Anna Sergeevna, my dear, our loaders have made such a mess!» the administrator exclaimed. «Oh, forgive me for not knocking! It’s an emergency, you understand…» she paused briefly to catch her breath and wipe the large beads of sweat from her forehead. «So, what shall we do? Two boxes of champagne have shattered! From France! Oh, how much it cost us, I don’t even want to say.»
«No need. You can tell me after the holidays.»
The woman behind the director’s desk showed no sign of agitation.
«What, can’t we get more champagne in this town? Order the missing boxes somewhere else… and don’t skimp.»
The administrator helplessly waved her hand:
«On New Year’s Eve? Now, even the chain supermarkets have been completely cleared out! Stocked up so it lasts until the end of the holidays! You know this, Anna Sergeevna…»
The director shook her golden curls stubbornly.
«Again with ‘Sergeevna’? Ludmila, why do you hate me so? How many times must I repeat, for you I’m just Anna, simply Anna! As for the champagne… send someone from the procurement team to check the shops, maybe there’s still some left in the warehouses… Act! And stop worrying, you’re only exhausting yourself and others. New Year’s is almost here…» the girl glanced at her watch and smiled dreamily and distantly. The bracelet – thin, shimmering with that special, delicate shine that marks truly expensive items, was designed as a grapevine wrapping around her wrist. No vulgar brightness. No painted glass beads. Exquisite simplicity.
«You didn’t finish,» reminded the administrator. «You started and…»
«What?» Anna as if woke up. She ran her finger over her watch, smiled. «Ah, yes… six hours until the New Year, and I want everything to be perfect. Now I need to take care of some business. I won’t be here until ten.»
«But it’s the restaurant!» Ludmila almost pleaded, but the girl was no longer listening. Quickly checking the contents of her purse, she ran to the mirror, fluffed her hair.
«You still need to give instructions to the chef! To the bartenders! What about the hall? You haven’t approved the decorations yet! The florists are waiting for you, Anna!»
«Ludochka, you’ll manage perfectly without me,» the girl smiled. «I have so little time today…»
«The musicians? They’re already here!»
«Great. Offer them something to eat before they start working.»
«We can’t! They’ll drink and then how will they work…»
«You see, Ludmila,» Anna’s hand, clad in a silk glove, gently touched the cheek of the manager. «You know everything even better than me. How can I help you? Only by not getting in the way.»
The girl quickly threw on her fur coat and left the office.
Ludmila watched her go, feeling a storm of indignation, condescension, and horror rising in her soul.
«I won’t manage!» she muttered. «Never in my life will I manage…»
She slowly approached the mirror where just a minute ago Anna stood with all her smiles, mane of curls, sweet flattery, and subtle perfume scent.
This time, the mirror reflected a pale, very bewildered woman well past forty. But her look was resolute and even stubborn.
«Alright,» Ludmila commanded herself, «now calm down! I’ve handled worse than this.»
She wasn’t lying to herself. Life had been full of challenges. Oh, so many! Raising two children alone because her husband died of alcohol poisoning in a sauna. And a second husband who brought three children from his first marriage, then went off to work in the taiga and stayed there, as he informed in a brief letter. Though what kind of letter was that? A scribble on a scrap of paper: «Won’t come back, fell in love with another. Don’t abandon the kids!»
She didn’t abandon them. Raised them as her own, and didn’t forget about her own either. Raised them all, educated them, turned them into decent people. And it wasn’t as if anyone was particularly eager to help her. She even, during tough times, worked as a taxi driver at night. Kids put to bed, and off to the shift she went! She coped then! She’ll cope now. What’s one restaurant? That’s nothing compared to raising five young kids.
The flare of anger at the fleeting director subsided. What kind of director is she, don’t make me laugh! A twenty-year-old girl, what does she know about life? She should be organizing parties, corporate events…she loves fun, but who doesn’t? Especially at twenty.
