scheme,” he was sadly embarrassed.

“I have textbooks for the fifth year and lectures.”

She went to her father’s room and returned with a pile of books.

“Look here.”

He took the pile and began to read the names:

“Handbook on electronics”. “To help a beginner programmer.” “Thank you; this is exactly what I need. May I read them at home?”

“I brought it for this.”

She wrapped the books in the free newspaper “Version” and handed it to him. He sat for another five minutes, then rose abruptly.

I’ll go, perhaps. Get well. I do not need to see the door.”

Alexey went into the hall, dressed and was on the street. He did not want to go home. He decided to walk slowly around the city. It was cold. He lifted his collar, shivered. 8 o’clock p.m. There’s nobody in the street. The bulk of people, hurrying from work, collapsed. He was dejected.

“It is a pity that she is sick. Nothing, she’ll get well, again we’ll walk together.”

He walked past the park, where they met repeatedly in the evenings. The square was empty. All the benches were wet. Here and there on them lay leaves. The flower bed in the center lost its summer charm. The black earth is exploded by clods.

Alexey was poorly versed in biology, he did not know the names of plants, but he was always keenly aware of the pain and feelings of close relatives and friends. He knew that there were some forces available to human consciousness. That’s why he was fascinated by electronics.

At home, he began to read the books taken from Lucy. Something cleared up. Finally, he found answers for many questions that arise when developing new schemes. He wanted to study, have a firm foundation of knowledge, enter the evening university and not quit his job. The decision to make her an offer to enter into a legal marriage and arrange her personal life did not come immediately.

He fell asleep and in a dream saw himself in a black, ceremonial suit and Lucy in a white, wedding dress. They performed a marriage ceremony. There were a lot of people, flowers, and congratulations around them. She held him by the arm and suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Lucya went to work in three days. She felt bad, cough increased, head ached all the time. She hardly restrained herself. The work has accumulated a lot. The whole day she had to spin like a squirrel in a wheel.

The assembly shop continued to function in the same rhythm. The belt of the conveyor moved inexorably, it was easy to follow the finished products coming out of the stream. Suddenly, the conveyor stopped. She gathered all her courage. The time has come when it is necessary to show that the years of study are worthwhile. The chief of the workshop approached her:

“What happened? Breaking? Go and see.”

“Ok, just now.”

She took with her the scheme of the model, so it was easier to understand. As it turned out, the breakdown was small. But the delay took half an hour. She did not expect to be able to solve the problem without help. The conveyor again started to move. But time was lost, which was unacceptable when working. During the break the workshop manager called her to his office:

“Why did the delay take place?”

She was confused.

“There was a breakdown of the main circuit at the operator’s desk,” Uvarova said softly. “I fixed the problem. In my opinion, a very weak attachment, you need new equipment for the normal operation of the conveyor. Otherwise, breakdowns will continue from day to day, and the time for elimination will go more and more. As a result, not only we will not receive a bonus, but we will not meet the norm either.”

“All is clear. Leave me, please, the scheme of this assembly. I’ll study for myself. We will find out what exactly is needed so that failures of this kind are not repeated. For the scheme you will come tomorrow, but while you can engage in the adjustment of other operations. Now go.”

During the second half of the day there was no downtime. The conveyor worked fine. But the rhythm was shot down. The mood of the workers was not the best. Pieceworkers worried most of all, because such accidents immediately beat on their pockets.

During the lunch break Izmailov went to testify in court. The jury ruled to condemn the life of Skripal, to the complete neutralization of this group, led by the postmaster, who covers Larissa, the cohabitant of the murderer of two honest collaborators. Witnesses were satisfied. Alexey punctually had time to return in time and phoned Lucya.

Sergey Levin was indignant in the assembly workshop most of all. He even forgot to smoke a couple of cigarettes, so much agitated during the sudden stoppage of the conveyor.

Friends came to him — Vladimir Nikiforov and Artem Petrov. They had been sitting on the salary for more than a year and were thinking of retraining to welders to earn more, but they were held back by the thought that at one time they would finally put in new equipment and could again work piece-work. Worked in the shop together for five years, but such a major job failure, as in the last month, was not there for a year.

“We do not care; we’ll sit for an hour without work. The money goes, and you, too, are not very sweet,” Petrov argued aloud to Levin, “and I and Nikiforov do not see a bonus this month. How many times there have been failures, new equipment can not be delivered,” he protested, rubbing his hands. “We get the minimum.”

“They’ve been calling me for a long time at a gear factory. I do not quit just because I’m used to it. I do not want to change my place of work. And the apartment is promised this year. And so long ago I would not be here. My wife and I have already set up plans for how to furnish an apartment. She sleeps and sees herself in a new apartment with all the amenities. If I leave the factory, she will drive me out of the house, but where can I go without Ann. She’s at least grumpy, but kind and economic. I’m with her like Christ in my bosom,” trying to support his friend, Nikiforov reasoned.

“Okay, I know everything. We have eaten a pound of salt together. Tell her not to dream about the apartment. Until they were given, do not dream about anything.”

Levin stood and concentrated on something thinking, it seemed that he did not listen to the speakers, and moved somewhere far away. Suddenly he asked:

“You know what, Artem; will you not give me a racing bike for training? I’m going to perform next season in competitions from the factory.”

“With auto brakes? I’ll give.”

“I’ll train and go. Maybe they’ll give an apartment for achievements in sport, too,” Levin said modestly.

In the shop after the lunch break, they brought two “yellow-throated” — the so-called newcomers who came from college. They were two seventeen-year-old girls which looked like each other as two drops of water — Galya and Taya. The head of the workshop led them. He took Galya’s hand and came with her to Korbutova for acquaintance. The assistant of the workshop was a tutor. Galya and Taya were attached for training to Antonina Sudareva — the leader. They surrounded the master.

“Come here, girl! Look, remember. There is nothing difficult here. Only speed is needed. But it does not come immediately. A very simple operation: this diode is connected to another. Here it is,” Antonina connected the wiring, brought them to the welding device and pressed the pedal with her foot. “Like this. Very simple. Now try it yourself.”

A small spark, and at the junction point there were two small dots. Galya sat down next to Antonina. The hands did not obey, but they managed to weld the wiring slowly. Nina watched Sudareva accustomed sisters to work.

“You can not do the norm yet; you will receive student’s stipends, plus a bonus and how much you will earn per day. A month or two later, when you learn how to solder the diodes yourself, you will go over to piecework.”

Galya watched closely and listened to about Sudareva’s work. It was noticeable that they had become friends. Taya was also put on the welding table. Her details were “dirty”. She had to work with gloves. They put five welding points to make the so-called “screen”. Taya’s hands were barely moving. She hardly managed to weld one piece. Antonina did not hurry the girls.

“How many do, so many and hand over. The main thing is for the details to pass control, that is, when bending, they do not disintegrate. Clear?”

Antonina explained clearly. And it seemed very easy to work with the master. Controllers sat next to the assembly workshop. Through them all the products passed and, if at least two details were found in the total volume of the products with failures, the lot was withdrawn as a whole. They checked every detail, which took time.

With the controllers it was useless to argue, something to prove. Their “Passed BTC” — a bureau of technical control — they put, if the product fully complied with the necessary standards. Only products that came out of the hands of workers who worked more than five years — the foremost producers, could not pass the BTC. They had their own stamp “Passed BTC”. It so happened that the mentors were also supervisors.

Young girls, just from school, at first it was difficult to get used to the regime of the enterprise. The more so who by the occupation had to sit all day long. Not everyone, even the most diligent, agreed to sit all day at the table. Production gymnastics stimulated the work, and the good earnings of workers and a monthly premium were not uninteresting.

The next day Lucy went to the head of the workshop, as he said, at the beginning of the day’s work.

“So, Uvarova, I studied all the details of the last breakdown and came to the conclusion that it is necessary to replace the welding tables with more perfect ones. Here, pay attention,” he handed her the prospectus with modifications of modern, improved nanotechnology tables.

She carefully studied the magazine and gave it to Torobov.

“Well done, the equipment is good, but do we have the opportunity to purchase it? Expensive probably?” trying to look elegant, she asked.

“Do not worry about money. There is money. And this is the main thing. The funds have been in the bank for a long time. Until yesterday’s accident, we wanted to wait until the equipment was replaced. I have been thinking to purchase more advanced procurement. The workers are unhappy, which means that we are working incorrectly, so we must go urgently to Moscow to our Ministry, sign some papers for the purchase of machine tools and bring them to the plant.”

She was silent and listened attentively until Torobov spoke.

“To go alone?” the question sounded like a challenge.

“This errand has already been thought through. It will be your first production trip to the capital. You’ll go with Fridman from the supply department. He is an excellent specialist in contracts, procurement and supply of products. He will help you, knows where to turn and how to approach. In a word, frets?”

“I agree,” she answered, and she suspected that such a trip to the machine-tool exhibition is not trivial, she was afraid that she would not cope, the responsibility of the tasks assigned to her, but it was necessary to go. The work of the collective as a whole, the earnings of the pieceworkers and the premium depended on this.

“You’ll go next week, on Monday. You’ll get a business trip papers tomorrow. All money matters will be processed through the accounts department. And now go to your workplace and continue to construct.”

She was happy in her soul: she was given a responsible job, which means she needs at a team. She got agitated and called randomly to Alexey:

“How can I purchase the machines and bring them to the plant?” she blurted out into the phone without explanation, hoping that he was aware of the matter.

“It’s good that you’re going with Fridman. One would be much more difficult, I’ll call when I’m free,” he reassured brotherly. “See you, bunny.”

At home, she told her father about a planned business trip. Nikolai Nikolaevich reacted with great interest to her words.

“Well, then, Lucya, it’s very good that they are sending to Moscow. Gradually grow up with the team and eventually will be a progress. Just never give up on assignments and do your best to do it a proper way. To whom, whoever young have to build a new, bright tomorrow, where your children and grandchildren will live. The big ship has a great voyage.”

Her father’s words deeply sank into her soul. She was always amazed at his intuition, foresight and intelligence.

The days passed by unnoticed. There were three days left until the end of the week. In the assembly department everybody already knew that in the near future there will be a replacement of equipment that is why a revival reigned at the lunch break.

Artem was so pleased with the upcoming changes that he was going to bring his nephew, who had just returned from the army, to work in the factory.

“What’s wrong with bringing Kostya to our workshop? There is someone to learn. I myself would have gone to the tutors. My wife Zina has long been asking me to put a guy in a good place. With the new equipment, the salary will be oh-yo-yo what! The productivity of labor will increase by a factor of ten with the new processing of parts. Moreover, our team accepted increased obligations, where it is envisaged to increase the productivity of labor by at least two percent over the plan and to reduce the cost by one percent. Of course, we will have to learn by ourselves, but without this we can not. Honestly, I read about these machine tools in the magazine about machine-tool construction. These are high-performance machines, which are designed to ensure high quality products.”

Levin and Nikiforov silently agreed with Petrov’s words.

“Well, what guys,” Raya Pivovarova came to them, she was a trade union leader of the workshop, medium height, blue-eyed, with dark blond hair, enjoyed trust and respect in the team. “How are you feeling on? Do you want to come up and relax ideologically? There are tickets to the philharmonic on Sunday. Moscow Concert comes in.”

“Will you go yourself?” asked Levin. “If yes, then write me down.”

The guys exchanged with wit glances, and Petrov slapped a friend on the shoulder and winked at Raya, she laughed and thought, as she had long noticed Levin’s attention to her.

“Shall I give you a place next to me? Levin, how did you stop drinking, immediately changed in appearance, became to dress better,” she threw a daring look at the guy.

“Than we are not a couple,” Levin chuckled encouragingly to Raya.

“Levin Sergei is not a bad guy. He does not drink. He does sports. By the nature of my father reminds. Words do not throw to the wind. Who knows, maybe this is fate?” Nikiforov reassured the guys.

“Raya, not the last row, but closer to the stage, to see the artists better,” said Petrov, expecting such a rapid turn of events.

He had liked Raya for a long time, but he somehow did not dare say or even hint her about it. And now, when Levin almost explained to her in love, Artem realized that he loved way back, but did not admit it to her.

“Artem, will you go?” she turned her face to Petrov.

“And how! I’m without Sergei anywhere.”

“Well, that’s great.”

“For tickets to come tomorrow at lunchtime,” Raya smiled her charming smile and was about to leave, but Nikiforov stopped by the hand.

“Wait for the trade union, but about me completely forgot. Write: two tickets to the Philharmonic. I’ll go with my girlfriend,” he said, studying the program.

“Before leaving for Moscow, I want to go with Alexey to a concert, get away from work,” Lucya interjected, noting that Raya was offering tickets for the concert, the poster of which hung for a week in the foyer to the checkpoint.

She phoned Alexey on the same day during working hours.

“Hello, how about going to the Philharmonic concert hall? How are you with time? Tickets are sold in our workshop. Will I take two tickets?”

“Take it. With pleasure I’ll descend. Did you say on which day the concert will be held?” he reacted.

“On Sunday. I have shocking news for you. I called Tanya and went to testify to the police. I’m sick of this mess!”

“We’ll talk about this later. Now I’m sorry, my name is needed in the workshop. I’ll meet you after work, and we’ll discuss everything in detail.”

Alexey switched off the cellular phone. Lucy looked forward to meeting with Alexey after work and worried. She paused, looked critically at herself in the mirror. He stood by the checkpoint and waited. He looked a weary, but at the sight of the girl smiled.

“If you’re not getting exhausted, will you walk? Are you cold? The weather is wonderful. I was again asked to report to the police for signing papers.”

“Not at all. Go, I also need to take Kate’s personal belongings. How is your health?

“Excellent. Will you escort me to the airport?”

“When?”

“I do not know exactly, I’ll tell you when I’ll buy a ticket.”

They walked slowly, holding hands. They did not want to talk. It began to rain.

On the way, he remembered their first meeting, as they went to a cafe, and he bought flowers. “Perhaps soon,” he reflected, “we will become husband and wife. We will have children.” He loved children and dreamed of a son. “It will be fine if Lucy gives me a son. He would become a worker. I will try to raise a real man from him. It’s hard, I know.”

“Lucy, would you like to have children?”

“Of course! I would like to have a boy and a girl, would call them Angelica and Sergei. Do you like these names?”

“I like them.”

They walked along the embankment. She gave him a hand carelessly:

“See you. When will you call me about the concert?”

“Better, I think, on Saturday.”

“Wait,” he paused, he did not want to leave, and pulled her shoulder to himself. “Lucya, I feel bad without you. Think about what will happen if we part. Would you be without me?”

“I do not know,” she dismissed him, “I did not think about it.”

Alexey looked at her pointedly. Before her eyes there were tears:

“Why are you crying? What has happened? Did I hurt you? You are a mystery to me. Now I realized that I absolutely do not know you as a person. Your thoughts, feelings, motives of actions. I’ve always liked your appearance, your hair, the smell of perfume,” he was even a little frightened by what he said. “What happens if we get married, but we can not live together? How to find common ground? Why is it so difficult sometimes in the simplest situation to understand where the lie is, and where the truth?” all these questions worried Alexey not for the first time, and he gently kissed Lucya on the cheek.

“I was upset because of your words.”

On Saturday, as agreed, he called her at eleven. She was waiting for the call, so she postponed all urgent negotiations about the business trip with Fridman for tomorrow.

“Can you hear me?” Alexey was waiting for an answer insistently.

“It’s good that you called me. We’ll go to the concert tomorrow at seven. At six we meet at my house.”

“I got it. How are you feeling?”

“Fine. All is well.”

Alexey wanted to please Lucya, and he bought her a present to give at a meeting. He thought for a long time what to buy. The gift was helped by a saleswoman. At the exhibition in the haberdashery department “Women’s Clothing” of emporium hung a lot of scarves and ties of all kinds and colors. He especially liked the blue kerchief with white circles and stripes. The saleswoman — a young girl in uniform — asked:

“What color are your girl’s eyes, to which you want to do a gift?”

“Green,” Alexey replied with confidence. “Emerald.”

“Then you’d better buy this one,” the saleswoman pointed to a green scarf with red dots in the form of stars all over the space.

“Ok, indeed, this is exactly what I need. I’m sure she’ll like it.”

Alexey paid the cashier and left satisfied with the purchase. He never bought presents for girls in his life, except for school and college on the eighth of March, when they all combined and bought wholesale flowers, cards, jewelry, mugs, souvenirs, pens, key chains and something else, including cakes, biscuits, juices, napkins and plastic utensils.

He remembered that once in school he gave his mother perfume. He earned money on recyclable materials. He handed over the waste paper and scrap metal with his friend — Alexey too. The money was divided. He bought perfume, and his friend — hooks to a fishing rod.

Now that he had a package with a scarf in his hand, he was experiencing an unspeakable joy. As if again moved to childhood and won in a school lottery during a festive evening a racing car or a book with entertaining tasks in mathematics. Alexey wanted to give a scarf so that Lucy liked it. For this he went to the market and bought three roses. He knew for sure that no girl refused roses. On a date Alex was a little late. Lucya stood near the house and waited for him.

“Hi!” she exclaimed, as usual in a fine mood.

“Hello,” he handed Lucya flowers and a package, she smiled, because she realized that he decided to give her a present. “This is for you. Look.”

“What is it?”

Lucya carefully unfolded the rustling paper and saw a scarf. At first she did not know what she was holding, but when she realized that it was a scarf around her neck, she laughed with joy, her eyes lit up, and Alexey imagined a little girl. Now she will be jumping and kissing Alexey.

“Let’s see, let’s see how it will look,” she said, very cute, swallowing the letter “r”.

Immediately, Lucy tore off the label and tied a gift under the collar. It was suited with a light coat and a hat, had knitted by Lucy herself. Alexey did not know what to say, and he barely murmured:

“It is very fit to your face, carry with pleasure.”

For the first time, Alexey noticed that Lucy was jabbing, but this did not completely spoil, but on the contrary, gave some originality and charm to speech.

They reached the philharmonic in thirty minutes. At first, Alex decided to take a taxi, but Lucy protested.

“No, no. I want to take a walk.”

Then he canceled the call. They walked along the main street, and there were a lot of people. It was rush hour. Everyone was in a hurry and fussed. Soon it was getting dark.

In shops the light was lighted. Through glass showcases it was possible to see a variety of goods. Woolen, chintz, staple, lace, brocaded fabrics. Men’s shirts, ties. Tulle, curtains. Chasing, lamps, dishes. Hats. Children’s clothes, toys. Dresses, coats, men’s suits, shoes. Mirrors, furniture. Office equipment. Gold. Bread products, hams, sausages, fish. In the evening light of the illuminations, everything looked different than at the day time, lost its true color and acquired other brightness.

Lucy thought about it. She liked to look at the windows. She especially liked beautifully designed stands, where dressed dummies stood and held perfume, handbags. It seemed to Lucya that they were people who accidentally stepped behind the window and froze in silence that at night, when the city was empty, they would wake up and live their own, unknown life to anyone.

Near the philharmonic at the entrance there was a crowd of people: who asked for an extra ticket, somebody was standing in anticipation. Lucy and Alexey went to the foyer. They undressed. She carefully brushed her hair in front of the mirror. They passed into a large, cozy auditorium with crystal plafonds shaded in oval niches in the wall. The chairs and the floor were upholstered in green velour’s.

The seats were in the center, on the tenth row. The light went out and the concert began. There performed well-known artists — singers, art reading, jugglers, and illusionists. During the break, colleagues in the foyer discussed the scanned numbers, drank beer.

In general, Lucy liked the concert. She had a good rest and on the way home laughed a lot and even sang. Alexey also had fun, trying to portray jugglers, singers and musicians. When they reached the house, he stopped for a moment, wanted to stay for a while, but did not know how to do it. Suddenly, happily, he recalled a poem that had been read and learned by heart, and began to recite:

The middle of the taiga summer.

There is no better time in Siberia.

Up to the heart is warmed

Pinery by warmth in July with berry.

On the fumes already shone

Crimson flame of fries,

And in the thickets of red hoop

Mists whiter clouds.

June, like a little boy, flow

Affected by any influence,

Then he tried to blossom yellow,

Then highlight everything blue ones.

He tasted the flower of the marsh —

Like, that’s how I can, take a look…

Unstable these canvases were washed

By rains have long been like brook.

Toritsa, locust, chabor

No longer dazzling the shore,

And every paint with parsing

Lays painter — taiga not more.

She looked at everything

And believes in this calling

Let it still not maturity of wit,

But this is the beginning of it.

“Do you like?” without pausing, Alex blurted out.

“Surely. Who is the author?”

“Victor Kochetkov. In the library of the club took his poems. I liked this verse more than others, I learned it. Do you like poetry?”

“Yes, I do,” she said briefly and slyly embarrassed. “And you…”

Lucya was somehow ashamed to admit that in poetry she always found a particle of her thoughts, her second self.

Not that Lucy Uvarova, who was a competent engineer, a caring daughter, a loyal friend, and quite different, absolutely unlike her — very quiet and poetic, educated on Pushkin, Turgenev and Mayakovsky.

“Alex, I’m sorry, but we must go home. My father is waiting for me. Yes, and get up early. It is necessary to sleep before a busy, hard day. Yesterday at the police again I gave evidence. The court hearing is constantly postponed because of a lack of evidence.”

“I know, he also touched all the things in aunt Kate’s apartment to find any clue. The flat is now transferring to me. So they think that I had a motive,” Alexey turned away angrily. “Well, good night,” he wanted to stop, hold up the girl, but how? He did not know.

Lucy turned and walked towards the entrance. In the hall she took off her coat, shook it off, hung it on the hanger and went to the apartment. Her father sat in the kitchen and had supper. Scrambled eggs, ham with tea and bread. She sat next to him and put from frying pan on the plate food that she had roasted in the morning.

“Do you want me to read after dinner?” she asked, eating and removing from the table.

“If you are not too lazy may read something good, I can only listen to you for half an hour.”

“We agreed,” she took out the notebook from the file, opened it and began to read:

Consequences of Disasters

Mankind is in debt to nature

And it pays us in full not in myth.

How many people died at sea adventure?

Is there anything to measure the grief?!

It’s necessary to comprehend the severity of loss.

The power of nature is not dead.

Victims and tragedies have counted of course!

This is the work of environment.

Sometimes, forgetting about the main thing,

We spend our energy on trifle sides.

And it seems funny mean,

When the account of wars is worth wides.

Is not it better, combining efforts of all,

To conduct a continuous ceasefire law.

To make our days more beautiful,

We must choke the malice of war.

“I’m afraid I’m tired,” he said, returning to the kitchen when she again began to read, but for herself, barely audible, remembering going to the philharmonic and reading Alexey’s poem, which was in the memory of a friend.

“I’ll read it out loud,” she distinctly proclaimed:

Geologists

He is looking for petroleum in the taiga harsh.

The geologist can not do otherwise.

He will say “no” to the bad weather, the blizzard rush.

Fate means they not revise.

He is affected to forests, seas and mounts,

The valleys, rivers, steppe spaces.

So that it would be cozy in our homes,

The geologist will find natural gas.

Gold, coal, uranium and tungsten

He will mark on the map by himself.

Draw, build and search, test and produce.

To break into the abyss of the sea, conquer the land.

This is their task, not so simple views.

For the submarine scouts, fame is nothing end.

But if the geologist stumbled, fell, went last

Friends will not leave him laid halfway.

After him, others will come to fulfill the task.

This is their work. And we glorify it anyway!

She was tired of reading, and she threw the notebook aside and imagined this cup of natural minerals. Her father was asleep, she lie down and immediately fell asleep too.

The next day, after usual bypassing all the welding tables and verifying the correctness of the microcircuits, Lucy went to Torobov. She knocked a little audible on the door, in response she heard:

“Come in.”

Lucya came closer to the table. The head of the assembly workshop as usual was busy analyzing the documentation and diagrams. He sat at his desk, and seemed to grow with it. From time to time, phone calls interrupted his occupation. When she entered, he diverted for a second from the papers, looked at her and said:

“Sit down. Wait. Now I’ll deal with you.”

Lucya sat down on the edge of a leather chair. The cabinet of Torobov was small and clean: two tables stood with the letter “t”. Sofa, bookcase with printed projects and documentation, safe. One window faced the factory yard. On the windows there were bright blinds, a portrait of president Putin on the wall, a monitor with a built-in system unit, a printer near the window, a clean ashtray, a stock of pens and pencils in the brilliant organizer of the firm “Brauberg.”

On the wall in the wooden framework were the certificates for quality, valued by the international commissions of exhibitions and fairs. Cups — prizes of participants in athletics competitions in track and field athletics made of metal and jade — were flaunted on the cupboard by lone soldiers. Lucy remembered that poem purely poetic, and not symbolic, which had sunk into her soul yesterday.

She continued to examine the office of the chief of one of the leading workshops of the plant for the production of LED lighting devices and computers. Finally Torobov was distracted from important papers.

“So, Lucy, I prepared all the documentation for the trip. Look,” he breathed, mechanically transferring the papers to her.

She leafed through them, delving into the meaning of prescriptions and notifications.

“Study everything thoroughly. But the travel certificate,” he handed the sheet separately.

“You will receive money for the ticket on the bank card through the accounts department. Now go and get busy,” he rapped out zealously and corny.

Lucy took everything that was necessary, stood up and briskly headed for the exit.

“Wait a minute,” he said, when the phone rang, and the chief took his cell phone from the desk with a built-in digital device such as a computer from a Japanese firm such as Samsung or Yong-Yong, representing a mixture of bull and foal at the same time.

Lucya stopped, went back and sat on a leather chair, like an armchair.

“Ok. Very well. I’m waiting for you,” Torobov hung up. “Fridman called. Now he will come, and you will discuss all the details of the trip. Wait a minute,” he repeated, swapping the words for complete persuasiveness.

He again became absorbed in reading computer diagrams as an ordinary engineer-technologist, who he was, in fact, working from the very beginning of the start of life-giving moisture in the shop for workers, delivering this liquid from the very depths of the curative local source.

Lucy leafed through the papers with documents, reading the prints of the Ministries and departments to take time in expectation of Fridman. A few minutes later the door flew open. A tall, pretty brunette, clean-shaven, about thirty or thirty-six years old, in an elegant suit from Versace, resembling a Don Cossack, burst into the office.

“Glad to greet you,” he greeted Torobov, shaking his hand firmly, and, directing his vigilant attention to the girl, minted: “Madame.”

“Here you are, Lucy Uvarova. With her you will go to Moscow. I ask you to love and to pay,” advised the chief and made a welcoming gesture with his hand.

He introduced them to each other. Lucy looked at Fridman and smiled, demonstrating her photogenic, operated profile and white, even teeth. Fridman had a mane of thick, chestnut hair, an open face and a daring look. A blue shirt was of the same firm as the suit. Instead of a buttonhole was a pen with a gold feather.

Lucy immediately realized: with this bureaucrat will be a lot of trouble, but the bank account and a letter of credit for a certain amount invested in documents in the name of the director of the plant Korostylev or his deputy Samodurov will help to settle all matters with the purchase of equipment. They will sign and will send out immediately upon receipt from the dispatched telegrams about the coordination of all services for the transfer. To clarify the cost of equipment, she will have to independently, comparing the prospectuses and studying the dimensions with the smallest details. Fridman played the role of a plunger, but in the adjustment of salaries and bonuses was a god.

“I want you to discuss all the details of your trip together. Lucya does not know much. You have to help her; you have a lot of experience in the supply. The sums are considerable.”

“We will do it in my workplace,” suggested Fridman, throwing a lock of unruly hair from his forehead and revealing a profound Greek profile.

“Of course, I’m not detaining you.”

Visitors to the workshop manager left the office and went to the supply department, where they discussed the planned business trip. It did not take much time.

The lawyer was not in place, he went to the urgent process on the bankruptcy of the enterprise where Lucy and her mother invested money. This was the same case, about which she told Alexey, it has become public in the press. All the newspapers were full of headlines about bankruptcy. One of the depositors of the firm “Blagoros” phoned Lucya and told in private:

“Rusakov’s lawyer, Kirillov, confessed at the trial, where you could not attend because of the workload, that his friend — businessman Kovalev — died in Moscow in a traffic accident last spring under mysterious circumstances. I was informed that allegedly Rusakov, who received a bribe, was similar to many law enforcement officials, where they considered burning problems. A victim in an accident — a friend of a lawyer — left Rusakov’s phone, which he used to resolve the issue with the car market.”

“I heard from the familiar prosecutor that Rusakov, Akchurin, and Kirillov were willing to go in contact with the investigation, attracting all the new hangers-on to their side,” pacifism lost all meaning for Lucy. “Records of secret conversations of all persons involved in this scam are stored and sent for examination,” she concluded the conversation, tapping her finger monotonously on the iPad, knowing that the private investigator Tanya was doing this, examining the enterprises where Russian law enforcement agencies sent her information on the availability or the absence of depositors and investors.

Now the detective Tanya had a hot time for the removal of property from the territory of a bankrupt meat-packing plant, a feed mill, a glass and concrete plants in those places where new plants and factories had to be reborn for the prosperity of her private business.

About an hour later, Lucya went to her workplace and started to do business. It was necessary to prepare documentation for the design of products for export to developing countries. All additions made recently by Sveta Erengeld were approved by the technical council. It was necessary to prepare all the documentation for transmission to the General Directorate for State Standards for finalization for exporters.

Lucy had to turn to Sveta and Razumov several times. Sveta, extremely calm and reserved, explained legibly and clearly. At once everything fell into place. As for Razumov, he gave to the enterprise for more than fifteen years. He came to the plant after graduating from a technical college and behind him had many years of experience.

At first the assembly shop was small: it consisted of two teams of six people, but over time the plant expanded, and the assembly plant grew. Razumov had repeatedly quarreled with the leadership about the need to expand production. During the time the senior engineer made several rationalization proposals, got married, a daughter was born, found a mistress, bought a car, a garage, arranged an apartment with the help of his wife, a pediatrician, helped parents, and became too fond with bodybuilding. He was respected and appreciated in the team.

Approximately forty-five years, but looked much younger by the evaluation of women, as he was constantly engaged in tourism and was recorded in the “walrus” section. He was always energetic and business-like. To his words they listened. He was of medium height, athletic, wavy, dark-blond hair, always clean and tastefully dressed. Razumov was very fond of helping novice staff, was to some extent a workaholic. He was not a mentor in the literal sense of the word, rather he was an adviser and a teacher, in fact proving his rightness, and taught the young people to follow the same theses. Razumov drew attention to the manner of behavior of Uvarova. He prompted Torobov to send it to Lucy on a business trip, because he saw in her an able diplomat.

At the end of the working day, Uvarova issued all the money related to a business trip in the accounting department. Through the Internet, she immediately sent a copy of the travel order to the airport cashier and ordered tickets for the plane, since tickets for all flights to Moscow the next day were no longer in the pre-booking office.

The ticket was received immediately, it remained to call Alexey and tell the time of departure. But here there was a problem. He worked since morning; a plane for Moscow also took off in the morning at eleven o’clock. To Alexey released from work, he should have agreed with the authorities.

Now it was too late to regret. Despite this, she still decided to call him about his departure. When Alexey picked up the phone, Lucy, stuttering slightly with excitement, said:

“I got a ticket for the plane by eleven forty. If you beg off boss to quit your job, you’ll escort me. Look, do not be late!” she said loudly and with pathos, considering the length of the flight and the pleasure that she must receive from communicating with Fridman and his leadership.

“Okay I will try. I’ll see you at the airport.”

“I will not stop you from pursuing your obligations to your superiors.”

The conversation was at an impasse, but she had the hope of meeting again just before flying out to the cafe with all the men at once, and so she put the phone aside and went to the lawyer’s office where Fridman sat to confirm his candidacy for the post of deputy workshop manager.

With Samodurov suddenly had a heart attack after he learned that the money invested by him in corporation of the limited liability company “Meat milk industry” disappeared without a trace, and the percentages were received in full, with all the ensuing consequences resulting there from, young specialists in the field of jurisprudence, where he was rarely included.

In place of the deputy several people claimed, including Erengeld, Razumov and Uvarova, who urgently wanted to advance, to win respect and love of Korostylev, as the chief manager and a member of the regional council — Lower House of Parliament.

On a business trip, Lucy took only the most necessary things, instead of a suitcase — a small portfolio-diplomat, which included a dress from Armani for 500 euros on output and toiletries. She took to read the magazine “Glamour”, which bought sometimes. She reached the airport by taxi. From the window of the car Honda from afar noticed the figure of Alexey. He stood, wrapped in a scarf, with his collar raised and without a headdress. Lucy smiled. Such attention from the side of the person, whom she already had time to love, was very flattering.

The taxi drove right up to the entrance of the airport building. Alexey saw Lucya driving up and he came closer, helped open the door, gave a hand, and she fluttered out of the car. Having paid the driver, she took a briefcase with securities, iPad and kissed Alexey on the cheek.

“I’m glad you’re seeing me off. How did you get away from work?”

“I’m on Friday agreed with my changer to stay in the shop instead of me. The authorities warned about this.”

“Come on, I need to register a ticket.” She took his arm. They went to the waiting room, and then to check in the tickets, where there was a small queue.

“It is possible to become. The people are already accumulating.”

A gray-haired old man turned around. He was with a young, anemic girl wearing in a jeans suit with torn holes on his pants knees, not for such cold weather.

“Perhaps granddaughter took her grandfather into circulation,” Lucya thought loudly.

“They are foreigners,” Alexey explained severely.

The old man continued to say something with interest, the granddaughter listened attentively. Lucy wanted to listen to the conversation; it was interesting, what was so fascinating one could tell. But it was impossible to understand what they were talking about, because of frequent announcements of departure flights. Only a few French words reached her.

Finally the queue reached. Lucy registered the ticket. The portfolio did not weigh, because it was small and did not weigh more than five kilograms.

When everything was done, the two of them went back to the waiting room, sat on a soft sofa, upholstered in white, artificial leather. Now they had to wait for the announcement of the landing. They were waiting for Fridman, who never appeared at time. Lucy was starting to get nervous. He became visible unexpectedly in a demi-season coat of gray color, a brown scarf thrown over his shoulder and in a cap of muskrat fur on his head. It was early December, and snowflakes were flying in the air.

“Hi!” Boris greeted everyone; he also had a briefcase in his hands.

“Alex, get acquainted with Boris; we’re on the same mission together.”

Boris sat next to Lucya on a vacant chair and cleared his throat. After a while, they announced a flight.

“This is our flight, come on,” she said and stood up.

The men silently followed her. Passengers handed over things to the luggage compartment and passed customs control. Lucy and Boris went to the liner. They were among the first passengers. They were followed by another thirty people. The wind blew on the field and she had to cover her face with her hand in order to keep a spectacular make-up. At the gangway she turned again. Little Alexey’s figure was black behind the hedge. He saw that she turned around, and waved to her.

Boris did not see off anyone. Passengers passed into the salon, found places and sat down. Lucya found her place and, clumsily sitting down, sat down and turned on the headphones. A tall, handsome man of about forty sat down to her. Lucy remained silent and, in time with the music from her headphones, repeated the melody slowly.

“So we’ll fly together,” the neighbor said impressively.

She did not want to talk, because her soul was not very happy.

A brief meeting with Alexey and parting was very painful for her. When all the passengers were seated in their seats, the stewardess announced the flight altitude and air temperature. The scoreboard was lit up, where in two languages, Russian and English; it was said about the need to fasten belts and the prohibition of smoking, since the board was already ready for departure. Lucy fastened herself to the seat.

The IL-114, a rocket of yellow color, buzzed and rolled on the flying field, at first slowly, then increasing its speed. Finally, it tore itself away from the ground and it was noisy out of turbulence that Lucy felt dizzy. She leaned against the porthole. Houses, trees, the runway decreased with the altitude of the flight and gradually turned into small points.

First flew over the city, which acquired the outline of the scheme. Lucy remembered the blueprints seen in the iPad. Gradually, when the liner passed into the high layers of the atmosphere, it was given permission to unfasten the belts. The engines hummed monotonously and heavily. Now the whole engine worked. Fog hung in the porthole window. The earth was completely invisible.

