Taya took a long time to get ready and kept twirling in front of the mirror, scrutinizing herself. After all, today was a big day! Sergey had invited her to a very expensive restaurant, most likely intending to propose. She also had a surprise for her beloved; she had learned the astonishing news yesterday—she was two months pregnant. Her beloved would be thrilled!
The girl was already looking forward to a soon-to-be wedding, a beautiful dress, and her beloved by her side. Finally, her luck had turned, even as a poor orphanage girl. She had just got a job as a waitress in a pizzeria when this guy started hitting on her. Rich, smart, gallant, he gave such bouquets, recited Yesenin’s poetry. She fell in love instantly, watching her idol as if spellbound, hanging on his every word. One thing saddened her, Sergey was in no rush to introduce her to his parents and friends, they met secretly and stealthily, like thieves… He always said he was too busy, too much work…
But everything went awry! As soon as the young man heard about the pregnancy, it was as if he changed; he began to shout and blame Taya for everything:
«You what were you thinking? What children? I have a contract with Spain on the line, fate is being decided! Well, nothing, I will arrange it, I will give money, you will go to a trusted doctor, to settle everything within a week!» he declared sharply.
Taya burst into tears, trying to reach out to her beloved:
«Sergey, what are you saying? I can’t kill the baby… It’s already alive in there, feeling everything! I thought you loved me and would be happy! Well, know this, I am going to have this baby!» she blurted out, like a scalded cat and dashed headlong back to her dormitory, jumping over puddles…
Sergey was furious! What a fool, a miserable orphan! He hadn’t even planned to have anything serious with her, just got carried away by a pretty waitress from the pizzeria, it happens to anyone. In fact, he already had a profitable match, the ambassador’s daughter, Anna, and his departure to Spain was only possible after their wedding. What to do now? And if this poor girl runs and tells everything to his father? Or someone else? It’s over! Then he accidentally saw an ad in the newspaper: «A tourist trip to Siberia! Romance, songs around the campfire, the beauty of the wild taiga forest! An unforgettable weekend!» «There’s my chance!» he thought. The main thing is to plan everything thoroughly, and leave her there, no one will even look for this orphan, she’ll disappear in the forest, so be it!
The next day, Taya couldn’t concentrate at work at all, everything was slipping from her hands. She had already been scolded twice and threatened with dismissal when suddenly there was a call. The excited girl picked up the phone, Sergey reported:
«Taya, my beloved, I was wrong and got carried away. Let’s make up, I suggest going on a super trip this weekend, a tour in the taiga forests! You’ve always dreamed of romance, haven’t you?» he pleaded.
The girl almost shouted with joy! «Hooray! He finally came to his senses! I knew he loved me!» she rejoiced and of course immediately agreed. They had never traveled together before, and she had missed it so much, three whole days with her beloved.
The beauty of the taiga amazed Taisiya to her core! Huge, mighty cedars, sprawling firs, a sea of cranberries and blackberries, and the purest, intoxicating air away from the polluted city. She listened with her mouth open to the guide and didn’t lag behind him for a step. The tour was coming to an end, only the last route and the way home were left for tomorrow. They spent the night in wooden guest houses near a small village of ten houses. Sergey was very nervous, his plan was under threat! The stubborn girl didn’t want to separate from the group: she happily sang songs with everyone and ate fish she had caught herself, baked on the campfire. The guy realized, it’s now or never.
He woke up the already dozing girl and excitedly began:
«Dear, help! I’ve lost my documents, apparently dropped them at the rest stop! Let’s go look! I can’t go anywhere without them, it takes a long time to replace them, there are bank cards and licenses there!»
Taya hesitated:
«Well, let’s already do it tomorrow, tell the guide, he will help, we’ll get lost ourselves? And it’s nighttime outside…»
But the wretched villain continued to press for pity:
«Well, look, will he turn the whole group around just because of me! Well, dear, it’s not far here, I remember our route perfectly! Besides, I’ll take a flashlight, we’ve always been on the path and never strayed deep!»