And she’s not a bad girl, really. Just too early for her to be a captain, she needs to start as a sailor first.
Her parents – that’s a different story! But once the girl grew up, they handed things over to her. And they – off to the country, to grow roses. Anna’s father, Sergey Nikitich, personally asked Ludmila to help the girl with everything.
«A girl, moreover a pretty one with money, how long before she falls? She might even, God forbid, get involved with bad company, what then? Better she stays busy. Less time for nonsense. And you, Ludmila, help her, advise her when needed.»
Sergey Nikitich reasoned sensibly, Ludmila admitted. She herself had raised her children to work hard and believed that idleness and a life of leisure were the roots of great evil.
But wise father Sergey hadn’t considered one thing: it was too early to put Anna at the helm, she had no experience at all. She should have worked under her father’s guidance for a couple of years, knocked around, gained some bumps and victories, and then maybe set sail on her own… Now, deal with her. Ah, but why talk in vain! Ludmila might not have bothered with the spoiled girl if…
The manager straightened her hair, left the office, and strode towards the kitchen: the head chef awaited final instructions.
Anna ran to her car, rejoicing that she had managed to offload today’s boring chores onto Ludmila, and feeling ashamed of doing so.
The manager was gold as a worker, but in her presence, Anna always felt as if she was a schoolgirl who had decided to skip school for a movie. Running to buy tickets, all excited about the interesting film, when suddenly the strict deputy head appears around the corner. «Sidorova! Why aren’t you at school? You have a geometry test today!»
Just like Ludmila. Always wants to call to order, presses on the conscience. Though Anna isn’t a fool. Surely her father wouldn’t have handed over the restaurant to a fool?
The thin bracelet on her wrist caught and then reflected the light from a street lamp. The girl smiled as she got into the car, again admiring her watch.
A gift from Romeo…that name sounded so romantic, like in a play about lovers.
And what if such a name is accompanied by tall stature, perfectly defined muscles, and a teasing, slightly impudent smile at the corners of the mouth? And also a deep voice and a light Italian accent, which sends shivers down the body?
«In the spring we will go to my place,» he had promised. «You must plan at least a few weeks off. Leave Ludmila in your place, and we will leave.»
«Where?» Anna had asked, just to say something. With Romeo, she was willing to go anywhere, not just for a few weeks, but for a lifetime…
«I’ll show you the real Italy. You haven’t seen it like this. I have a vineyard in the south, we’ll ride incognito through my vineyards. We will travel by car, stop in villages, drink young wine, watch the sun blaze at sunset. As much wine and sun as you want, my love! Then I will take you to Venice. I have a palazzo there! It used to be my grandfather’s palazzo, then my father’s, and now it’s mine. There are stained glass windows made of pure crystal, and the steps are pink marble…family dishes made of gold, decorated with rubies and emeralds.»
«So, it turns out I love a rich Pinocchio?» the girl laughed.
«I’m not Pinocchio, what are you talking about,» Romeo smiled sadly. «Only in fairy tales can Pinocchio be rich, but in life, I am Geppetto, who is always working, working, working…But I’m still luckier than him. Geppetto had no loved one, but I have my Anna.»
The girl blissfully squinted, recalling these words, and it seemed happiness enveloped her from head to toe, like a long cape from a Venetian carnival.
She would have gladly sat like that, unmoving, eyes closed, basking in this wonderful feeling of love and gratitude.
«Pity it can’t be like this,» Anna sighed, pulling away. In the back seat lay a huge bright red bag, tied with a bow – gifts for the orphanage kids. Today, she absolutely had to stop by the orphanage to hand over the gifts.
Another bag, even larger, was in the trunk. These were gifts for the residents of the nursing home.
Since becoming the owner of the restaurant, Anna had eagerly engaged in charity. Having grown up in care and abundance, she genuinely pitied those whom fate had deprived of both. And ever since she met Romeo…
«I’m not complaining about life,» she confessed to her beloved. «I have everything: loving parents, I never knew need or poverty. And now also love…»
«Is that bad?» he was surprised.