Lucy closed her eyes and tried to sleep. But it was difficult to implement because of turbulence. The engine was buzzing too much, and the liner seemed to rise, then fell again down. The flight lasted about an hour. When they landed, Lucy felt broken and tired. Boris approached her.

“How do you feel?” he asked formally.

“A bit tired.”

“Nothing of the kind; everything will pass. Now we get tickets for the return flight. Then we go to the hotel, have lunch and rest. In the evening we will walk along the evening Moscow. And tomorrow morning we start to work. How do you look at my plan?”

“Positively.”

“Very well, then.”

Booking tickets did not take much time. They took tickets for Saturday. Fridman hoped for five days to settle all matters with the purchase of equipment. They took a taxi and went to the hotel. The places for them in the hotel had to be booked in advance.

Hotel “Central” was in the center of the city, on Tverskaya Street. Places they were presented immediately in different rooms. Lucy was settled on the second floor overlooking the avenue. Room was small, single, with all amenities. She took a shower, combed her hair, changed her clothes and went downstairs to the reception. There Boris was already waiting for her.

She wore a strict, brown, woolen dress with a skirt in a fine fold and a bodice trimmed with satin edging. In the hands she had a black bag-tablet with a “golden” yarn; hair stabbed with a brilliant clamp and opened the forehead, and high boots up to knee with a narrow nose on a small heel. Boris saw Lucya and ran to meet her.

“You are very elegant and you have a wonderful perfume,” Boris said, importantly stretching out every word, with pauses.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“Well, let’s go to the restaurant for lunch. I’m rather hungry.”

They went to the restaurant; Lucy was hungry and ordered a borscht soup, entrecote, mushroom hodgepodge, grape juice and a slice of pie. Boris ordered two entrecotes, a jellied fish, a cold galantine and a hot tea with lemon. They had a hearty lunch; they did not want to go anywhere. But an unusual feeling of joy, that she was again in the capital, was overflowing with her.

“So, what are we going to do now?” Boris asked, wiping his hands with a snow-white handkerchief. “Where shall we go?”

“To be honest, I just want to take a walk,” Lucya confessed.

“Therefore, we will walk,” he replied with a capricious and stylish dandified appearance.

They paid, went out of the restaurant and went to their rooms to put on their coats. About ten minutes later they met again in the foyer and went out into the street. It was about six o’clock in the evening. It was already dark. It’s freezing. Street lights burned brightly. Boris and Lucy walked along Tverskaya Street. Then they turned onto the Garden Ring, reached the Pushkin Theater, from there to Small Bronnaya and the monument to Timiryazev. It seemed to Lucya that they had gone too far from their hotel, and she became agitated.

“I think we should go back to the hotel. It’s late, and I want to sleep.”

Fridman did not mind. He stopped a taxi passing by, and they returned. It was ten o’clock. Lucy’s legs were buzzing. She lost her habit of such excursions and felt tired.

“Till tomorrow. Good night,” she said, barely restraining the yawn.

“For now,” Boris said, hardly audibly, as he was tired for the evening.

The next day they met at nine in a restaurant. They had breakfast. Lucy drank a cup of coffee and a cupcake. Boris took the same thing.

“Well, now we’ll go to the Ministry to sign the documentation? Are you worried?” she went on the offensive, adjusting her hair.

“Ok, a little bit. I advise you to look at everything. Next time, perhaps you will go alone, it will be easier for you. You will recognize people, they will greet you. In a word, one must used independence,” he joked.

“I’m so excited before meeting with the authorities,” Lucy became sad.

Boris realized that she did not want to go to any Ministry at all.

“Well. Chin up! The main thing is not shy! Come on.”

Taxi delivered them to the right address. Lucy expected that they would not be met at the Ministry with kindness. She was afraid of the capital’s arrogance. But everything turned out to be much simpler. There worked the same specialists, perhaps even more mundane than she believed.

When the detainees reported the purpose of the visit to the secretary, she was delighted and said that she knew about their arrival for three days, and was also surprised why the equipment was just decided to change, because the need for replacement existed for a long time.

The secretary was a charming brown-haired woman of about thirty-five years old with red long nails, in a strict blue suit. On her neck she wore long, pearly beads.

“Leave all papers and documents. Come tomorrow, when they will learn. How did you get settled in a hotel? Do you have any requests?” she asked enthusiastically.

“No, no, it’s okay. We settled ourselves perfectly in the hotel ‘Central’, that on Tverskaya,” Boris dictated his and Lucy phone numbers.

The secretary put the papers in the folder on which it was written: “To study.” When they went out into the street, Boris nodded approvingly and said:

“Well, you see how everything turns out. Tomorrow the documents will be signed. Then we will complete the purchase and delivery. It will be more difficult. And now we will go to the exhibition of machine-tool construction, where these machines are exhibited. You do not mind, do you?”

“Of course. Sorry, I’m gradually getting into the working rhythm.”

At the exhibition, Lucy carefully studied each new model. She was impressed by these beautiful nano machine tools. When they reached the samples that were necessary for the plant, Lucya stood beside each specimen for more than a quarter of an hour, recording the main parameters and output data in the iPad.

“If we buy this equipment, then a quarterly bonus will be provided for us,” Lucy reasoned aloud. “It is necessary to study thoroughly.”

After viewing the entire exposition, the friends decided to have a snack. It was necessary to find a cafe or a snack bar. The blessing on the territory of the exhibition was such a few food points. Boris admired the achievements of Russian and foreign scientists in the field of machine tool construction.

“To be honest, I myself have been performing such a difficult task for the first time. Previously, I was sent on ordinary business trips, signed some papers or agreed on the supply of products, building materials, to take part in court proceedings regarding the debts of regional firms. This exhibition confused me. What is the power and the minimum cost of money. There is something to admire. Did you like it here?” he liked to embellish, so he spoke, leaning slightly and looking Lucy in the face.

“Yes I did, very much. It will be a pleasure to work on new equipment. The salary will go up a lot. The equipment is profitable. I especially liked the superficies. The machines are painted in bright and light colors. Such equipment will create a good mood.”

“Lucy, you’re right. Profitability and design are now interacting with each other. Even with the highest profitableness, if the machines are cumbersome and inactive, they will not be in high demand. Well, now, it seems, we have reached,” Boris pointed to the sign “Cafe-diner”. “This is exactly what we need. Thanks to your efforts, we will sign everything very quickly.”

In the cafe people were not so much, although there was a lunch break. After dinner, she said stubbornly, hoping for an hour and a half rest:

“You know, Boris, I wanted to do shopping.”

“Okay, call me in the hotel room when you get back,” he advised.

In the evening Lucy phoned Boris. He busily suggested:

“If you are not tired of shopping and have a desire, then we can go have fun. I have two tickets to the concert hall ‘Russia’.”

“How did you manage to get tickets?!” she was surprised.

“My friend is a muscovite. He works in the sphere of culture; he has free access to any theaters and concert halls. I called him; he offered me two invitation cards.

“All right, in twenty minutes I’ll be ready. We meet in the hall.”

“I’m waiting.”

The concert hall “Russia” struck Lucya with its size and grandeur. There were mirrors and crystal chandeliers around. The floor was upholstered in red velvet. The concert of the famous Cossack choir took place. Lucya was delighted. Singing artists were dancing in bright national costumes. Everything spoke of the high taste and professional skill of the performers.

The next day, all the papers were signed in the Ministry. It remained to issue a trade deal. Boris was engaged in this As he himself said, it was not the first time he had to deal with the delivery, but he worked for the first time with machine tools. Lucya followed him everywhere.

He told her the main secrets of trade operations. She liked Boris more and more. She seemed to have completely forgotten Alexey. At one point she even regretted that she had met with Alexey, and not with Boris, who was unusually helpful and polite. It was easy and interesting to talk with him. He saw a lot, was well-read, knew more and had his own opinion on everything. It seemed to Lucya that Boris was showing her not only an official interest.

When they walked from the concert, he took her hand, showing that it was not just a friendly handshake, but something more. Just before leaving, he invited her to the “Arbat” restaurant. She was already beginning to think about her house, family and apartment, she wanted to see Alexey as soon as possible, but an unexpected phone call interrupted her sad thoughts:

“Hi! How about you go out for supper, do you mind?”

“No. What to wear on top?” she asked, remembering the collection of her brands.

“A small black dress or a jacket will fit to you,” he answered hastily. “We meet in the hall in thirty minutes.”

After a hard day, endless walks and drafting of trade agreements, Lucya had time to rest. They met, took a taxi and drove to the restaurant, which was in the center.

The evening capital shone with all the colors of fluorescent lights and advertisements. Places were in the restaurant. The waiter provided them places near the stage.

When they went into the hall, the music was not playing. At nine o’clock musicians appeared. Soon Lucy’s head ached from the lingering sound of electric guitars and drum beats. Boris ordered a bottle of champagne, two meat assortments and two meat salads. Lucy wanted to dance, but sat and watched. The dancing couples continued to sway to the beat of the music in the huge space of the hall. The light was muffled, and in the hall, like solar bunnies, flashed colors, light glare.

The audience in the restaurant was the most diverse, mostly foreigners not older than twenty-five. Lucy danced with Arab investors, presenting herself as Mata Hari. When Boris invited to a slow foxtrot, it was not convenient to refuse him. She agreed. She was dizzy with champagne. Boris’s hand lay at her waist; it seemed that Boris kissed his neck. Lucya stepped back and remembered Alexey.

“I guess my appearance has too accessible view if you allow yourself to fondle me,” she said when the dance was over, and he thanked her, led to the spot and sat down next to him. “You are a naughty man.”

The conversation somehow did not stick. Suddenly she wondered if he had a wife. The ring on his right hand indicated that he was married.

“Forgive me, if I’m not humble, do you have a wife?” Lucy sighed sideways secretly.

“No. But I was married. It’s been two years since we split up. I have a son, but he almost does not remember me. His mother allows us to see each other. Although the money I pay neatly on time. She is afraid that I will badly influence the child.”

Lucy realized that “she” was Boris’s ex-wife.

“Boris, what does your ex-wife do, who is she by profession?”

“She’s a doctor-therapist. We were friends from school. When we entered the university: she — in the medical, and I according to the trade — college of commerce, then immediately we married and lived for ourselves. It was believed that the birth of a child will have a bad effect on learning. After graduation, she became pregnant. I wanted a daughter, but a son was born. And something happened to me. They are both: Julia and the son became strangers to me.

“In my opinion, you are right, Boris. But you need to meet your wife for the sake of the child. You’re a father. Do you really indifferent about the fate of your son?”

“Maybe so, Lucy, but she’s already married and, in my opinion, well. A real husband is a watchmaker. They are waiting for the second child.”

Lucy, for some reason, felt sorry for Boris: “Is such a beautiful person, once stumbled, can not find a companion for life?” And aloud she said:

“I understand you perfectly, Boris, since I am not married too, but, probably, I’ll be out soon. I have a fiancé. He’s from our factory. Master-adjuster. Remember, he saw us off at the airport,” Boris’s tale inspired her with hope.

“Yes, I remember. I saw him for the first time. The plant is large, it is difficult to communicate with all at the same time, it is almost impossible.”

There were still slow dances, but Boris no longer invited Lucya, she thought that he was offended. “It was in vain to ask him about his ex-wife. He is still in love and has experienced great stress. I know these former wives.”

They reached the hotel by taxi in silence. Inside, Boris felt something contracted, and Lucy again regretted that she had a frank conversation. She decided to call Fridman from the hotel room and apologize, but it was too late. Despite this, as soon as she returned to the hotel, Lucya could not resist and dialed his number.

Boris picked up the phone, where her number was shown, but did not hear a sound. She was frightened at the last moment, and only he picked up the phone, forgot what to say. They met in the corridor, as she looked out the door, and he stood and smoked on the stairs, waiting until she came out and called to her.

She was silent, so he must wait for her to come to him. But this maneuver did not work. Then he deliberately stood next to her room and when he saw how she opened the door, he invited Lucya to enter, as she did two days ago, when she had stayed with him for the first time after signing a successful deal worth two million dollars. The money was transferred to the bank account by the payment advice note.

The smell of his perfume irritated and tormented her with his astringent scent. He did not buy flowers for her, but he was courteous. They smoked expensive cigars in the bathroom, discussing the behavior of every cockroach and spider in the Ministry, admiring ultra-trendy building materials, finishing offices and corridors. Then they ventilated and switched on air conditioning.

Their business short-term relationship left on both of them with only magical memories of happiness, success, enjoying life amid crowded and messy corridors of ministries and departments. All the rest went to the background: problems, work, and constant searches for something in stores, responsibility and fear for possible failure with the deal, lost hours of waiting, bankrupt shares, candid nude photos that Alexey posted on the Internet. He was haunted by a feeling of guilt in front of her. The next day was Friday. It was the last day of the business trip.

“It’s okay, tomorrow I’ll come.” Lucya called and told her father.

10. Arrival

Almost everything was ready. Trade agreements and contracts were signed, money was transferred. Lucy was afraid of thunderstorms, lightning, overflows, catastrophes, floods and hurricanes and always to miss something. But Boris settled any disputable issues. Finally, everything was finished.

At home Uvarova returned with a sense of accomplishment to the head of the workshop and the collective of the plant as a whole. The responsible task was completed. The equipment was purchased, which was to be proved. Machines with programmed control were loaded and shipped with a low speed train from the Moscow-Commodity station. Mutual relations with Boris after the evening in the restaurant and a wonderful night without sleep, which was carried out in his room, did not become worse. He periodically continued to tell Lucy, when she misunderstood something, and joked:

“Well, Lucy, now you have become a real supply agent. On the next trip you will be able to do without me. You have excellent business qualities.”

“Meet…” Lucy called Alexey the day before the flight.

“How are you there, coped with the task? Have you managed to do all the work on time?” he measured by distance the criterion of his feelings towards her.

“Circumnavigation is coming to an end, soon back,” she joked, wiping away a drop of blood accidentally dripping from her nose. “I miss… I am undernourished…”

“Mutually,” he calmed down, when he received local history information.

“So everything is fine, you can not worry and do not call every day in the assembly shop with the same question: " When is Uvarova expected to return?” The last time he called, the receiver was taken by the workshop manager.

“Who’s talking?”

“Izmailov Alexey.”

“You know what, Alexey; if you’re in love, please do not interfere with the work of the assembly shop. From your endless calls, Lucy Uvarova’s arrival will not accelerate at all,” the chief pressed to hang up.

Alexey’s mood was already not happy, without a trace, finally deteriorated. Life lost all meaning, so when she announced the arrival, Alex wanted to jump to the ceiling and shout for joy. Lucy arrived at twelve o’clock on Saturday.

On this day Alexey went to the bazaar and bought seven red carnations. It was December, and the flowers in the bazaar were precious. Alex chose the most expensive and still not quite blossoming buds. At first he wanted to bargain and persuade the fat Caucasian to sell the carnations cheaper, but looked at him and saw a fierce facial expression and long, upturned mustache, then decided that this should not be done, as he understood, the bickering is useless. And Alexey gave a thousand rubles. The Caucasus carefully wrapped the carnations in a newspaper and advised in Russian with an accent:

“When you put it in the water, do not forget to cut the roots. Flowers last longer.”

Alexey thanked for the advice and took a bouquet. Alexey drove to the airport by shuttle bus. At first he wanted to catch or call a taxi, but there was a peak hour, and all roads were overloaded.

No car went to the airport. Then he despaired and decided to stop the private driver, but here he got a misfire. While Alexey was stopping the cars, the shuttle bus with the “Center-Airport” route was about to leave. Izmailov decided that he should not try fate and got on the bus.

There were many people on the bus, so he had to stand. About three stops to the airport, there were so many people that it was impossible to get through. Exhausted by the jolting, Alexey was clamped on two sides: with one — an intelligent woman of about forty-five with glasses, a fox collar and a hat, and on the other — another woman — a market trader of unknown age in an old, shabby coat, fluffy scarf on her head and a basket in hand. A merchant woman was pretty nice. Every time she smiled sweetly when, after another shaking, the basket hit Alexey in the legs, and he turned around.

“What is interesting one can trade now?” thought Alexey. The fur of the fox hood crept into his eyes and his mouth, so he wanted to cough. The newspaper package he held over his head in an outstretched hand, so as not to crumple.

After another spurt of the bus, Alexey accidentally stepped on the foot of an intelligent woman, she squealed and pushed him. He hardly resisted so as not falling on the trader and thought: “Now there will be a scandal.”

“Perhaps, what is it?! You can take it more carefully, the driver,” the intelligent woman cried out, that there was strength, “like firewood you carry!”

She was supported by a man of about fifty, standing at the window:

“Yes, certainly. They forgot how to work. It is necessary to write a complaint against him.”

In the squabble came a young girl — a student with a briefcase in her hands. She said loudly:

“Yes, we have to do this. Nowhere there is order. They can not do buses, so that citizens have something to ride on.”

Discussion about the work of urban transport would continue to be unknown as long as the bus did not come to the final point of its route.

“The terminal. Airport,” the driver announced loudly on the microphone.

All sighed with relief. Alexey got off the bus. The flowers were saved.

In the central part of Russia the weather has never spoiled the warmth. Alex froze to stand on the street and entered the building. He arrived at the airport forty minutes before the arrival of the liner. In order to pass the time and get warm, he went up to the second floor to have a cup of coffee in the cafe. Arrival was announced ten minutes before boarding. Alexey got out of the airport building and approached the exit to the flying field. There were already meeting people.

He approached closer to see the arrival of the liner. After about five minutes, a small figure of Lucy appeared in the distance on an airfield. Alexey’s heart began to ache.

A week passed, and he missed them, as if they had not seen each other for a year. When Lucy was near in the same city, they could not meet for a week or more, but at a distance separation corroded the soul, like a hiding serpent.

Lucy noticed Izmailov from afar. She wanted to run to meet, but what other passengers would think, including Boris, so she did not do it and continued to walk confidently until she left the field.

“Lucy,” Alexey called to her. “Take it from me!”

“Hello, Izmailov. Finally we met. I was so waiting for the end of my trip, that I thought I would not live to see it. Thanks for flowers.”

“How are your official affairs? Completed the assignment?”

“Yes. Thank you Boris helped. He is a wonderful person. If it were not for him, I don’t know what I would do.”

“I’m happy for you. You look wonderful. Can I help you carry things?”

“Of course,” she answered, and handed Alexey a sports bag with the brand of the German firm Adidas, bought in Moscow.

“Sorry, Alex, I forgot to ask you, how are things going with you? Do you read the textbooks that you took from me?” she asked when they got into the taxi.

“I read. They helped a lot. I’ve not quite finished yet, but thanks to your books I hope to submit my scheme to the technical council shortly. You were not, and I studied all the evenings. I had to learn a lot myself. I thought: should I go to study further in a technical university? What do you think about that?”

“Of course, you have to learn, if you feel that without knowledge you can not. You have such a craving,” she approved. “How is investigation consequently? Is it moving forward?”

“Well yes. There will be more meetings in the police and confrontation,” he leaned back in his seat and hugged Lucy. “Everyone is suspected, but only one is guilty. I knew you would say that. Are you clever and if we were married, would you help in my studies? Of course, if there is a family, one must really look at things and enter the evening department, so as not to throw the plant. There will be children; it means there will be new, big expenses.”

“It’s too early to say anything about help. That’s when we get married, and then we will discuss who will help to whom,” she was nervous.

Alexey eloquently pondered, going through the long-awaited arrival of a friend.

“Ok, you are right, Lucy. The appearance of children is a great happiness in the family, but also a great concern. But I think I would have made a good father, especially since I’m a family man by nature. I did not have a father. He was a paratrooper commando in Nicaragua, Yemen, and the North Caucasus. He died, when he served in Iran, as a sapper. Worked with the patrol duty station, destroyed the terrorists of jihad. I was brought up by one mother, and I became convinced of myself how difficult it is for a woman alone, without a man’s help, to raise a child.”

“I’m sorry, I did not know that,” she whispered wearily.

“I will never abandon my kids; I do not understand those who abandon their children. They have to be too cruel and inhuman to do this or just be crazy. What do you think?

“Yes, you are right. A family needs for a father. He is not only an assistant and a defender, but also as an educator. How grateful I am to my father! How much good things he did for me, although he is blind. To whom I should go for advice, as to him! He took every misfortune from me with a kind word.”

Alexey accompanied Lucy to the entrance, and they parted. In the evening, they phoned again, continuing to discuss the topic.

“Lucy, how about we meet? Go for a walk?”

“No, I can not, I have to work, I need to finish some papers.”

“I’ll see you later,” he pushed back a phone.

On Sunday, he did not call, and Lucy was sad. On Monday, she went to work on the first shift. Lucy knew that she would work first because she called the factory on the last day of the business trip and said that everything was done and went to the workshop on Monday. She was exactly within the allotted time.

In the morning, primarily she went with all the documentation to the head of the workshop. With a sense of tact knocked and, hearing the familiar “Come in”, she entered.

“Good morning. Tell me Uvarova. You can not say a lot on the phone. Give here the documents.”

She handed the paper to Torobov. That without pauses began to speak, examining the schemes received from Lucy on the Internet.

“You sit down, sit down, and do not stand. At the feet there is no truth. So well. And here have visited. Yes, you are just great. I’m not talking about the fact that the machines we have now will be new. Correctly, Razumov suggested sending you on a business trip,” Torobov dialed the phone number of the deputy. “Nina Vasilievna, please come here. We need to resolve some urgent issues…”

Within five minutes Korbutova came. She looked as always impeccable — a brown knitted suit and a high hairstyle.

“Did you call?” she said meaningfully.

“Here, Nina Vasilievna, Uvarova successfully went on a business trip. I personally ask you to take up paperwork and technical passports for new machine tools. I instruct you to install the machines when they are delivered to the factory.”

Two days later the equipment was delivered and unloaded at the factory yard. The unloading was headed by Torobov himself, in the presence of the director of the plant.

Obsolete welding tables and machines were removed from the premises of the assembly workshop. There it became spacious. The next day the installation work began. It took almost the whole day. The engineer on safety precautions came. His presence was necessary when setting up the equipment to monitor the safety of the work of machine tools and nano-instruments.

The walking started in the workshop. But the discipline was not as important as the correct installation of appliances and welding tables. All the programmers were enthusiastically involved in the work. They understood the full responsibility of the task. When all the instruments were installed, the shop manager arranged a short break, during which he told all present:

“Dear friends! Now we have new equipment. The management of these machines must be learned for trouble-free and smooth operation, only then will the productivity be the highest. Of course, first of all, compliance with safety regulations and be frugal, since the plant does not have the ability to change appliances every year…” Torobov said ten minutes.

Everyone listened with great attention. The mood rose. When he finished, applause was heard. In honor of the introduction of new equipment, a competition was organized: “Best in the profession.”

“Whoever will master the machine better than others will be handed a pendant and badge,” Nikiforov quipped and raised a hand. “I have a proposal. Only experienced programmers, not students, should be allowed to use new devices.

“That’s right,” the others have supported. “Who worked for more than five years at the plant will be allowed to develop new machines.”

The chief spoke directly from the rostrum. After the speech, Torobov called Uvarova to himself:

“I want to express my gratitude for myself and for the collective as a whole. You recently joined the team; managed to prove yourself from the best side. You will receive a quarterly bonus, I guarantee.”

Lucy blushed deeply.

“But I want to say that if you are friends with Izmailov, you must deal with his upbringing. While you were in Moscow, he did not give us rest, he called every day in the shop, and he asked when you would return. I’ll tell that this should not be done, distracted by trifles. This is not your last business trip, so do not forget to warn him about it if you have a serious relationship.”

“I’ll tell you. We meet with him, we will soon get married. Will you come to our wedding?”

“I will come. Only you name a day in advance to warn my wife and not schedule any activities for this date. Korbutova must be invited. She’s in our workshop as a mother nurses with young people.”

“I will definitely invite her.”

“Okay, Uvarova, you may go and help the operators to master the machines. Did you understand their work?”

“Ok. I have another question for you.”

“Speak.”

“In Moscow, at an exhibition of machine-tool construction, where Fridman and I went, many machines needed for other workshops. I brought catalogs and advertisement of the exhibition with photographs of the devices and a description for the execution of what kind of operations they were intended for,” Lucy handed the boss bright advertising leaflets with technical novelties.

“I wonder we’ll see these brochures. I’ll show the director of the plant. He certainly will be interested,” Torobov examined on the fly prospectuses of the machine tool exhibition.

“And I’ll talk with Izmailov,” she promised resentfully.

They walked along the assembly workshop where activity was prevailed. Devices came to life and began to work. Gradually the whole assembly workshop rose. Each device worked, and the operator stood next to him and supervised the process.

“I’ll tell you a secret, I’m proud of our workshop, Uvarova. Interesting projects in my head are ripening. When the nano equipment is debugged, I want the assembly workshop to join the factory competition for quality. You, as a young specialist, what do you think about this?”

“Of course, it would be great!”

“It is necessary that the wares meet the requirements of products on the world market.”

“If the workers master the equipment, then quality will not be a distant dream, but a close reality.”

“All right.”

After talking with the shop manager, Lucy was inspired by praise. In her “design” tablet she began to study those questions that were asked to her during the course of the operators. Accidentally discovered, taken with a scroll of poems “Illumination with Love”, found in a bag and read, trying to delve into the essence of what is happening for a short time:

Black lines fall into the notebook.

Is there anything else to write about?

It’s been a long and difficult day and look.

Increased on the asphalt is my shadow out.

Then it dawned on her that this was a Japanese vision — haiku, but had written in a quatrain. “Completely corresponds to my mood,” concluded Lucy, leafing through, envying the operators, who freed himself and went to the locker room to wash off the remnants of sweat and dust. Employees, who received clarification, watched her and cheerfully responded to her comments:

“Tomorrow we will finish off nanotechnology on the presidential order.”

At home, Lucy continued reading the humorous page on the site of the company’s forum and contributed something from her person, peeping into the notebook with poems, admiring the size and shape:

New World

Columbus discovered America. He knew the best.

We like nano technology more without sorrow.

Yesterday we learned democracy, today — publicity and the rest.

What sightseeing will we study tomorrow?

Shops, showcases, goods

They gather people even in the woods.

The entrepreneur has his own profit

It’s up to him bright attraction to fit.

Magazines, sites, newspapers

They only write “about it” by letters.

What was hidden for many years?

That we don’t have enemies among dears!

Looking at primitive pictures and reviews of their work, she imagined Columbus off the coast of India with the Russian tricolor.

“And who is this handsome Fridman that forgot to come up to me during the brief meeting?” New friends on the site helped her to develop the topic of relationships. They praised the past millennium, the respondents of the scientific discovery of universal equality and brotherhood.

Two weeks passed. The New Year’s fuss brought confusion to the mood of employees. The assembly workshop was involved in a general factory competition for quality. The plan for the year was fulfilled. A quarterly prize was expected. Lucy was assiduously preparing for the New Year’s Eve party, swallowing candy and chocolate, remembering the capital’s hassle and shop guards.

11. Heart-to-Heart Talk

The festive evening was to take place in the factory club. Lucya as ever prepared sewed a familiar dressmaker New Year’s dress of pink silk with long, wide sleeves. The dress turned out smart, and Lucy tried it on at his home in front of a mirror. It refreshed and made younger the proprietor, reminding of her main intention to give all the children of her colleagues a letter from Snow Maiden as a verse, which she inscribed on the postcard and outlined with a bright, red felt-tip pen:

New Year’s Celebration

Children’s holiday is so good and gold,

It’s better not to find in the world!

A decorated Christmas tree will gift glass balls.

Children have sweetness, adults have fun.

Santa Claus sends us a bunch of snow roses one.

All the animals are happy with grandfather;

It will be a merry dinner rather.

Snow Maiden’s eyes are like turquoise skies.

The lights burn on a Christmas tree,

White needles in a frost air will be.

Postcard hung on the stand, next to reports of inventions. Work in the assembly shop was boiling. Many went over to piece-rate wages without days off and checkpoints. The chief did not object, but asked to remember about the general factory competition. Particularly distinguished Nikiforov, he, as they said in the workshop, “decided to cover all records of excavations and earn a million at a time.”

“We with Ann save money for furniture. That’s when we get an apartment; we’ll have to put something in two rooms. I can not enter a new apartment with old furniture,” he explained everything very simply.

All colleagues approvingly nodded in a sign of agreement. Raya Pivovarova — the “star” of the assembly shop — again reconciled with Artem. They waited for the wedding day. Sergei Levin did not retreat a step, continuing to care for Raya. Her head was spinning, and she was sick. Korbutova, worried about discipline, approached Pivovarova for a conversation:

“What are you trying to make yourself? You are undermining your authority as a trade union leader. To be ill at the end of the year, when everyone thinks about the premium and the schedule can not be! We trust you, and you forgot about the whole team. Now, what are you doing?!”

Korbutova got agitated and started as a girl to fiddle with a handkerchief, which for some reason she got out of her pocket. Raya was silent.

She did not want to explain the reasons for her illness to anyone, especially since she knew that she would surely tell Torobov. And he is a man of principle. He knew all the employees of the assembly shop like his own five fingers. Where they live, what kind of family they have, to what they are addicted. And if he had found out that someone was hurting the collective’s honor, then that person would not have to work long. And Pivovarova was silent.

“Well,” Korbutova continued her prepared speech, “if you decided to leave the workshop, please, we do not hold anyone, but please note that you will still be sorry and will return back. Remember, you at a sixteen-years-old came in the workshop, five years in one place. You went out in the forefront, employees are equaled on you… And cross out all at once… No, it does not happen! Meet, make friends, with whom you want, but do not forget to work. What will we think if you decide to leave the workshop one day? The second Pivovarova Raya is not yet available. When it will, then we’ll let you go!”

Nina continued to talk. Raya did not listen to instruction, but stood shyly and thought that Korbutova, as always, was right that it was not beautiful or noble to undermine the work of the entire collective.

At the second half of the day Raya was weighing the pros and cons: “Yes it is, really, in order to work well, we must first of all have excellent health, and not sniff up because of the slightest draft.” She remembered that the trade union committee had three-day permits for the winter ski base, and dreamed: “It would be great to relax there after the New Year. To go with one of the girls, rent a house, rent a ski. Moreover, I have a day off for working in the summer on a holiday. I’m skiing in the winter forest. Health from this rest will improve. I will not be sick less.”

The next day, Raya went to the trade union of the enterprise at lunchtime. The chairman of the trade union committee was Igor Rukavishnikov — a cheerful and honest guy. Outwardly he looked like a crane — very tall and lanky, with a long neck and long arms.

In addition to Igor in the room there were two more people — activists. They discussed holding a New Year’s Eve at the club. The carnival was planned. They were distributing who would put on a suit. All athletes were registered in a patrol, which was supposed to act in contact with the police. A total four patrols each of five people they were allotted.

Raya stood indecisive in the room and, afraid of interrupting the heated debate, looked at the bright, New Year’s carnival accessories hanging on the wall: masks, dresses, astrologer’s cap, cloaks, snowflakes, beards, wigs. Next to it were cardboard boxes. Finally, the girl was noticed.

“What for have you come, Pivovarova? By the way, we’ll record a domino suit for you. Agree?” Igor was threateningly planning and had drunk a glass of water from the soda water machine.

Raya did not know what to say, but she got ready with the spirit and blurted out:

“I’m about the trip to the ski center for three days.”

“Now I do not have time to do this,” Igor snapped, but then looked again at her, assessing the pallor and anemia of the employee, softened and said: “There are vouchers to the recreation center with a three-day period. Arranges? A house for two.”

“Of course. I came for this.”

“Then write the application and get a ticket through the trade union committee. Ok, it seems, and you are a trade union leader yourself. Moreover, you must know how everything is done.”

Raya took a sheet of paper lying on the table and wrote a statement. Igor continued:

“Well, will you take a domino suit? It’s especially for you. Only this year we have received suits, all are new ones; still no one ever has put on them. Only right after the carnival they should be returned, as I am responsible for them.”

Raya thought for a second and decided to agree.

“Okay, write down your domino, but do not forget about the ticket. And into whom will you dressing yourself as? Probably as Don Quixote?”

Igor grinned, imposingly laying himself down at the table.

“And how did you guess, here is Valera,” and he pointed with a look at a factory’s artist, a small stature guy Valera Zhabin, standing near by him, “will be Sancho Panse, and we will decorate Kira with Dulcinea’s dress.”

Kira Shamanskaya worked at the plant for less than a year, but all the men of the plant were all in love with her, because Kira had a beautiful figure of a gymnast and a tender, almost childish face with puffy lips.

“I have an idea. To hold a competition for the best costume from your collection, let others join in,” exclaimed Raya, encouraged by the understanding of Igor, immediately joining the discussion of the carnival.

Igor rummaged in the folder and found the scenario of the evening.

“We already have it. You come up with something original.

“Then the competition: “Whose team will run quicker in the bag.”

“We’ve forgotten that. Write down,” he began to dictate to Kira in the notebook a new contest, prompted by Raya.

“From our shop, whom did you put on the patrol?” Raya asked. “I’ll warn the guys to know their direct duties in advance.”

“In which workshop do you work?”

“In the assembly, I’ve been working for five years already,” Raya answered with some pride.

“Levin, Petrov and Nikiforov. They seem to be athletes. You have newcomers in September. Why do not they register? Will you ask about this a deputy?

“Igor, and who will live with me in the house in the hostel, do you already know?”

“No, I do not know. Applications so far are few. If you find someone who wishes, then bring, we’ll settle in the house.”

“Can I?”

“Well, I told you,” Igor shook Raya’s hand encouragingly. “Still, Pivovarova, do you have any thoughts about the evening?”

“The lottery should be organized and a question and answer contest.”

“So well. Kira, you write smart thoughts.”

The secretary bent over the notebook and printed it.

“Ok, I took a book in the library last year: ‘A thousand questions and answers.’ It says how to organize a quiz,” advised Raya, calling immediately about the evening Lucy, and reported this to Igor. “The script of New Year’s Eve is.”

“Here’s an order for you,” Igor said importantly. “Take this book in the library and bring it to me. The earlier is the better. The deadline is tomorrow after lunch. On Saturday will be a holiday, and we need to equip the hall and decorate. Do you happen to have a familiar electrician? We need to hang illuminations.”

“Izmailov is from the tenth workshop. He is well versed in electrical engineering. He meets with Uvarova — our replacement master. Perhaps they will soon get married.”

“Pivovarova, you’re just a treasure, where have you been before? If you bring Izmailov here, then we’ll settle Lucya with you in the house. You do not mind? I heard that Uvarova recently went on a business trip to Moscow and brought equipment. A young specialist should be noted. I think she will not mind against the trip to the recreation center.”

“Then shall I go?” Raya headed for the exit.

“Go and do not forget what you said about the book and the electrician.”

“I will not forget. Right now I will say Uvarova.”

Raya was pleased that everything turned out so successfully. The lunch break was not over yet, but she could not go to the club for the book anyway, and Raya went to her shop. From there she called the library of the club with a request to find a book with quizzes, riddles and competitions and leave with a pledge of one hundred rubles. Going to the workshop, she met Levin, Petrov and Nikiforov. They came back from dinner. Their mood was the brightest.

“So, guys,” Raya flew to them, “I can tell you good news. You are on the patrol. You will be on duty in the foyer during the New Year’s Eve in the club of the plant. On the sleeve there will be red armbands.”

“How do you know, magpie chatterbox?” asked Levin.

“I know everything,” the girl replied confidently. “I’m coming from the trade union committee from the secretary. He told me to warn you that you were on the patrol from the assembly workshop. Well, what are you excited about? If you do not stay on duty, in the premium will be refused.”

“You’re wasting your time,” Nikiforov grumbled. “Everyone will have fun, and you’re on duty. As always, there is no any luck. Why did I sign up for the sports section, now there will be no peace.”

“What did you think? You want to receive bonuses, but you do not want to be on duty. Tell her Ann that you were given an assignment or come with her. You’ll be on duty together. You will fulfill the commission; you will receive the apartment earlier. What do you think, when the apartments are distributed, everyone will take into account and activity in the first place. Artem,” Raya squealed, turning to Petrov, “they gave me a domino suit. I’ll be in it to help you on duty.”

Petrov walked in silence and thought about something, touching the buttons of the iPad.