The trusting naive girl agreed and went to rescue her beloved, not even noticing a coil of rope under Sergey’s jacket. They walked for a long time, having lost their way from the daytime route, Taya was very tired and out of breath from the fast pace, she was cold and scared. At night, the forest was not at all gentle and friendly, she imagined predators under every bush and flinched at every crack of a branch…
Taya couldn’t take it anymore:
«Serezha, enough, I can’t go on! Your wallet is nowhere to be found, and you can’t see much with just a flashlight! Let’s go back, we’ll search more tomorrow!»
The young man behind her grimaced maliciously and whispered quietly:
«Well, you decided this yourself! May you be lost forever, idiot! I hate you!» – and he slammed a heavy log onto her head. The girl groaned and slumped to the ground.
To be sure, Sergey dragged the poor thing further away from the path, tightly tied her with a rope around a tree to make sure she couldn’t escape. He put a gag in her mouth and raced back to the camp faster than the wind. Her small, battered backpack, he hid in his heavy suitcase. He was shaking and pounding, afraid that she might survive and come running back. He didn’t have the courage to finish the job… He hoped that the wild animals in the dense forest would tear her apart, ending everything!
In the morning, Sergey approached the tour guide with a distressed look and reported:
«Alexander, you know, my fiancée and I argued last night, she didn’t like the romance here. She felt unwell and left by taxi in the middle of the night. I just called her, she’s waiting for the morning flight. And I think I will also fly home, I’m not in the mood to go with you, it will be lonely without my beloved.»
«What news,» the guide exclaimed, surprised, «first time I’ve encountered this! But well, we are all adults here, these things happen in families. If you like, we’ll be back by lunch, have a bite to eat, and the bus will come for us, but of course, it’s up to you. You have exactly thirty minutes to think it over while I get the group ready for the hike.»
Alexander was not perturbed by the man’s story, as tourists often took taxis to and from guesthouses. Moreover, it was clear: here was a well-to-do, respectable man, not a criminal, and there was no need for him to lie.
Sergey was elated! Hooray, everything worked out, he finally got rid of the annoying pest, now he just needed to quickly marry Anna and flee abroad to escape sin! How well everything turned out! This subhuman was not the least bit troubled that he had destroyed two lives with his own hands…
Taya woke up closer to noon, barely able to open her eyes… Her hands were numb and terribly sore, she was tightly tied to a tree. Mosquitoes had bitten her beyond recognition, her face was swollen and puffed up. But the worst was yet to come, looking around, the girl froze in horror. Two glowing wolf eyes were staring directly at her. The beast growled, baring its huge, yellowish fangs, its fur bristled, it smelled the scent of helpless prey and was preparing to feast! The animal moved closer and closer, the girl closed her eyes in terror, squinted tightly, and moaned, using her last strength, preparing to die a second time!
Suddenly, shots rang out, one, then another, very close, just inches from her… The frightened beast jumped to the side and disappeared into the bushes!
Above her loomed a burly man in camouflage clothing with an ugly scar across his face:
«Hey, are you alive? Hang on, I’ll untie you now! Who did this to you? Ay ay ay! What inhuman creatures!» — he lamented.
Finally, she was freed, Taya tried to stand up, but her frozen legs were numb and would not obey, her head was buzzing, she barely managed to whisper with her cracked, dry lips:
«Thank you!» – and she collapsed unconscious.
Ranger Mikhail just shook his head:
«What are you going to do?» – he picked up the weightless stranger in his arms and carried her to his cabin.
On the way, he pondered: «Where could she have come from? Judging by her clothes, definitely not a local. Maybe a tourist, they sometimes bring them here on excursions, could she be from there? But why tied up and with a serious head injury, someone really hit her hard! She miraculously survived, no doubt about it!»
For three whole weeks, he nursed the girl, fed her medicinal brews, brought down her fever, the stranger was delirious all the time, calling for some Serezha…
Finally, the crisis passed, and the girl came to herself. Taya lay on a huge, soft bed, smelling of tobacco and some spicy herbs. And she was afraid to speak, watching the huge man who fussed over her like a child. His fearsome appearance scared the guest, and that scar on his face with the thick beard.
The stranger started first:
«Well, beauty, I see you’re feeling better. I’m Mikhail, the local ranger. And what might your name be?»
«Taya I am…» she whispered softly.
«Well, Tayechka, tell me, how did you end up here? And who did this to you, and tied you up with ropes? Probably should report this to the police, they might be looking for you already?»