Anna shook her head.
«No, of course not. But now that I’m so happy, I want to make everyone happy! I know it’s impossible, but we can at least make life a little better for others.»
Romeo looked at the girl seriously, then suddenly beamed a smile.
«How nicely you said that, my dear! And besides, charity is not taxed! You ingeniously figured out: helping others will be profitable for you.»
Somehow, Anna felt hurt then, as if her beloved had misunderstood her, thinking she was using charity as yet another way to save money.
«He’s Italian,» she reassured herself, «they think completely differently, not like us.» That helped, but Anna began helping the orphanages and nursing homes unofficially, as if to prove to herself that for her, raised in Russia, it certainly wasn’t about the taxes.
At the orphanage, they urged her to stay and personally congratulate the children, but the girl refused. She needed to hurry to the nursing home.
And Romeo was already heading to the restaurant and had sent no less than a hundred enthralled texts to her phone.
«We’ll meet soon, my dear. How I miss you!» he wrote in the last message.
Each time she heard the short signal of a received text, the girl smiled. And since the messages kept coming non-stop, the smile never left her face. In her dreams, she was already at her restaurant, next to her beloved…rejoicing in the arrival of the new year.
«Grinning, that dolled-up wretch, and people have nothing to eat!» she suddenly heard from somewhere to the side. Startled, she dropped her phone, and as she bent down to retrieve it, she received a rather unpleasant poke to the ankle.
A dirty-gray smudge now adorned her fluffy beige boot.
The girl straightened up and looked around for the offender. But who could you distinguish in the rushing New Year’s crowd? No one looked at her with a malicious grin, no one was waiting.
«Why? She’s just…»
«Don’t be upset,» a soft male voice spoke behind her.
Anna turned around.
A beggar stood a meter from her, holding a hat in which some passersby tossed small change.
«People can be envious, girl,» he casually explained. «They see before them a young beauty, who…»
He was distracted for a second to thank another passerby who placed a few small coins in the hat.
«A young beauty who also smiles so happily. Some then remember their own troubles and start thinking that life has treated them unfairly… Thank you,» he smiled at a new benefactor.
Anna thoughtfully looked at the old man, and feeling her gaze, he smiled. The hat contained a handful of small change and a couple of rolled-up bills.
«Maybe a hundred rubles total,» she quickly estimated. But it’s a holiday…
«Grandfather,» she decided, «if you want, come today to…» Anna quickly found a business card of the restaurant in her pocket and handed it to the old man. «Here. I’ll tell them to feed you well in the utility room. I can’t bring you into the hall, sorry. There will be guests… but at least you’ll eat and take some tasty food with you!»
«Thank you,» the beggar thanked her with dignity. «I will definitely be there.»
«Well, that’s great!» she was already hurrying to her car. A blizzard was starting outside, and standing in the snow was not at all appealing. After all, our climate is cold… Nothing, in the spring she would go with Romeo to Italy! I wonder if their trip will be a wedding, or just a vacation?
On one hand, they hadn’t talked about a wedding yet. But on the other, Romeo had hinted several times that he had prepared a special gift for her for this evening.
The old man watched the departing car, and slowly, shuffling in light, out-of-season shoes, walked on his own.
Shame…Oh, how ashamed he was of the kindness from this unfamiliar girl! Is it proper for an elderly man to accept help from a girl who could be his granddaughter? In the past, he used to help others…before…
Anna was already hurrying. Big cities never sleep, and on New Year’s Eve, the number of cars on the streets seemed to have doubled! What if she got stuck in traffic and ended up spending the whole New Year’s night in the car? That would be disappointing…and Romeo was surely already at the restaurant, waiting for her with the other guests.
At the thought of Romeo with his special gift, the girl, for the first time all day, did not smile but frowned.
What if he proposes?