In the workshop Raya came to Lucy, who had just come from dinner, was sitting at her desk and reading links on the Internet.

“Hello, Raya!” Lucy said, not looking up from reading.

“Do you want to go to the base, to have a rest for three days? There are tours we have in the trade union committee. It is possible to issue.”

“I want. Is there any possibility?”

“There is. I go for three days and rent a house for two people. I was told to find someone who wants to go.”

“Great, what you said to me. I recently dreamed of resting, wandering through the woods at the winter ski base in Courchevel or somewhere else in the Alps.”

“Write an application to the secretary of the trade union committee.”

Lucy, inspired by a tempting offer, rummaged in her desk, found a blank sheet of paper, took a pen, remembered her friends abroad who she could get to know, and who managed to wave on the slopes of a popular international ski resort, sighed and began to write. While writing, Raya stood nearby and continued to report everything she knew, obsessively advertising the modern, local, ski base and children’s boarding house in the summer at the same time.

“Have you heard? On New Year’s Eve you can come in carnival costumes. If you wish, go to Rukavishnikov Igor, and he will write down on you some masterpiece of local production, such as apparel. I was given, or rather still not yet given; tomorrow they will give me a domino suit,” she waved her hand, pointing at herself.

“No. Thank you. A girlfriend-modiste sewed me a beautiful New Year’s dress. Perhaps if I knew what would be given, I did not sew,” Lucy said and continued to write. “Look, is everything right?” she asked, finishing scribbling, and showed a sheet of paper to Raya.

Raya read the statement carefully.

“Yes, that’s all. Only you forgot to sign. Here,” Raya pointed to the empty space at the bottom of the sheet with her finger.

“Oh, that’s right,” Lucy marveled, took the statement back and signed. “Is everything all right now?”

“Surely! I also have business with you. I know that Alexey Izmailov is a good electrician, and you are friends with him. Talk about help in organizing of the illuminations in the club hall of the plant, where the New Year’s Eve will be held.”

“Why don’t you tell him about that yourself?”

“He will not listen to me, I’m not his authority. In my opinion, you would have done much better. Or maybe I’m wrong?”

“You have persuaded, I’ll talk. With a statement where shall I go?”

“Come here. I’ll arrange everything myself. Forgot to ask the most important thing, do you have time off to go?” Raya liked the provocative questions.

“There are three days. I went into two shifts for Sveta worked when her children were sick,” Lucy remembered her time off for the evening shift.

“So, all the questions have been solved with you,” Raya said aloud for herself and left for the workplace in the shop.

At the end of the shift, Pivovarova called the librarian again and asked about the book “A Thousand Questions and Answers.” She answered that it was possible to come for a book, it was postponed. Raya thanked and assured her that she would return the next day in the morning.

For Lucy, the trip to Moscow for the machines became a big event in the autobiography. The employees of the assembly workshop began to look at it with respect and, when she passed by, they said: “Well, Uvarova! Oh, yes, Uvarova!”

During working hours, Lucya phoned Alexey and warned him about the meeting at the end of the shift. They went home together. The frosts were not strong enough, but the winter was already making itself felt. The snow was spinning, falling on their faces and melting. The land and the asphalt were only powdered with snow, and here and there the former puddles turned into a mirror of ice. The children frolicked on the rink.

Lucy and Alexey went hand in hand and felt themselves to be husband and wife.

“You know, dear, the New Year’s Ball will be held at the club,” she reported.

“I know and am going to go there with you. Pass through tickets.”

“Forgive me, I did not finish, today Raya Pivovarova came to our trade union and asked to talk with you about the illuminations in the club of the plant.”

“Well done. Do you think I have something else you want to say?”

“Yes I do. After the New Year, I go to the factory recreation center for three days. I’ll ski on, wander through the winter forest. I was offered a ticket from the trade union,” Lucy looked dreamily at her friend.

“Go, if I have time, I’ll drive up to you on skiing. I took first place in school at the competitions. You saw a cup on my table,” he added proudly, “I got it on skis contest.”

The walk caused a rush of emotions and a splash of adrenaline. In the street it grew colder, and by night it became even colder. He paused and chilled.

The next day Izmailov went to the factory club from the very morning. He intended to set up the illuminations, worked on the second shift that day. Alexey went straight to the dance hall. There he saw Rukavishnikov and Zhabin. They adorned, standing in the middle, a beautiful spruce. Fir-tree filled the whole club with the aroma of pine needles.

“Hi!” Alexey turned to Igor and Valera.

“Hello, Alexey,” Igor answered. “Did you come to help us?”

“Yes I did, Uvarova told me to come here.”

“You see the packaging,” Igor pointed to the cardboard boxes with Christmas ornaments standing in the corner, “in the far left there are garlands of colored lamps. When you electrify a tree, you will stretch two threads of lights through the entire hall and one on the bottom of the stage to illuminate the orchestra. Do you understand?”

“I got it. And who will play? Invite someone or yourself?”

“Have not you ever attended dances!?” exclaimed Igor busily. “We have our own team, instrumental ensemble: three electric guitars, a drummer and an organ. There are even two soloists. This is a beautiful, artistic amateur performance. Have not you discovered any talent in yourself yet? And then we’ll include you in the concert. Maybe you have a hidden talent?”

“No. I’m more interested in electronics and electrical engineering, there’s no time to dance. However, I visit the library. I mostly like poetry, but I never tried to recite it.

“It’s a pity. We need talents,” Igor regretted, adorned with tinsel.

The guys continued to decorate the hall, which gradually took the form of a magical palace. When the fir tree was decorated, they began to paint the windows and walls with characters of fairy tales. By twelve o’clock in the afternoon Alexey had finished.

“Igor, I did everything. If you need something else, say, tomorrow morning I will come, now I’m in a hurry to the workshop.”

“Wait,” Igor stopped him, “it is necessary to try…”

He went to the switch and turned on the illumination. The whole hall played with colorful lights, flashing sequins and New Year’s toys.

“Thank you, Alexey, are you coming for the evening? It will be tomorrow at seven.”

“Ok, of course. Bye-Bye!”

Alexey went to the workshop, and Valera and Igor continued the responsible commission. They wrote humorous posters and hung them over the front door and above the stage. There was a lot of work. Igor was in a hurry.

Before the eve of the New Year, there was no more than a day. Lyudmila Uvarova on the 31st of December to her joy worked on the first shift. After work, she ran home and did not have time to agree with Alexey about the meeting, remembering this only in her apartment.

“It would be nice if he called me himself, and we went to the club,” she thought about his call all the time while going. But Alex did not call. “Well, if he decided to quarrel with me on New Year’s Eve, that’s his business, but it’s a pity that we broke up right now,” she said in her head. Exactly at seven Uvarova stood in the foyer of the club. There was a cloud to the people, but no one’s acquaintances yet. “So you can miss Alexey in general,” she was worried. “Is he sick or has trouble, since he’s delayed?”

She took off her coat and hat. A beautiful, downy, white shawl remained on her shoulders. Although the club was warm, she wanted to look a little frozen. She wore maroon shoes with high heels and went to the big mirror. Suddenly, accidentally, in reflection, she saw that a familiar figure had flashed from behind, she thought it was Boris. She turned around.

“Boris,” she called.

“Lucy, hello! You look beautiful. You are alone?” he was surprised.

“Yes I am, as you can see. I did not agree with my fiancé to meet. He will be later,” she explained in detail, intending to continue the conversation.

Boris went to the wardrobe and undressed. He wore a suit of a blue color and patent-leather shoes, instead of the usual tie under the collar of his shirt, a colorful butterfly was adorned. A dazzling white shirt seemed to be cracking now. Lucy stood beside her in indecision.

“Boris, you have a wonderful taste,” she praised the imposing superman.

“Do you like how I look?” modestly, but with dignity he asked.

“I would not say yes, but you will conquer any woman’s heart today,” Lyudmila laughed. “May I take you by the arm?”

“Even necessary, especially if you like me,” he answered gallantly, and Lucy had hope.

She took his arm. They went to the dance floor. Rukavishnikov in the suit of Don Quixote and Zhabin in the suit of Sancho-Panse stood at the entrance. They distributed masks to those who came without fancy dresses. Lucy and Boris took the masks and put them on.

“Now Alexey, even if he appears here, will hardly recognize me in a mask, so I need to stand near the door to see when he will enter,” the situation caused her doubt.

“Boris, let’s not go close to the stage. In too loud music can not hear the melody,” she stated carelessly.

“You’re right. Better we stand near the door; we’ll see everyone who enters the hall, if you’re not cold.”

“No, no, it’s you. I have a very warm downy shawl.”

“Very well.”

Boris and Lucya walked confidently closer to the door. The lights flickered in the semi-dark dance floor. Various characters of fairy tales began to enter. A Mexican passed with a striped blanket over his shoulder; an Indian in a blue, amazing sari, Raya Pivovarova appeared in a black and white domino suit, Artem walked with a red armband on his sleeve, then a gray wolf with Little Red Riding Hood and a tin soldier with Thumbelina, a fisherman with a goldfish by hand. Santa Claus and Snow Maiden passed; the Don Cossack in red trousers led by hand a black-browed gypsy in a colored skirt.

A sailor came to the hall in a vest, in a cap with ribbons and flared trousers. He took the mask and walked slowly to the center. It seemed to Lyudmila that this was Alexey: “But why is he dressed like that? Actually, it’s not a bad idea. No wonder that he did not call, he decided to surprise me. While it is not necessary approaching. Let’s see if he recognizes me or not?”

The orchestra played a slow waltz. More and more people were gathering in the hall. Little Red Riding Hood — Kira — with a basket in her hands walked around and handed out lottery tickets. Lucy and Boris were also given a card.

“Boris, don’t you want to walk around the tree?” Lucy’s love has escalated.

“Come on, let’s dance?” suggested Boris to his companion.

They spun in a waltz. Music then speeded up, then slowed down, then calmed down, then played again loudly. Couples circled past them in waltz. Lucya was watching the sailor. He was standing by the wall and, apparently, was looking for someone with his eyes.

“Who are you so focused on?” Boris was surprised.

“Do not you think that this sailor near the wall looks like Izmailov?”

“No, I think he looks like himself,” protested the dance partner.

The music stopped and the dance ended.

“I’ll step away from you for a minute,” Lucy said, and made a sign with her eyes, pointing to the side of the wall. “I can not wait to find out who this sailor is.”

She left Boris and walked closer to the sailor.

“Excuse me, why does the sailor miss?” Lucy’s vision was clearly changing.

“His sailor girlfriend has not yet come.”

“Maybe I’ll replace her?” Lucya took off her mask and smiled.

“I recognized you, but pretended not to notice. You were busy.”

“I’m offended at you. Why did not you call me? We would have come together for the evening.”

“Silly girl,” he patted her cheek. “I was detained.”

“I understand. Did you want to surprise me and specially dressed as a sailor?”

A smile from Alexey’s face slipped. He even seemed a little taken aback.

“I must admit,” he paused, “it’s not a sailor’s suit, it’s my army uniform. In this form, I returned from the army. And this form is dear to me. Three years on contract I served in the Pacific Fleet. I think you understand me,” he frowned. “Permission was given to come in what you want.”

“Alex, I did not want to offend you on New Year’s holiday. We’ll transfer the evening of memories for tomorrow. All are in fancy dresses and you, too.”

“I’ve just got into the game.”

“Why do you say that? Are you jealous? It’s my own fault that we broke up.”

“What?” he made a surprised face. “You look great with Fridman; I can not understand just one thing, why did you come to me?”

“Alex…”

“What, Alex?” he turned abruptly and headed for the exit.

Lucya was frightened that suddenly he would leave, and they would never reconcile, followed him. In the wardrobe he dressed, went out into the street and lit a cigarette. She quickly put on her coat and hat, somehow changed her shoes. She put them in the net and jumped after them.

“What’s wrong with you today, are you sick?” Lucya was exciting with Alexey’s state of mind.

“No, I’m healthy,” but according to the tone of her voice, Lucy realized that he had softened a little.

“You see, Alex, the New Year is coming, it’s a quarter to twelve, and we’re on the street. This is the first time I will celebrate the New Year.”

“I’m also. Are you cold?” he asked automatically, grabbed her by the shoulders, pulled her to him, and kissed her warmly on the lips.

Lucy did not remove him, but continued to stand, as if turned to stone. In a minute, which lasted for her for an eternity, she recoiled from him and covered her face with hands. Then she turned back to him and said:

“Here we are reconciled. Are you happy?”

“Are you ill with me?” he demanded an answer.

“No, I just thought that we need to part, at least for a while, to think about, to make a measured decision.”

“What are you, dear, I love you,” the confession broke out accidentally.

She slightly dizzy with these words, she took him by the sleeve of his coat and shivered from the cold. He began to calm and warm with his breath.

“Let’s get married, we’ll love each other. We will have children. Two children, no, three, maybe four?” he said noticing that she was crying.

“Alex, you’re joking,” Lucy stopped crying, took out her handkerchief from her pocket, and began wiping her tears, sobbing and sniffing. “Torobov asked me to tell you not to distract the team from working with calls not on business, when I was on a business trip,” she said with difficulty, it was felt that she was tired.

“Why are you talking all the time about the work? As if the society light wedge coincided together with Torobov.”

“They want to send again on a business trip, but to Siberia. Do you understand?”

Alexey kissed Lucy again, this time much longer, but she did not feel the sharpness and charm that remained from the first kiss. Snow fell and clung to his coat, creating the impression of the New Year. Alexey took out some champagne and two plastic cups from somewhere, poured it out. They clinked with wineglasses and laughed.

“Let’s play snowballs, I want so much!” she exclaimed.

“Are you so small?” he asked enthusiastically.

“Let’s remember the childhood. Catch up with me…”

She ran, then stopped, collected the snow in her hand and threw it into him. He did not lose his head and turned aside, bent down, made the snowball and threw it into her too. So they continued to play snowballs, ran and laughed. They finished the champagne, shouted “Hooray!” three times and lay down on the snow with their backs. Then they got up and came to unanimous opinion to go by taxi to his home to continue the holiday.

Lucy put dishes on the table; she was in a sparkling, erotic outfit. She forced Alexey to help her, dissecting space with her light movements.

At last everything was cooked. They sat around a beautiful table, covered with a lace tablecloth and a garland of tinsel on the edge. They drank a cup of freshly made grog from Madera, cinnamon, cloves and lemon, boiling and filling the room with the tart aroma of exotics. Lucy opened a notebook with poems “Illumination with Love”, which she extracted with such difficulty from her purse and start reading, knowing his weakness for poetry:

“Listen to “The Winter Evening — an answer to Pushkin on the poem “Winter Morning”. So it was written in the beginning and further:

The dim light from the streetlamps,

The snow lies on the wires in camps.

In the winter evening, do not be shy,

Play in the snow drifts with cheerful cry.

Snow-covered houses, the birds were hushed up in nests.

Fodder has become poor, summer dreams of the beast.

The moon shines with silver, it speaks to me…

The wind howls, the silence floats up in palmy.

Terrible and funny. The storyteller fell asleep long ago.

The hustle and bustle of day brings me laziness and go.”

“You do not understand anything in poetry,” she insisted.

“I understand, but I serve the Fatherland. Let’s forget about poetry and let’s watch the TV programs of our elite show business. Do you agree?”

They spread a sofa, listened with enthusiasm to jokes and humor of Russian TV hosts, recorded long before this evening.

The party at the club continued. The patrol disappeared somewhere. Raya sad and frightened wandered between pairs, dialing the number of one or another friend in the hope of returning home early for an hour or two. Nikiforov invited her to call the police, as he also noticed the absence of Petrov and Levin. He alone restrained the defense of masks and costumes in a dizzying race for prizes, knowing that the guys drove away by car to sort out.

The police came under the leadership of lieutenant-colonel Kiryanov, forensic expert Semenyuk and private investigator Ivanova. They worked out the version of Levin’s death in nearby plantings, on the river bank by the hands of unknown bandits. The brother of Levin with serious injuries was taken to the hospital. Petrov was arrested immediately, and his accomplices, with whom they started a fight with Levin, had to be tied up and put on bloody snow to bring all four to the bullpen.

The trial of the criminals took place much later in the presence of Pivovarova, who was amazed at reached the agreement and, sobbing, lamented:

“Why did he devote himself to justice, dreamed of entering the Academy? I gave him the volume of the Criminal Code for the New Year. Hardly bought in the second-hand book-shop for the money I earned. He could learn, become an expert. I borrowed a large sum of money for the funeral. Nobody knew that he was my favorite, good and kind from whom I would soon have a son.

“The trade union committee will help raise the child,” everyone calmed down one by one, including Lucya, Alexey, Nikiforov, Tanya-detective, Torobov, Korbutova, Rukavishnikov, Fridman and those who were present at the trial and at that ill-fated New Year’s Eve.

Everybody left the room after the meeting of the court in silence in the couples.

12. Prize

The day after the party in the club of the plant was a holiday. Lucy stayed with Alexey. She did not want to go anywhere, and even got tired a little. She wanted to sleep and rest.

“New Year… What will it bring to me? How our relations with you will develop further,” she said to Alexey in the morning, wiping the remains of make-up from her face.

“You fell in love with the company. I proved that you want and you can work and you can be relied on. You did a responsible job,” he tried to get away from a specific answer.

“It’s not a secret for anyone that we are friends. You’re thinking, initiative, respected. They listen to your opinion. I know that you are appreciated in the workshop.”

Now she wanted to go to the campsite. She dreamed to see the sunrise in the winter forest, see traces of a hare and a fox, and, perhaps, an elk. After communicating with the living nature, something in her soul rose up that could not be conveyed in words. How would pour in her life-giving forces. Therefore, she was so anxious to go to the forest, to the winter camp site. Alex undoubtedly also wanted to build and create constructions of new designs, penetrate into the most secret caches, comprehend the secrets of nature.

After the holidays, the assembly workshop entered the right rhythm. All worked slowly, as if reluctantly. And only by the end of the first working week the production went at a set pace. The voucher of trip to the camp Raya was brought to Lucy herself immediately after lunch break.

“Here, Lucya you voucher. We go by bus from the station in two days. The time of departure of the bus and its arrival to the campsite, in a word, all the details are indicated in the ticket. Well, are you satisfied?”

Raya stood proudly next to her friend’s table. Razumov, sitting opposite, involuntarily admired: a slender, good-looking, lively and clear sight, in the eyes of a spark, anyone would fall in love with such a beauty.

“Thank you, Raya. Izmailov promised to come to us. We’ll put him a camp-cot,” Lucya dreamed.

“Make time off. Write a statement and attach a copy of the permit.”

For two days, Lucy took time off. She signed the application with Torobov and calmly continued to work with the new equipment: told operators and programmers how to operate the machines, checked the correctness of the manufacture of the schemes, and introduced amendments.

All engineers of the workshop — Torobov, Nina Vasilievna, Razumov, Sveta Erengeld, and Lucya Uvarova — directed efforts to improve the quality of work of supervisors and trainees. The earnings of the pieceworkers in the first month remained the same in connection with the loss of time in the transition to new machines and the development of them.

The award was issued to all workers in accordance with earnings. Engineers were waiting for the award for the last quarter. Lucy hoped to buy skis for the prize, she did not have it, and skates were, but small. At school, she was engaged in figure skating, but she did not finish the training sessions, she stopped to attend the section after two years of training. She still loved to ski.

The day of departure at the campsite arrived. The bus departed at six in the morning. The weather was calm and windless. Everything was slightly freezed. Snowflakes circled in the air. A light hoarfrost adorned trees, houses, and wires, fences of squares and parks, benches, city transport, cars. People were feeling the approach of severe frosts.

Lucy got on the bus of the suburban route. From the city to the campsite she drove for a short time, about an hour. In the bus she relaxed a little, leaned back in her chair and thought.

The bus left the city limits on the suburban highway. On both sides of the road stretched the fields. Here and there a small coppice separated them. Bared twigs of bushes, the frozen surface of the river, mirrors of lakes, houses with personal plots, dogs frolicking near houses — all this represented a picture of the countryside.

Going from the bus to the camp houses took for a short time — about ten minutes. In the hands of Lucy was a light sports bag, she was in trousers, short boots, a fur jacket and a light sports cap. As it was indicated in the instructions for holidaymakers, she first went to the administrative building, where she was given a house.

The administration of the hostel, dining room, kitchen, and laundry room were located in a beautiful three-story building made of glass and concrete. There was also a rental of sports equipment. Single-storey houses were built for holidaymakers. Each was divided into two parts.

Lucy went into her apartment. She saw a small, cozy entrance hall with a wardrobe and a bedroom with two beds, lined with clean linen. There were two bedside tables and a chair. On the floor was a mat. Curtains on the windows were in the tone of the wallpaper. She immediately liked the hostel.

She left things in the room and decided to take a walk.

The houses were surrounded by a fairytale forest on two sides, on the third — a mountain with a springboard for slalom lovers, from the fourth one — the road by which she came. Lucya walked along the road and turned left, walked a hundred meters and was on the river bank.

The river froze. All around it was quiet and lonely, only here and there were black dots of fishermen-amateurs of ice fishing against the background of the endless white space.

“Likely in the summer it is no less beautiful than in the winter,” she thought. She stayed a little longer and went back to the house. In the room she saw Raya Pivovarova.

“Hi! Have you just arrived?” asked Lucy, shaking off the snow.

“Yes I’ve. With an eight-hour bus. Did you acquaint with the territory? Did you like it?”

“Handsomely.”

“In winter, I have been to the campsite for the first time. Previously I rested in June. In summer it is wonderful, you can swim, sunbathe on the sandy beach… All the conditions for recreation are created. Do you prefer to cook by yourself or go to dinner in the dining room?” asked Raya, laying out her things.

“We’d better go into the dining room.”

“I do not mind. Rest, so relax.”

Raya rummaged in her bag, took out her book and began to read. Still at home Lucy was beginning to knit a scarf for Alexey as a present, but she did not have time to finish knitting. She was very tired at work. Now it was easy to knit and meditate.

Suddenly Raya stopped reading and asked, looking at her friend at close range:

“Do you like our factory?”

“Of course. Why do you ask? Do you think I will continue to work after the end of the time allotted for working off after studying at the university?”

“Ok.”

“Probably I will. I like the plant and the staff is good, and then you think about it, it’s not very nice to change the place of work often. I had time to get used to, why look for something better, if…” Lucya cut short her speech and thought.

“Naturally, it would be better to live in Moscow, have a separate apartment in the center and work at one of the Moscow plants. Even if not by profession. But what is the use of dreaming about unrealizable… Perhaps, in due course I will move to Moscow, but it is not necessary to hurry.”

Lucy dreamed and did not notice that Raya was staring at her intently.

“Lucy, you are very beautiful. Why do not you get married? You seem to be meeting with Izmailov.”

“You are right. Is he correct for you?” asked Lucya, counting on her frankness.

“In general, I do not know him well. I think he’s a good guy. With Artem we were friends for three years, but we constantly swore. He said that my character is not accommodating, but in fact he himself was always wrong. How many times have I sworn at him, that he behaved not beautifully, but he took offense? And then, you know, Lucya, rare spouses live happily ever after. Do not have time to get married, get divorced. I can not understand this. I want to marry for life, that both love and children and the house — a full cup. Is it bad? And what kind of life is there if he is under investigation in prison for killing Levin. That one is not so, then the other is not so. They agreed that he would always see me off, but did not come. Is this the case?”

Raya spoke and almost cried. Lucy realized that her friend was very worried. During the conversation, the girls did not notice how the long-awaited lunch time came.

“Oh, Raya! How we would not miss lunch with you. Enough whining. Get ready; let’s go to the dining room.”

The girls dressed warmly and went out into the street. The frost was strengthening. On the territory of the tourist base were walking girls and boys, adults and children with sledges and skis. On the mountain where the springboard was erected, the people crowded, loud laughter and jokes were heard.

From the mountain they rolled down. From under the skids of sledges and skis, a white cloud of snow dust poured and rose upwards. The sun shone brightly. Some of the men in dark glasses were stripped to the waist and substituted their strong bodies to the sun’s rays. They stood leaning back and leaning their elbows on the ski poles. On the side of the springboard, at the very foot of the mountain under the tree was a company of eight or nine people. One played the guitar. The others listened and sang along, putting their skis and sleds aside. Dressed lightly and warmly, without caps, the athletes sat directly on the snow, on their laying jackets. Mood of everyone was joyful and cheerful.

Lucy and Raya hurried to the dining room, which was located on the second floor and was equipped in a modern style. Everywhere there were cleanliness and order. After dinner, the girls decided to rent skis.

“You know, Lucy, I absolutely do not know how to ski. Everyone will laugh at me when they see me skiing.”

“Do not worry, we’ll learn together. I’m also not a first-class skier,” the girl answered, fixing her shoes and inserting them into the skis. “Let’s go through the forest for a while. I’m afraid we could break the skies if we go up the mountain.”

“Well. Only in the thick of it is not necessary to climb, don’t you afraid to get lost?

The girls roamed the snow-covered forest for about two or three hours. The sun began to set. It stood above the horizon with a bright molten disk, and the snow from the sun’s rays seemed pink. It was quiet in the forest, a bird was fluttering from a branch in some places, and the snow was falling from the clap of the wings. Nothing broke this extraordinary, mysterious beauty.

When the golden disk of the sun descended beyond the horizon, Raya said:

“I’m tired and cold. Let’s go back.”

The girls returned from a ski trip, carried the skis to the house and went to dinner. They read an announcement that hung at the entrance to the dining room: “Today is a dance party in the club. The orchestra is playing.”

“Lucy, let’s go after dinner to dance. You do not mind, do you?

“Not a bad idea. It is necessary to find out where the club is.”

Two guys in ski suits passed by.

“Excuse me,” Raya said to them, “where is the club?”

One of the young men, the taller one, gave a quick glance and replied:

“On the third floor of the administrative block, that is this building,” he pointed to where they had lunch.

Another guy, less cute, but in a bright foreign jacket smiled and said out loud so that the girls would hear:

“What pretty girls! I did not see them here before. Arkady, and do not get to know us with them?”

“I’d love to, but will they?”

“I take it upon myself.”

But it was already late. The girls went into the building, went to the second floor to the dining room.

“Did you like the guys from whom we asked where the dances are?” Raya asked during dinner.

“Yes I did. Maybe if we go to the dance, then we’ll meet them there.”

“It is good to. I like to dance very much.”

After supper, the girls returned to their house or cottage, as all the workers of the campsite said, changed their clothes and went to the dances. There were a lot of people in the dance floor. Mostly youth. All danced no one paid attention to their appearance. The music was over. Next was announced a women’s dance. Some of the girls invited the guys.

“We should have to come here in vain,” Lucy said faintly. “It’s boring…”

“Wait, now we will meet Arkady with a friend. Then it will be more fun.”

After two dances, Arkady and Misha entered. They immediately noticed their girlfriends and approached them.

“We seem to know each other. This is my friend Misha. Have you been relaxing here for a long time? You were not visible before.”

“We arrived at the hostel this morning. We’ll spend here three days. And you?” Raya asked.

“Tomorrow we will leave, unfortunately. Did you receive permits from the factory?”

“Surely, we are from the assembly workshop. They gave us permits for a good job,” Lucya boasted of her achievements. “Do you like it here?”

“Fine. We are here for the second year in the winter. At this time it is better than in the summer. Correctly I say Arkady?” Misha entered.

He did not hear what his friend told him, since he was busy talking with Raya. The dances continued until eleven. By the end of the evening it was getting hot. The windows were opened. Cold air filled the room, but it did not get any colder. When the orchestra stopped playing, everyone remained standing and joking. They turned on the tape recorder, no one wanted to leave. The radio announced the end of the evening, but was allowed to continue the dances for half an hour. Misha and Arkady went to see the girls off to the cottage. Misha behaved like a clown, jumbled and amused everyone all the way. They parted, but agreed to meet again in the city and go to the dance in the factory club.

The next day the sun woke the winter forest by noon. The girls had time to have breakfast and rolled from the mountain on the sled. Arkady and Misha left. “It’s a pity that the guys left”, each of the girlfriends thought herself.

Rolling down from the hill was much more interesting than wandering around the woods on skis. When the sleighs swept downward, the wind whistled in their ears, and the entire landscape on both sides of the descent flashed and merged into two snowy walls. Breathing died away, it seemed that the heart was about to stop because of the speed of the flight.

Adults did not allow children close to the mountain. They played aside in a forest clearing, sculpted snowmen and played snowballs.

The day passed by unnoticed. After lunch, a ski competition took place. Lucy and Raya did not take part, as they did not qualify for the qualifying round, but they ached from the bottom of their hearts for their assembly workshop. The winner was a young worker from the set-up team. The girls enthusiastically accepted the winner.

By evening the weather had deteriorated. A strong wind blew, it was dangerous to walk. The girls gathered and went to the club. The chairs that stood at the wall were moved to the middle of the hall. In the evening they were going to the film show of the last century “Dirty Dancing” with Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze. The girls bought tickets and went to the auditorium.

The film caused approval by the public. Constant dances, intrigues, romantic love resulted in a happy resolution of the problems: the continuation of the dance, where everyone — both guests of the boarding house and staff — danced together, which was very close to the worldview of Lucy and Raya. Finally the film was ended. A light was shone in the hall. The public began to disperse. The girls hurried to the house. It became even colder, and the wind grew stronger. They did not want to go out for a walk. They returned to their bed and immediately went to bed, but the dream did not come.

“Raya, are you awake?” asked Lucy, glancing at her friend from under the blanket.

“No,” she answered, “I do not want to sleep. I’m scared, the wind howls so much like a child or a robber. Probably tomorrow there will be a snowstorm, and we will not ride on sledges or on skis on the last day of our holiday. On Monday I must go for a work. Did you miss your job?”

“A little bit. I liked it here, and I would have lived here for another two weeks,” she peered into the darkness, remembering Alexey.

“So would I. In winter even better than in summer and there are a lot of young people. Fun. In the evenings, dancing, cinema. Why not to have a rest?”

“I dream of getting married, having children. Only here does not allow living space. Do the apartments give young families?” Lucy’s agiotage has intensified.

“Give, but not immediately, it is necessary to stand in queue for several years, and then they will give. Well, work without remarks, do not be late, and do not break discipline. Leaders are getting the first warrants; they are in the first place.”

“Let’s sleep, or we’ll sleep through breakfast.”

But neither Raya nor Luce could sleep. They lay still for a long time and listened to the howling of the wind, the trees were swaying and rustled with bare branches. In the morning they were awakened by a knock at the door. Raya slept, and Lucy jumped up from her bed in pajamas and went to the door.

“Who’s there?” she asked, throwing off the rest of her sleep.

“Alexey. Open Lucya.”

“Now, dear, wait a minute.”

“Get up,” Lucya went to Raya’s bed and began to wake her up. “The guests have arrived. Alexey is behind the door.”

“What happened?” Raya continued to ask questions. “Go away, give me a nap.”

“Do not talk, but get up. Alexey came to visit, on the street stands, freezes. And you ask stupid questions. Now we will do the gymnastics and pass the TRP category on skis that are ready for work and defense,” Lucy’s voice sounded imperative and strict.

Raya began to hurry. When she finally got up and got dressed, Lucy went and opened the door. Alexey plunged into the hallway all in the snow, and Lucy began to shake ice from his cap.

“Well, girls, I’ll teach you to ski today, but the weather is not very ski, but I hope the day will be better. See how I can jump from a springboard.”

“Oh, Alex, it’s better not to do it, or you’ll break your neck, that I’ll do without you in the trade union committee. Who will take off the walls the illumination?”

“Okay! I’ll just jump once. Such as I am there are a lot of. You’ll find another one. Probably you and Lucya looked forward bridegrooms themselves here. Am I right, Raya?”

“Stop joking or I’ll offend you. Do not have time to come, but already jealous. You wait for us while here, we go to a restaurant,” Lucy said proudly.

The girls went into the dining room, Alexey stayed. He shook the skis from the snow, brought with them, put on ski boots and sat down on the bed. These skis had been with him for a long time. He bought them before the army and kept safe.

At about ten o’clock the weather swirled. The wind died down. Lucy and Raya returned from the dining room. They had a wonderful mood. Raya was humming something.

“Alex, let’s go for a drive?” she said, crossing the threshold of the cottage, “Lucy allowed,” continued Raya and slyly looked at her friend.

“Raya, do not take my fiancé, otherwise we’ll quarrel.”

“That you are offended at once, Lucy. I am joking.”

“Every joke has a bit of truth. Okay, let’s not quarrel. We take skis and go riding. Alexey will show us the skill.”

The three of them came to the mountain and sat on the lift. When they got off at the top, where the fans of the slalom crowded, Alexey headed towards the springboard.

“Wait for me here.”

“Alex, do not jump. We already believe that you are an excellent sportsman,” Lucy mocked.

“Let’s skip the toboggan from the mountain,” Raya said.

“I decided and the conversation is over. Why did you come here?! On sleds from the hill like a child to ride?”

The girls realized that there was no point in arguing and they were silent. Alexey went to the springboard; stood a little and jumped… The girls were taken by the spirit. Alexey floated in the air like a bird. Then he slowly and very smoothly landed, continuing to slide down the mountain. The girls admired him.

Then Lucy came to him and arrogantly said:

“That’s really class! Well, Alex, well done!”

“Really. You can be jealous of such a guy tore off, and loves you like! He came here specially, was afraid that you would find another one. Take care of such a bridegroom.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Raya. I know myself what I should do. You’d better think about your Artem, than beat off and flirt with the other guys. You advise others, but you yourself are not married,” Lucy cut off.

“Well, that’s my business.”

Lucy did not like the way Raya behaved, and she wanted to get rid of her annoying girlfriend. Alexey jumped off the elevator and approached them. He smiled and said cheerfully:

“Have you seen how to ski?”

“We saw,” the girls answered in embarrassment.

“Learn to ride like me,” he concluded, not without arrogance.

“I want to go skiing on the river bank,” Raya demanded.

“We are riding with Lucya in the woods; I’ve been there many times. Honey, do you mind?” he asked and put his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders.

“No. Let’s go.”

“In that case good-bye. We meet at two o’clock at the administrative building,” everybody decided.

He made two more leaps, while Raya descended down to the river on the sled. She waved to him, but he could not see anything because of the snowy cloud ahead, having time to turn to walk the distance. Alexey and Lucya moved towards the forest. The sun was shining brightly. Sparrows, yellow titmouses and bullfinches twittered on the branches like in summer.

“I really like it here. We’ll come here next Sunday with skis. I’ll teach you to slip off the hill,” he said as they stopped in a snowy meadow in the midst of fluffy branches and bushes.

“I would like to come, but still you will not train us, I’m afraid. What’s new in the factory?”

“Nothing much, everything is normal. In fact, I remembered, a commission from the Ministry comes on Tuesday or Wednesday. To check the work of the enterprise as a whole. If errors are not found, the prize is secured. There is a general cleaning throughout the territory and in the workshops. You’ll come and see for yourself what kind of cleanliness and order is everywhere. The entire warehouse of construction materials was dismantled. Although the dances to arrange. And how are you? Missed? You’ve dreamed me every day,” he laughed and accidentally shook the birch branch, throwing snow off it. “I’m sad without you. I can not even work with full dedication.”

“Do not worry, because now we are together. And did not you come to my house? When I had left, my father was feeling bad. No matter what happened to him in my absence. He’s already sixty. Age is age.

“I would not have thought it. I wanted to meet as soon as possible. Look, what a beauty!”

They went to the edge of the forest. A solid snowfield spread before them. Untouched snow laid flat snow cover. Still no one had time to ride here on skis. Lonely trees in some places cut through this snow-white kingdom. The small fur-tree yet was without increased strength stood at the very edge of the outer forest and completed the general picture.

“It is a pity that I’m not an artist. It is necessary to come here with an easel and paints. Let’s take pictures,” he said and took a few photos.

Lucy first saw him in this state, even outwardly he was transformed: both face and voice. Something magical, mysterious was in his entire figure.

