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«You already took my heart away,» whispered Nina, bringing her lips close to his.
«I love you, my wonderful little girl.» Vlad panted with adoration, kissing her, and Lapina smiled, recalling the first day she had seen her future husband.
It had happened eight years ago, when Nina was seventeen, and it was her first day in the University. Shyly, the girl had peeped into the classroom, then gone inside. The other students had looked at her, and Nina asked, «Is this group P-16?»
«Yes,» a girl replied. She took out a notebook, and Nina understood that this girl was the monitor of the group, so Nina came close to register her attendance.
«You’ve missed two days,» the monitor said. «The government gives us free education, so you must not be late or skip school.»
«I was sick,» murmured Nina. «I have a certificate from the doctor.»
«Okay.» The girl made a note. «Just remember in future.» She surveyed Nina and grinned. «You’re Jewish, aren’t you?»
«I’m Russian,» Nina retorted. «You can check my papers.»
«Give me a break.» The girl snorted. «You are too ugly to be a Russian.»
Oh! This hurt Nina more than anything, and she silently went deep into the room and sat down at a free place.
«Don’t mind her.» A plain girl sat next to Nina and sighed. «Just five guys for twenty of us. We have no chance, buddy. But we are here for study, not looking for a man, eh?»
Nina nodded. «
«Victor!» the girls screamed, and Nina looked at the young man just entering. Athletic and tall, he waved to the auditorium, casually sat at his place, and struck a pose.
Nina sighed, watching some of the girls move closer to Victor. But a new guy entered the room and her heart jumped like a frightened bunny. Very slender, this blue-eyed blonde was cute as a cherub. His slightly curly hair emphasized the affection in his tender face. Bashful and shy, he looked like the Little Prince of Saint-Exupery.
«
«
But her heart did not want to hear her mind.
A technician came into the room. She pulled a wagon carrying a big gas cylinder. Nearing the central table, she tried to put the cylinder on it, and she could not, as it was too heavy. Then the thin «angel» hoisted the cylinder with one of his hands, and put it in its place on the table. A whisper of delight ran over the hall.
«Thank you, Vlad,» the technician said.
«Vlad!» Adoring the sound of his name, Nina exclaimed impulsively. «You are a real noble knight.»
His long gold-colored eyelashes flapped like wings of a butterfly as he glimpsed her.
«
«It’s her job,
«
But she could not resist herself.
She tried to catch the attention of this guy, but she could not. A group of girls followed Vlad all day long, in the cafeteria, during the reception, at the next lecture. He did not see her behind those tall blondes, and Nina dared not push someone away, as the others did many times to her.
The only relief for Nina was that Vlad Lapin looked very concentrated on study and was so absorbed that he did not even notice the efforts of those girls.
They accompanied him until he returned after school to the apartment building for male students, where entry of females was prohibited.
«He’s dumb,» the monitor girl said with disappointment. «Third day. I bet he’s gay. Or just sick. I give up. There are other guys here.»
The girls went in different directions.
«
At home, Nina stared at her reflection in the mirror, and watched as her mother, Alla, came close. They lived together, alone. Alla divorced a long time ago, and Nina did not even remember her father.
The woman tenderly caressed her daughter’s black ringlets. «How was your first day, honey?»
«Mom, am I ugly?» Nina asked instead of giving an answer.
Alla sighed. «You are beautiful, it’s just that not everybody likes classic beauty. I’m afraid you’ll never find a man who can appreciate you enough.»
She left, but Nina still searched her own face; she was satisfied with her lips only.
«
«
* * * * *
«
* * * * *
Jeff Menard finished all the formalities in the local animal shelter and returned to his police cruiser. He got in and hesitated for a while. Deliberately, Jeff turned his computer on and typed: «
He gazed at the screen.
«Of course, she should be,» Jeff muttered inaudibly. A bitter pain pricked his heart. «I’m a fool. Such a woman…» And he turned the computer off.
* * * * *
A few days later, as Jeff Menard was driving his police cruiser along the small road behind an apartment building, he saw a vehicle moving in the opposite direction.
He recognized the car of Vera Grach, and he sighed. To his surprise, the car was moving very erratically, and he thought that Vera might be drunk.
However, when the vehicles neared each other, he saw Nina Lapina was driving and Vera was next to her. Jeff understood that Vera was teaching her friend how to drive. The car passed by the police cruiser, and Jeff continued to watch it in the mirror.
A few hundred yards farther down, the road turned. Nina lost control, and the vehicle, still heading straight, left the road and vanished from Jeff’s view into a ditch.
Jeff gasped and whirled his cruiser around.
He reached the place where the accident had happened, got out, and looked down.
He sighed with relief. The slope of the ditch was not steep. The car just stopped, and both the women, safe and sound, were standing near it looking at each other in confusion. They heard the police officer’s arrival and turned toward him.
Vera waved her hand, and Jeff neared.
«Officer,» she started to talk. «We have a problem.»