At this thought, Anna felt very anxious. Marriage was not in her plans yet. No, of course, she wanted to start her own family, have children…but not now, not at twenty! She was still so young, she wanted pleasures, not responsibilities! And what to say to her beloved if he indeed proposed marriage? Wouldn’t a refusal offend him? What if he left her?
The New Year’s mood evaporated faster than an ice cube in the sun…
«I won’t think about it,» the girl promised herself, «At least, not today.»
She was already approaching the restaurant. Its windows, decorated with shimmering New Year’s garlands, beckoned her to warmth and merriment.
The outbuilding looked abandoned, and it was. It once was part of a merchant’s house, and the housekeeper lived in the outbuilding. Later, the house was turned into some kind of institution, but even then, the little building wasn’t empty: some kind of corporate parties were held there (nowadays, you would say). In the nineties, the institution was liquidated, and the house – half-ruined, dangerous, was left to endure under the snow and rain.
Now, the outbuilding was a haven for the homeless. In the summer, it was even cozy here: large windows let in lots of light, a pond was nearby, and some weeds grew around… nature, after all.
In winter, it became tough. No electricity, no gas, no heating… But still, the homeless community grew every year with the onset of the cold and lasted until spring. There might not have been warmth and light, but the walls still offered some protection from the wind, and a little from the frost.
The old man lived here all year round, which is why the homeless fraternity only half considered him one of their own.
«You’re a bourgeois, Petrovich!» they would chuckle harmlessly. «Not really a bum, you live not on the street. Do you have relatives? How did you end up homeless?»
Petrovich never answered such questions. Relatives or not, how he became homeless… it was no one’s business, and there was no need to stir up the past.
But now, getting ready for the «invited evening» in the utility room of the restaurant, he couldn’t resist reminiscing. The only coat, once black but now faded and gray, he meticulously, like with a brush, cleaned with a picked spruce branch. The trousers could have used ironing, but such things as an iron did not exist in this outbuilding. On the worn sweater, Petrovich neatly rolled up the sleeves, and the protruding thread at the neckline, he cut off.
«The old man couldn’t assess his own appearance—where would he find a mirror here?
But one of his neighbors, a grumpy old man everyone oddly called ‘Two by a hundred’, saw Petrovich and approvingly croaked:
‘Off to a date, are you, old crone!’
From this dubious compliment, the old man concluded that he must look quite decent, even fancy. By hobo standards, of course. Well… Petrovich had no other standards for a long time.
As he left, he glanced around the annex, its inhabitants, and what, with some imagination, could be called the setting: rags in the corners serving as bedding for their owners, and a box in the middle of the room. The box pretended to be a table. Poorly, unconvincingly so. The floors were covered with newspapers.
Yes, if someone had told him earlier that he would spend his life in such a place! He would never have believed it, no way. Had he ever lived in such places before? Had he not turned away in disgust at the sight of a homeless person rummaging through a trash can? Had he not shaken his head in disapproval? Exactly, Petrovich! Don’t jinx it.
‘Perhaps I shouldn’t go anywhere?’ the old man suddenly thought. Now, walking through the festively dressed streets, by the restaurant, he would surely meet many cheerful, neatly dressed people who came with family and friends. And he himself would be fed in the back room, given leftovers… Happy New Year, grandpa! And after everything seen, returning here would be even worse…
‘Two by a hundred,’ who had been watching Petrovich all this time from his corner, suddenly winked:
‘Don’t worry, old man! We’ll be alive – we won’t die!’
‘To hell with it!’ Petrovich decided, ‘I’ll go! I’ll drag some food back with me, it’s a holiday after all!’
He straightened his coat on himself and left the annex.
The usual holiday commotion reigned in the restaurant hall.
Anna hadn’t yet checked in on the guests. Lyudmila, upon seeing the director, almost forcibly made her enter the office to listen to the report.