“When I told my father about the trip, he was very happy, even congratulated me, and then immediately saddened and wilted. I felt sorry for him. Probably he was hiding something from me. I noticed that he coughed; he had something with the lungs. He does not care about his health, he smokes. I scolded him, he did not pay attention. Alex, I have a request to you,” she paused for a moment, “to talk to him like a man with a man, so that he will go to the hospital and lies down on inspection. They say he can cure his disease.”

“I’ll talk if necessary. Not the fact that he will listen to me.”

“He will listen. He respects you. Even he had scolded me if I took offense at you for something. He said that it all depends on how the girl behaves, if she does not respect herself, then who will respect her.”

“He’s right,” Alexey sympathized.

“Here you see. You have even the views converge,” she said, took his iPhone and made a joint photo among the snowdrifts.

They returned the same way to the camp site. Raya was waiting for them near the dining room. After dinner, they were riding a little more from the hills on the sled. Alexey was pleased with the company of two pretty girls, and he looked after both. During the time spent in the fresh air, they managed to so mess in the snow that it was necessary to go to the cottage, to dry things, to drink coffee or tea, to warm up so as not to catch cold.

They did not want to return. Lucya collected her things the longest because she was afraid that she would forget something at the camp site. Alexey could not resist:

“Lucy, you will still be digging for a long time, we have long gathered, and you can not find your mittens. Here they are,” he handed her mittens, lying on the battery in the hallway. “They dried up a long time ago.”

Lucya was jealous of her friend, because Raya was much younger, but she reassured herself that perhaps Alexey was used to her and would hardly want to meet with anyone other than her. Lucy’s guesses were true, Raya liked Alexey with her fervent disposition and rumors swarming around her, but he would not have dared to betray her and start dating.

They returned to the city with the last flight. During the day they were very tired, and everyone dreamed of getting to the house as soon as possible, going to bed and falling asleep. Girls were rocking from side to side on the bus, they dozed. Alexey did not sleep and thought that soon they would come, he would go home, and at home the usual loneliness, from which he had not been already able to get rid of for ten years. Alexey’s mother died when he was sixteen years old from a heart attack. Death came instantly. When the ambulance arrived, the mother was gone. An elderly, gray-haired doctor examined the corpse and wrote the final diagnosis: “Heart failure.”

It was hard to believe that a young woman, blooming in appearance, the kind that everyone knew, would die before she was forty. She herself was a doctor and never attached importance to pain in the heart, loved life too much and did not believe that death would touch her. Alexey did not remember his father, although mother said that he had left them for the war, when Alexey was not yet a year old. Alexey asked little about his father. He saw pictures sent from Afghanistan in uniform and body armor with a gun.

He did not want to hurt his mother. At school and boarding school, when they asked something about their parents, he always jerked. He did not envy those with whom all relatives were alive, believed that everyone should be responsible for himself, and not hide behind the back of his parents. “Let it be difficult,” decided Alexey, “if you are a man, then the qualities of a reasonable person should not change you.”

He remembered his mother when they went on the bus home. On the way home, he always recollected, since his aunt was the dearest for him among women. He even remembered the voice. All intonations and favorite words of a darling person.

Lucy could not wait to walk around the workshop, to look at the modern equipment, when she went to work. New machines, high technologies have become a hope for a better life. How much energy and labor she invested in order to keep them in the assembly workshop. Everywhere just like Alexey said, there was orderliness. The first person to ask about the recreation was Nina Vasilievna. She approached to Lucy during a break.

“How did you have a rest? Did you like at the hostel?”

“Ok, I did. I would go there again.”

Nina Vasilievna laughed.

“If you will work well, you will certainly go more than once. You know, tomorrow will be a commission from Moscow. They will check the work of the enterprise. Including in our workshop they will look to see how the machines were installed. We must be on top. After dinner, once again go and check everything is normal. It depends on it whether we get a bonus or not. Do you understand everything?”

Deputy was as always extremely brief and terse. At first, Lucy was frightened, suddenly something was wrong and would have to be altered, but then calmed herself with the thought that she was already testing the nano equipment and machines. They were in full service, it was not worth worrying, but, despite this, she made a tour of the work shop again for insurance.

The working day was filled to the limit. She verified the schemes. After work, she decided to go to Alexey’s house to agree when he would come to them and talk with her father. She stepped out of the aisle when the jeep BMW of black color drove out of the gate. Fridman sat behind the wheel.

She walked especially slowly on foot to give Alexey back home. When she rang the door, no one opened it.

“Then there’s no home. I’ll wait,” she decided. She went outside. It was frosty, but she did not feel the cold, she was warmly dressed: in boots, wool trousers, a sweater and warm clothes, a tanned sheepskin coat, in which she went to the camp site. On her head was a rabbit cap with earflaps. She dialed Alexey’s phone number and, raising her eyelashes upwards, noticed his figure in the distance. She turned off the iPhone. He also noticed her and quickened his pace. When he came closer, it seemed to her that he smelled of beer and roach, but she did not attach much importance to this.

“Did you wait for a long time?” Alexey demonstratively put his arm around Lucya.

“No. When will you come to us? We must seriously talk.”

“We’ve decided everything with you. I’ll come at any time, you tell me when?”

“The sooner the better, the father’s disease progresses,” she began to ache. “I am very worried about him.”

“Good. Tomorrow evening after the work.”

“We’ve agreed,” she said, barely restraining irritation and sarcasm. “Where are you from now, if not a secret?”

“A child was born to the boss, they celebrated at his house.”

“Congratulations. And I was summoned to court, which will be held this week. They will address the issue of consumer rights protection. Private detective Tanya said that Kirillov gave a bribe of two hundred thousand rubles, but died suddenly of a heart attack or he was killed.”

“Wow!” Alexey evaluated the situation, took out cigarettes and started to smoke.

“They say that in order to suppress the corruption case in private enterprise ‘Blagoros’, headed by Rusakov,” Lucya explained with understanding.

“It’s a dark matter.”

“A certificate from the morgue was presented in confirmation. Rusakov’s lawyers did not believe in this reason, but a copy of the refusal to initiate a criminal investigation into the death of Kirillov appeared. Tanya has every reason to believe that this was a deliberate killing in order to hush up the investigation, since all the threads of the investigation were with him, as a lawyer. I’ll tell you in more detail later,” edifyingly and mysteriously she said.

They stood a little, and Lucy hurried home in the hope that he would come to her and persuade her father to go to the clinic.

A commission from Moscow, consisting of one representative, went into the workshop after lunch. An experienced specialist carefully examined all the equipment in action and gave a positive assessment of the company, after he asked a few questions, interested in literally everything, including the age of the employees. The main numerals he entered into the tablet. Lucy looked with reverence at the important person. From what he will say, the quarterly bonus depended. He walked through the factory yard, looked at the warehouses. Everything ended normally.

Later it turned out that the main purpose of the visit was to help in setting up nanotechnology, the scientific organization of labor, and to find out whether work is being done to develop the elements of economic calculation in the teams, that is, the definition for each, even a small team, of metal, electricity, and tools.

On that day, the director of the plant and the high guest signed an order to accrue a quarterly premium.

On Tuesday, Alexey after work went to Lucy on a new light sedan Audi, which took on credit. He had to think over how to issue documents with payment: pay immediately or prolong the payment. He refueled with the best gasoline. Alexey enthusiastically hoped to convince Lucy’s father to begin medical examination in the first-class clinic.

“Why did she decide that I could influence her father, especially since he does not know me enough? I’m a stranger in their house. So what? We are friends with her; I’m not a doctor or a holy preacher. And on the other hand, she’s right, to whom, how not to me to talk to him as a man with a man, if we are going to get married with her. Especially this conversation will bring us closer; I can calmly make her an offer to marry me, not being afraid of being rejected. So, it is decided. And as to what to say, what causes and arguments in favor of laying him in a hospital, I will be able to find the words. Do not bother and worry. They will help me with the loan,” Izmailov speculated as he drove along the snowy road.

13. Proposal

Alexey looked at his watch. It was about seven o’clock. It was possible not to hurry. He wanted to go to the store and buy some souvenir to Lucy, but changed his mind, because there was no reason to present the gift. He planned to give her a fabric on the dress on the day of their official registration.

Almost all the way he dreamed of their soonest wedding and travel to the shore of the Black Sea.

Near the house he parked, got out of the car, faced with a pretty girl in an astrakhan fur coat and a white, fluffy hat. The girl was in a hurry, not paying attention to passers-by and transport, accidentally hooked Alexey by the sleeve of the jacket. Realizing her mistake, she immediately apologized and wanted to go further, but he suddenly remembered that this was his former classmate — Vera. He stopped.

“Hi! I did not recognize you at once.”

“Izmailov, what a meeting!”

“You have grown up and you look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You’re also a hero! Sorry, I’m in a hurry…”

“Are you married? Where do you work? As you wanted to be a teacher at school. Do you teach children intelligent, good, eternal things?” he took her by the sleeve of fur coat.

“How many questions immediately! Surely, I’m married,” for a moment she paused and thought. “The husband is an officer, but I do not live with him, he is constantly traveling. And then he is a very complex person. I’m having a hard time with him. I already regretted that I had married him. We have no children, although we have been together for five years now. Rather, we do not live, we torment each other.”

She paused. Suddenly, she burst into tears. Alex was frightened, not knowing how to console. He had to hurry, and he barely controlled himself.

“What has happened with you? Do not cry. Get a hold of yourself. If it’s trouble, then go to court, do not worry. Everything flows, everything changes. So you do, all things have to change for the better. You’ll see that I’m right… Get a job, you will get distracted.”

She began to calm down, still sobbing. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping her tears, like a small child. She apparently forgot she was on the street that people were passing by, maybe neighbors she did not resist his care, and involuntarily pressed closer to his shoulder, threw back her head, and said:

“Excuse me, I’m a fool. For some reason, I immediately remembered how bad it had become. At times it was piled up,” and already completely calmed down, she continued, “you do not think that I’m hysterical from idleness. I work as a lecturer of Russian language and literature at the Lyceum. Do you remember ‘The teacher, let me humbly kneel near your name.’ I still correspond with our litterateur Tatiana Mikhailovna. Her husband died in this year in car accident. He was the champion of the rally ‘Paris-Dakar’.”

Alexey looked at the woman and was surprised. He remembered very young. She was a diligent student at school, favorite of all teachers; she knew everything and was an excellent pupil. He was even in love with her, but then left them at a boarding school, then college and forgot about her.

“Sorry for being frank, are you in a hurry?” she stepped back from him. “I also have to hurry, prepare for classes.”

“May I call you someday?”

She rummaged in her purse, took out her notebook, tore out a blank sheet from there, wrote her coordinates on it and gave it to him. Alexey took it, neatly folded the note, put it in his jacket pocket and happily said:

“I’ll definitely call, wait.”

“While happily.”

They broke up. He looked at his watch: it was exactly seven. “Lucya must be nervous,” he decided, quickening his pace. Almost ran into the entrance.

Lucy’s father went to bed every day after returning from the school of the blind. Severe pain did not give him rest. On the persuasions of his daughter to go to the polyclinic or call a doctor at home, he reacted negatively: “If necessary, it will go by itself, but no, and then we must prepare for death.”

Lucy was afraid to disobey, she knew his character, and Alexey’s visit was the only hope for her. As a man, it would be easier for him to persuade his father to visit the medical center. She knew that Alexey would come. He never failed. The father respected him and would not object to their wedding, gradually gaining confidence in Alexey, and even often berated daughter, if for some reason she was late for a date. She did not take offense.

Lucya had time to go to the market after work and bought her father fruit. He was pleased that his daughter spoils. To warn him of the friend’s visit, she did not. Suddenly the bell rang. Her father sat up from the sofa, but she said sternly:

“Lie down, dad, do not get up. I’ll open it myself. Probably to me from work.”

She looked at her watch, knowing that Alexey was always punctual; she was thoughtful… She opened the door and saw him tired and breathing heavily on the threshold.

“Sorry, I’m late. On the way I met a classmate, stayed.”

“Nothing bad, you may go through. Tell him that I invited you on purpose, otherwise my father will be offended, will not talk.”

“Surely. I understand.”

They walked into the room and sat by the window on the sofa, where he photographed her once naked, graceful figure.

“Lucy, who has come?”

“It’s Alex, dad, do not worry.”

“Let me talk to him right away,” suggested Alexey.

“Do, please, as you think it’s better.”

He went into her father’s room. She noticed that Alexey was cold, went to the kitchen and began to prepare dinner. It was necessary to feed the men. The street was dark long ago. Through the window, she watched the sweeping of snow on the ground in the courtyard, the trees swaying in the wind near their entrance. Passersby hurriedly raised their collars. All lovers of walks were at home. Only occasionally did the lonely dogs run, and people, hiding from the wind, hid in the entrances. The wires struck against each other and cracked.

She forgot why Alexey came to them, presenting his future in Spain. She noticed a new Audi in the courtyard, remembered the trip to the camp site. Then the thoughts were transferred to the assembly workshop. “If the wedding takes place, then I will invite Torobov, Korbutova, Raya, Sveta and her husband,” Lucy confessed to herself.

She did not notice how Alexey appeared in the kitchen. He stood behind her, took her by the shoulders and pulled to him.

“The prosecutors’ suspicions have been dropped from me. How wonderful we were at the hostel!” he admired. “It’s a pity that so few days are spent on rest.”

“Why do we change our status? It would be nice if love came with time, when children will appear. There will be general affection, common cares. But then there will be no time to think about love, to figure out who loves whom more. Of course, children are a great happiness for a woman,” she reasoned, not forgetting to look at the stove, where she cooked soup and fried potatoes with meat.

“Everything is in order,” Alexey whispered in her ear, “your father agrees to go to the polyclinic and begin the examination. Will not you stop loving me?”

“You like me completely. How did you persuade him? I always believed in your diplomatic abilities. He is a very difficult person. But I was afraid that you would not agree to convince him. Thanks for the support.”

“It’s not worth it. I know too well what loneliness is, so I do not want this to anyone. You persuaded him very simply. A purely masculine conversation took place between us. In principle, your father did not object to go to the hospital from the very beginning, but he was afraid to leave you here alone. I assured that I will take care of you and protect you in every possible way. I also told him that we will get married and on Saturday we go to file an application. You do not mind?”

“You decided for me. I do not mind registering our relationship. But on Saturday do they write down the acts of the marital state?”

“I found out. You do not have to worry about anything. They record before lunch, so we will have time to go and celebrate this significant event in our life. Do you mind visiting the restaurant in the evening?”

“May I kiss you?” Lucya turned to Alexey face and kissed him on the lips. “You are so handsome. Buy yourself a Rolls-Royce or Maybach. I will be very easy and calm. The best husband and there is nothing to wish for. How do you think I can be a good wife and mother of our offspring?”

“Certainly. Only about this I think. Family life is a trivial thing. To find out a person one must live with him for years, only then he is fully sure that is hidden in the most secret recesses of his soul.”

“Will you betray me?” Lucy’s question sounded childishly naive.

“You ask a strange question. I do not even know how to answer you… In my opinion, if our relations are good, would I want to go to another woman, be alone with her?” Alex threw an empty pack of cigarettes in the window leaf. “I’m not an adherent of adultery, but if you’re the first to want to leave, I’ll try to forget you forever. Satisfied with such an answer? I’m sorry that I’m pragmatic, “he said.

“Expected that you to take a serious look at married life. I like that you reason like that. Very optimistic!”

“I took a loan for a car. We will pay together. In summer we will wave to the south or to the dacha to friends,” reasoned Alexey sensibly, meaningfully and slightly prudently.

They stood by the window and dreamed of the future.

“Alex, I did not talk about it, but now I will say, because can consider you my official fiancé. I really would like to live in Moscow. I love this city very much and I dream to live there. Perhaps, this will not happen immediately, but someday I will certainly move to the capital. Of course, it would be great if we did this together, and we would have our own apartment. Do you think this is feasible?”

“Lucy, you are already adult, you can choose to live where you like best. You asked me if I would change you, but you did not tell me your opinion of loyalty.”

“I have many familiar men. But there is no time for meaningless meetings. I do not respect those women who prefer a windy lifestyle. Start meeting with various friends in the presence of a husband and children… What example will be for the younger generation? If we part, I will love another. I agree to sign with you.”

Alexey listened and thought that now his freedom would depend on her. It was a pity to lose independence, but once you have to decide.

“You can not live all your life by yourself, but if I were a woman, I never married. I would have born a child and lived peacefully. Moreover, all conditions for an independent life are now provided. In general, you are much better off living, being cared for, and cherished. Any man would agree to be at least one day a woman.”

“Sit down and have supper… and then we’ll continue to discuss our advantages,” she pushed a bowl of soup and a second course on a beautiful German pottery with bright frames and flowers.

They ate with appetite. She got into her father’s room a glass of tea in a silver holder on a wooden tray and the second dish — meat goulash with garnish.

“I can stay with you, but I must go home,” he said, went into the hallway, dressed, remembering that he had promised to ring the classmate next day on a break and agree on everything specifically.

Lucy was satisfied with the visit of the groom. Her father agreed to begin the examination and undergo a course of treatment. He was already discharged to the polyclinic, where she herself went by his power of attorney. Her mood changed. She calmed down. The health of a loved one worried, she did not want to part with him ahead of time. The offer of marriage was happy. She got used to Alexey, got used to the idea that they would get married after all, would be together. The question of living space is solved.

Lucya did not want to leave her father alone. But she was pleased to think that someone else was caring for him. They will unite in order to live together.

That evening, she noticed that Alexey was not too eager to talk about his plans for the future. She had an opinion that he had cooled to her, and his proposal to enter into a legal marriage was more like a bargain than an explanation in love. She realized that mutual love was more important only for her of the two. For him — the main mutual understanding, trust, respect, anything, but not love.

“Love has not given rest too many millions of people. How much grief, happiness, how many tragedies and dramas were played out because of this extraordinary feeling. How many geniuses love has engendered. How can you turn love into bargaining, as Alexey did now? But he’s probably right. It is impossible to live with one love, there are a lot of other things where feelings should not play a role, but everything must be subordinated to one mind. What would have happened if there was nothing but love? Who would have to manage, trade, drive trains, planes, draw pictures, and sing romances? To build, heal, educate children?” she remembered Stendhal’s treatise “About Love.” “How many pages are written by great writers and thinkers for the sake of this single word ‘love’. And everyone could accurately say explain why it exists.”

Lucya went to her room and undressed. Her father was fast asleep, snoring from his room. “It’s good that my father does not know about my experiences. Enough of his own problems. How could Alexey persuade father to go to the hospital?” she reasoned logically. “What does it mean, ‘a man’s conversation?’ Why did he go so abruptly?”

She turned off the TV set, but finally fell asleep, imagining herself in a white dress. When she awoke did not want to get up. She worked in the second shift, and could afford a little rest, lie in bed and relax.

It was about six in the morning. It was dark outside. The wind died down. During the night, so much snow fell that the windows were covered with snow flakes. The room was warm and cozy. She went to the window, tried to open the window for ten minutes, but she could not, because the window was frozen.

“Well, frost!” she said aloud, not afraid to be mistaken for: “Probably twenty degrees.” She went to the balcony door and looked at the street thermometer attached to the balcony. It showed twenty-five degrees. She did not believe her eyes and turned on the television. They gave the latest news.

At the end of the issue of news program, the local broadcaster speaker with a sleepy voice announced a weather forecast for the next two days.

It was expected frosty weather and heavy snowfalls.

“So it’s really so cold outside. It will be necessary to dress warmly for a work,” she decided, since she bought herself a silk blouse and wanted to show her employees.

Recently, Razumov has become more interested in ordinary things than usual. She had already noticed his insistent look. Sometimes she was afraid of this look, but he attracted her, even as if hypnotized by his dark green eyes with brown lines. For some reason, she again remembered the hostel, a dance evening.

“How fun and carefree it was and what wonderful guys were Arkady and Misha! It’s a pity that they did not meet and did not go to the dances at the factory club, as agreed, but now when? Perhaps, after the father’s recovery, I’ll talk with Raya and find out how she looks at meeting with the boys. In my opinion, they, especially Misha, she also liked.”

She warmed up her breakfast and called her father to the table. He had fewer pains. He slowly approached and sat down at the table. She sat next to him, spread the second on plates, poured tea in two glasses. Her father sat and smoked in silence.

“Yesterday Alexey told me that you are going to consolidate your relationship with a legitimate marriage. Am I right?” he broke off the silence.

“We decided to apply this week. Do you think that I did the right thing that I agreed to live together with Izmailov?”

“Lucy, you must live, you must decide how to act, which is better for you. Is it interesting to know if you get married, you go to him or he will come to us?”

“I think that in the beginning we will live with us. There will be a need; we will change his one-room, his aunt’s apartment and our two-roomed flat for a three bedroom apartment of improved planning or four-room apartment. Exchange I’ll do it myself.”

“Well, if you’re so independent, please. I agree with your plan. I like Alexey, I will be happy only for my grandchildren. Kids need us, without them life is empty and joyless, they support in old age. Your mother was very fond of children. She bequeathed me to raise you with your brother real people. I do not want to let her down, remember this!”

Father’s words had a strong effect on Lucya. She was silent. She cleaned the table and started to do household chores. “I forgot to warn Alexey that I work on the second shift. Perhaps he was offended. I must apologize for my tactlessness. It will be good if we begin to quarrel just now, when the wedding issue is almost solved,” she analyzed her plans.

Lucya came to court about the shares invested in the bankrupt enterprise and waited for a decision. At the meeting there were the deceived investors of the “Blagoros” firm of the meat and dairy industry. Its head Rusakov for unknown reasons was absent. Veterans of war and labor, disabled and elderly people, who lost the lion’s share of their pensions, were present in the hall.

Private detective Tanya Ivanova sat aside and studied the investigation materials. The judge — a bright brunette without a cloak and in gold ornaments — heard witnesses and victims. The speeches were brief, concise and convincing. It turned out that all percentage from the invested money was transferred to the payment of taxes. Lucy looked at the victims and nervously fingered the bag.

Tanya had a message from lieutenant-colonel Kiryanov: “Grabko and Panteleev were found those who were present at the café ‘Arabella’, where a meeting with Kirillov took place. They handed Kirillov $150 for the detention of Rusakov. The whole sum was transferred to the Department for Combating Organized Crime, where for two hours all the bills were photocopied, and their numbers were registered in the protocol of the cash issue. Rusakov was arrested.”

Tanya in a hurry sent a message to the judge, and she announced the court’s decision to arrest the entire property of the collapsed regional enterprise.

When Uvarova arrived in the workshop, Razumov immediately approached her. He was holding a telephone. He looked worried.

“Lucy, a meeting will be held today with the director. Torobov asked me to warn you to be present. The problems concerning you will be considered. Appearance at four o’clock.”

“Ok, I will. Do you know which questions will be considered?”

“They’ll show your prospectuses brought from Moscow.”

She became agitated. She had to get ready and do urgent work. When the senior engineer left, she put on a white robe and hat, took a laptop with diagrams, went to check the equipment. The workshop, as it used to be in the middle of the week, worked at full strength. Before the break she managed to get around all the machines.

It was exactly 4:00 p.m. Lucya hurried to the production meeting, which took place in the main building of the plant management. Lucya was delayed. She went into the office when the meeting had already begun. From the assembly workshop there were Torobov and Razumov. Other workshops were represented by the leaders. Director was the first to take the speech. He appreciated the work of the plant and then said about the need to continue the struggle for the quality of products. Korostylev spoke little, but capacious. At the end of the speech, he offered to study the prospectuses brought by Uvarova from Moscow.

“Friends, if anyone has any questions about these prospectuses, I ask you to submit your applications in writing. We need to work together to make our labor a joy, not a burden. I want everyone to remember this. Only then we will achieve the highest results. I ask all the chiefs of the workshops to report the basic indicators of output as a percentage of the previous month.

One by one the leaders stood up and reported about the achieved results. Secretary — a blond girl of nineteen, sitting on the side, at a separate table — printed after the speakers. At the end of the meeting, she submitted to the director ready-made statistical data for the entire plant as a whole.

The meeting was over. The director asked the representatives of the assembly workshop to stay. The chief engineer and deputy director were in the office. Once again Korostylev thanked Uvarova for her good work and asked if she has any requests, whether she likes working at the plant. Lucya was at a loss. Confused by the simplicity with which the director turned to her, but at the same time she was delighted with the attention of the leadership.

“I like the plant, I have no requests,” Lucy answered modestly, but with great desire and enthusiasm.

She was inspired by the words of the director, wanted to work better, to do more good. The second half of the day flew by quickly. By the end of the day she went to the head of the workshop and reported on the work done.

“Well done, Uvarova! Every day you show the best results. The director spoke well of you. You may go to graduate high school in the evening department without interruption from production. The plant will help. We need thinking staff. When you finish, you will receive a promotion, of course, provided that you will study well. It’s hard, I understand, but to get stronger at the plant you have to go through it. Understand this is not a simple proposal, but thought out not one day’s decision. What do you say to my comments?”

“Alexander Dmitrievich, thank you for your kind words,” her voice trembled, “if honestly, I had thought many times myself, but thought that I should take root at the factory first. To act in the autumn, before this I will prepare, I will learn the forgotten, I will comprehend the new. Only then I can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”

“Well, Uvarova, you’re right. Study, work, try, but do not forget about my words.”

For Lucy, this day turned out to be determinative. She firmly decided to prepare for the post-graduate examinations.

After the shift, she hurried to Alexey to apologize and inform the joyful news for her — the words of the workshop manager. She almost ran. A small snowfall, quiet and frosty. She was in a hurry, afraid that Alex had gone to bed, since it was the beginning of the eleventh.

Alexey did not sleep and opened the door immediately. Lucya rushed to kiss him from the doorway.

“Excuse me, please, for having told you wrong about my shift. I had mixed up. Remember, I do not know how to cheat, just that night I was a little tired and said inappropriately. You are very offended at me, I’m sorry.”

“Lucya, come in. I see you have frozen then. You will warm up.”

She passed, took off her coat and hat right in the room and threw it on a chair. He was going to go to bed. The bed was dismantled.

“Have a cup of tea?”

“Thanks, with pleasure.”

Alexey poured tea over the cups.

“You know,” she began in a dull voice, “the workshop manager offered me to prepare for graduate high school. I agreed.”

“As you quickly get, just a clever one. Are you worried? More tea?”

“Thank you,” she repeated. “I told my father that everything was decided between us. What can be the excitement? I’m not eighteen years old. How long can you wait? I stay with you today,” she weighed, noticing the traces of female lipstick on the sheets. “I’m afraid my father will be worried.”

Lucy was sitting and did not know what else to say. For some reason, all the colorful epithets immediately flew from the head. She wanted to sleep.

“The day seemed very long and heavy,” she sighed, rearranging the events in reverse order and sensing the tart aroma of the female spirits Nina Ricci from his shirt. “Alex, you are very comfortable…” these words have become a verbal culmination, thought out advance drive, understanding the educational influence of Nina Korbutova on her business partner and sex.

“I told you that you can feel at home. Turn on the TV. Eat, drink tea,” he pushed her cookies on the saucer.

Lucya was sitting and remembering her childhood. They lived in an old, two-story house. Near the house there was a small courtyard. On the opposite side there were old houses too where girlfriend Olga lived. They together played dolls, sewed on them dresses. They ran barefoot in the puddles after the rain, drew chalk on the asphalt of the city, and jumped over the rope, played classics. She wanted to go back there, be small again and play classics again, draw with chalk, jump and skip. Once they were invited to the neighboring courtyard where the boy Gena lived. He offered them a new game: to raise his head up and spin whilst his head was spinning. They became friends, but their friendship quickly ended. One day, his parents came and drove them out of the yard. After that, they no longer met. Gena went around their side and offered friendship to someone else. Lucy and Olga were having fun without Gena. The most interesting was to gather a few yards and play Cossack- robbers when it gets dark. High acacia bushes were a reliable refuge from the bandits.

But the time passed and the children grew. Olga left and came only sometimes to their street to her grandmother. The gatherings with several courtyards were less often and less often. But the fantasy was extraordinary. The last game was a ball. Without it there was not a single walk.

In the morning Lucya got up, admiring the steepness of Alexey’s figure. Cuckoo’s tears were cultivated in banknotes lying in his pants pocket. She heated the kettle, took out the oil, sausage, jam from the refrigerator. Hearty breakfast had a tiny slice of butter and cheese and a bun. She got ready, dressed, found a sheet of paper on the table and wrote briefly: “Alex. I went to work. Thanks for the hospitality. Lucy.” A piece of paper was attached with a magnet to the refrigerator.

Alexey was in the second shift, so he did not have to rush. He slept for a long time. When the receiver was told that it was eleven o’clock, he got up. As if nothing had happened. He understood with consciousness that now things will go in a new way. He was as calm and comfortable as ever in his one-room apartment.

It was possible to relax, but he knew that this could lead to emotional emptiness and laziness. Therefore, he quickly had breakfast and began to develop a new scheme further, over which he had worked for more than six months. It began to clear up… He had to look into the textbooks and websites of well-known Japanese firms, which gave him Lucy.

The scheme was almost ready, he thought out the binding details, to which he at first did not attach importance. During the work, Alexey completely disconnected and even forgot to shave sometimes.

This time, the charm of the woman he loved poured into him the powers he had not suspected. Worked with pleasure. The time has come to go at the plant. He postponed the iPad with the drawings, had dinner, carefully shaved and dressed. He remembered that he forgot to refuel and went to the maintenance station. The weather was unusually clear and sunny.

The working day flew, as usual, in cares. There were two days left until Saturday. He could change his mind and not go to the registry office, but he did not want to part with Lucy. She was sensitive and easily vulnerable. He was sure that she would not suffer a parting, would be hard sick, and he felt any suffering as his own.

They did not see each other on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday morning Alexey got nervous. Again he concretely did not agree with Lucy when they meet. Alex decided that it was worth coming to her in the morning, and from her to go where she would say. He did not hurry, but he was businesslike and precise.

On the way to Uvarova he jumped at the flower market and bought three carnations. He chose white color as a sign of cordial friendship and mutual understanding. When he called, the door was opened by Nikolai Nikolaevich:

“Alexey, go through. It seems that Lucy is waiting for you.”

The guest undressed in the hallway and went into the room. Lucya was dressed in a silk, light blouse with a green edging on the collar and a black skirt with a lace on the bottom. He saw Lucy and blushed. He felt ashamed of himself, of his awkwardness and angularity. He gave her flowers. She blushed mutually and smoothed her already neatly combed hair.

“Alex, have you come to invite me for a walk?” she babbled.

“How did you guess?” he joked and laughed himself. “Well, so will you go?”

“As you can see, I’m ready. I’ve been waiting for you for a minute.”

Lucy put the flowers in a vase on the table, put on her coat, and they went to the car. He wanted to give her a whole world, but did not know how she would regard his behavior.

The procedure for submitting the application was not very complicated. They filled in the form and signed in the magazine. They were told to come in a month. Returned, slowly leaving and paying attention to the crowds of newlyweds and witnesses. Lucy was smiling. She was never so good and serene.

“I’m glad that it’s so wonderful. Are you happy?”

“Do they ask about this?”

“It means happy. So do I. And this is an important thing that it would be always.”

“Let’s go to the cafe tonight. We’ll sit and listen to the music.”

“You should not waste money. To be honest, I’m not a fan of hustle and bustle. To stay at home is much more pleasant. But, unfortunately, I do not like to mess around in the kitchen with dishes and stand at the stove. For a woman, a cafe is a great relief.”

“Will you come to me?”

“You see, we have to take our father to the polyclinic,” she explained the situation.

“It is necessary so it is necessary. I escort you, do you mind?”

They were driving along the main street, so that more people would see their happiness. Alexey kissed Lucy, and she hugged him tightly by the shoulders and quickly removed her hand. The mood of both was lyrical. The weather has changed. The wind blew and the snow fell. There were less people on the street. On skating rinks and slides flooded around the houses, the children skated and played. It was heard their cheerful laughter and loud childish voices.

“Would you like to be a little boy for a minute and play snowballs?”

“By all means.”

“It’s a pity you can not turn back. And maybe it’s for the best, at least it teaches people to make fewer mistakes in life. Live immediately. Do you imagine what would have happened if we had lived two times. The first life was a success, and then the second one was also successful…”

Alexey listened attentively to the reasoning when he looked at the traffic light. She continued to develop her idea of universal happiness and fraternity, admiring his profile:

“You are wise. I’m amazed at your mentality. You have an analytical mind. You definitely need to study further.”

“We’ll learn together. You’ll go to graduate school, and I’ll go to university.”

“Dreams are tempting! How good it would be if they were realized.”

“They will, be sure,” he glanced at her.

“If there is a strong desire, the conceived will come true. We must work every day, not thinking about money or fame. I like the words of Bryusov on this occasion: “Great joy is work. All the happiness of the earth — for work!”

When they arrived, the weather finally deteriorated. It became unbearably cold. They hurried into the apartment. Father was looking forward to them, sitting on the couch in a clean suit and listening to the radio. When they entered, he did not look back, he asked:

“Are you ready to go with me? Can not wait. Hurry up.”

Everyone drank a glass of champagne, poured in advance and left in the kitchen; they ate a snack with red caviar on sandwiches with butter. They divided the tangerines into slices and, savoring the sweet juice, admired the prospects of their life in the magazine “The Wedding Ring”, which they were given as an attachment to the future wedding ceremony.

Alexey only applied to the wine glass, his head aches from happiness, that his dreams come true with catastrophic speed.

“We can go. I’m ready,” exclaimed Lucy joyfully.

They put their father on and carried him by the arm to Audi and he was neatly seated in the back seat.

A strong wind blew and swept all the snowdrifts. During the two winter months, snow fell so much that there were no passers-by on the other side of the street. The winter was unusually snowy. Here and there snow was removed, especially in the center of the city. One could have thought that this was not winter at all, but late autumn, when everyone dreams of the soonest coming of this winter with snowfalls and snowstorms. In those places where the snow was not removed from the sidewalk, it reached almost to the middle of the shin. Boots stuck in the snow, especially where the tracks were not rammed by pedestrians.

For ten minutes we reached the district clinic. The tail to the therapist was small. The doctor accepted quickly. When her father’s queue came, he took Lucya by the hand, tightly squeezed in his hand and said so that her heart contracted, and she barely restrained, so as not to burst into tears:

“Do not worry, my daughter, everything will be fine.”

“Well, that you’re dad. I’m completely calm.”

Father went into the study. A few minutes passed, but for her these moments lasted terribly long. She started walking from one end of the hospital corridor to the other. At last father left.

“Look here, Lucya,” he handed her sheets of paper where something was written; “the doctor wants to talk with you.”

Lucy went into the study. The doctor was a tall, young, pretty woman of about thirty. Looking attentively at Lucya, she said:

“Your dad needs in-patient treatment. I wrote him a referral to the hospital. Perhaps he will not be put right away, but within a month or two the matter should be decided.”

“Does he have something serious?” Lucya hesitated.

“I can not say anything yet.” An in-patient examination is necessary and only then they will prescribe the treatment. Do not get upset. If the focus of disease is liquidated in time, nothing terrible will happen.”

Lucy was silent. It was difficult for her to say.

“Thank you, doctor,” she barely managed to say, and left the office.

“What did the doctor say to you?” her father had an uneasy expression on his face.

“Said you had to go to the hospital. She wrote a referral for treatment.”

“Well, let’s go home.”

They returned home in the same composition. Father asked them about the wedding.

“Dad, we would like you to be at the wedding.”

“It does not depend on me. When they designate the time to go to the hospital, then I will have to go to bed. I myself would like to take a walk at your wedding. I’ll give money for the wedding and the ring for lady, do not worry.”

“Dad, you are very kind to me,” she answered, worried.

“Okay, everything will be fine. Tell Alexey to come in more often. I have something to talk about with him. Do not stay with children. I’ll get well; I’ll handle babies, or rather one baby. What is your mood, are you going to give birth or not?”

“I do not know yet. Everything will not depend on me. How Alexey will show himself in his family ordinary life. Maybe we’ll divorce in a week.”

“How do you divide it? Why then do you get married if you’re going to get divorced? I do not understand.”

“The first, of course, I will not go to the gap, but if there is a quarrel, can I put up with this?”

“I knew that you had a comfortable character, but, in my opinion, you are too strict.”