«Don’t you remember me?» asked Jeff, and both Russians gazed at him.
«
«I remember you.» Vera smiled. «You took away the cat that we found.»
Chuckling, Nina gently poked Vera and whispered something into her ear.
«Stop it, Nina.» Vera did not let on, but he understood.
«
«I read somewhere,» Vera was addressing Jeff. «A man put a bouquet of the flowers on the porch of his neighbor. The owner of the house reported it to the police, and the man was arrested.»
«Crazy lady,» Nina giggled. «I wish someone put flowers on my porch.»
«I think you’re right, Nina.» Vera fixed her glare on Jeff, and the embarrassed policeman wanted to change the subject. He looked at her car.
«Your car is much cheaper than your husband’s,» he said with surprise.
«We have separate accounts and budgets,» Vera calmly answered, reviving hope in his heart. «We spend money how we want. I need to pay for my study, and the paints are very expensive. Oleg has his own business in Russia. But my account is all the money that I have. I have to be practical.»
«I don’t understand,» Nina cut in. «Why Vera doesn’t kick her light-headed hubby out and find some good, serious man instead.»
«Oleg loves me,» explained Vera, moving her braid in front of her. Enchanted by the view, Jeff watched her long thin fingers mechanically playing with her chestnut hair. «Immigration is a very difficult process. It would be a dishonest act and a betrayal to divorce him.»
«And this is why…» Jeff felt irritation, and lost his careful manner. «you’re ready to sacrifice your life, and maybe the happiness of some other man?»
«Yes, because I appreciate and value such feelings.»
«Don’t you think another man can have the same or maybe even stronger feelings for you?» He saw Nina walk aside leaving him alone with Vera, and he fell silent.
«You don’t know me.» Squeezing her braid, Vera stared at Jeff. The small, refined features of her dizzyingly white face made her look like a mouse.
«I feel as if I’ve known you all my life,» Jeff replied very quietly, and Vera lowered her eyes thinking about her husband.
Vera had been dating Oleg about two months when she received the invitation from the University.
She was afraid that she had misunderstood. She went to her trusted professor, then to the Embassy of the United States.
Everybody confirmed these papers, and an excited Vera barely believed her luck.
She was sorting her belongings when Oleg entered her apartment, and she felt confused. He was a nice man, he helped her, but Vera had no strong feeling for him. She was happy to have a reason to break up with him in a friendly way, without, she hoped, a scandal.
«Oleg.» She tried to talk calmly. «I’m sorry, but we have to stop seeing each other.»
He gazed at her, and Vera finished quickly. «I’ve got a fellowship to study in the U.S.A. I’m moving there.»
Without a word, Oleg circled the room twice.
It seemed as if he could not decide what to do. Suddenly, he approached Vera, fell on his knees, grabbed her hands, and started erotically kissing them.
«How could you think I’d leave you because of that?» He was talking, with a catch in his voice. «I can’t live without you. You are my sunshine and air. Let’s get married! I’ll go with you to the ends of the world!»
Dazed, Vera could not reply; she just did not know what to say. Oleg caressed her and his skillful touching enchanted her, as usual mixing up her thoughts.
Panting and trembling, they helped each other undress, and, drunk with excitement, they hastily got into bed.
«
The deep vortex of enjoyment sucked her in, and she melted into it.
When she finally opened her eyes and saw Oleg’s face close to her, Vera had difficulty recalling what they had been talking about.
«Would you marry me?» She heard his tender voice, and she nodded. Worry lodged in her heart for a second, but he gasped with such sincere gladness that all her concern was gone at once.
«
* * * * *
«My name is Jeff.»
The sentence dragged Vera back to the present, and she stared with amazement at the black police officer, discerning true and powerful passion glowing in his dark brown eyes.
«Jeff,» she repeated, dreamily. «Jeff.»
Chapter 3: The Last Day of October
«Honey, it’s too cold outside.» Nina hesitated, then looked through the window at the first snowflakes whirling in the air like white bees.
«But I can’t go without a costume!» cried Larisa. «You’re a bad mom. Why didn’t you buy me a costume?»
«You chose this yourself.» Nina pointed at the ballerina’s dress. «At the school party you were the cutest one. It’s not my fault that the weather became so cold.»
«But I need a costume to go out.» Larisa still wept while an upset Nina looked at her with compassion and pain in her heart.
«Sweetie, we have no money to buy another one.» The woman stopped short as an idea came to her. She ran to the closet and took out her white lacy blouse with long sleeves and a brown mini-skirt.
«Put on your clothes,» she told Larisa, and when the girl did, Nina pulled the blouse straight over Larisa’s orange coat. She tied the collar and the sleeves with ribbons, and admired the job that she had done. It seemed now as if the girl was wearing only this blouse.
Then Nina put the skirt on her daughter, and tied the belt so it fit the girl’s waist. Since Nina was very short for an adult woman, the skirt reached Larisa’s calves.
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