‘The musicians say the sound is terrible, and they didn’t bring their own equipment. Their rehearsal base recently burned down, along with all their gear. Well, nothing can be done, they will play as it turns out…’
‘Lyudochka,’ Anna interrupted, ‘you’re doing great. But now I need to go to the guests…’
‘To the florists,’ continued Lyudmila, ignoring her boss’s words, ‘we paid according to the estimate. But one of the compositions fell apart, so we, of course, deducted its cost…’
‘Lyudmila, please…’
‘We found similar champagne, though it was enormously difficult. And with a small overcharge. It’s already chilling,’ the manager ruthlessly continued. – I gave orders to the chef and the bartenders.
‘Thank you!’ Anna shouted. ‘Now let me peacefully greet the guests!’
She went into the hall, almost pushing Lyudmila aside, and almost cried, seeing that it seemed no one had waited for her. The guests were having fun, chatting, hugging friends. Somewhere a champagne cork popped, people shouted ‘Happy upcoming!’
It was hurtful. Anna had so wanted to start the evening by personally greeting everyone, congratulating them, thanking them for coming. Well, she was delayed, she couldn’t meet the guests herself, they couldn’t have been expected to wait outside until the hostess arrived.
But they could have at least not started the fun without her?
‘Don’t worry so much,’ Lyudmila advised quietly, appearing from nowhere. ‘Now I’ll tell the musicians, they will stop playing, and you go up on stage and greet everyone.’
‘I think,’ Anna gloomily replied, ‘they all couldn’t care less about me. Look, they didn’t even notice that the evening’s hostess has arrived.’
The manager shrugged.
‘You’re exaggerating. Did you want them to be bored, sitting at covered tables? People came to relax. That’s what they’re doing, and they’re also waiting for you.’
Anna skeptically looked at the noisy crowd. Waiting? And by the way, where was Romeo?
‘Lyuda, have you seen…’
‘There, at the bar.’
Lyudmila, as always, understood half a word about whom it was about.
Romeo, engrossed in a phone conversation. From this distance, the girl could tell he was speaking Italian. She had long noticed how her beloved transformed when he switched to his native language. His facial expressions even changed, becoming more animated. And he began to gesture as if he had not two hands, but four.
Romeo, sensing someone watching, turned around and noticed Anna. His face lit up with joy, he rushed to her across the entire hall. The girl extended her hands towards her beloved.
The music faded. The guests looked around in confusion, but then smiled broadly, noticing the embracing couple.
‘Happy upcoming, Anechka!’ cries flew.
‘Thank you for inviting, dear!’
‘Anuta, your team are super-professionals! Didn’t expect…’
‘Thank you, thank you,’ she bashfully thanked. ‘I’m so pleased that you all came and you like it…’
Someone already handed her a glass of champagne, and the musicians started playing something slow and beautiful again.
‘Shall we go to our table?’ she suggested to Romeo.
He nodded absentmindedly and looked at his phone again.
‘Of course. Oh, sorry, I must answer!’
Anna, although hoping that this evening her loved one would belong only to her, forced herself to smile. Italian! Probably now his entire numerous family will be calling him: parents, grandmothers, uncles, all fourteen cousins, and four second cousins.
‘Anna Sergeyevna!’ – The ubiquitous Lyudmila was again nearby. – Anna Sergeyevna, we have an… unusual guest. Claims to know you.
‘Where?’
The girl scanned the hall and immediately spotted a figure in a nightmarish coat.
‘I must have mistaken the entrance,’ the old man muttered, blushing from the bewildered gazes directed at him from everywhere. ‘I apologize.’
‘No-no, what are you!’
Anna nodded to the manager: it’s all right! The only person who noticed nothing was Romeo. He continued to chat, and the Italian speech seemed deafening in the ensuing silence.
‘Thank you for coming, grandfather,’ the girl addressed the old man affectionately. ‘Sit at the table…’
‘I’d better go to the kitchen somewhere,’ Petrovich looked away. ‘I feel awkward here…’
‘Alright, as you say. Then Lyudmila will take you to…Lord, Romeo! – Anna couldn’t stand it. – Can you keep quiet for a minute?