“I know what I’m saying,” Lucya was nervous.

“We will not argue.”

Alexey went about his business, intending to look exceptionally beautiful on his first and last marriage.

At home, Lucy began to compile a list of guests, writing down in the notebook all the necessary matters connected with the celebration. The list was of fifteen people. Lucy expected that Alexey would invite about the same amount.

All the efforts for the preparation she took over. To Alexey she planned to engage in inviting guests from his side and sewing a suit. There were a lot of things to do, but enough to ignore the current, everyday worries.

She was looking for a place to celebrate. Phoned the company.

“We will celebrate the wedding in the banquet hall of the restaurant ‘Brudershaft’ on the embankment,” Alexey outstripped when he called and said in a gentle voice.

“It’s good to hear from you, I kiss and love you, dear! Till tomorrow.”

She filled out the invitation cards printed with their photos, distributing seats at the table and the number of dishes required. She put them in envelopes sewn with ribbon and bow.

“The issuance of the money of the bankrupt enterprise ‘Blagoros’ is slowed down due to lack of funds,” Tanya-detective sympathized when Lucy invited a private detective as a guard.

14. Wedding

Bachelor Alexey spent with the staff in the workshop, correcting the power wires. The criminal coefficient was absent.

Lucy was afraid of marriage. She wanted everything “to go to hell”, as she thought to herself. Family life, the role of the wife, especially a mother, she imagined with difficulty, representing herself in the role of cook and housekeeper. With envy she looked at those women who managed to be fine wives, but also did not forget their children, always remaining young cheerful, full of strength and energy. But since the question was almost solved, it remained to wait for the day of marriage and prepare for the wedding.

She dreamed of a wedding trip, but vacation was planned for both in August, so hoping that the plant management will meet and allocate a month for the honeymoon, it was silly. She cherished the hope that they would go to the south or somewhere to Cyprus. Everyone “for” to go on vacation together.

Lucy decided to make her own wedding dress. She knew all the features of her figure and preferred to dress to her taste, and not go to the fashion studio.

Month flew day by day: work, meetings with Alexey, which were too brief to have time to tell what was troubling, bore the soul and bothered. Finally, father! He became irritable and intractable. He did not like anything and seemed to be offended by the whole world for his illness.

It was difficult for Lucya to talk to him, especially to share her pain. More than once they quarreled and did not talk for a long time. Sometimes her father’s presence was a burden. She endured with courage, cleaning the apartment herself.

Another existence was beyond power and understanding. To ease his suffering, she did painkillers.

The work went smoothly. Torobov and Korbutova knew about the upcoming wedding and were invited in advance. The workshop collected money for a gift.

Raya was preparing to become a witness. She also had to have a wedding with Artem Petrov, but a week later in the walls of the church of the correctional facility penitentiary system before sending him in the direction. Raya was very worried about of the approach of this event greatly and even lowered its labor indicators, hardly making the norm, instead of the usual overfulfillment.

Artem, on the other hand, was forced to take a great interest in his work that he forgot to go to dinner.

“Now you need to eat for two, to start a family, and he does not even have dinner once,” the commandant was making fun of him

Levin’s brother was in mourning. He also loved Raya and was distressed by the “unexpected wedding” very much, but Raya comforted him with all the staff of the workshop:

“When I divorce Artem, I’ll marry you right away. Only you wait for me. Do not fall in love with anyone.”

Nikiforov only darkened from these words; he hurried and left the workshop.

The team of an assembly workshop of the plant staff was forced into the forefront. Now at meetings, conferences and technical councils, they were set as an example or as a model. Torobov was called the best chief of the plant. Nina Vasilievna continued to help the young people get on their feet, to find themselves in the factory walls. In connection with the introduction of new equipment, five students from the college came to the shop, as the wages of pieceworkers increased much.

Lucy was working tirelessly. She undertook any task assigned to her. Razumov was pleased, he praised Torobov for Lucy. And that one gave praises to her. Mutual relations in the team have developed. She was polite and courteous, never rude, and was happy to answer the questions raised by the workers. Alexey did not call her during working hours, and Torobov once said about this to Lucy:

“Uvarova, you would have turned out to be a wonderful teacher. Your upbringing affected.”

“We raise each other,” she found what to answer him.

“That’s right, it’s necessary.”

Torobov loved his team and wanted every employee to be happy, so he was always interested in what the programmers, operators and office workers lived and breathed. When Lucy told him about the upcoming wedding, he smiled with a fatherly smile, so that his not-so- handsome face immediately changed, it began to shine, mimic wrinkles appeared in the outer corners of the blue eyes. He slapped Lucya on the back and said in a friendly tone:

“This is a good thing. We were young, we also got married, weddings were played and, as you see, not in vain. I have two sons: one is graduating from college, and the second is only in sixth grade. He dreams of becoming a cook. Sorry god did not give a daughter. Though I am a believer, I have dreamed all my life that my daughter was smart and beautiful, like my wife.”

Torobov fell silent, and Lucy imagined his sons were the same tall and broad-shouldered guys as he was.

“I want to clarify the date of my wedding,” Lucy said. “It will be held next week on Friday. I also invited Nina Vasilievna.”

“We will. You did well to warn me before. Go and do your work, otherwise we are distracted.”

They were talking in the hallway of the workshop. Before dinner it was about an hour. Lucya went from the machine to the machine, checked the work and release of products, so that they would meet the relevant standards. It was impossible to think about anything else at this time, you will miss the errors on the move. But thoughts kept coming back to the next wedding.

Lucy agreed with the restaurant administration for thirty people and contributed the appropriate amount. Troubles in musical design took over Alex. At first he wanted to install a tape recorder, but then he agreed with the guys from the factory instrumental ensemble that they would play.

The wedding day went unnoticed. The dress was ready. Lucy liked to try it on, and she occasionally put on and wiggled around the mirror. It was long guipure attire made from natural silk of champagne color, with ruffles on the bottom of the sleeves, on the skirt and on the chest. Instead of traditional veils, Lucy made a hairdresser’s hairdo for special occasions.

Haircut was laid with flowers. A long plume filled the general appearance.

The registration was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. By the time the girlfriends of the bride — Olga, Irena, Raya, had gathered. Soon Alexey came up. He looked extraordinarily fresh. Lucya once again approved her choice. Then Alexey’s friends of work came in the Toyota Camry and Opel Astra. The bridegroom during the wedding ceremony and after being very nervous, but his hands did not shake. He barely got his signature when registering.

After the marriage and exchange of rings, photographed, drank champagne. Then in three cars they went to ride around the city. It has become a tradition to lay flowers at the monument to the heroes on the square. They decided not to violate the tradition. The frost was too strong and the wind was twisting to freeze without a coat. When the bride jumped out of the decorated limousine, Alex grabbed her in his arms and carried a few meters. The bride in her hands had a large bouquet of fresh, scarlet carnations. Lucya laid several flowers near the monument, where there were some bouquets of fresh flowers had already been laid at the very bottom. After a walk they went to Lucy’s house. The father was already waiting for them in his best, solemn costume. He did not feel very well, but tolerant in order not to lay and not to spoil the daughter’s mood.

“Congratulations to the newly-made family with a legal marriage,” he said to Lyudmila and Alexey from the doorway, “to live in love and harmony with you. May you live happily ever after! And remember: before love, the horror and darkness of death is powerless. It is unfortunate to live in the world, since there is nobody to love,” he cited quotes from fiction, which he taught at school and could easily read whole excerpts from the works of art of the classics.

The father was always very kind to his daughter, forgiving any whims and pranks. They did not stay at home for long. Towards six o’clock they moved to the restaurant.

The wedding was held in a hall for banquets specially decorated with numerous, exquisite, lace, yellow and white draperies and an arch of living and artificial flowers. On the tables were bouquets with a snow-white bird with a feathered tail and a red beak. Tables racked from the dishes in an elegant serving. Gradually, everyone gathered. Torobov came to hand with his wife. She was wearing a red dress made of airy fabric. Nina Vasilievna also decided to defeat the men with her blue suit of wool with sparkles.

The first toast was for the young. It was spoken by Torobov. He spoke for a long time. Everyone was tired of holding wine glasses with champagne, they wanted to dry faster. After the second toast, pronounced by Lucy’s aunt, the only sister of her father, someone shouted: “It’s bitter!”

Lucy was frightened, but Alexey got courage and kissed his wife hard on the lips. All approvingly clapped and drank for the second time. The table was not fully covered. Roast was brought after the guests ate salads and jellied meat. A big tart and cakes completed the dinner. After the second toast, a speech of Lucy’s father followed. Vladimir, the bride’s brother, was also among the invited. He came with his wife and throughout the evening admired his sister in a white wedding dress. He knew that his sister had good taste. He liked Alex.

The orchestra played, and the guests, having satiated, went out into the middle of the hall to dance. Everyone was having fun. The invited factory photographer made pictures of newlyweds and guests.

Lucya could not possibly count on what everything would happen so smoothly. Alex did not drink at all and sat like a chained man, afraid to move. He was worried about Lucya. He wanted her to be in a good mood and not nervous. Twenty people were invited from the workshop.

Sveta Erengeld and her husband in honor of the newlyweds wrote poems and read them when a short break appeared between the dances. Nina Vasilievna was a wonderful singer. She started, and the rest sang along with her. They sang a variety of songs, from the military to modern motifs. They danced interpretations of folk dances, lambada, slow lyric, shake and twist.

By the end of the evening, guests can hardly move. Young people fussed, and the older generation was firmly seated at their seats at the table. Some of those present went away earlier because of the small children left in the care of grandmothers and nannies. Sveta and her husband also took off at half past nine.

The wedding went on. Everyone’s mood was unusually good and joyful. By the end of the evening the guests were very tired. The musicians stopped playing and just sat and rested.

Alexey’s friends wrote him a humorous congratulation, in which Lucya was given the qualification “wife”, and Alexey was “husband”. Throughout the evening Lucy danced only with Alexey, but they did not have to dance too often, as it was necessary to observe decency and sit at the table. The newly married intolerably wanted to dance. Lucya almost quarreled with Alexey because of this. But quarrel during the wedding would be just dishonorable, and Lucy agreed with Alexey about the dance.

From the first day of his life, Alexey showed himself as a man who accepts only what he likes. She was very surprised at this change. He ceased to agree with her, he had his own opinion, his views, which he proved and not without success. Lucya expected from Alexey such high intelligence. She even became afraid to be with him. She was used to Alexey, who was always silent and agreed with everything, whatever she said, or suggested. And suddenly such a change…

She realized that she would live with Alexey for a long time, although they had completely different characters, realized on the run that with him she would be happy, she does not need another person, impeccably like her father, who would agree with all thoughts, whims and fictions. Lucya so clearly understood this that she wanted to cry from bitterness and resentment, as if she had lost something that was very dear and sweetheart for her. But she hoped that this feeling would eventually pass. Spent the wedding, guests will go home, everything will go back to normal, go to work and life will be the same again. Lucy’s marriage became a powerful event, as she had imagined before.

“Husband” — with this word she had such pleasant associations. She saw how many of her former friends live and envied them. She observed quarrels between them and reconciliation, saw how hard, sometimes impossible, to understand each other especially at first. Because of this, some of the girlfriends dispersed, and the desire to get married has disappeared from them for a long time.

But it was too late to change anything when she registered with Alexey. Now they had to live, not thinking that everything was very good, otherwise it could actually turn out badly. Although Lucya could not help anything with herself.

Thoughts about the future did not bother her. She regretted many times that she herself had started this holiday by laying a gold ring with a diamond in the pawnshop, having received a money for a mortgage of about fifty thousand rubles. But the guests’ cash gifts justified their expectations.

At eleven o’clock gradually everyone began to leave. Lucya was rather tired and already dreamed of returning home as soon as possible. Souvenirs of relatives, lying at the entrance, also brought joy as in an enchanting film. Alexey noticed the mood of the bride and asked:

“Honey, what’s wrong with you, do you dissatisfied with something?”

“No, nothing of the kind, everything is fine. I’m just a little tired and I want to go home quickly.”

“Soon it will be over, then we’ll go home, but for now, be patient. I am very tired myself, and dream that everyone will go away more quickly.”

They returned home by taxi in a moment, but they were going very slowly. The frost intensified. No one was cold, because they were heated from drinking wine. They stood on the street in their open coats and without hats. Alexey held Lucy by the arm and helped her to sit in the back seat. Father sat beside him. Brother with his wife, Raya Pivovarova left on the last, ten-hour train.

Lucya did not detain Raya, since she had been with her since two o’clock in the afternoon and had become exhausted from the procedures. By the end of the evening her eyes were closed from exhaustion. She apologized to the bride and groom that she was leaving them. Judging by the mood of the guests, the wedding was like, and no one was offended. Alexey courageously suffered a loss of freedom.

15. Honeymoon

Alexey felt very comfortable in the apartment with Lucy. The presence of her father embarrassed him rarely, did not forget how to behave in everyday life. Lucya realized that he was very familiar to her at home and even encouraged him constantly in every possible way:

“Alex, I understand perfectly well that it will be easy for you to get used to familiar surroundings. Now we are husband and wife and we need contact, since the best of all alliances are concluded between us,” she seemed to have accidentally kissed him. “You’re a joker. Probably for this I also love you most of all.”

He liked this behavior. She felt this, continuing to behave just as he was pleased. There were wonderful days of their life together.

At home, Lucy was looking forward to the beginning of the day’s work. Interest in the work has not died out, but caught fire with renewed vigor. In her free time she studied independently foreign language and mathematics, preparing for admission to graduate school. Alex diligently worked out the scheme and, it seems, things went uphill.

Once on Sunday, about two weeks after the wedding, Alexey got up earlier than usual, had breakfast and began to deal with the scheme. Almost everything was ready, but the eye of a man who knew things in this matter was needed. While he did not dare to ask his wife for help, he wanted to finish the drawings. By the time of dinner the drawings were ready. Lucy, in honor of the day off, wore her fiery outfit from Chanel, splashed a drop of such perfume, and cooked apple pie, cutlets and French onion soup. Alexey appreciated the care of his wife and said:

“Darling, you are very well versed in the construction, that’s why I can not do without your help. Look… Help me… Check the circuit until it is put into production. It is difficult for me alone to complete the project.”

“I do not promise that I can help, but it’s interesting to see. I want to learn something new for myself. I like to sort out mathematical or physical problems, so I’ll happily take up the job,” she put aside the knitting.

The fastening scheme was not simple. Lucya hardly penetrated into the main direction of her husband’s thoughts. She dreamed of dedicating to self-training, but then changed her mind. She was very tired, decided to be distracted and was offended, since rest for her meant a complete disconnect from all topics related to mathematics. Lucy forgave his tactlessness and even managed to beat:

“The scheme took a lot of time from me. Honey, go and buy some bread for dinner.”

He did not want to go, but since she asked, the request of a beloved woman became a law for him. He had to get ready and go. The road to the bakery seemed unusually long. Instead of snow, there were small pieces of ice like grain, similar to semolina porridge. The ice pavements felled down passers-by.

On the way, he remembered that he had forgotten the credit card at home. He rummaged in his pockets and found, at last, cash. It seemed to him that he had begun the “bad luck” line. He moved to the store and spent the time reserved for him.

It was disgusting on the street, ice grains stopped pouring from the sky, and it was started rain, spilling on his face, and the mood finally deteriorated. At that moment, he regretted asking his wife to help him.

“I should have checked myself. Next time I’ll do it,” he considered his personal life under a microscope. He did not want to return home. “If this goes on, then we will part.”

He walked very slowly, his legs were barely moving. Under his feet it was damp. He became very sad and melancholy. The wind blew in the face and it seemed that there was never a hot summer, no warm autumn, no winter with heavy frosts and snowfalls, and there was always this dank, rainy weather, which made it even more disgusting. People were coming towards him; Alexey peered into their faces and did not find something that he did not have now.

He continued to analyze his relationship with Lucy and realized that between them there was no warmth that was so necessary in life together. Lucy guessed it often and even made attempts to understand.

Attention was paid to the question of admission to graduate school. For days she worked or knit. Plasma TV, bought by them for money received at the wedding, worked for exactly one week, was turned off and stood alone in the corner.

Lucy’s father did not speak with him. For days he lay in his room and waited for the day when he would be taken to the hospital. His illness seemed to stop progressing, and the pains diminished, then appeared again, but did not become stronger.

Her father rarely complained and, if possible, did everything himself. Although now he had been to walk with difficulty. He asked Lucya to buy a stick in the pharmacy. With the help of a cane, he moved around the apartment. Because of her father’s illness, Lucy wanted to move to Alexey’s apartment.

On Monday, her father was supposed to be put in a hospital. Nikolai Nikolaevich prepared for this day. All this Alexey remembered when he returned home. He rummaged in his wallet and found the telephone number of his girl classmate Vera.

“What if I call her? She let me call. Maybe she misses me and it will be interesting to talk to me,” he dialed the number. At first no one picked up the phone. A minute later, when he was about to press to retreat, he heard the voice of his school girlfriend:

“Alexey, hello!” a woman’s voice rang out.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m getting ready to go to school. Something important?”

“I found your number and decided to call,” he explained boldly and naively.

“Sorry, I’m busy right now. Call me another time,” she finished the conversation.

Alexey was taken aback, he did not expect such a turn. “Well, maybe another time she will be more talkative,” he was finally upset and decided to turn back home. When he returned, Lucy had already warmed up the dinner and was waiting for him, without eating. Drawing in the iPad, she put aside. Now she continued knitting.

“Alex, I made some corrections to the main drawing. You will understand, I marked them in blue. You probably have to re-do everything again, because you made a mistake in the calculations.”

He walked right up to the table without undressing, with bread in a packet. He put the bag aside, unfolded the drawing close-up on the laptop and was carried away by its study.

“I did not need to tell you about this before dinner. Now you will not eat, but you will look at the drawings,” Lucya was nervous.

“Now, now… You do not know what a nasty weather on the street. Slush, mud… This year is early spring. Hence, the summer will be hot.”

“Do you understand me? We seem to be setting to dinner. You’ll see the blueprints in the afternoon.”

Alex barely pulled away from the laptop. He finally took off his coat and hung it in the hallway.

“Lucy, you are really a bright head. I looked at your corrections and was surprised how quickly you found inaccuracies. I fought over this place for a whole week, and you managed to explain everything in an hour,” he shouted directly from the hallway.

Alexey sat down at the table. Lucy spilled the soup in plates and put the second dishes. She carried her father on a tray to his room. Alexey liked the lunch, and he said approvingly:

“Honey, you had to work as a cook, not as an engineer. You cook very well.”

After dinner, Lucy removed from the table, put new Czech dishes in the dishwasher and, feeling bad, lay down. Alexey was carried away by correcting the scheme. Lucya lay and thought that soon spring would come, and then summer. Thoughts were transferred again to the clinic where her father was supposed to be put.

It was the oldest, world-famous hospital. Lucy had heard about it many times, but she had never thought that she would come into contact once.

About the hospitals she had a very individual presentation. She never visited anyone there. True, one day, together with a friend, they were sent to a sick classmate in connection with miscarriage and to another after childbirth. But it was a long time ago. Visiting the district clinic during the passage of the medical examination was a common matter. And still, every time she appeared there and looked at people in white coats, they seemed to her to be somehow special.

“Empathy”, “compassion” — these words more than once lit up in her head, like a red traffic light. It was difficult to correlate them with something else equivalent in meaning.

At times, it was morally unbearably difficult for Luce to think that her father had something that could not be cured. And she reassured herself over and over, this is still not exactly known. She did not share her thoughts with Alexey. Once she tried to do it, but he only grumbled:

“You know, I have enough problems without you. Please be silent for a while, I’m very tired at work and I need to rest.”

And Lucya did not even say anything serious.

“In fact, my father is mine, and his health should excite me in the first place, and then someone else,” she answered then.

Lucy was waiting for the day of hospitalization of her father with extraordinary excitement, which in no way was expressed externally. She learned to hide her feelings. For Alexey, his father’s illness was absolutely banal. He lost his parents for a long time and all his feelings were not reflected, or it seemed to Lucy that they were not being reflected, since he perceived what was happening as ordinary, everyday affairs. It was difficult for him to move, to be interested in something other than the “ill-fated” scheme. Sunday was extremely slow. In the evening, she asked her husband, noticing that he was carried away by conversation with his father, who looked like an exhausted old man:

“Alex, let’s go, walk a bit, take a breath of fresh air. So we can get sick.”

But Alex refused, citing a headache.

“Then I’ll go alone. I stay at home all day bored some!” she said as expressively as possible.

Lucy gathered and went out into the street. It was ice-cold. In the garden near the house, the long shadows of the trees reminded aliens. Snow almost melted. Icicles, hanging from the roofs of houses, threatened pedestrians with their northern beauty. It was nice to walk, much better than sitting at home. The wind blew her face and stirred the fur on the hat and collar of her coat. She wanted to live, believe in life; to rely on all the best that is in the world. Lucya walked with her hands in her pockets, and she sang something. She seemed to run away from a veil of vanity and disappeared from day-to-day worries, she believed in her father’s recovery, believed that everything would be okay, even if they would prescribe an operation. Some passers-by looked at Lucy with interest. The walkers were few. Bands of teenage boys “combed” their territory. Lucya left quite far from home. It’s getting dark. She decided to get home on the trolleybus. Family life little worried.

“While the relationship with Alex is tolerable, and then it will be seen… If he does not like to live with me, let him drive to himself. His apartment is good. It will be easier for me. Prepare, wash and clean will be rather less. More over it is very difficult to talk with him. He needs to explain everything and tell… How much can he be so stubborn and persistent? It’s a pity that I got involved with this marriage, but I do not have anything to do, I’ll go and buy him cigarettes. We’ll forget past short beats and misunderstandings about my former connections. He needs to calm down and forget that he himself was to blame when he took pictures of me in naked view on his iPhone, then he boasted to his friends, flaunting my figure without a face,” Lucy in her thoughts seemed to anticipate Alexey’s actions.

When she returned, she found him completely ill, gave him cigarettes. Having felt the attention, he, putting aside sheets with verses, began to groan and complain of malaise.

“It became sad; I decided to read in your absence ‘Illumination with Love’. Listen,” he opened the list knowingly and pointed at the first poem that came across and spoke loudly in high tones:

Reconciliation

Do not look at me with reproach,

We can not regain the happiness of the past.

Remain as before capricious roach.

I do not deceive your fate at last.

Let the road seemed long,

And the beginning vanished in the distance.

In my heart, memory is left wrong

And the forgotten name is in the dust.

The wind ravaged the tunes,

The sun burned the cool to the ground.

Happy holiday days, where are you?

The cold mist is ahead and around.

The paints of eternal joy erased,

Were flied away and disappeared forever.

We again reconciled with you after case.

So a man will live bravo.

“Alex, I understand where you got such a spleen. You are completely healthy and just letting on yourself the appearance of a sick person. You are looking beautifully. Nobody will believe that you are sick,” she began to reassure her husband.

“Thank you, Lucy. The best answer I did not expect from you. From your words a healthy person will go into the coffin. You are only concerned about the health of your father, you do not think about anyone else,” Alexey’s words sounded insulting and evil.

“You’re wrong, Alexey, in my opinion, you have too high demands on me. Forgive me, please, but I’m not a doctor. What can I say to your complaints? I’d rather read to you poems ‘Illumination with Love.’ You remember how it was earlier, when we first met, we read each other without a break.”

“No, do not. I’m tired of listening to your reproaches.”

She was looking for something for a long time in the table amid a heap of papers, drawings and files. When she found it, she sat down closer, hugged him tenderly by the neck and kissed.

“Listen,” Lucy read with a singsong expression of sentimental verses:

February

The white winter shroud melts,

Nuding the blackness of the earth.

A flock of jackdaws flies by over dwellers,

The white cranes cried plaintively of the worst…

February can not threaten us already

With cold and snowy stormy.

But the melancholy is troubling ready.

And the loss again you are with me.

The wind chases the last frosts,

The children are hurrying by the yard.

And the spring of disturbing forecasts

Make you shiver in the morning ward.

Would be sad about the old life,

To cry over the pain of course.

But I try to forget the illness.

...And my destiny is not yours.

Let everything be as it should be.

Let February give us a piece of winter.

And the last drop I pray and see.

And he will not betray spring severe.

She shifted the pages, buried herself in a chair more comfortably and continued her reading, ignoring that Alexey was watching her thoughtfully.

Evening

What kind of evening is so sad?

What kind of people are hurrying into the distance?

Maybe it’s a farewell voice not bad

Makes you throw over a shawl in dance?

Let the cold disturb the soul.

I will dream about that,

So the darkness does not peace violate,

And our house would be decorated.

A serene happiness will come.

And we will not be to get by,

And to everyone its part of some

It will present whilst not why.

He calmed down a bit and forgot the conversation, having received a lot of pleasure from reading poetry. But this was the beginning of the discord between them, despite the strong feelings that roamed in his soul.

On Monday, Lucya got up in the morning with a heavy head. Before work, she did not forget to warn her father that he would wait and not go to the hospital alone. At eleven o’clock she ordered a taxi. In the workshop she asked Torobov to leave, she said that her father should be taken to the hospital. From work she flew home as an arrow. Nikolai Nikolaevich was already waiting for his daughter to appear.

“Well, Dad, let’s go. The taxi is waiting for us.”

They reached the clinic in ten minutes. In the waiting room, Lucy showed the direction to the doctor on duty. He read carefully the direction and said that they can take clothes to the wardrobe. They took pajamas and a robe with them, went into the wardrobe. An elderly, very full nanny gave Lucy a sympathetic smile and, with a heavy sigh, asked:

“Daughter, is this your dad?”

Lucy did not say anything. Father changed his clothes himself, and Lucy led him to the ward, which was on the second floor.

The hospital building, where Nikolai Nikolaevich lay, was a modern five-story building. Nearby there was a large park with chestnuts and birches. But the park was empty, all the benches were wet. The picture had an ugly appearance, and the annoying crow disrupted the silence of the hospital everyday life. Lucya took a walk in the park and admired the scenery of early spring, but she hurried to work. She told her father that she would come the next day and find out about his state of health.

In the assembly workshop the job went on in a growing rhythm. Lucy went to the department, put on a white robe, took out the blueprints and went to the workshop. Her mood was not too joyful. She knew that her father would never tell her how he felt about his health, so she decided to talk with the treating doctor a little later, when they get the results of the tests, and then he will say something definite. Tedious for her days stretched.

Alexey was right. Her father’s health was for her in the foreground. Now Lucy went to his hospital every day. Sometimes she came twice a day, if she worked in the second shift — in the morning and at lunch to feed.

He lay all the time and did not go out for a walk. Lucy brought him fruits and juices. Alexey also visited his father-in-law from time to time, he went straight to his room, and they talked for a long time about life before the arrival of a doctor.

The ward where their father lay was small. It contained six beds. The furniture was modern. There was a bedside little table near the bed, where he put the food that his daughter brought him. The windows of the room overlooked into the park. Sometimes Lucy walked alone in the park and admired the spring gradually gaining strength. After the marriage, walks with Alexey were rare. He did not like to stay outside for a long time, referring to urgent matters, went home and allowed Lucy to walk alone.

A week later she decided to talk with the doctor in charge, to find out the real state of health of her father. He was a man of about thirty. When she said that she was interested in the health of a relative, he began to reassure Lucy that nothing terrible was happening to her father. Strong pains are a consequence of overwork, which, above all, requires rest. The doctor’s words made her feel a little better. At home she shared with Alexey what she had heard, to which he replied:

“Your dad needs to go somewhere to get a rest according to the voucher of permission, considering all of it…” He did not finish, as Lucy understood what she was being said.

“Yes, you’re right, I’ve already thought about it, but I do not know if he’ll agree. If only you influence him.”

“I’ll try, you know my abilities.”

“Just do not forget, when he would be written out, be sure to talk.”

“I’ll try not to forget. Lucy, I wanted to say that on Wednesday I will defend my scheme. Wednesday is the last day, until Wednesday I need you to check again. Something I have already remade during this time. Will you look at?”

“Ok, I will, but not today. Alex, today we go to the movies to watch for a film. I have not been to the cinema for a very long time. The work tired us and wants sometimes to have fun.”

“Let’s go to. Honey, I have an offer for you. Let’s go to the exhibition of works of local artists on Sunday. There should be interesting pictures. At school I studied with Sergei Pavlov. Somehow, about two years ago, I met him in the park, he painted a landscape. We talked. He said that he graduated from the art school and works as an artist at the plant, in his spare time he writes landscapes. He has his own workshop. Once I went there. He has interesting works there. Most of all I liked the portrait of his wife. You can pose for him in any form.”

“Alexey, would you like to have my nude portrait?”

He looked at Lucy and shrugged his shoulders in surprise.

“I like your photo in a sweater on the wall. Of course, a good female nude portrait will decorate any home. If I were an artist, I would necessarily depict you,” Alexey leaned over and kissed Lucy.

“Dear, you reason as a consumer,” she wanted to take offense, but she decided to save her offense for another time, “if you continue to reason like this, I will be bored and uninteresting with you.”

“Lucy, I’m sorry,” Alexey realized, “just imagined for a moment that if our whole apartment were hung up with your portraits, in vain we bought a TV set. You know perfectly well that you are very beautiful, why should you ask for compliments once again? I love you and want you to be happy, is it forbidden? I always think that you are dissatisfied with something, maybe this is my fault?”

“Alexey, stop it,” she almost cried, “I do not like being asked so many questions that I can not answer. If you are offended, I’m sorry. I just became so irritable that perceive everything differently than all people. I love you too; I do not want to swear at all. Will we go to the cinema or not, because it seems we are distracted from the topic?”

“Let’s go,” the phrase crystallized in his mind, like a pennant of victory over laziness and cultural work.

Lucy began to gather in the cinema, and Alex again thought. Now he was married, and the feeling that he was alone, did not give him rest. This continued from day to day. The presence of his wife did not abolish this feeling, but exacerbated it with renewed vigor. Now he began to recall that when they met before the wedding, next to Lucy was another woman named Loneliness, and so repeated each meeting.

Now Alexey caught himself thinking that he wants to call Vera again. The image of a girl classmate bothered him. When Alexey compared his wife to her, he came to the conclusion that his wife was prettier and Lucy’s figure was much better, although he did not have time to see through the fur coat the concrete outlines of Vera. She seemed to Alexey some clumsy and angular, like a teenage girl.

“Darling, I’m ready. We can go,” Lucy chirped like a bird, “what a wonderful mood I have got.”

Alexey quickly dressed, and they immediately went out into the street. It was evening. Weekdays. People in the cinema were not enough. They bought tickets and went to the auditorium. There were many vacant places.

The film was uninteresting and boring. From the screens they were looking at the tired faces of the gloomy actors, who did not care about what happened to their heroes, that is, the people they portrayed in front of the camera. Slowly unfolding love, artificiality of conversations, illogical actions — all these spoke of the inability and lack of talent of the director and scriptwriter.

When the film was over, Lucy sighed in relief:

“Finally, this insufferable film has ended. I just got a headache. It was not worth it to go to the movies. In vain thrown out money.”

Alexey was silent; he did not want to prove the opposite. He liked the film, but he knew that arguing with Lucy was useless. They returned home in silence. We walked. No one wanted to break the silence first. Finally, Alexey began to speak:

“Offended at me that we went to the cinema, you yourself wanted it. Try to be a little more compliant, it’s very difficult for me to find a common language with you.”

“Alexey, we seem to be fighting again,” she protested.

Now Lucy was offended, in fact.

“Why do you think I’m intractable? Or do you say that specifically to push me away?”

“Most likely, it is,” agreed Alexey stubbornly.

“You just liked another woman, and you want to get rid of me, but do not know how to do it. I want to stir you up somehow.”

The next day Lucy went to her father in the morning. Nikolai Nikolaevich gradually began to walk. His mood improved. He believed in his recovery and already dreamed of an early discharge from the hospital.

“Wait, Dad, do not hurry. You need to be treated properly. Pass the course of treatment, and then ask the doctors to write out. I talked with your attending physician, and he said that you do not have anything terrible. You just need to rest, maybe somewhere to go on a voucher. It is necessary to take an extraordinary vacation and think about your health a little. Alexey also says so. Especially since you’ve been working for the last one year.”

“All right, daughter, I’ll think about it.”

“And, Dad, I wanted to tell you to eat better and listen to everything the doctors say; otherwise the recovery will come later than you would like it to be. At home, everything is in order, but we miss you,” Lucy remembered her husband’s behavior and words in one of her walks, accidentally dropped a packet from her hands on the floor and desperately hugged her father.

Nikolai Nikolaevich felt that something was amiss with his daughter, took her by the hand, as he usually did in such cases.

“Lucy, you have something wrong with Alexey. Did you quarrel? Do not worry. It’s just that you’re nervous because of my illness. I will leave the hospital, and you will reconcile. He gets tired at work, you’re not iron, either. Do not get upset about trifles yet. It’s gonna be alright. You be kind to him, men love affection, but take care of your dignity, do not let you be humiliated.”

“Dad, you’re right. With Alexey our life is not glued. It even seems to me that we will part.”

“Well, what are you saying? Only the wedding was played, and you ‘will disperse’. Now you’re Alexey’s wife, you need to stand together, and not to leave… See?”

Lucy was silent; she did not want to answer her father’s questions. They sat and talked in the corridor of the hospital. The convalescents passed by. While she was with her father, her mood changed for the better. Even she cheered up. Time was approaching, it was necessary to go to work. She noticed that her father was tired a little bit.

“Nikolai Nikolaevich, you should not sit in the corridor for a long time. Now go and lie down,” the doctor advised when he noticed them by the window and stopped next to them. “It was enough to have a date. It is necessary to observe a strict regime of the day.”

“I’m sorry, Vyacheslav Dmitrievich, I’m leaving now,” Lucya hurried.

The doctor stood a minute longer, shook his head and went on.

“Dad, you see, the doctor is already swearing. I have to go home, or rather, to work, or I may be late. Get well soon. I will come tomorrow.”

“Lucya, do not worry about me,” he followed his daughter.

“No, no. You do not escort me,” she led him to the ward, placed on his chair, and went to the door of the building.

The working day passed as usual. There was a lot of work and there was no time to think about something else. After work, they went home with Alexey together. He was more talkative and attentive than ever.

“You know, Alex, I told my father that we want him to go somewhere to rest.”

“Well, what did he say to that?”

“He said that he does not mind only when he leaves the hospital. I’ll go to work for him and write an application on his behalf to present an extraordinary leave and submit an application to the trade union committee about a trip to a holiday home or a sanatorium.”

“First consult with his attending physician, and then write the application. Perhaps, and leave will not have to make out, if the sick leave will be continued for a month, and will give a ticket to the sanatorium,” advised Alexey with feeling and care.

“You’re quite right, dear. Do you have a good mood today, any news about your chip? Did you show to the chief engineer?”

“Something. The part that you have looked at and found no defects. The main engineer thinks positively about my work. The general designer also gave a positive assessment. It will soon be approved.”

“This makes me happy. Today I’ll try to finish the adjustment.”

All evening, Lucy was busy checking the drawings of microcircuits; she even had no time to watch TV. Alexey watched the film with delight and did not want to interfere with his questions. She went to her father’s room where the desk was, and where she was studying when she was at the university. She forgot about the premiere of the movie “The Game of Imitation” — the nominee for the Golden Globes and Oscar with Kira Knightly in the title role, for which she wanted to go to the cinema center.

The promise given to her husband had to be restrained. Of course, she could not take offense at him. As their father had said, now they were husband and wife.

The next day there was a technical council. Alex was very worried, but had time to have breakfast. Lucy finished the examination. They went to work, as they usually did, together by car. Lucy Izmailova was sitting in the back seat and thought that it was generally luxurious that she married Alexey.

The morning was calm and windless. The coming of spring for Lucy was a joyful event and full of new sensations. All the troubles and sorrows went to the background and disappeared at the sight of the change that was occurring in nature. She realized that if they were married, then Alexey should think for her, where to go, what to do, to the point where she crossed the street, and she could go and not think about anything or dream about something. Let’s assume about the nearest trip to the seashore or to the Carpathians. He was saying something. She listened to him, clearly realizing that he was hinting at something so important to sharpen her precious attention.