Taya remembered all the horrors she had experienced and burst into tears from the offense and hopelessness:
«I have nowhere to go! And no one is looking for me! And to die, my fiancé left me! Because I’m pregnant, and I didn’t want to have an abortion! And he deliberately arranged everything and left me here. His last words I remember: ‘I hate you!’ It would have been better if the beasts had really torn me apart! How am I to live now?» – and she wept bitterly.
Misha frowned:
«That’s how it is? Well, lie down for now, I need to think! And chase those dark thoughts away from yourself! Up there, it’s clearer, who is meant to live and who it’s time to die already!» – and he left, slamming the door behind him.
Taya listened, the burly man was chopping wood and piling it up. Ten minutes later, everything went quiet. He came in, sat on a chair next to her, and said:
«So, my dove, I believe you, I feel you’re not lying, your eyes are honest, and believe me, I’ve seen all sorts of people. Stay with me if you want, I won’t drive you away or reproach you. I don’t promise mountains of gold, life here is hard, work is necessary. But the taiga is generous, it feeds everyone, rich in its forest gifts! I’ll accept the child as my own, all fair and square. And if not, I won’t force you, go to the city if you must, I’ll help you get there» – and he went for another round in the forest.
Misha never expected this from himself. After all, he had long vowed never to let anyone close, especially women. Life had been harsh to him. He served in Afghanistan, was captured, and spent three years in a pit, enduring unimaginable hardships, and the scars lasted a lifetime. He then screamed through many nights like a madman, waking up in cold sweat. His mother did not survive the wait; she died miserable, and his fiancée, Alyonka, a traitor, rejected him as soon as she saw his disfigured face. So, he retreated deep into the forest and remained there as a gamekeeper. He loved his job and understood animals with a mere glance, and they reciprocated.
And then this meeting happened! At first, he felt incredibly sorry for this poor creature, but gradually, as he nursed her back to health, he unknowingly fell in love with her small, almost childlike hands, dimples on her slender cheeks, and her delicate blonde curly hair… Today, he decided to confess everything, come what may. He was a straightforward man, not skilled in lying or deceiving.
Late in the evening, as the man returned home carrying a hunted hare over his shoulder for dinner, he approached his cabin with anxiety. He tormented himself, wondering if she had given up on everything and left, or if she had stayed?
Seeing the light in the window, his heart felt lighter, and he smiled to himself through his bushy beard. The house smelled of something delicious. Taya was finishing cooking mushroom cabbage soup, with a fragrant brew bubbling on the stove.
Without any unnecessary words, she looked into his bottomless brown eyes and whispered:
«I agree, Misha, I will be with you in sorrow and in joy! Thank you! Just don’t leave me or betray me!»
Eighteen years flew by in a flash, and the gamekeeper Kashin’s family was enviable, with a loyal beautiful wife Taisiya and a son Yaroslav, a clever athletic young man as tall as a rake. Over the years, Taya only grew more beautiful, the love and care of her husband, and the fresh taiga air made her rosy, strong, and radiant with health. She never regretted staying in the Taiga with Misha, this silent giant with a fierce face, who dusted off every speck from her and they lived soul to soul. He adopted Yarik right away and raised him as his own, with strictness and fairness. The boy did very well in school, and it was decided to send him to the capital to enter university, as he had dreamed of becoming a doctor since childhood.
Taya resisted and wouldn’t let the boy go alone, lamenting:
«Don’t even try to persuade me, I will go to the city with Yarik! He has never seen anything beyond our district center, and I once lived in Moscow, I’ll help him settle in the dormitory, and then I’ll go home with a clear conscience!»
Misha frowned, he didn’t want to let his wife go to that damned capital, only misery came from it, and he had a bad premonition. But he couldn’t leave his job, so he grudgingly agreed!
Walking through the bustling, fussy, and crowded Moscow, Taya and Yarik were constantly turning their heads in astonishment! How everything had changed over the years! Luxurious new buildings, skyscrapers, and such interesting cars! Mother and son went to the subway. There, beggars and paupers swirled around. One nearly threw himself at their feet with an outstretched hand. Something eerily familiar seemed to her about this unkempt, foul-smelling, and shabbily dressed unpleasant man. She tossed some change into his grimy cap, and looked at him again, observing more closely.