The old man, glancing at the Italian, suddenly darkened. He approached the table with heavy steps and slapped the young man across the face.
Anna screamed.
Romeo looked bewildered at the girl, then at the absurd dirty old man next to her.
‘How could you!’ Petrovich contemptuously threw in Italian.
‘Grandpa… What? – Anna asked bewilderedly.
The old man turned to her.
‘Forgive me, child. But I couldn’t bear it. This scoundrel just told someone on the phone: «This fool invited a beggar to the restaurant. But don’t be upset, my love, as soon as the restaurant becomes ours, there will be no homeless there!»‘
«Romeo…» the girl couldn’t take her eyes off her beloved’s face. «Romeo… what is he saying?»
The Italian twisted his lips into a tight smirk and, cursing rudely in his native language, left the hall, disdainfully avoiding Petrovich.
Anna wearily sat down on the chair from which Romeo had just risen.
«Ah… where did you learn Italian?» she asked the old man.
Petrovich looked at the girl with sympathy. To be so disappointed in a loved one! But she’s holding up, brave girl! She’s asking all these questions… The old man disliked questions but understood that the attention of the guests was absorbed by the repulsive scene unfolding here. If he didn’t divert their attention now, they would continue to gossip about the girl, who was already suffering enough.
Let them gossip about him instead.
Petrovich sighed and began to tell his story:
«I wasn’t always a bum,» he started with an obvious fact. «In a past life… many years ago, I taught foreign languages at a university. French, Spanish… and Italian too. My wife was into the history of ancient Rome… together we lived twenty happy years, raised a daughter. When my wife passed away, I dedicated myself entirely to work, to my students. By that time, my daughter was already married and had moved to the other end of the country. Five years later, she died during childbirth. The child… it was a boy, survived, and the father raised him alone. I hoped that one day I would meet my grandson.
And one day I did…»
Petrovich stumbled, as if it became difficult to speak.
«Bring some tea,» whispered Lyudmila to a passing waiter, «don’t you see, the old man is freezing.»
«Kostya sent me a message,» Petrovich continued, «in which he said he lost a card game to serious people. The amount was astronomical; I couldn’t believe my eyes… My grandson’s life was now hanging by a thread, and the only thing left to do was to transfer my house and apartment to the people whose names Kostya had told me. These gentlemen visited me the next day, and I… how could I refuse to help my only grandson?
The old man bitterly smiled and spread his arms.
«That’s the whole story. Sorry it’s not suitable for a celebration, but it is what it is.»
Lyudmila handed him a cup of hot tea.
«And what about Kostya?» she asked quietly. «Your grandson?»
«I never saw Kostya,» Petrovich simply said. «I tried calling the number from which the message came, but no one answered, and the messages didn’t go through. Eventually, I stopped trying.»
Anna closed her eyes to hold back the tears.
«Grandpa,» she said, covering the old man’s hand with her own, «please don’t be upset. I’ll figure out how to help you.»
«Thank you, my dear,» Petrovich smiled. «Thank you.»
Early morning found Anna and Lyudmila in the director’s office. The guests had left just half an hour ago.
Anna, with a moan of relief, kicked off her beautiful, but impossibly tight, shoes.
«Phew!» she exclaimed, leaning back in the chair. «Thank God New Year’s Eve is over! What a celebration that was… I wouldn’t wish it on my enemies.»
«Life is life,» Lyudmila philosophically noted. «It doesn’t ask if it’s a holiday or not for a person. You had a tough time too. Romeo this… but maybe it’s better that it all came out now, rather than after the wedding? I think, for the better.»
And this old man is really to be pitied.
«I promised to help him,» the girl thoughtfully said. «But how to help? Find him decent housing, restore his documents, that’s clear. And we also need to try to find his grandson. But where to look… we need to hire a detective. A good one.»