At last he could not restrain himself:

“Lucy, are you listening to me, to whom then I say? In general, I noticed that lately you’ve become some sort of scattered one, you always dream about something all the time. If you are and at work such…” Alex hesitated and slowed down the speed; “Torobov approved our wedding, although the first shouted ‘bitterly.’ How’s he doing? Does he make any comments about your inattention?”

“Alex, what are you saying? Torobov respects me, and I’m not going to drop my reputation in his eyes. He told me something about his youth. I understood he positively looks at our relationship.”

After the conversation they drove up to the entrance of the plant. As usual, Alexey skipped of Lucy ahead, and he followed her. On the territory of the enterprise, she first turned to the building, where the assembly workshop was located.

“I went. We meet at lunch time,” Lucy cried almost at the very entrance to the building, Alexey turned around, and she sorted out upon his lips:

“Have agreed.”

Before the lunch break, neither the manager nor Korbutova was approaching Lucy. Hence, there were no questions, and everything went fine. Lucya calmly performed the assigned task. At lunchtime, she hurried to a meeting with Alexey. They usually met near the factory cafe and ate lunch together. He was late.

Lucy began to get nervous. But soon he approached and apologized for being late. She did not begin to chastise him, because she knew that he had a responsible job, that sometimes it was necessary to delay and not to leave in his shift. His guilt was not there.

First of all, she asked about his know-how, since the commission met at eleven o’clock:

“How are you? What did the technical council decide?”

“Everything is okay. We must wait for the director to tell us about the implementation. Whether there are means, and whether it will justify the costs. This is a complicated question. Of course, I would like to see my invention in the business. How do you think?”

“Yes you are right. It’s nice to see the fruits of your work, now this technology has become mine, and my work is invested in it,” Lucy responded sympathetically.

“Undoubtedly. The technical council accepted the microcircuit, but the director has not yet put the signature. And the fact that the technical council accepted ninety-nine percent was introduced into production,” Alexey said joyfully.

“In a week, the director will put his signature, your new invention will soon be introduced into production,” declared the loving husband.

On this occasion, they decided to invite guests and mark this joyful event. Lucy prepared a snack for the table and bought a bottle of champagne. Alex helped her in preparation for the reception of guests.

The co-workers of the inventor came. Discussed, what income will be from the introduction of the scheme into production, economic issues.

The conversation dragged on until late. When on the next day at the hospital Lucy told her father about Alexey’s success at work, he answered:

“I immediately realized that Alexey has a bright head, and he is an honest and decent guy. In three days I will be discharged from the hospital. The doctor will write a direction, and they will give me a ticket,” her father reported proudly.

“Well, I forgot to say, I wrote a statement to your trade union committee,” she confirmed, remembering her marches along the corridors of the school of the blind

“From work came and said that in the trade union committee there are good vouchers to the sanatorium. They will give me for thirty percent of the cost. The doctor signed.”

“He is an experienced specialist, and head of the department — a very kind woman!” she felt emotion, squeezed her father’s hand in her and added: “Daddy, I dream that you will be discharged sooner from the hospital. You will go, you will have a rest, you will get more forces,” and with a passion she has added, “will suffice to accept medicines!”

“I’ll try, daughter, but the injections of ampicillin and doxycycline stopped doing, replaced with vitamins and discharged broncholytin,” the father insisted.

She did not wait for her to make a remark, she left. She admired the changes that took place in the park near the hospital. Plant buds on the trees swelled, the snow had not yet melted, but here and there you could see green stripes of grass from under the ground. Lucya leaned over and touched it. Really, it was actually green grass, rather small shoots. She wanted to tear off a small stalk. She wandered around the park and went home; grabbing everything she could carry in the supermarket. Juice, mineral water, salt with pepper, chops, chicken, bread, tomatoes, pancakes with meat, pineapple, beer, cheese.

Her husband she began to talk about new feelings, full of pride that she noticed and felt the arrival of spring. Alexey was busy doing housework. He was preparing dinner and waiting for Lucy to come.

“Darling, it’s great that we’ll have a social dinner. But as a bonus, let me read to you the verses “Illumination with Love”?

“At your discretion, choose yourself what you want, and then read it aloud so that we wait until the meat is cooked. I hope to please you with a new recipe for chicken.”

Lucy, completely happy, laid the food on the table, and herself sat in a Neapolitan work chair with a leather, black top and bent legs, purchased for $1000 in a commission, furniture store.

“Now I’ll find about you and me,” she said, turning over the notebook, she came across an elementary imitation of Tyutchev. She curled up in a chair, groaned and moaned. “Oh, No. How cool and beautiful! Listen.”

Smell of Lilac

Cheerful, melodic days stood out when we cross.

Lilac is blooming, outside the windows butterflies.

Oh, what an early spring it was!

In seven colors of a rainbow the country effloresces.

We walk cheerfully by the road alone on duty.

Lilac bushes politely shake their heads.

The fragrance of lilacs makes us intoxicating, enchanting beauty.

Simple vanity attracts in the new lands.

“How does the father feel?” Alexey felt emotional, trumpeting his own appearance in red shorts and a white, knitted polo shirt.

“His health has improved. They came to him from work and offered trips to the sanatorium of Sochi or the Crimea. He agreed.”

“Your father can be envied. Of course, it will be great if he recovers completely. Sit down to supper. Everything is cooling down.”

They ate dinner together and relaxed watching the TV set. On the channel Fashion TV it was shown the world’s winners of the beauty contest of the year. Alexey was inspired, and Lucy began to sort through the photo, but again accidentally stumbled upon the verses in the file. She got everything, looked and read sincerely:

Beauty Contest

Foot size and skin odor

Everything is important in the contest.

It’s funny that they look alike

In a certain perspective in west.

The motif sounds, she walks barely stepping,

Only body exposing and reek.

To catch a smile, do not expecting,

You can the wondrous flame seek.

Tempting movements, looks, card,

Beautiful marvelous moments, wants,

But what is in return for such a reward?

What will be the change of grants?

The feast is over, the candles went out…

And the guests swim far away.

Sweet speeches were hushed about

And the past is not at all sorry a day.

She fell silent, noticing that her husband liked the initiative. He evasively said, knowing the weakness of his wife to treat him delicacies, and not of the piece of bread:

“Pour me something to drink from the fridge. At the wedding, you looked much more modest than others. But why not put on gold jewelry?”

“Gold makes older. How much and what? There are beer, martini, cognac, vodka and tomato juice,” she listed their supplies.

“Good. Prepare as you like: Martini yourself, but for me — fifty gram of vodka,” Alexey recommended, spread out the newspapers before himself.

Lucya brought a pile of vodka and a martini glass to herself. She knew that all the money invested in the wedding paid off, but there was a loan for the car, which continued to grow with catastrophic speed. Her husband had a hope to cover the loan, opening his own business — a private workshop for the repair of cars and refrigerators.

“You will open your business, you will be busy all the days,” Lucy intervened slyly. “Spread your brains out at your leisure…”

“The magician takes in the corridors, sits pretzel in the arm-chair, drinks cream-soda, and he is a great talent,” Alexey sat on the sofa and cross-folded his legs.

“Stop yapping, you’re an ordinary comedian!” — Lucya admired Alexey’s wit. “Are you a rich one? Give me a thousand dollars to rest in Spain or on the Cote d’Azur of the Mediterranean…”

“It is better to go to the Baikal, to Karelia, to the Seliger or to the Caspian.”

16. Brother

A minute later, there was a phone call. This was called by Vladimir, Lucy’s brother. He was interested in his father’s health. While Nikolai Nikolaevich was lying in the hospital, Vladimir was on a business trip and could never visit him. Lucy told her brother the number of the corps and the ward. The latter thanked her generously and pressed for a retreat.

Lucy never had a special friendship with Vladimir. He knew about his father’s illness and once he came to them, to inquire about his health. His attachment to his father was much less than that of his sister. He had no habit of consulting with him, as she did. Independence has taught him to make his own decision on any vital issues, to be judicious and hasty.

When he found out that his father had been put in a clinic, he experienced this complication as severely and acutely as Lucya. Seemed he was emptied and outcast. Parental love was for him a thing of the past and, as if, forgotten. Seldom came to visit his sister and father, and, as a rule, one.

Nikolai Nikolaevich asked what was happening in his family, since he considered it his duty. With his grandson communicated as he appeared in their house. He loved him very much. Every time when Vladimir was going to get home, the grandfather presented some expensive gift or money to his darling, realizing that the grandson has a mother, father. He needs women’s care. The boy grew up healthy and obedient child and did not cause any trouble. Lucy hardly saw her nephew. Constantly was busy with their own affairs: first studying at the university, then work, meetings with Alexey. Now that she married him, the more she had no time.

Vladimir visited his father in the hospital. Then he went to Lucy. Hearing the bell, she hurried to the door to open it. Intuitively guessed that this was a brother, and did not ask: “Who is there?” she opened the door. Vladimir went into the room. They greeted with Alexey and shook hands.

“Hi, Alex! What’s up?”

“Good. You have a wonderful sister. Soon my chip, over which I worked for almost a year, will be introduced into production. Lucy helped me a lot. I am grateful to her for that,” Alexey joyfully informed the news that was important to him.

“Well, what’s great. Now just from my father from the hospital,” Vladimir continued, referring to Lucy. “He’s getting better, he said that he would be discharged in three days, and possibly earlier. At work, he already had a ticket to the sanatorium.”

“I know. How is your business trip? To where have they sent you?

“Oh, Lucy, don’t even ask. Far, very far… to the steppe. We are looking for ore. And how are you at work? My father told me that you were on a business trip in Moscow; did you go to buy new equipment?”

“Yes, I did, but it was about two months ago. In fact, they respect me there; they gave me a ticket to the recreation center.”

“I know that, too. Well, it’s very good that you have proven yourself in the team that you are instructed. Try to consolidate and justify your trust. Nothing in life goes without difficulty,” the brother repeated the instructions of his father.

Lucy listened to him and remembered the clinic. Their father also talked about her when she returned from Moscow. And her brother’s voice is very similar to father’s voice and manners. Everything was the same, only Vladimir was younger, that is, the brother was young, and the father was old. Over time, Vladimir will become the same as his father. Lucy was very sad. She remembered her mother and thought that probably she would also be like her. Though she had not noticed that fact earlier.

“Do you think the father is happy that he will go to the sanatorium?” she asked, putting on the table near brother a glass of tomato juice, a piece of a pie with cabbage and mushrooms on a plate. “Sit down, have a snack.”

“I do not know. Of course, the hospital is not very pleasant, but you need to be treated, otherwise you can leave the land ahead of time, or rather stop living. I feel sorry for my father. When I was driving through the steppe, I remembered him all the time,” her brother paused and thought.

“We went with him to walk when I was little. We bought lollipops. Together we went for a ride on the merry-go-round. You know, Lucy, now that our father is sick, you can always turn to me for help. I’ll help. Know that you have a brother who remembers you and always comes to the rescue in a difficult moment. To be honest, I, too, am not always sweet in my life. Sometimes it’s so hard that you do not want to live, but I think that I have a son, a wife, a sister. How can they remain without me? Lucy, you know, in my opinion, your husband is not a bad guy,” Vladimir ate and looked attentively toward Lucy. “Are you getting along with him? It’s good that you married him.”

Vladimir continued to talk. Alexey was in the kitchen at that time and smoked. He realized that brother and sister needed to talk and did not interfere with them. Vladimir liked Alexey. His efficiency, accuracy and restraint. These qualities he brought up in himself from childhood. He always wanted to be like polar explorers or navigators.

When Alexey first saw Vladimir, he immediately noticed the masculinity in his face: a sharply outlined chin, narrow, firmly compressed lips, small but expressive eyes and a clear, confident look of a man who knows what he wants.

Vladimir was dressed simply and with taste, he did not chase fashion. According to his athletic figure and form, any thing was fit to his face and responded to the needs of the owner’s style. Once Vladimir had black, curly hair, but even with a short haircut, it was not possible to hide a large grey hair on the temples and in front. He always held with dignity, which made him look like a medieval knight, a bearer of the shield and armor.

Outwardly with his sister there was little similarity. But by conversation and vocabulary it was easy to guess that they were brought up in the same family, and much united them.

She respected her brother, she was proud of him. She was envied by many of her friends who knew Vladimir. He was smart and able to joke, which liked very much. They suffered the death of their mother for granted. There was no one to share the loss with, and no one complained. Mom was a good adviser and friend, although the last year was very sick.

Her brother stayed with Lucy not for a long time. At parting, he invited them to his house, assuring her to show the collection of minerals. Lucy was glad to be invited. She liked his brother’s wife. The meeting was scheduled for Sunday.

Nikolai Nikolaevich stayed at the clinic for the last two days. The leading ward physician signed a sick leave sheet. It remained to finish the course of treatment. Noticeably, there was an improvement in health.

“The disease is curable, it all depends on the patient himself, if he has a desire, a will, but it’s easier to say a wish to live, recovery will come,” the doctors decided.

And it happened. The father needed moral support, strength of will and spirit that recovery had come. First, the pain ceased, and then the temperature dropped, he gradually began to rise and quietly moved, slowly taking small steps in the ward. He waited for my discharge, walked slowly along the corridor with a wand. He hoped to return home and, as usual, listen to a radio in the family circle or read on the balcony, enjoying the warm, summer breeze.

* * *

Lucy was going to visit her brother with Alexey.

“Everything is in order at work. Assembly workshop in the forefront and received praise and encouragement at all events,” Alexey proudly said.

“Torobov even looked younger with unexpected success. Nina Vasilievna also did not reduce her demands for youth and continued to help newcomers.”

“Lucy, you got used to the workshop, you became an integral part of it,” Alexey stated thoughtfully.

“There is no fear that covered when I took the first steps,” she said happily. “In the team there were many newcomers, college graduates.”

“Pay attention to whether there are any former criminals among them,” he continued.

“It does not bother me much. Some of the old workers retired. They were accompanied with all the honors. Presented valuable gifts, commemorative awards, invited to the plant, asked not to forget the team. I like traditions and relationships between people,” she shared jealously with Alexey.

“You can hardly be the boss. That path, about which you dreamed all her conscious life, is prepared for someone else,” Alexey joked.

“We wanted to go to an exhibition of local artists with you on Sunday,” she accidentally remembered and crouched next to the sofa.

“We’ll have to postpone the excursion temporarily, it’s uncomfortable to deceive your brother and not come to visit after the invitation,” embracing her carefully, he said, kissing his wife.

On Sunday the weather was clear and warm. All dressed as in the spring, some walked without a hat. Lucy took off her winter clothes, decided to go in a thin, draped coat and a cap. On the neck she tied a scarf, presented by Alexey. He looked at his wife, smiled. He was pleased that he came into trust his beloved.

“Lucy, you look great today. Your spring coat fits to face and a scarf is to it very appositely nice. How do I look like?” he asked critically.

“In my opinion, it’s fashionable. I like your style in clothes,” Lucy straightened his scarf around his neck and they left the house.

On the way they stopped at a supermarket and bought a cake. Her brother lived in an old five-story house in a comfortable two-room apartment with modern furniture. A large beautiful carpet hung in the hall on the wall. Comfort and coziness was felt in the house. Vladimir met the guests in the hallway, helped them undress and led them into the hall. There was already a bottle of dry wine and fruit on the table.

“Lucy, you have not been with us for a long time. With Alexey you never went to us before the wedding, for this I am not angry with you. Anyway. Sit down at the table. Honey,” he said, addressing his wife, “bring some glasses. I would like to drink for my close acquaintance with Alexey.”

Vladimir’s wife was wearing a beautiful, light green suit and sandals in the tone of the suit. On her hand there was an engagement ring and a small golden ring with a blue pebble. “Probably sapphire,” thought Lucy. In the ears were gold earrings with pearls. She was not too fat, but not thin. She looked like she could have been about twenty-five years old, although, according to Lucy’s calculations, she was well over thirty. The guests sat down at the table with dignity

Wine glasses were brought from the kitchen. Vladimir opened a bottle of wine and poured it out to everyone. Then they switched on the player with modern records of foreign singers and ensembles. After drinking a glass, Lucy felt dizzy. She wanted to dance, and offered her husband. He did not refuse. The music was rhythmic and incendiary. It was easy to dance Lucy with Alexey. After the first dance, she had to catch her breath for a while to continue.

They drank one more glass. The hostess put the cake on the plate, and each cut off a small piece. Vladimir joked and entertained those present with his stories.

“I stole a collection of minerals from my son,” Vladimir said defiantly and showed visitors his findings from the shores of Lake Baikal and the Ural Mountains.

Lucy was laughing. She never saw her brother so witty and cheerful. Alex was courting his brother’s wife. At the end of the evening Vladimir showed slides of the places he visited: modern cities with tall houses and beautiful quarters near the beaches; sea shots made from the boat; pictures of taiga animals — wild boar, lynx, roe deer, deer; mountain massifs. Lucy was surprised.

“Did you actually see this all in real life? What an interesting job you have,” she exclaimed, addressing her brother. “You can be envied, you traveled so much, and you’ve been everywhere!”

“That’s right, but you forget about the difficulties associated with the work of a geologist. Often you have to take chances. How many people from the expeditions died in search of minerals? But I do not regret that I chose this specialty, I do not imagine myself in another field. Of course, one could not go on business trips, but sit still. But honestly, I like to be on the front line myself. Such work teaches to be a man, to love life, and not to be scattered over trifles. We do not live too long to live differently than we want, so I’m satisfied with the work. In general, we are happy.”

“Vladimir, you’re strong, it’s good, what exactly is that. I’m proud of you, because I have such a wonderful brother,” Lucya said before saying goodbye.

Vladimir spent his time with guests. He was glad that the evening was a success. The hostess was waiting for him. They loved each other, and she was to him a reliable friend and a support in life.

“Where is Maxim? Something I completely forgot about him,” Vladimir asked his wife anxiously.

“He’s with Mom. I took him away just before the guests arrived. I thought that it would be better for him to be there.”

“You’re right. The child should grow in a quiet environment. We have a good son, do you think?

“It’s hard for us to judge this, because we are parents, but Maxim likes me very much. He has the same strong character as you. A real man will grow out of him. A woman will be happy with whom he will share his life.”

“You understand perfectly well that you are everything to me. Without you I would not have become a father, husband. For this you are dear to me,” he said to the very ear of his wife, after they embraced and kissed in the hallway.

* * *

The clinic had a leisurely and businesslike atmosphere. The day of discharge came for her father. He was waiting for a call from home. In the morning the doctor made a round of the wards, told who to prepare for discharge.

Lucy worked on the second shift and she did not have to get out of work. Vladimir drove up behind her home, and they together on his crimson Lada Priora went to the hospital. They got to the clinic, bought a gift to the doctor on the way in the form of a set of sweets and a bottle of cognac.

Lucy was waiting in the car. Vladimir went to his father’s room, helped to come down. On the way, the father asked his son about his work, trying not to touch family life. Suddenly he broke down and uttered with a trembling voice:

“Vladimir, how is Maxim? I want to talk to him. He is so developed, he knows everything. Do you take him to a kindergarten?”

“Yes, dad. Max and I will definitely come to visit you tomorrow. Heard you are going to a sanatorium?” Vladimir asked, glancing at the traffic light, and switched the speed.

“A week later. I prepared something for my grandson, a little surprise. He will come, I will show him myself,” his father’s words inspired the children.

Lucy was pleased with the attention of her grandfather to his grandson. The brother was going to come with his son to visit. The last years of their meetings with their father were brief, the constant lack of time taught them to be mean to meaningless, empty talk, but when he parted with his father, he took away so much warmth as he did not seem to feel if he lived next door.

The brother understood with his mind that the main thing for the father was to “attach” Lucy, but his heart was bursting with jealousy towards his sister, that he was considered a “cut piece” and neither the advice nor the wisdom of his father was needed.

“Live with us before we leave,” suggested Vladimir. “Lucya will not mind, will she?” he turned to his sister, “my wife I will say that you want to stay with us. She will understand and be happy. Do you agree?”

“Thank you, son. I got used to the house. I will be bored. It will be better if you come more often with Maxim to our home.”

“As you know. My wife and I will always be glad to see you.”

Vladimir conducted his father with Lucy to the door and said goodbye. When he walked, his legs became wadded; he began to stumble, his throat rolled up. He got into the car and started the engine.

“Time… Why we do not have power over it… How to stop its move, even for a minute or slow down,” his thoughts were confused with excitement and fatigue. He wiped a tear from his face. He turned from the main street, which he used to drive, and slowly moved along the narrow alleyways. Having calmed down a little, he went home.

17. Vacation

The ticket to the Crimean sanatorium was issued to a blind disabled person quickly. There he was in his youth with his wife. When his wife died, he lived all the time at home. Now he wanted to change the situation, breathe the fresh sea air. The doctor advised salt baths as a good preventative against all ailments.

The week went by day after day. One evening, a son came in with his wife and grandson. Father gladly met his son’s family and gave his grandson a toy helicopter, bought by Lucy in the Children’s World. Lucya laid the table. There were six of them: Lucy, Alexey, father and son’s family sat at the table. They remembered who the childhood, who the war, who work. Lucy was happy with a small holiday.

The next day grandfather left. Daughter with her husband saw him off at the airport, where the representative of the sanatorium was to meet. The children were asked to inform in detail on the phone about how he got there, where and how he got settled.

Again the newlyweds were left alone. With the father it was easier. His presence softened the harsh and sometimes quick-tempered nature of her daughter. Father extinguished more than once the dispute between young spouses. Alexis’ mood was always balanced, as during the holiday. His wife knew him so well to catch any nuance of emotional unrest.

Indeed, before their father’s arrival, their life flowed peacefully and smoothly: work, rest, rare hikes in the cinema. His father rang and said that he had settled normally. He lives in a room with a medical orderly from a clinical laboratory who helps him in everything and brings food from the dining room. He sympathized with them that he would not arrive until the expiration date set in the permit, since he was assigned rehabilitation procedures.

The last day of the procedures was the last day of stay in the sanatorium.

“Do not catch cold and eat better,” Lucy recommended, with knowledge of the case and the medical history.

“Doctors do not allow me to swim, the water is cold, but I do not suffer from heat,” added the father generously. “I like to rest. I’m stronger, I feel better.”

On return, the young people surrounded his father with attention and care. Vladimir visited; Maxim reached out to his grandfather and enjoyed walking with him around and near the house, when the old man told the boy, what he had read in the mature and youth age.

For the child, the stories of his grandfather were completely the world of adults, with their worries and proceedings. His grandfather became a completely different person, transformed, and began to see. He merged with the surrounding nature. All the objects in his mind acquired a different form. They seemed to be animated.

The relationship in the Izmailov family was not the best way. Between spouses often there were conflicts. This was not very well reflected in their personal life.

Frequent skirmishes led to the fact that Lucy could not talk with Alexey all day, and sometimes two. Alexey reacted to this calmly, as his wife was accustomed to whims. But deep down in the soul they both waited for a vacation, to go and to have a rest together for the seashore.

It was decided to go, as planned, to Novorossiysk. In advance, Alexey wrote a letter to Valentin, where he was asking if he could come to him in the summer. He did not mind. Alexey informed Lucy about this. She was very glad to meet again with the tender sea and the southern sun, sunbathe and have a little fun. Before the holiday, there were five months.

“Relax before the time, you will receive a note and lose the prize. Money for vacation will be needed as never before,” Alex sometimes joked.

“I’ll give myself all my work,” she answered. “Our workshop has never lost its lead in the competition between the workshops. We will receive a premium for five months in full. So, where does your friend live?” she decided to clarify.

“Valentin lives in Gelendzhik. Your words set our team to work even better and more actively,” he answered in her tone. “Get ready!”

In May, their turbulent relationship became normal. He was a model of alertness and adoration. Spring holidays were met at a high ideological and political level. Torobov spoke with congratulations to the workers and employees of the workshop, called the best teams and presented prizes and cash gifts. The pace of work has been reduced. They produced a wall newspaper, reflecting the success of the entire collective of the workshop with photographs.

A festive concert was held in the club, the mood was elevated. There was a children’s dance group of ballroom dance, a factory choir, reciter of poems, it was played a vocal-instrumental ensemble. The program was rich and informative. Spouses Izmailov attended the concert.

The next day on Sunday, Lucy, as a rule, lounged in bed, and her husband was preparing breakfast: pancakes with meat or cottage cheese, bought at local attractions — the supermarket “Magnet”.

“I have the right to feel like a woman,” she declared defiantly as a sign of reconciliation, adding sour cream to a plate of pancakes and stirring tea with a silver spoon. “Delicious!”

Alex kissed her forehead and, understanding his ambitions towards the beautiful sex, went into reading the local press, which he regularly received and put on the floor near the chair.

“Will we go to the park for a walk? The weather is improving,” he suggested, looking through the columns of scandals and advertising. “Crime is now in vogue.”

She was surprised and pleased.

“Let’s go to. You know how to create a festive mood. I want to see the lake and ride a boat.”

After breakfast, consisting of a cup of coffee with sugar and crackers with ham, they went by car to the park. All services were open.

Children with their parents enthusiastically ate sugar candy and rides on the carousel, which gave the walk a special charm. Tricky squirrels entertained visitors, begging for their food: seeds, nuts, which were sold at the entrance.

Alexey and Lucy came out of the crowded park and wandered around the square, holding hands, dreaming about the upcoming trip to the shore of the Black Sea. He was not there before. This trip was planned to be something special.

He listened with delight to the stories of Lucy about the coast, exotic vegetation, arboretum, sandy beaches. She knew how to talk to attract the listener. Alexey occasionally looked at Lucy and admired her face, figure, hair.

She noticed the signs of attention and favorably answered them, drawing him more and more with her stories. They were hungry and on their way home they stopped at food for dinner.

In the evening, confidence in the future increased instantly with the appearance of a message on the television screen about the continuation of the trial of Rusakov and “Blagoros”.

Lucy exclaimed with delight, attracting Alexey to herself:

“The manager was announced the term of the detention in custody in the colony of the settlement with his accomplices, the former minister of agriculture and his deputy in the territory of the Siberian reserve.”

“Herds of deer and moose with surprisingly healing antlers of marals have become their neighbors, from which they produce valuable raw materials in Russia, Canada, the USA, China, and New Zealand. No businessman will get there, especially the minister-labor activist and the Honorary Industrialist, living in remote camps of the forest-tundra zone,” the husband said. “Good news.”

“The deer?” Lucy asked enthusiastically. “Are those with branched horns?”

“Do you have something against it?”

“No, sweet creatures…”

This message would seem to the young couple a joyous event, but Alexey tensed and, brazenly switching the channels, reduced the sound.

“Darling, what’s the matter? Do you want to listen to the sequel in the poems?”

“What kind of business are these? What are we talking about? Everything is clear. Money is gone and a dot.”

“Yes, it is true, but the hope has remained,” Lucy instantly had a reading in her hands, “Illumination with Love,” and she, choking with a small laugh, said after finding the right tone:

Sentence

Of all the short, precise phrases,

Only one sharply cuts the ear.

If it will leave the language

And a heart will be deaf to dear.

Why so many fates with

That strange phrase swept away?

Insulting speeches and sharpen words

Everything in life is decayed.

The order sounds harshly, louder

But there is more meaning in it.

After all, this conscience is an order;

A desperate fate is a wit.

“You always have something to say, an ignoramus is one who argues with you!” Alexey praised a madrigal.

Their family lived thoughts of a trip along the seashore by car, rented, as did all the active workaholics. Before the vacation, there were two summer months. The weather was not too hot. There were a lot of cares at work. She took patronage over the brigade of girls. The plant for them was something unknown, familiar only from the stories of parents and friends.

Newcomers were interested in everything. With each Lucy talked and explained any little things. She liked to act as a mentor. Mentor- teacher was the most honorable work at the plant. Lucya began to linger and for a long time sat at the table to fix everything done for the day in magazines and files. She said Alexey that she would come home too late.

He often asked about the pupils. He often taught all those who came from college, adopting their manner of behavior, jokes, witticisms and pranks, delivering a great pleasure to his wife and singling out the main thing from the educational process with his correct and reasonable remarks.

“It is better to praise one more time. It will do more good than scold the beginning operator. Then about any successes you can not even dream of their programmers,” he told his wife, how to behave better.

“I am surprised at the strength of your character, your magnetism, your ability to think and your talents to educate,” she listened to his advices.

Flat jokes in their address were canceled. They got used to the workshop. A week before the release of the entire team of newcomers passed examinations for the rank and received a specialty.

“For me this is a major event,” she commented on their actions when Torobov and Razumov took the exam. “With excellent marks, they will be transferred to a piece-rate salary,” she boasted to Raya during the break.

After the examination, a festive dinner was arranged. Torobov and Lucy received most congratulations. Razumov energetically gesticulated and took fire upon him, protecting the group from alcoholic drinks and cocktails offered at the beginning. Lucy returned home with a large bouquet of peonies and in the joyful mood of world prosperity and well-being.

“I’m waiting for you with impatience,” the caring husband scolded his dear wife.

“I warned you that I would be late,” from the threshold she began to tell him about her students.

“I’m happy for you. You give high hopes. Praise for promotion, when you get the order for diligence,” Alexey seriously pushed off the ashtray with cigarette butts and shook her hand.

Lucy smiled and understood the hint of his success in home affairs, and to soften the situation, hugged him and gently suggested to cover everything on the table that was in the fridge, including meat dumplings and mineral water-the usual bachelor’s dinner.

“You intrigued me, you work and you manage to cook soup. Was Torobov present?” Alexey hesitated. “It is just desirable to learn from him the recipe for longevity. I dream of being your boss in life.”

“We have a real feeling, not a temporary hobby, which dragged on for unknown reasons,” she tried to close the topic of work. “I’m afraid that, and the character you have changed for the better. You became not so irritable and arrogant as the first days after the wedding.”

“It’s strange that it surprises you. I’m used to doing everything in the house myself: to cook, clean in the apartment, ironing, go to the laundry with linen.”

“Quickly eat, we will prepare for graduate school.”

They had time to eat the dinner and learn the course of programming passed by both to pass the candidate’s minimum.

* * *

In the beginning of August, Lucy received her first vacation and, accordingly, money in addition. Love has developed into a desire to rest; otherwise she will not be able to work on with the same impact as in the previous year.

She was practically exhausted, and she wanted to be at the height of a bird’s flight. And at the general assembly meeting they would say “work better than yesterday”.

Alex made out a vacation with the hope of getting a promotion and the title of the best in the profession that he managed. Tickets were bought in advance on the train. None of them was in the hero-city of Novorossiysk. They made plans, how they would spend a happy vacation, what they would visit first. She subtracted on the Internet all about the history of the port, entertainment, the most expensive hotels, restaurants.

“There is the place where we can stop,” Lucy reasoned purposefully.

Alexey immensely wanted to please his young wife. He was very attentive and caring, helping in everything in gatherings. He bought scuba gear, fins, pipe, suit and other diving equipment for departure. Advised his wife to put everything away on the balcony and cover with cardboard box. Finally put an end to this issue. The father said goodbye the youngs. He prompted in advance what to take with them.

“Lucy, please, be fewer in the sun. You have poor health. Take care of yourself. Alex, watch her, do not let her overheat. She can faint.”

Alexey responded inarticulate, which meant that he understood everything, remembered, he would perform exactly. Lucya wore a specially tailored dress with a deep neckline on her back, and threw a colored jacket on top of her dress. Alexey put on light jeans and a T-shirt with a bright modern design, took the suitcases and they left the house.

To the station they got on safely with suitcases and a bag of groceries. The train was leaving at seven. Everything was noisy and crowded. Everyone was in a hurry. Departing in this direction was a lot of.

Gallant guides checked tickets, and the young couple went to their places in the center of the railway carriage. Alex tamped the suitcases under the seat and collapsed directly from above. Lucy sat down beside her and began to fan herself with a newspaper torn from her house, creating an air movement.

The coupe was open. Suddenly a woman and a boy of about twelve appeared on the threshold. The woman let the child go, followed herself. They took the opposite places. Everyone was silent.

“Before departure how much is left? Mom, I’ll go get a drink of water,” the boy begged his mother to run away from here.

“No,” she protested, pulling out a plastic bottle and pouring it into the same glass, “we have water.”

The boy drank water. The woman offered water to Lucy. She politely declined. A minute later the train slowly moved, gradually speeding up its course. The city landscape flashed outside the windows. Alexey embraced Lucy. The train, gathering speed, was walking along the steppe. During the summer months, the green colors did not lose their juiciness and depth.

Alexey climbed up and dozed off. They spread the tea. Lucy took two glasses in beautiful cup holders. The heat gradually began to subside. Twilight came. Lucya shook Alexey, who had fallen asleep under the monotonous clatter of wheels. They had supper and began to prepare for bed. The woman and the boy that sat opposite them, already slept.

In the morning, Lucy woke up very early. The train was standing at some station. Lucy could hear Alex’s light snoring. She began to think about how they would spend their vacation days: “It would be great if the weather was sunny and there would be no rain. We will be tanned and strong. I will not get better, but I can not lose weight either, otherwise I’ll lose weight, and Alexey will stop loving me.”

She dozed off again. When she woke up, Alexey had already taken tea and was sitting, waiting for Lucy’s awakening. She looked around. The woman opposite lay and read, the boy on the top shelf looked out the window. The window was open. The wind blew the boy in the face and from this the hair on his head rose up and moved in the wind.

Lucya got out of bed. Alexey took out food and they had breakfast. The train was supposed to arrive in Novorossiysk the next morning.

Before the arrival, it remained a little less than a day. Lucy lay down again. Sales man began to carry newspapers and magazines through wagons. Alexey bought the current issues of the magazines “Cosmopolitan” and “Bear”. She took “Cosmopolitan” in her hands and began to read, but could not concentrate, since the wagon was at the end of the train. Because of this, it rocked a lot.

She put the magazine aside and began to observe the villages, forest plantations, graveyards. The fields with ripe wheat and rye flashed very often. The harvest was not cleaned, but just about the tractors will cut through this golden cornfield. When the train stopped at the stations, the passengers ran after the provisions to the merchants standing near the tracks. The closer the train approached the south, the more and more appeared sellers of fruits and berries: apples, pears, plums, apricots, peaches, cherries, raspberries.

Alexey ran off during one of the stops and brought apples he had bought at the bazaar. The fruits were ripe. Lucy began to eat with appetite.

The next morning the conductor woke them with a knock at the door. She asked them to get back the linen, because in an hour they’ll be arriving. The train was late. More than an hour passed before they arrived at Novorossiysk station. Lucy and Alexey left the car and stopped. Valentine was already standing on the platform and was waiting. Noticing Alexey coming out of the wagon, he rushed to meet him.

“Alex, my friend! How long have not we seen each other?” he almost shouted. “Come, my car is waiting for you. My mother made pies.”

Valentine grabbed the suitcase and dragged the guests to his black, latest model of “Hunter”. Along the way, Alexey introduced his friend to his wife.

“It’s very pleasant,” replied Valentin. “For some reason I pictured you just like that,” and, turning to Alexey, added: “You have a beautiful wife, you can envy. Do you have children?”

“No, there are not any children yet,” answered Lucy, “but that does not mean that we are not happy. We have many common interests with my husband. We have something to talk about, have not we, Alex?”

“Yes, we have. Lucya is right. Happiness is not always measured by children. I think that my personal life was a success. Lucy and I are getting along.”

Soon they drove up to the house of Valentin. He lived in a private, two-story cottage with a large garden, veranda, glazed and twined with ivy.

In the courtyard a dog of unknown breeds ran on a rope. Having seen entering into a court yard, it has begun to bark loudly. Valentin, apologizing to the guests, grabbed the dog by the rope and drove into a kennel, standing not far off. The guests fearlessly passed into a beautiful house.

On the threshold they were met by Valentin’s mother — a cheerful woman of about forty-five with a southern tan in a beautiful, bright dress. She smiled and said affectionately:

“Hello. I waited very much. Valentin told me a lot about you.”

She led the guests into a spacious, clean room with a large wooden bed, an air-conditioner, a closet, a bedside table, a chair and a window to the south to the garden, from where the rays of light came through until dinner itself.