Suddenly he cried out:
«Taya? Can it be? You’re alive? It’s me, Sergey! Remember me?»
The woman felt as if scalded by boiling water from a kettle, with forgotten horrors and the snarl of a ferocious wolf flashing before her eyes…
Meanwhile, the man intently looked at Yarik:
«Isn’t this my son, yes? He looks just like me in my youth, even the mole under the ear is exactly the same, no need for any tests!»
The boy looked puzzled at his mother:
«Mom, who is this? And what is he talking about? He’s just sick, right?»
Taya was in shock, at a loss for how to react or what to answer anyone.
Sergey, meanwhile, wasted no time, seizing the moment:
«I want to communicate with my son! I have every right to! See how life has broken me! My wife left me, my business failed, and everything went downhill from there! Now I stay in a shelter and beg for alms! But remember how we loved each other, Taya?» – the manipulative man pressed for pity.
Finally, Taya came to her senses, turned to her son, and looking straight into his eyes, declared:
«No, son, this man isn’t lying, he’s your biological father! Eighteen years ago, after finding out I was pregnant with you, he took me to the taiga and left me to die in the forest, and to make sure, he hit me with a log, tying me dead to a tree! Remember, son, you asked where I got the scar on the back of my head, now you know the truth…» — turning to the homeless man, Taisiya continued. «Probably from great love you treated me this way, right Sergey? The gamekeeper, Mikhail, saved me from death, sheltered me, and proposed marriage, and you, Yaroslav, he took in and raised as his own! And this scoundrel lived peacefully all these years, fully aware of what he did and thinking my bones had long disappeared in the forest! So decide, son, whether you want to communicate with such a daddy or not? You’re already an adult, think for yourself!»
She exhaled, turned away, and stepped aside, giving her son the right to decide what to do himself. It was unbearable for her to see this failure of a man; she felt nothing but hatred for him and did not pity him at all!
With disgust and almost hatred, the boy looked at Sergey:
«You are a monster! I regret ever meeting you here! Don’t dare come near me or my mother, or you will regret it, now there’s someone to protect her! You are nothing to me! A stranger. My father, Mikhail Kashin, is the best and most honorable man, and I need no other!» – and Yarik approached his mother. He tenderly embraced her shoulders:
«Let’s go, Mom, or we’ll be late for the interview! God be his judge!»
Sergey stood as if spat upon, angry at himself. For the first time in all these years, he realized what he had done eighteen years ago, how cruelly and vilely he had acted, nearly depriving a mother and her child of their lives. Fate had cruelly punished him for this, leaving him destitute in his old age. No family, no children, no roof over his head, no job. Just a dirty and unkempt bum, looked upon with disdain and disgust by everyone.
He watched for a long time as the woman who once loved him and his own son walked away forever, and through a veil of tears, he whispered:
«Forgive me, son, for everything…»
Yarik successfully enrolled in the university, settled all the housing matters, thankfully there were still places in the dormitory, and they returned home as there was still a whole month left until the academic year.
Misha nearly went mad waiting for Taya and Yarik, spinning all kinds of worries in his head. He feared that once she was in the capital after so many years, she might want to stay there? After all, what was here but the forest and wildlife… And she was such a beauty!
Finally, the right train appeared at the station, and out of the carriage stepped his beloved wife with their son. The wife threw herself into her husband’s neck, hugged him tightly, inhaled the familiar scent of tobacco and wormwood, and whispered:
«How much I love you, Mishenka! We are finally home! Even the air here is different, native somehow, unlike in that Moscow.»
Yarik extended his hand to the man, shook it firmly, and said:
«Hello, Dad, I’ve missed you! How about we go fishing tomorrow, I bought such great bait!» – and the young man winked at Mikhail.
The gamekeeper felt so warm and content inside, and for the thousandth time, he thanked heaven for that lucky find in the forest, eighteen years ago!
In the evening, everyone jovially drank fragrant tea with aromatic cranberry jam, cracked nuts, and cheerfully recounted their adventures in the capital. Neither mother nor son mentioned the encounter with Sergey, even without discussing it, both knew they had a happy, united family, so why bring up unnecessary worries?