“Make yourself at home. Live as long as you need. We have a lot of places, enough for everyone,” said Taisia Petrovna (that’s the name of Valentin’s mother).

Alexey put the suitcases in the middle of the room and sat down on a chair next to him. Lucya went to the window, opened it and looked out into the garden. Taisia Petrovna came out.

“You’re right. I think that here we will rest, as it should. And the most importantly, the sea is near,” said Alexey, looking at the graceful silhouette of his wife.

There was a knock at the door. A minute later Valentin entered the room with a bouquet of flowers.

“Well, how do you like it here? Here you are, Lucya, as a gift from me personally from our garden,” he looked admiringly at the girl.

“Excellent guesthouse!” thanked Lucy, the owner of the house, took the flowers and put in a vase of ceramics standing on the table.

Rest days began. Lucy has got sunburnt and recovered. Alexey surrounded his wife with care and attention. Every day they went to the beach. For a long time bathed, swam and sunbathed. On the beach there were not so many people. Therefore it was possible to come there at any time convenient for them. Lucy loved to sunbathe. She liked to go to the sun for a long time. Occasionally, she would lie under a canopy if she thought she was too hot.

Alexey enjoyed the sun and the sea. He swam away from the shore and from there waved to Lucy with his hand. Every time after another swim, Lucya scolded him and forbade him to swim so far, but he did not listen. He liked to watch the seabed far away from the shore, where you could see beautiful seashells among algae, crabs and fish of amazing color.

Southern vegetation, richness of colors and smells — everything had to rest and it seemed that the vacation would never end, and so it will go on forever.

Sometimes Valentin walked to the beach with guests. He and his friend sailed far from the shore, and from there both waved to Lucy. The three of them were having fun.

“Turkey can be seen from here. Do we swim?” Valentin was always joking. “Let’s find a harem.”

“You go there alone,” Lucy urged him, “or you’ll be late.”

“Why alone,” the friend was surprised. “Alexey and I will find the mermaids or the king of the sea and ride on the waves. Let’s hear how Sadko plays.”

He became attached to the sea, accustomed to the sun, was surprised that the guests were delighted with the southern exotic. Twice they went to the restaurant in the evening. It was noisy and hot, there were a lot of sailors. They celebrated their arrival in the harbor.

For Lucy it was difficult to navigate the situation. She found the strength after a big glass of champagne, with awe and lust, to read aloud, between the dancing topless and applause during the striptease of young supermen, the verse of the long-forgotten scrolls “Illumination with Love”, hidden in the outer pocket of the Dolce & Gabbana handbag made of crocodile skin.

“Friends,” she got up and, smiling coquettishly, stepped onto the stage — the forge of the staff, as if to Parnas, putting forward her right foot, gasping with delight and happiness, read:

Evening Blues

A tired saxophone plays in droll,

The pipes terribly echoed.

“He is forgotten and abandoned by all”,

Someone’s lips whispered.

Evening blues are full of charms,

Motives, rhythms, solo.

Such a wonderful gift is accepted;

Simple movements are cold.

And in the dim of the dark hall

Shadows are twinkling in divisions.

They have a carefree carnival

And the magic of visions.

The melody froze, the haze hung,

Abandoned costumes.

Evening light star lit in a run

Hiding the day’s noises.

Far blues in silence of the night

Your voice is infinite.

...Noisy tired reeds in the river,

The law of nature is an eternal fever!

The exhausted audience clapped, someone fell off his chair, but continued to embrace the lady and kiss her in the chest, wiping the seat with a handkerchief for some reason and adding the charm of his appearance. Finishing “Olivier” salad and drinking Muscat they finally became members of the club of eminent poets and writers.

“Beautiful evening!” everyone among men admired, and Lucy blushed.

The time of holiday was coming to an end. Tickets were bought in advance. Valentin tried to persuade him to stay longer, but Lucy was worried about her father’s health and was in a hurry to leave. To cook and clean for their father, they asked a neighbour — a student of the medical university — for a moderate fee.

She phoned home several times, and each time her father was concerned about Lucy’s health. She assured him that she was feeling well and would soon be coming home. Sometimes in the evenings she missed the house, she wanted to return home, to the collective of the assembly workshop, which became her family during the time of work. Valentin accompanied his friends to the station. He helped carry suitcases.

Their friend’s mom gave them a box of southern apples and a basket of peaches on the road. He asked them to come. Lucy was touched by the hospitality of his mother and even shed tears. The road home was long and tedious. All day Lucy read. All the stations were familiar. True, the landscape has changed. Fields in some places have already been removed and the sloping crop was collected in rolls or haystacks.

Forests began to turn yellow. The knocking of the wheels acted sleepily. Lucya then fell asleep, and then woke up again, and there was no end to the endless rhythm of the locomotive music. She began to remember where she put the verse “Illumination with Love” and frantically rummaged all the things, lifting the seat and laid out on the parts the diving suit.

But to her deep regret she found nothing. Collecting the will into a fist, posing as a detective and an investigator at the same time, she removed everything back into place.

She lifted her head and saw Aleksey under the pillow crumpled files with poems. The owner of this comfortable place slept with the sleep of an angel.

Lucy carefully pulled the file, and it was immediately found in her hand. She joyfully settled down and went into the author’s style, trying to understand whether she was singing a song or reading a translation of Pushkin, Apuhtin, Fet, Tolstoy, Yazykov or Tsvetaeva. Emotions overwhelmed and fascinated.

Golden Autumn

The golden autumn swept over in drive.

Oh, how the summer swept quickly!

Maybe there will come another life,

And will be fulfilled, what didn’t came true weekly?

Flashed warm days and light.

They broke off with a hot flame in the night.

That’s all the leaves are carried by the wind

Cold rain wets the ground.

Let us remember the summer for a long

Rooster trills and lightning in the sky.

Perhaps and there was happiness gone?

Mixed-minded, multifaceted people said shy.

For work, my friend, be accepted!

Hard labor will bear fruit.

In forgotten places entered!

You’ll know eternity struggle life and good.

Lucy’s quirks did not end there. She went to work on the second day of her arrival.

Co-workers noted how she tanned. Torobov asked where she went, whether she liked to rest in the form of new assignments and special offers from the customer to bring their project to the international registry.

From Sveta, she learned that during the time she was on vacation, the trade union committee held Korbutova to retire. There were luscious farewells in the restaurant. From the company she was presented with a plasma TV of their own company. Lucy again joined the collective of the assembly workshop.

Now it no longer seemed strange to her that they called her patronymic by name and looked at her as an older companion, and Raya tried to understand the situation with her dual position of widow and divorced with Artem Petrov, whose term was endlessly long.

At first, Lucy did not immediately join the labor rhythm, a little bit lazy and did not think about labor achievements. Three days later the working fuse was restored. The husband cheered with his tact and business proposals.

18. Break with Alexey

On her return home, Lucy forgot all her father’s instructions that she should hear and obey Alex in everything. The father was jealous of her husband. She needed an ordinary, friendly attention. She could also patronize anyone. Alexey was accustomed to lecturing Lucy and at the first attempt to go over to a friendly “leg”, took up arms and, as it were, withdrew into his inner world. Between them there were skirmishes for no apparent reason.

Once after work on the first shift, Lucy asked Alexey to go for a potato to the bazaar, he did not react the first time. When she told him about this harmful fact again, the latter said rudely:

“I’m not going anywhere. You must go yourself. And in general, leave me with your stupid requests. I took a book from my friend and I need to quickly finish reading and return it,” Alex bluntly turned the page of the fashionable detective in the tablet. “I want to rest after the night shift.”

“Alex, in my opinion, it will not be too beautiful if I carry a bucket of potatoes through the whole bazaar with a living husband. What do you think?” she spoke distinctly and clearly, so that the husband-worker could make out the speech, but he did not even react to Lucy’s words, but lay and read, monotonously leafing through the pages.

She could not stand it, snatched the book from him and threw it to the floor. Alexey continued to lie still, not moving. She was frightened. It seemed to her that now Alexey would rise and strike.

“Lucy, you’re not leading yourself right. I did not want to quarrel with you. If you are not well nerves, then you are treated, do not let your fists. Who is to blame for what you need now, when I need to finish reading this book. We went to the market on Sunday, could say this when we bought food for a week.”

She did not know what to answer, sat down on the sofa next to him and burst into tears. He did not want to console him, got up and began to pace the room back and forth, it seemed to him that something irreparable was going to happen, and he would part with her forever.

She continued to whine and waited for sympathy from her husband, but he walked silently, swaying, and at the same time his lips moved.

Lucy looked at him and was even more frightened:

“Perhaps you curse my crooked character. I am the one to blame for starting this scene. Only spoiled the evening. Now you hardly want to put up with it,” she said wily, calming down a little.

“Come on,” he said furiously.

“Alex, maybe I’m wrong, but you’re too categorical. And then you must understand that you’re wrong, if you think I should carry a bucket of potatoes.”

“Lucya, you talk like a prosecutor, I’m your defendant, and you’ll pass a sentence on me any minute.”

“What has happened, is there a need for a quarrel and for clarifying the relationship, especially I understand that we are completely different people, and you do not love me and never loved me, but I got involved in an accident,” she said, narrowing her eyes and shouting in retaliation. “Maybe you had some warm feelings for me, but they have long since passed away.”

“And you, my dear, just do not want to ruin the connection with me that your words prove about my categorical quality. If everything is really the way I say, then it’s better for us to disperse and not to torment each other with endless quarrels and mistrust,” Alexey stopped after a long tirade, picked up an iBook from the floor, put it on the couch next to him, and Lucy was also silent. “I am not hungry.”

She was uncomfortable with his words. She imagined that he had left her again in his one-room apartment. The father is unlikely to approve of this behavior, but there was nothing left to do but to finish the quarrel, although there was no point in discussing the quality of the other. A major scandal was brewing.

“Alex, if you consider me not very suitable for you as a friend, partner and like-minded person, then you are right, it makes sense to finish our family life and disperse. Tomorrow we go and apply for a divorce!”

“There is no need to hurry,” he said, fueling the conflict, “it makes sense to consider and weigh up the pros and cons, and then make the final decision. Divorce, as well as a wedding, is a serious matter.”

Lucy was sad, she felt infinitely sorry for herself, sorry for the lost time, sorry for the unfulfilled hopes. Who knows whether to meet her ever one day a person who can understand with a half-word, as Alexey understood, on days when they were not at loggerheads relations? Now they have missed each other, unless the father intervenes and reconciles them.

She noticed that their friendship lasted on the constant care of her father. If this time the father does not get involved, then the divorce will happen, and then nothing can be fixed.

Lucya continued to sit, forgetting what the argument had come about, and looking at one point. Alexey seemed to calm down and continued to read. He read with difficulty, not understanding anything. In the end, he had to put the book aside. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, although he did not want to sleep at all. Before his eyes, he saw the familiar pictures from childhood: his mother was washing clothes, and he looked directly into the basin with soapy water, then she hung out clothes in the yard, and he gave her already washed clothes.

Mom took them, shook them off the water and hung them neatly on the rope. Then they went home, started to clean up together in the apartment. He folded scattered photos of his father in the form of Special Forces, books and leaflets, painted with all sorts of pictures, then wiped off dust and watering room flowers.

They ate dinner together and went for walks along the street, just for no reason, went to the shops, bought food, bread, milk. In the evening his mother bathed him, they ate dinner, and he went to bed. So long ago it was…

Alexey grew up, but his mother’s face from a past life stood before his eyes.

How often, when Lucy scolded him, he wanted to turn around, leave and never meet again, so that there would be no omissions and mutual insults, so that everything would fall into place. In order the face of Lucy did not oust from his memory the image of his mother, forever imprinted there and not erased, even with very strong emotional unrest.

“Well then, divorce, so divorce. Once it must be decided. So on can not continue. Especially since she was the first to propose, I just sounded. What is special about this? Many families live, and then cease to understand each other. I’m not the first, I’m not the last. Divorces are now allowed. They are considered quite an ordinary phenomenon…” Alex thought and from his thoughts came in even more dejection and confusion.

He again imagined himself entering an empty apartment. But then he dropped his melancholy thoughts. “Yes, that’s right, nothing connects us. We do not have children, for whom we could go for reconciliation. So it did not work. Errors are inevitable. Whoever is not mistaken, he does not live a full-blooded life,” he recalled the words of a classic those had been read in his childhood.

“We must wait for what Lucy will say herself,” his thoughts were confused, and he finally squeezed out:

“I’ll go to the store for potatoes. In the end, you will understand that you are not right. And you need to radically change your behavior.”

Alexey left. It was stupid and insulting to get clicks for anything. Lucy began to prepare dinner. This skirmish was the last disagreement. After that they no longer scolded, but continued peaceful existence.

The application for divorce was filed a week later. The divorce was appointed in a month. Lucy’s father decided not to say anything so as not to spoil his mood. She knew that her father would be upset. From this thought, she became even more depressed.

For the past month before the divorce, they almost did not talk. Alexey thought about his classmate and planned to meet with her. Lucy went to work and more actively began to prepare for graduate school.

She did not say anything to anyone in the assembly workshop. Only once Sveta Erengeld noticed tears on Lucy’s cheeks and a depressed mood. She went to her colleague during the lunch break, put arm round her shoulders and asked:

“Look, do not burn yourself with computer graphics. In my opinion you today are some kind rather new of what has happened? Tell me.”

“You’re right. But not now. There are many problems with foreign investors. Do you go home alone after work?”

“So do I. With my miracle of technique, iPad.”

“Let’s go together. I’ll tell you on the way.”

At the end of the working day, Lucy waited until Sveta finished the proof-of-the-line scheme, and together they went home. Lucy was walking slowly, she wanted to tell her everything she had gone through, and so she was not in a hurry to go home, the more she knew that nobody was waiting there. It was warm, there was an early autumn. Sveta was waiting outside the gates of company near a new car brand Citroen.

Lucya put a bag in the trunk with the products bought during the lunch break and saw a similar package there, but much more. They sat down and moved towards the fashionable Ikea hypermarket.

“You know, Sveta, Izmailov and I decided to get divorced. We did not get along. Recently, we do not understand each other at all. Our interests are different. Understand me correctly; something I have with him is not glued. Do all young families live in this way?” finally, could not stand Lucya.

“You think primitively. I do not know how everyone lives, but I live well with my husband. Go to the doctor and talk on a personal issue. From the side is more visible. Think over my words,” Sveta answered skeptically.

“I’ll think about it. The doctor does not help in this matter. Although you are partly right. On the side, it is clearer who is right and who is to blame for it,” Lucy responded angrily, trying to turn to irony, as she got nervous and did not want to wash away her dirty laundry, spreading the subject of her divorce, and she fell silent.

It began to rain. Sveta turned on glass cleaners.

“Sveta, where did you rest in the summer?” Lucya tried to change the topic of the conversation, making sure the correctness of the route.

“We went to my husband’s parents with my husband and children. They also visited me. I was satisfied. Every year we rest so. Are you satisfied with your vacation? Where did you rest?” asked Sveta, switching speed.

“We went to Novorossiysk to a friend of Alexey. We really liked it there, especially the place of battle — Small Land. The city is famous for its history and fighting traditions. If we part with Izmailov, then probably, we’ll never go together again. Of course, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing to be done. You must give thirty thousand rubles for a divorce. Now it’s too late to think when the application for divorce is filed.”

“Experiencing is harmful to health. Still make up peace again. In fact, it was strange that there was love, but suddenly it was over. Is it possible?” Sveta sighed.

“I guessed beforehand that we would disperse. I do not know how to please.”

“If you guessed, then why did you marry? Put a seal in your passport is not difficult, but to delete a year or two from life, and maybe ten is just phenomenal.”

“It’s hard for me to explain.”

“…You must understand that it is very difficult to live alone. And then you always need support. When a person lives alone and does not have anyone to consult with, of course, it sounds rude, gets bogus. One can not live, and a woman even more so,” Sveta slowed down on her latest model with a screaming inscription.

“You have someone in mind, for the sake of which you decided, well, you understand, I do not finish, I’m afraid offending you…”

“It’s easy for me to be with Alex, but I’m not always very happy to swear. He has too correct a character. He understands that I still love him, but it’s hard to live with him. He moved away from me. We also talk, communicate, but the intimacy that was before, no. Between us is a precipice and I can not jump it over. I did not know that it was possible. The most interesting thing is that I know for sure, he has the same feelings for me. He is secretive by nature, does not like being bored with clarification.”

“Alexey is a very kind man in your stories,” with the appearance of a psychologist and a psychiatrist in one person, in other words an American psychotherapist, a neighbor spoke through a vision of a new way of life, “you still disagree with him…”

They drove on. The rain then intensified, then ceased.

“Wait, do not hurry, you’ll make up again. Why do not you the first go to reconciliation. Is he not so clever to forgive the usual insult? Think of yourself…” Sveta paused, comprehending what she had said.

Lucy was also silent. It was hard for her to talk.

“You are right. The first will not go to reconciliation. It is enough to forgive once. Then there will be endless apologies. I do not believe him. He is too good and positive. It seems to me that he has another woman whom he loves, without knowing it. If so, then especially, our marriage is a mere formality and nothing more. Honestly?”

“I do not believe in his love…” Sveta continued the thought.

“Attachment, habit, duty, but not love. When you live with a person side by side, you can immediately see what’s going on in his soul. I’ve studied Alexey a bit and can say something about him. We were perfectly friends with him before marriage, but when we were married, we immediately became strangers. You still do not understand me, it’s personal…” she bent the mirror, where her sad, green eyes were reflected, corrected her hair. “Excellent, I’ll go to the female psychoneurologist; he will sober me up with the sum.”

“One thing is for sure, you are very worried. If this continues, you will get sick and have to be treated. It will be long and expensive,” Sveta interrupted Lucy.

“Sveta, can I follow you home?” Lucy smiled at Sveta, and the correct profile of the Greek goddess would have caused the delight of any surgeon-cosmetologist. “Are you going to kindergarten for children?”

“Surely, I turn left now. Are you with me?”

“With pleasure, I told you. A truce is impossible…”

The car turned into the street leading to the kindergarten. Lucy remembered the first time she went with Sveta and took away the children, and she liked them. She wanted to have the same kids, and told her friend about it.

“Or I do not understand something in life or really in my own dissension with Alexey, I’m the one to blame. Well, that means, so be it, and divorce is inevitable, there can not even be a question of any reconciliation, no matter whoever it may be. And then self-esteem is an important thing. Alexey is proud and ambitious of himself and he will be ashamed to go to reconciliation, even if he wants to put up. How things turn out to be an undesirable side. Only happiness and luck have smiled to me, but have disappeared, probably for a long time, if not for ever. What did he plan on this? He is clever, so accurately he told and made conclusions. I wonder if we will remain friends or be enemies, we will never cross. It’s all very sad.”

They reached the kindergarten. The area was buried in greenery. Around there were animal figures, a swing, a sandbox, a little house, a rocket, a slide, a merry-go-round. The women passed by the faded, but still beautiful, lilac bushes. At the entrance to the building several green thuya bushes grew, resembling children’s tin soldiers, as if they had turned into bushes for a while.

Sveta passed into this charming abode. The nursery-governess came forward to meet her. She led the children dressed. Those who saw their mother rushed to her running. They hugged Sveta by the feet and laughed happily. She took them by the hand and led them to the car.

Lucy went on the right side. The children were neatly and cleanly dressed. On the girl — a light blue, woolen dress with a white bow under her collar, white stockings and white sandals, the boy performed in a light blue denim suit and a white T-shirt, white sandals also appeared from under the trousers. It was nice to look at these blond, young descendants, the same blue-eyed as a mother. Lucya again admired them.

It’s a wonderful childhood! How many beautiful memories are associated with this word. Then, when you are growing up, everything is forgotten, but sometimes an insignificant episode suddenly pops into your mind and it seems that it was not with you, but with someone else.

They reached home, Lucy helped them to unload. It began to get dark. Lucy was walking home. She dreamed of having her home, her family. Passers-by almost did not come across. Gradually she began to calm down.

“Actually, I have a job, and this is not so little. I am respected and even appreciated in the team. Soon there will be examinations for graduate school. It’s good that I talked to Sveta and told her everything about myself. It became much easier from this. Correctly she said that, first of all, we must think about our health, and then about everything else.”

Lucya returned home calm and peaceful. Alexey, as usual, was watching TV. She did not share with him his impressions of the working day.

She had supper alone. Alexey turned off the TV, watching the TV channel Sport, and went to Lucy in the kitchen.

“I’m going to sleep at home. I’m sorry; I’ll take my things later. We can now consider each other as free; therefore we have the right to act as would like everyone, would not we?”

“Go, of course.”

She could hardly restrain herself from shouting after him: “Wait, do not go away!”, but she did not say anything. What made her keep silent, she did not know. Is it really pride? It seemed that pride had long since died, but it turned out that it was alive in her and at some marasmic moment it spoke of its existence.

The next day Lucya did not think of anything but work. She went to dinner with Sveta in a cafe. Their mood was critical. They continued the conversation about classical literature. Carelessness was felt in their behavior and cheerfulness. The thunderstorm passed.

“Divorce, after all, is not death, not even a disease. Divorce will help get rid of the unbearable existence of two adults. It will make life calmer, and everyone will eventually find their happiness,” Lucy reasoned to herself, and this made her feel better.

In the afternoon, a general assembly meeting took place for the third quarter of the year. As usual there was a discussion of the profits of the plant, a frank talk on the work. It was said that the pace that has been accumulated recently should not only be consolidated, but also developed further, persistently seeking fulfillment and overfulfillment of state plans and commitments. When they started talking about inventors and rationalizers, Lucy remembered Alexey. She saw that he, too, had entered the hall.

“So he is sitting somewhere, maybe he even sees me and does not want to come up,” an explosion of consciousness about personal problems prevented the speaker from listening.

They began to talk about the difficulties that arise when introducing more advanced equipment and technology, which is on the way to new obstacles. To overcome them successfully succeeds when the administration, engineers, technologists turn to programmers and developers.

Lucy was curious to hear about the experience of other enterprises, where integrated and creative teams operated in close cooperation. In the joint search for engineers, technologists, workers, optimal, most correct, rational solutions were born, ensuring the increase of labor productivity, its facilitation, and the reduction of material costs.

She realized that there are significant reserves of efficiency growth, intensification of production, coming into effect as a result of wide discussion, and most importantly, what Lucy liked, with the active work of the creative thought of rationalizers, people who are knowledgeable, enterprising and searching. A course was adopted to ensure super-planned growth in labor productivity and an additional reduction in the cost of production.

The last question — a trip to the sponsored farming for harvesting tomatoes — was interrupted by Raya, sitting next to. She secretly reported the terrible news about the murder of a twin girl from a packing workshop.

“Did you hear that?” Raya lowered her voice, causing an objection and an irritation of number colleagues seated near.

“Speak up, but be quiet. The meeting is going on,” Lucy answered and shrank into a ball.

“They stayed behind midnight to the hostel, celebrated their meeting with the packers from the same district of the region. One — Galya, remember perhaps, she was dancing in the New Year’s suit of Thumbelina,” Raya made a tragic face, “she stayed overnight with a friend, and the other — Taya found it necessary to return home. On the way they killed and raped. Fascists!”

“Stop talking, quietly, you, chatterboxes,” they said nervously on them from the previous row.

“Do you have a good track investigator?” Raya’s decision to do the detection herself caused the approval of the hall.

“Heaven, Raya, yes, you have them rather more,” Lucya answered with hatred.

“So what? Take care, you’re smart and with connections. Fool, why did she rush at night? Our area is dangerous. Then the dead daughter of the chief of the supply department was found by the police in the bushes behind the bridge, at the tram stop. They say they threw it out of the car, that green model.”

“I remember that nobody investigated the cases, so they beat everyone. At school then mother with two girls have knocked down. They say that the Caucasian man was behind the wheel, and disappeared from the scene of the crime.

“Enough water to stir up muddily, let me listen,” the sitting staff again remarked.

“I’ll call the private prosecutor’s office,” Lucy thought of Sherlock Holmes’s apprentice — Tanya — private detective, who brought the case of telecom operators clean. “She knows their danglers and unsolved crimes better than the others.”

“Ok, get busy at leisure,” Sveta, who was sitting next to, sympathized with them. “As fast as possible.”

They started reading out the list of people sent by the plant to help farmers. Lucy heard her name on the list.

“What did they call me?” Lucy thought that she misheard, asked Sveta or Raya, looking steadily forward.

“You need less to say,” Sveta confirmed to her that her name was really named.

Lucya was upset. Alexey was not named; he was needed on the spot. She remembered that in the nearest future its chip should be introduced and understood why his name did not sound on the list sent to the sponsored farm.

She almost forgot Alexey, but regretted the impending divorce, regretted only that she did not stay with Boris on New Year’s holiday, but went with Alexey. And Fridman looked at her with the eyes of a well-fed cat, and their friendship was based purely on the commercial initiative of the leadership.

The working day went on in a growing rhythm. All were covered by one impulse — to work faster, to produce products of the highest quality with full return. After the meeting, Lucy and Raya moved to the cafe. For Lucy, picking up the phone from the dining table and dialing the detective’s number, it was a pleasure.

“Ivanova is listening,” a familiar voice said under Lucy’s ear.

“Tanya, I pass the pipe of my colleague on work, she will tell about a serious crime outside the territory of the enterprise, again on the bank of the Volga,” Lucy said laconically and handed over the tube to Raya, who knew the name of the victim.

Raya, with her usual enthusiasm, laid out everything she knew about the crime in five minutes and returned the means of communication.

“Tanya said that she would come to the hostel today, ask all the roommates where Galya spent the night, and at the same time her colleagues,” Raya explained clearly the situation.

The next day Lucy came to work by eight o’clock in the morning. At the entrance there was already a bus, which was supposed to take people to the village. Stay there for a whole month in turn must each employee of the plant, periodically replacing each other. For Sundays and Saturday they were given time off or compensatory holiday.

On the hood of the bus there was a placard on which the factory artist wrote: “Now all the worries are excellent, in time to do the work.” Lucy got on the bus. Five girls-students of the college were sent from the assembly workshop. Lucy was delighted — she was entrusted to the brigade. She knew all the girls, so she was not afraid of difficulties. In the bus appeared Arkady and Misha from the assembly workshop, familiar to Lucy at the hostel. The guys were in sports suits, with bags over their shoulders. They greeted each other.

“Are we going to the collective farm, Lucy?” asked Arkady. “And your girlfriend Raya?”

“She will soon give birth. She went on maternity leave,” Lucya rejoiced. “We will bring up a child.”

Arkady fell silent; he did not know what to say, as he finally lost his head from what he had heard. The guys went ahead and sat in vacant seats. The bus stood for another ten minutes and started. It was not hot to go. The windows were open. The wind blew right in the face. They turned onto the country road. There was a forest on both sides. It was a wonderful morning: the trees, birds, flowers brought forth reflections of thinking. Autumn acquired its abundant colors. The birches were yellow; the quivering aspen whispered something to the roadside grass. The girls became sad and melancholy. The boys were silent and looked at the tablets. Lucy thought about the coming winter, she wanted to fly somewhere together with the leaves and not to experience the pain of separation from her beloved one.

“Is love so fleeting as this light, gentle breeze… What can be higher and better than love?! Leaves turn yellow, tight, ripe mushrooms all fall into dust… No beauty is alive, as our nature is alive!” Lucy was illuminated by love of nature. She remembered that she had brought her poems with her and flipped through them. She found short rhymes, and, whispering slightly, read the verses:

We get lost with you in the field.

Only ripe wheat rustles.

The sun doesn’t shine more with gold.

The ducks fly with last giggles.

A narrow path to the woods will escape,

Where the blue horizon is watched.

Lark’s trills of songs we hear without tape,

Yes and a distant chime of the church.

Folding the sheets back into the bag, she leaned against the window and fell asleep. She dreamed of a point of detachment from all sorrows in the ocean or the cosmos. On a white horse, prancing along the green grass, the little boy was seated. He deftly coped with the reins, directing them up and down. A strange woman was walking beside him.

19. Freedom

Girls were settled in a special hostel. Working in the field was not difficult. They got up at six and went to breakfast in the dining room. Then the duty officers were left to clean, and the brigades went to work.

Lucy was appointed brigadier of the detachment. They worked until 11 a.m.; they rested for an hour and again started to work. Norm was overfulfilled. In the evenings, the club had dances. At first, Lucy was embarrassed to go to dance. Girls from the brigade got acquainted with local guys and almost every day ran to the club. One evening in the house where they lived, someone knocked.

Lucy was alone, as everyone left her. Who has gone to the dances, and someone has just gone for a walk. She went to the door.

“Who’s there?” she asked almost in a whisper.

“Arkady. Open Lucya.”

She opened the door slightly. He put a bouquet of wild flowers into the gap. She opened the door. On the threshold Arkady stood with a bouquet of wildflowers, almost completely covering his face. He did not hold a bouquet in one hand, as they usually keep flowers, but in two, clutching an armful with both hands. He laughed.

“Lucy, here are flowers for you. Look, they still have dew on them. I picked them up especially for you on the mountain, that behind the forest. There’s a whole field of flowers.”

Lucy took the flowers and began to examine. The multicolored bouquet was really unusually beautiful with forest natural beauty. White daisies, blue bells, forest crimson, like drops of blood, carnations. Lilac poppies, cornflowers, yellow tansy and gorse. Each flower was so gentle that it suddenly seemed to Lucy that if she touched one of them, it would dissipate or disappear. Blue cornflowers and purple clover seemed magical.

“Really, there is a whole pharmacy here. Thank you, Arkady. This is the last reminder of the past summer.”

“It’s nice that you liked.”

He went to the house. She seated him at the table, which was in the middle of the room. The bouquet was put in a jar with water poured from a bucket onto the windowsill.

“I went to the dance, I hoped to meet you, but I was wrong. You seem to have loved flowers before.”

“I took interesting computer drawings with me, but sometimes I can afford to read from there as well.”

“Give up your reading; otherwise you will become very clever. Let’s go for a walk. You came to the village, but you can not see the air, you always sit in the house…”

“You can take a walk. True, I do not go for walks at all. Wait a minute,” she said, and combed her hair at the mirror on the nightstand.

The weather-beaten face acquired playfulness and frivolity. In a simple, chintz dress in small peas and ruffles on the bottom, she looked cute.

They left the house. She checked to see if the door had been slammed shut tight, took Arkady by the arm, and they walked along the path to where the music came from. She sang softly to the familiar tune. They went out to the country road and started talking. He listened to the story of a trip to the sea. She shared her impressions and fell silent. It was audible, as the nightingale pours its evening song.

“Where did you rest in the summer?” she asked unexpectedly, about something to say.

“Why does anyone dream of going in the summer? In winter and autumn are also great,” the question seemed strange to him. “I hope to take a vacation in November. On your advice, I will. I’ll go to a velvet season in Egypt or Greece. I’ll swim in the sea; I’ll look at the pyramids or the acropolis. I would have gone by my own car, but on vacation I prefer to be an ordinary pedestrian, so that they take me. It’s a good evening, is not it?” he asked without any transition.

“I like to take a walk, get some fresh air. After a hard day I often go home on foot. Alexey, for example, did not like to walk. He chose to watch sports programs. In general, he’s a little weird. I get divorced from him. He will lead everyone to depression. Absolutely different characters, there are no common interests. He has his own opinion, I — my own. Is this life! I think that the husband and the wife should be like-minded people, not enemies. What do you think?” she waved her hand to the side, showing the perfection of the surrounding landscape.

“I don’t think anything. I have never been married and can not say anything about marriage. Parents lived in love and harmony. I did not think about marriage. Whether I did not like, or did not talk about it. You’re the first one I talk to on this subject. I will marry, there will be children, then I will speak, maybe it sounds grandiloquent, that the family is unshakable. The man is the defender, the woman is the keeper of the hearth, mother.”

His words reminded her of Aleksey’s aphorisms about family life. It became boring, sad and annoying. She considered Arkady much prettier than Alexey, but the character is more boring and correct: “I would not want to be Arkady’s wife. That’s who will get it! He will be to teach a whole day how to live, and in the evening will go to the whore. I know this type. With him, you will get into trouble, and money will not be given to the family either. Pretty hubby…”

“Arkady, I can not understand those women who forgive men betrayal, insults, grievances… Unless you will forget, if it is unforgettable. Honestly, it’s enough to forgive you; you’ll sit on your neck. Am I right?”

“On whom does the house hold?” he did a moralizing pause. “On a woman. She is carrying a farm. You are in disarray after a failure in marriage. Time will pass, again fall in love, that man will seem to you perfection, without flaws. And as simple, handsome and educated as Alexey. He will be the unique and unrepeatable!”

“I wish it would happen…”

They went far from the farmhouse. It smelled of hay after the rain and flowers. The moon shone brightly. It was a full moon. The stars in the sky, according to Lucy’s conjectures, decided to appear all in the sky, and each asterisk gave its light into the darkness of the night. It was quiet. Arkady held her hand. She put her arms around his shoulders and kissed him long and drawn out to forget her husband. After standing for a while, feeling with each cell every being of nature and completeness of life, they turned back, reached the houses where they were settled and each went to their own. She returned when everyone was asleep. Without turning on the light, cautiously walked to her bed, lay down and fell asleep.

The students of the technical university worked in the village. They pulled cable television. Many of the girls from the brigade Lucy were friends with them. Often in the evenings one of the students with a guitar came to the little house. They sang the songs of Rosenbaum, Vysotsky, Krug and Vizbor.

In the last evening of the stay in a village, they gave a concert. The local population was invited. Nobody expected that the plant has so many talents. Lucy courageously connected to this step. They organized the ensemble, rehearsed the songs of the partisans. The voices of the girls were sonorous, strong, melodious and enchanting, which caused thunderous applause. They were asked to sing an encore. Those satisfied the requests of the villagers, remembering tasty delicacies that shared with them. The concert ended late at night. From the club homewards they came back with songs, waking flocks of crows and jackdaws.

The next day the bus went to the city. No one wanted to leave. The students came to see them off. They stood on the road for a long time, kissing, and then waving their arms to the retreating transport. The girls cried at parting, it was felt, the meeting deeply sunk in their soul.

On the bus Lucy was sitting with Arkady. He helped her carry things and generally showed constant concern for her. After that first meeting, when he gave a bouquet of flowers, they did not go on dates. Sometimes during working hours he passed by and looked at her. She continued to collect tomatoes and did not react to the admirer’s inquiring glances.

Arkady insulted the coldness of Lucy, and he stopped the slightest attempt to meet. When they drove away, and she left the little house with a suitcase in her hand, she asked him to help deliver the things. Arkady stood beside her and seemed to be waiting. He was glad to help. Dared at all, officially asked if she would not mind if he sat next to her.

“Sit down, Arkady,” she agreed. “Treat yourself tomatoes. Where’s Misha?”

“They called from the factory and learned about it, and then the investigator came and arrested him. No one knows why. They say that there are problems with the army. He seemed to be hiding from the conscription, but for the time being it is not known. Many versions go…” Arkady rubbed his forehead, recalling the events of the night when a policeman in uniform with a gun came into their hut on chicken legs and demanded that in one sports suit Misha leave without things and put him in a police car. “As in the detective on TV.”

“Well, you must,” Lucy said, looking at the neighborhood through the window. “It’s scary how!”

They talked cheerfully on the way, sometimes she looked out the window, remembered her father, she promised to call and talk about her health, to find out if he was at home alone. She remembered how was going to the post office in a nearby village for parcels.

To reach the village, where the post office was, there was not transport. It was several kilometers from the place where they lived. Lucy did not know the road and was afraid to go alone. Once, during lunch break, they came with a brigade to a rural store — the farm, which was permanently closed, as there were no customers, and the goods on the shelves were stale.

The main assortment on the counter — bread and cigarettes — was advertised by a young fair-haired guy with freckles on his nose. He acted as a salesman, a director and a loader combined. The guy smiled at the girls:

“Well, buy that, girls, soap, while the store is working.”

The girls laughed, Lucy also snorted.

She liked the guy, his open look and benevolent smile. The next day at lunch she went to the farm alone. The seller was already closing the store.

“Do you want to buy something?” he asked, glancing at Lucy.

“No, sorry. I saw you riding a motorcycle; I need to go to a neighboring village for a parcel. Will you do me a favor and take me away? I would be grateful to you,” Lucy said, and she herself did not know how to escape from embarrassment. “The girls are waiting for this parcel with clothes and with something useful.”

“You can go. I also need to go there; I want to buy something at the post office, but not today. Come tomorrow to this place at two o’clock.”

“Necessarily.”

They broke up. Lucy was pleased. She did not like to break the word, she called her father on the phone of last century in the evening, and she told him what she had in her heart.

The next day she went to the appointed hour to the store. Victor already stood and waited for Lucy. So they went to the post office. When she was on the bus, she remembered this incident. It was good to ride a motorcycle through the expanses of the forest-steppe. What an endless breadth spread before her eyes.

Victor stopped on a huge meadow and began to tell her that there used to be two large villages. Gradually, as his father told him, these villages disappeared altogether. Some of the residents moved to the city, some houses burned down during the war. In due course, the remaining houses, too, were emptied. She stood and watched: there was not a single house around, even a hint of the fact that there were once villages there.

The only thing that said that really, perhaps, once these places inhabited by residents — this was a completely flat, huge space without trees or some shrubs. One meadow grass reigned there.

Arkady sat beside her and held Lucy’s hand. He was pleased that she did not push him away. He hoped that she would not mind meeting. Lucya was silent, as a fish. He did not want to be obtrusive. At parting they shook hands, parted, do not agree on anything. She was tired of the trip, she wanted to get home quickly, take a dip, lie down in the tub and fall asleep in her own bed.

Father met his daughter in the evening when he returned from work. Upon his return from the sanatorium, he again went to work. She was against it, but her father did not listen.

During the time of the labor landing, she almost did not remember Alexey. In two days a divorce is due. She was waiting impatiently for this historic event on a world scale. Faster wanted to formalize all the formalities to forget her husband, forget everything connected with him and bury.

While Lucy was in the village, she was preparing for the exams. In addition to the art book, she took with herself a textbook of higher mathematics. Almost all the evenings were obsessed with reading.

Just the day after the divorce, the first exam took place. She was not worried, because she knew exactly what she would take. Her knowledge was deep and fundamental, she wanted to study, advance in the service, be in the center of attention. Ambitiousness and prestige did not give rest. The remaining day before the meeting with the professors, she conducted together with the textbooks. Father did not bother.

At work were aware of the events. Sveta Erengeld helped Lucya in every possible way, and in their free time they disassembled in more than one mathematical law. Sveta hoped to enter the graduate school the next year, when the children go to school.

The detective made amendments to the rules for the investigation of the murder of Tai and interrogated almost the entire workshop. Traces led to the hostel, but who was present at the tea party, already expressed their opinion in favor of Galya, who stayed overnight.

Alibi of witnesses, physical evidence, fingerprints, dactyloscopic examination, taking the remains of sperm, victim’s clothing, scanning the soil and studying the blood group of a living duplicate gave nothing. The topography was broken within the reach of the object of the offense. The dog found a trace and footprints of shoes. Footprints were photographed. The tool of murder was a solid object of the size of a fist.

The blow was brought from behind and dragged the victim to the dam, where they brought the matter to an end. On the back of the skull were dust and small stones from concrete. The legs were in the water, proving that the body had slid down after the use of violence.

A policeman on duty — a relative of the employee — had gone Tajikistan and Udmurtia — was a huge one with a broken nose. He watched checking and clearing out any manifestation of production under the waistcoat or in a bag without special permission.

He got on suspicion of Tanya. And his associates from the guild of porter’s friends, constantly loafing around the clock, did not notice how the whole wagon of newly-made iPads, cell phones and computer equipment prepared for sending abroad to developing Africa disappeared from the workshop. Such measures were taken to close the lies and slovenliness of the lower ranks and deputy of director Samodurov.

Korostylev gave the go-ahead for checking all the premises of the hostel and warehouses. Truck was found. Under the van was hidden an invoice with a list of the number of items prepared for wholesale. So everyone sighed with relief and realized that the killer would be found as well.

All suspicions fell on the watchman who was on duty that day, because he allowed the guests to pass, and on the floor attendant, a specialist in the field of women’s hearts, Misha, a friend of Arkady. But they went to the farm together, and no one was annoyed in their absence. Rukavishnikov Igor, also lived in the hostel, but his authority was not predicted.

Lists of suspects Tanya has read and looked for someone who could walk at a later time along the banks of the Volga. Any sane person slept or watched his TV. Search for treasure or fish would be decided only by the thug from the drama Schiller “Robbers” and then at the direction of the Department for Combating Organized Crime — DCOC, State Security and the writer Sheinin, who gave all his years to fight corruption and offense during the Second World War.

Tanya desperately swirled with dreams within her apartment, every day she reported to Kiryanov, Seregin and Semenyuk about the course of the investigation, prepared a pistol, bugs, pickpockets, cigarettes, ropes, dices with destiny.

She met Raya in the factory foyer and talked for a long time to help everyone gather a rally in support of the Chinese intricacies of the circumstances of the case, which was not the first in Kiryanov’s account.

Lucya came to the wedding palace at the appointed hour. She went into the lobby and sat down in a chair. In her heart, she felt inexpressibly painful and disgusted. She clearly understood what a stupid mistake she would make if she broke up. Alexey was late. She began feverishly thinking about how to try to make him go to reconciliation and not finish things. She began to look over all sorts of options for reconciliation: she was the first to apologize, she was crying, Alexey kissed her, and they went peaceful.

“No, it will look too naive, not natural; or seriously talk, try to figure out again who is right, and who is to blame?” Lucy wrung figuratively hands. “This will be an unmistakable solution. Would Alex want to talk to me? Recently, I was too harsh and heartless towards him,” she said to herself. “No. This option is not suitable. Get up and leave without waiting for him or call, refer to the disease. But this, then, means to go against yourself, your convictions and principles, to cross out the years of reflection and self-education. It would be too cruel to me.”

Lucya was sitting in a chair opposite the mirror and was ready to burst into tears of indignation and anger. The people crowded in the foyer. She silently looked at others.

Opposite her were a young soldier in army uniform and a fat woman with an ugly, pimply face. According to the conversation it could be understood that they came to apply for marriage. Their faces shone with happiness and joy.

How Lucya envied them! Not far away sat a young woman who came to register the birth of a child. Lucy looked at her and remembered the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci. This made her uncomfortable. A middle-aged man came to apply for a divorce.

The secretary, who was sitting in the vestibule, questioned him for a long time and filled in the questionnaire carefully. Lucy introduced how she and Alexey had also dictated their data for the questionnaire: name, when they were born, where, and so on. There were a few other people in the lobby, but Lucy was so upset that she could neither observe nor delve into their personal affairs.

Alex did not show up. Fifteen more minutes passed. Two students entered with a tablet to apply.

Lucy could not help but look at them: “Polygyny is forbidden. Everyone who marries has the same facial expression. Who knows how their family life will develop? Will they be happy, or as I they will be divorced, not having lived a year…” a microcosm of Lucy thickened, acquiring the shape of an inverted pyramid, the rhombus, and the bisector of the perpendicular. “I wonder if it’s possible to apply for registration on the Internet,” flashed through her mind a crazy idea.

The culmination was the appearance of Alexey. He looked sick and rumpled. He sat down next to her.

“I’m sorry, Lucy. I’m sick and barely got out of bed. At me temperature, but I remembered about our arrangement and all the same has come.”

“I wait for you exactly thirty minutes,” Lucy looked at her watch and tapped her finger on the glass of the dial. Her expression was as if she had absolutely no part in the divorce, but is present here only to check Alexey’s punctuality.

“Well, okay, let’s not at least clarify the relationship here. We decided to get divorced, then we will divorce, and then it will be seen, maybe, we will reconcile ourselves,” Alex took the tone of the conversation as Lucy began.

About five minutes later, a man came out of the office of responsible secretaries, after whom Lucya was in line. They went to a small room, went to the first table.

“Sit down,” the middle-aged woman invited them.

Lucy and Alexey sat on a set of chairs on the table. They were not asked many questions.

Once again official representative woman asked if they had not changed their decision on divorce and, having received a negative answer, the employee of the registry office filled certain columns in their book. Then she said that from now on they are no longer husband and wife. May be free. Wished them all the best.

Lucy and Alexey left the room, where this event was not too joyful for two.

“Where do I go? What do we do now? Was there anything to prevent it? Why did this happen?” she was at a loss. Looking at Alexey and realizing that he did not want to talk at all, especially to continue this life together, Lucy, having gained courage, said:

“Well, I went home.”

“Goodbye,” politely and coldly said Alex and went in the opposite direction towards its Audi, the credit for which he has paid in full by means of loans to the trade union committee for five years to expand the scope and means of the enterprise.

Lucy did not call and catch up with him. It was too humiliating to run after the ex-husband, whom she herself did not suspect, continued to love. She hurried to work. Before that, she had to go home and eat something.

Father was not at home yet, and it was for the best, since it was unbearable and very painful for Lucy to discuss the divorce. At work she had a strained businesslike and, as never before, a strict look. Sveta Erengeld could not stand it and, without waiting for lunch break, went to the table where Lucy was working, and quietly asked:

“Well, what did you say? Divorced?”

Lucy just waved her head in reply. Sveta embraced her and approvingly said:

“Do not worry that it does happen, do not lose your mind, otherwise…” Sveta did not finish, Razumov entered the room, and she hurried to her desk.

After retiring Korbutova, the place of the deputy chief of the shop remained free. Torobov selected a suitable candidate. He could not yet decide on someone specific. Lucy was nominated, but that was not certain. It was necessary to discuss the proposal of the workshop manager at the meeting. When Razumov entered the room and sat down at his desk, he, as solemnly and formally as possible, said:

“Just a moment of attention!”

All those sitting in the room broke away from their computers and prepared to listen to what the senior engineer would say.

“Today there will be a workshop meeting. The appearance of all is obligatory,” that corresponded while to sit, not to go out to the buffet to drink coffee or smoke in the corridor. “The following issues will be discussed: nomination of the deputy head of the workshop Izmailova Lucy — the first, the production issue, of competition and discipline. Is everyone clear?”

“Ok,” Sveta and Lucy said almost in chorus.

“While we continue to work,” Razumov was, as always, restrained and short-spoken. “Being the deputy chief of the workshop is a serious and responsible job.”

Lucy first learned about her nomination for deputy chief. From this news her breath caught, she forgot about all the troubles she had experienced lately.

“I wonder who will be appointed a replacement foreman, if my candidacy is approved at the general assembly meeting?” she turned to Sveta.

“Someone who recently came to the factory or transferred from another workshop,” Erengeld replied with an offended voice.

Half an hour later Lucy and Sveta put on white robes and went to the workshop. The workers stopped the machines and waited for the chief. Lucy and Sveta took seats near the presidium. When everyone was ready, Torobov came up. He opened the meeting. Lucy’s candidacy for the deputy chief of the shop was accepted by all unanimously. The candidate came face to face and thanked them for the trust. Then Torobov drew attention once again to the competition: “Struggle for quality.”

“I propose to study the experience of the mechanic-assembly workshop, create a delegation and go during working hours to another workshop to exchange experiences.”

As if thinking aloud, he began talking about the movement of leading labor operators, hinting at the education of better qualities, and “every show, the pursuit of numerals spoils and corrupts the workers…” he expressed his popular opinion.

Lucya was returning home inspired. Do not be afraid to tell her father about divorce, announcing a new appointment. Pondering how to start fulfilling their duties, there were questions: “How best to lead? Who is the most active? How much will they pay?”

She decided to go home to Korbutova and talk with her in an abstract way, as she coped with one of the biggest workshops in the factory, at the same time to find out how she felt, whether she was going to go to the plant.

Visiting Korbutova Lucy planned on Sunday, realizing that she has a great economic experience.

The father took the message of his daughter about promotion with interest and even joy. He always empathized with her, rejoiced, mourned with her. About Alexey, he asked, considering the issue intriguing and insidious for both.

“Was there a divorce or not?” he asked, and after hearing a brief “yes”, nothing more terrifying did not begin to talk about this.

For her, it was better than she could have imagined.

In the evening, she again looked through the topics needed for the exams and prepared for the next day. Having warned Torobov that she will take the first exam, she took one day at her own expense. The exam was held in one of the buildings of the university, in the assembly hall. In addition, two military officers and representatives of other departments of the university had taken exams.

She presented a job description, characteristic and a deep knowledge of the subject. Questions required reflection and original thinking. She submitted a short, precise answer in writing with the laying out of the corresponding formulas and proofs, without requiring leading questions. Without any excitement, she cited examples from the Internet and math aids. “What will happen next?” Lucya worried, continuing to sit and wait in the corridor of the state institution. Having received the long-awaited excellent mark, she went out into the street.

After the math exam, Lucya walked around the city and went to a cafe to eat ice cream and a cup of coffee. “I’ll take away the stress,” she decided. There were a lot of people in the cafe: students, bank employees, salesmen, mothers with children. Lucya took a portion of ice cream with jam and sat down at a table. Ice cream gave out the smell of vanilla and melted in the mouth. She remembered professors and assistants in the admission committee.

Couples went inside the room, they settled down more conveniently, made an order and sat for a long time chatting.

She liked the laid-back atmosphere, felt comfortable, at home. She took out cigarettes and lit a cigarette, but, realizing that smoking in a cafe can not be, quickly stubbed cigarette butt, not having time to smoke and half. She agreed to meet here with Tanya-detective and discuss what the police had done about the investigation at the plant.

Ivanova sat down at her table, a minute after two young men in jeans and beautiful, knitted sweaters of different colors, intercepted by a thin leather belt in tone, left, eating their pies with cabbage, mushrooms and drinking tea. One of them had fashion jewelry. Lucya did not listen to their pressing problems. Their own they have enough! But she was jealous of her cheerfulness and beauty, remembering one of the killed twin sisters she barely knew. Lucy hoped to come home earlier and tell her father the joyful news about the success of the exam, to do the household chores that had accumulated during the preparation for the exams.

“Let’s speak honestly, who is to blame?” Tanya asked angrily and enchantingly the audience, without knowing it herself, led Lucy to think about someone’s guilt in the death of Taya and the moral trauma of Galya.

“How do I know,” answered Lucy, a future candidate of technical sciences.

“Your answer is wrong, take the hall’s help,” the private investigator quipped. “You must say how much money do you need to catch the criminal? Well, how much?”

“Two hundred dollars an hour, at your rates. There will be questions, address.”

Lucy saw that Tanya, rummaging in her bag, pulled out four notes for fifty dollars.

“Here, take it. Few? I’ll add a deadline. I give my salary for a week of work at Kiryanov in the archive. I discovered that all those escorted behind the hill drinking coffee-glasse at the waterfall in Tivoli for one dollar an hour. They are hugged and removed for free. Here they sit on unemployment benefits and enjoy life.”

“We need to search better among the college students with whom Taya studied. There may be the preponderance in the direction of absence from the army. Who wants with the pistol of patrol duty station or another gun to shoot at their white brothers, fry their meat and drive the herd into the church? Do you like Alexander Blok, remember, in the ‘Scythians’?”

“A terrible idea, but I will rely on this quite sensible idea.”

Tanya, having got the fruits of education, left the cafe, sat down in her Renault-Megane and moved towards the hostel of the plant — a five-story green building opposite the turntables.

And Lucy thought: “Where is Alexey now? Did he immediately become indifferent to how I live, what I do, what I think, with whom I meet? Did he really love me?” she reasoned in a purely feminine way.

“His feeling was so fragile and short-lived. The divorce calculated the two of us among the developed, but began to show their sprouts of jealousy, and great love, which sweeps away all obstacles, destroys all fetters.”

On the way home she bought food, continuing to think about Alexey, about their life together, about the trip to the sea, about meetings with her brother, about the minutes spent alone, about conversations and disputes. Lucy was in no hurry. She enjoyed the walk along the streets and alleys those were familiar from childhood, with each of which she had connected memories: on that street a brother had taken her to a kindergarten, there a girlfriend had lived with whom Lucya shared her hopes; she often had come to play table tennis in that yard.

Not much time passed, but fragments of childhood memories, adolescence, and juvenility lived in her and were experienced again and again.

20. It’s Nice Where We Do Not Exist

Father, learning about the excellent evaluation of the knowledge of his daughter, was happy too. He understood that his daughter was tired, did not bother to ask questions. He was extremely anxious to know all the details of the loud case about which the local radio and Mass Media was chiming: “Jealousy Murder”, “Shore Tragedy”, and “Death of Worker”.

“Lucy, better, tell me yourself, when will they determine the measure of restraint?” Are there any suspects?

“It’s a terrible story, the police are on the right track,” she replied. “I met with private investigator Ivanova and she has every reason to believe that the court will be held in the nearest future.”

“Has the detective girl her own private agency?”

“Very expensive services, but effectively and qualitatively investigate.”

“You should be friends with her, take experience,” her father insisted in a friendly manner.

“Such an experience disgusts me,” Lucy made an acid face.

“But it’s a useful thing for family affairs,” he sympathized, lighting a cigarette.

“Terribly and only…”

They closed the issue of the study of the territorial significance of all the risk factors of this microdistrict. Lucy had the right opinion about college students, but who of them was involved in the killing — was a riddle number one.

Alibi of each detective-Tanya undertook to check carefully and meticulously, using her deductive way of dismembering space and time within reason. Lucya full of strength hopes and aspirations entered the workshop after passing the exams. Sveta became the first person to learn about success. She was interested in the fate of Lucy. Razumov also could not resist from praise:

“You will take exams and work, and then in the future you will advance much higher. Managing a shop or a factory is a difficult and troublesome business.”

She laughed, but attached importance to his words. In place of the replacement master appointed, just came from the technical university guy, Sergei Davydov. He was quick and energetic. She had no difficulty in explaining to him the meaning and tasks of his work. After that, she took up her problems, that is, the affairs of the deputy chief of the workshop. It was not immediately necessary to get used to the duties of a new post. She went to work as usual. The first thing she did was going to the head of the workshop and learnt about the current tasks.

Torobov was hasty and immediately introduced Lucy into the circle of her duties. The main thing that was an indispensable condition for good work — the fulfillment of the plan. Lucy understood that the profit of the whole collective of the workshop depended on this.

Contact with people was established, the workers were oriented. The new equipment operated without breakdowns and breakages, which greatly facilitated the functioning of the new replacement foreman. They outlined a number of measures aimed at improving the quality. After visiting the machine assembly shop and exchanging experience, they took increased plans for the fourth quarter of the year. The work went on in a growing rhythm.

A visit to Korbutova, scheduled for Lucy on Sunday, was postponed due to the examinations for an indefinite period. Lucy realized that she can not be scattered, otherwise the exams can be ruined and the work of the shop left.

Therefore, she made every effort to successfully pass the exams. She passed the foreign language, too, having received an excellent mark. Lyudmila knew how to speak, she could read newspapers, the Internet and a textbook on philosophy, and she knew all current events in the country and abroad, so she too passed the political discipline on “excellent”.

So, she was accepted for postgraduate study, after graduating Lucya became a candidate of technical sciences and could successfully manage the laboratory, write a doctor’s degree, continue research work within the factory. Such a prospect rejoiced. If she has postgraduate study behind her, she will be able to talk on equal terms with the chief of production and the chief engineer of the enterprise. Lucy understood the advantages of further studies and set a goal — to justify the work assigned to her.

It was inconvenient to go to Nina Vasilievna with empty hands. Therefore, Lucy bought a small cake and a bouquet of flowers. It can not be said that Korbutova sympathized with her, although she had no reason to treat her badly. Lucya was calm, self-possessed; actions, which Nina Vasilievna could call, for example, “unacceptable”, did not commit. Lucy’s speeches at the technical councils, where she happened has to be present, were, according to Korbutova’s opinion, quite reasonable. Although Lucy has had a subconscious feeling of fear for Korbutova due to the difference in age, but she understood that the deputy chief has many years of experience, she can not be “knocked out” from the planned path, she was well versed in the education of the youth, developing their ability for creative activity.

Calling beforehand on the phone, she heard a familiar voice:

“Lucy, come in.”

When Lucy phoned her on the phone, Nina did not immediately have a desire to meet, but when she found out that she wanted to learn the experience of the long-term work of the mentor, she did not mind, the question immediately disappeared for what she wants to talk with her. Lucy took a taxi and went to the address written in the notebook. On the way, she charted herself a line of behavior, decided to keep modestly, but with dignity. Not showing openly that she was worried about health. Nina Vasilievna greeted the guest with gracious courtesy and invited her into the room.

Lucya did not want to find any excitement in a word or gesture. After working for about a year, she could catch any touch in the behavior of Korbutova. She already understood by her expression that Nina wanted to say — to praise or scold. Intuition and knowledge of psychology have often helped Lucy to find an approach to people. Communication for her was a kind of test. Seeing a person, she could already say a little, who he is, approximately, by profession, what his character is. With a close acquaintance with this person and communicating with him, Lucy compared how true the first impression was.

Without uttering superfluous words, without asking anything, Lucy greeted and silently sat down on the chair in the corner where Nina pointed out. Cake and flowers Lucya gave in the hallway, saying that the whole collective of the assembly workshop sends greetings. In the room, she could not resist, so as not to look around and not to imagine what tastes and interests of the hostess.

During the shift they did not have the opportunity to share their opinions on various vital issues, so, finding herself at Korbutova’s apartment, she realized what a clever and comprehensively developed former deputy head of the assembly workshop was. Lucy became fully aware not with her mind, but with her heart, on what difficult and responsible sector of the job she was put.

Torobov understood that he needed not a dry dogmatist, but a man capable of creative activity, an initiative. Lucy must cope with the work in order to justify her university diploma.

Korbutova invited the guest to tea, but Lucy refused, saying that she was having dinner before leaving the house. The hostess did not insist. The conversation did not start at first.

“Nina Vasilievna, do you like classics?” asked Lucy, noticing the collection of Chekhov’s works in the bookcase.

“Certainly, I had read everything here, and with retirement I decided to rethink some of his plays. The love of reading is one of the most important factors in the upbringing of the younger generation. How are your successes?

“I entered post-graduate school; from the first of October classes will begin.”

“I’m happy for you. Can you combine classes with work? It seems to me, it will not be easy.”

“Yes, I thought it over. I will prepare for classes on Saturdays and Sundays. On other days, attend lectures and seminars. Nina Vasilievna, I wanted to ask you.”

“Ask, Lucia, do not be shy.”

Lucya immediately felt more confident, internally she somehow got close. From the recent embarrassment there was no trace left.

“I’m wondering, maybe you know how it happened that there are so many foremost manufacturers in the assembly workshop? And anyway, what do you think about the deputy head of the assembly workshop?”

Nina smiled, and from the smile Lucy understood that the question was clear. Since Nina was the first to take the initiative: an alignment to the machine assembly workshop, where the highest percentage of excellent operators at the plant.

“What do you say? This is a theoretical question. In time, you will understand that it is impossible to achieve success in work so simply. The success of the case depends on how to approach it. Actually, first of all, to rally the collective, to ensure that there was no disunity, that there was an excellent discipline, there was no delay. In a word, you yourself know, to fight for the highest labor productivity and to set people up for trouble-free work with the highest quality of products.”

“All this we have, of course, although the team does not work so smoothly, but I think that with time, we will achieve a well-functioning work, and there will be no problems with the creation of new advanced brigades. Everyone in the team will be covered by this movement,” Lucy continued, looking attentively at Nina.

“Well, well, in words you reason correctly, it is necessary that your words come true. It’s great that you are disturbed so good for the success of your business. You will make a good leader,” Nina said, and Lucya imagined herself outside this closed space, somewhere on the banks of the Nile.

Now it became clear why Korbutova lived alone. She was too enthusiastic about her own business, that she would hardly be reckoned with the interests of those who live side by side. The main thing for her was work, without which she did not think of her existence, as she devoted herself to it and gave all her strength. Lucya was in close proximity to Nina. Between them there was a complete mutual understanding. Communicating, they became one. The difference was only in age. Mentality, the approach to solving key issues was the same. It’s not strange why Lucy was appointed deputy head of the workshop after Korbutova.

The conversation dragged on. Lucya was sitting almost without emotions that filled her heart. Nina was speaking. She remembered the youth that passed through the walls of the plant.

It was a hard war time. With what enthusiasm and dedication people worked, how much strength and energy was given to the enterprise. As with the minimum, they made tremendous progress. She told about the hard post-war years, about the restoration of the dilapidated walls of the plant.

“It was not easy, but we stood firm, no matter what!”

The hostess interrupted to make sure that the guest was interested in what she said. During the conversation, Korbutova walked around the room and only occasionally stopped and asked Lucy:

“Are you listening to me?”

Receiving a positive response, she continued. Korbutova understood that without this conversation, Lucya could not properly organize the work in the team, make sure that there were no lagging brigades, and all the brigades became advanced.

The women drank tea with strawberry jam, cooked by the mistress herself. Lucya for the order recorded the recipe for cooking in the iPad. At about 5 p.m. she hurried home. Nina did not delay.

“Come in, I’ll be glad to see you. How are things in the workshop I wonder? I will rest a bit and then I will go to the factory. Not necessarily in the assembly workshop, but somewhere in another place. I can not live without people. For me, the plant is life. You know, somewhere read it, listen,” she opened an economic notebook with a list of purchased products and ever-increasing prices for utilities, leafed through, stopped near the stitching lines and loudly, without hesitation, as at the technical council, where she sometimes brought her own notes she read: “Without people there is neither good nor evil. If you want to do good, devote yourself to this goal — gather all your abilities. In the right place, where is your calling, you can best help people.” Well said! So, you try to be always facing to the collective and fight for its interests. And now you can go. Do not forget our conversation.”

“Thank you, Nina Vasilievna for the interview,” Lucy turned off the recorder. “It was nice to talk with you. Be sure I will send this material to our factory printed body and put it on the site of the enterprise. Somehow I’ll drop by and tell about the work of the teams of the competing brigades.”

They said goodbye. Lucy left Korbutova, overwhelmed by her feelings and her long-standing memories of Fridman’s genius initiative, but still had thoughts with her. How much she learnt for herself…

While Lucya had not yet rethought the whole conversation, but for her this dialogue has remained in the memory for a long time.

“So to live life, as lived the former deputy chief, it would be wonderful. How much good she did to people, it is not surprising that they were drawn to her, they consulted with her. I’ll drop her wedding photos to her mail. Let her share with me the pain of loss!” she stated in her brain this winged expression. Lucy had a hard work plan in her head; she knew what to do first. She recalled the saying of Taras Shevchenko: “Who warms love to people — will not cool forever!”

“The head of the workshop asked all programmers to browse the site and read my interview with our honorable retiree. The former deputy head — Korbutova,” Lucy said during a speech at the general workshop of specialists and engineers in the field of programming.

“We are glad that she is alive and well, she wants to continue her work activity,” somebody was clearly pretending to be praised.

Then Lucy shared with her thoughts about the fact that welders of the assembly shop worked without lagging behind, all the brigades eventually became advanced. The initiative was approved.

Brigades committed themselves to fight for success in the assembly of iPads and iPhones. In the shop, the production performance of the whole team was periodically reduced.

In the course of the speeches, the profit of the assembly plant in the factory-wide scale was ascertained. Everyone liked how Lyudmila Nikolaevna worked. So they began to address her. The young people listened to what the new deputy was saying, understood from a half-word. They realized that Lucy was happy for the work of the team; she wanted the shop to be constantly in the forefront and receive a full advance and a quarterly bonus.

The postgraduate studies were not too heavy for Lucy, but she had to do both on Saturday and Sunday.

Sometimes she went to the movies, but not often, and alone, because all her friends were busy with their own affairs. At work, she was still praised. The workshop achieved the fact that all the brigades were promoted to the forefront. Months flew unnoticed. Permanent meetings and consultations. Every day there was no free second, constant calls, challenges. She moved the desk slightly closer to the window, from where she could see the Volga. On the table in addition to the computer appeared more business papers and reviews.

Lucy did not sit almost in the spot. Constantly it was necessary to knock that to the chief of the shop, then to the director of the plant. Lucy learned the subtleties of the work, felt the taste of what it meant to be a leader. It was not always possible to go to dinner, but after all Torobov found indulgent in him and let go to the cafe. She almost did not get tired.

From work on a habit she walked and admired the changes in nature. She was not sent on business trips, but the vacation was scheduled for the spring. Lucy long thought about what to devote her: a trip to the sea or leisure on a local beach, where she would prefer to go with Fridman, but his attention was beyond reach.

In front of her the memory of a trip with Alexey to Novorossiysk to his friend stood clearly. She dreamed of the sea cruise. Since the time of their divorce, Alexey has become a different person. She respected him and more than once regretted that he threw the fishing rod to Raya when she saw them together on the street. Noticing Lucy, he turned away, said something to his companion. Raya looked around, looked attentively at Lucy and said hello. Lucy felt sorry for herself before her heartache, because Alex looked so fresh and young as ever. He was smiling. According to his behavior, it was clear that he did not remember Lucya and was not going to put up.

* * *

Interrogations with bias in the premises of local authority’s lieutenant colonel Kiryanov conducted effectively. He was waiting for the appearance of the detective Tanya, nicknamed the witch, to close the case of the murder of a girl on the bank of the Volga.

On the dam there was a chalky trace of the outline of the corpse of the murdered Taya. It was done a lot, but the main defendant was never found. All the strings led to the students in the group, with whom the girls constantly spent time. Some had to be fired because of bad behavior in class. Someone received a referral to the army, and the rest worked at local enterprises or in private business, left the city at their destination. Someone was practicing at the factory.

“We will question the curators to find out their connections within the group itself. Who was friends with whom and who considered a great schemer himself and got into a fight for a place under the sun,” lieutenant colonel Kiryanov explained, lighting cigarettes lying on his table under the catchy name Pall Mall. “We will collect evidence before we think.”

He opened a notebook and dug in criminal cases for the last period.

“We need to finish the case with the older Skripal. We are fighting for years! There for a year at the department of astrophysicists four heads of the chair were replaced, applying for a place in the list of laureates of this Nobel-Shkobel. And actually he was an Armenian winemaker and real estate dealer. The professor was pushed under the train by his colleague in the department, and the talented was the teacher!” Seregin responded, also leafing through the laptop with lists of identified and unidentified victims in the last five years. “Undisclosed crime is coming. We already have enough worries.”

“We’ll see how we live… This family contract with the scrap and shovel was continued by his son — Skripal Jr., after killing two operators at the post office,” Kiryanov wanted to extinguish the cigarette, but lit again, fighting the habit of smoking by the method of the opposite. “He has worsened the performance indicators of his ancestor.”

“It’s good that the CCTV cameras recorded the moment when the former senior lecturer accidentally touched his shoulder, standing next to him, his leader — professor Porokh. The man fell under the wheels of the arriving train. Everyone thought so: he fell down himself. Nobody noticed in a hurry that a talented scientist was injured and died through the fault of his fellow competitor for the position of leader. They waited for the arrival of guests from Moscow. One was at the point of no return,” Seregin explained, closing the notebook, when he went over to the shelves to sort through the dusty files with cases and brushing off the dust of centuries from them, and then wiping with his handkerchief on his uniform the received watercolor in gray.

“Without any noise and dust, he hoped to get the gold place of the head of the department,” Kiryanov glanced at the computer and gasped. “Import substitution was introduced, and the importation of drugs continues. All the clubs they scored, not so as before. They walked, drank champagne, kissed, and hugged their friends. We sit here and wait for the sea weather. Who solved the crossword, that is and the main suspect…”

“A multivolume business. If that man would have worked longer a lecturer as an assistant professor, his salary is lower, but the back does not hurt. For the period of publication of the newspaper’s number, where a contest was announced to fill the vacant position of the head, three people were replaced. The first was sacked by age with an exit in a well-deserved rest,” Seregin sighed and shifted the whole series of files in folders to his desk and the red-tinted chairs of perestroika standing in the room. “The second one was killed by his colleague-associate professor, the third was under the article for this crime, and the fourth was appointed as acting director, as head of the laboratory…”

“That’s what I’m saying, the Skripals on the nerves play, and not on the violin of Stradivarius in places not so remote. Well, these career movements are across our throats. They sent a report from the criminal police, that is, from you about the violation of human rights. What are you who allows to remove headlights from all BMW Touareg or how?” Kiryanov asked edifyingly, deafeningly sneezed, and helped a comrade in the fight against organized crime to put all the extra files in place in the rack. “The surveillance cameras worked here, too. Not the first case in our practice. For a minute they turned the deal. We will refer to persons without a local registration. This is their business. Many familiar surnames and faces…”

“Is it not the first time?” Seregin was taken aback. “We will conduct criminal investigation as in the dashing nineties. Forget about vacation with your family in the Upper Danube by ferry. Somewhat our detective-Tanya is absent for a long time.”

“I’m waiting,” Kiryanov had the patience to look again at the case of Taya and compare it with a similar case at the same plant, but a year earlier, that is, for the New Year, when two guys were maimed, one to death, their friends. “The insurance is paid for, the documents are issued. And who will pay?”

“I’m,” suddenly Tanya Ivanova burst into the office without a knock, with a bag on her shoulder wrapped in a black scarf and a warm, knitted, light waistcoat from her grandmother’s caches, from whose apartment she came in person.

Shaking off raindrops from the denim fabric, tightly fitting slender legs, she put the bag on the folders, dumped in a pile at the doorstep, as the whole room was filled up with urgent documents. The police officers were taken aback.

“I see your business mood,” she said, sitting down on the very edge of the table — the freest place, “come to the conclusion and we will drink coffee. Kirya,” she said in her own way to lieutenant-colonel Kiryanov, “treat and tell!”

“Seregin will now dispose of everything and put everything in order,” the lieutenant colonel said in a more calm voice. “The kettle is not the one who does not know the computer, but the one that is boiling.”

“Tea with lemon, coffee black and with milk. To whom is that?” she suggested, trying to find a truce in this military headquarters.

She pulled out a few little packs of tea and coffee bought on the way to the gas station from the handbag. Seregin, who always sympathized with his fighting girlfriend, took out three mugs and, putting in every one little pack, neatly poured boiling water in each to the very edge, replenishing the energy reserve with the aroma of enchanting drinks.

“Did not have time to report that you must sign me your pass right now, because I run straight to the hairdresser’s, and then to the spa salon for a back massage, and only closer to the ‘time trouble’ I’ll report. Who is literally overwhelmed by deeds, you or me?” the sharp tone of the detective made the employees of the Department for Combating Organized Crime happy.

Drinking coffee, Tanya lit a cigarette and extinguished it in the ashtray next to it, so that the State Security Office itself did not burn out.

“Together we must bring order to the social protection of the population. Then people will be happy and there will be fewer crimes,” Tanya’s determination was pleasant to everyone when they drank their drinks. “Are my overdue crusts of the pass document of the prosecutor’s office still valid?”

“It should be noted. Here is a seal for you, go,” lieutenant-colonel Seregin signed the pass and set the time for leaving.

* * *

Somewhere in early December, Lucy suddenly had a desire to quit postgraduate study, find a way to quit her job and leave forever from this provincial town somewhere to Western Europe.

She began to blame for her misfortunes the place of her existence, but soon calmed down and seemed to forget about the mental turmoil that suddenly fell upon her.

Father completely withdrew in himself, and they began to communicate less often. It was hard for Lucy without communication, she wanted to howl with despair, find mutual understanding and condescension. She constantly tried to understand the essence of being through her recent illumination with love in the verse element format, reading and memorizing whole quatrains of poetic thought. Enthusiasm for poetry broke the foundations of ordinary life. Once, after classes and work, barely stepping over two steps, she, having supper and getting to bed, instantly read out what had long attracted the eye within the reach and understanding of all students of philology:

Night Prayer

…Sweeps the blizzard laboriously

Tiled roofs of houses with snow swept.

The wind howls, whistles indifferently

In the over knocking of someone’s steps.

It’s troubling and scary… The child cries,

A little rustling, hearing any.

Tired hands of mother in the night

When will they find peace in right?