«Well, that,» Lyudmila slapped her hand on the table, «is no problem at all. Vitka, my oldest, runs a whole detective agency. I didn’t tell you?»
«No.» Anna straightened up, no trace of fatigue.
«Lyudmila, then I have one more request for you. A personal one. It’s about Romeo…»
They received answers earlier than they could have hoped.
«About Romeo, I have nothing good to tell you,» Lyudmila sighed. «You don’t really need to look for him; his pictures are all over women’s forums. A marriage swindler. He’s from somewhere in the depths of Italy but has risen well through his ex-wives. One he convinced to transfer a small winery to him, another he persuaded to hand over a car dealership. He introduces himself as Romeo, apparently because it’s more romantic. In reality, his name is Antonio Scardelli.
It should be noted, his affairs were going well, but then…»
«What then?» Anna sharply asked. «Tell me!»
Lyudmila shrugged:
«Well, nothing much, really. The car dealership went bankrupt, and the workers at the winery went on strike over low wages, and now no one wants to work there. So our friend ended up broke, and began looking for a new victim. This time in Russia. In Italy, he had become too well-known, and in his business, extra fame is certainly not needed. Here, he married for the third time. But he was unlucky: his wife, though she promised to give him a jewelry store for their first wedding anniversary, turned out to be a shrewd person, much older than him. For a whole year, this Antonio-Romeo was a model husband, fulfilled all the whims of his wife, and waited for the first anniversary. But when the long-awaited day came, instead of a jewelry store, he received a hefty kick in the behind from his dearest wife.»
Anna couldn’t hide her smile.
«He got too little!» she sincerely said. «But why did she kick him out?»
«Probably got tired of him,» Lyudmila laughed. «The lady likes young and tender boys; it’s kind of her hobby: collecting boys. Well, to make everything look decent, she marries them. Her longest marriage lasted a year and a half, but then she divorced again. Most likely found a replacement for her Italian, and that was that.»
But the poor guy was so offended by his ex-wife that he forged her signature on the documents to take over the store. So now he’s also facing a prison term.
«Ugh,» Anna grimaced. «How all this is… disgusting. Probably he was meeting with me and someone else at the same time.»
«It’s possible,» the manager agreed. «But honestly, no one has investigated that. The task was to dig up something about this guy’s past.»
But with Petrovich, the story is even darker…
Understand, Anna Sergeyevna, the grandfather fell for a common scam. But the thing is, Kostya – the real grandson of our Petrovich, is now in prison for a crime he did not commit.
His mother did indeed die in childbirth, and since then his father became an alcoholic and neglected his son. One day his dad lost a significant sum of money, and he was nearly cut up, but then his son intervened and said he would pay the money. He had nowhere to get that much money, though the boy worked three jobs. In short…one day guests came to him and said that they understand he won’t return the debt, but there is a possibility to repay in another way. Namely, to take the blame for someone from their gang. Like they had trashed some kiosk at night.
They told the boy all the details, and added that if he refused – he could go and look for a coffin for his alcoholic parent.
«And he agreed,» the girl whispered. She wasn’t asking. She was asserting. «How much longer does he have to sit?»
«Not long,» Lyudmila reassured. «He’s getting out these days. I think someone from his cellmates knew about Petrovich, about the house he has… and scammed the grandfather.»
«I see…»
Anna instinctively looked at her wrist. There was no watch there.
«I… will then go for Petrovich, tell him everything. Maybe he wants to meet his grandson.»
Kostya turned out to be a sturdy broad-shouldered guy of about twenty-six. His face was simple but kind, with smiling blue eyes.
«Thank you for my grandfather, Anna Sergeyevna,» he said right away.
«You’re welcome,» she smiled. «Petrovich… Your grandfather is a very kind and decent man, it was my pleasure to help him. Maybe… maybe I could help you too…» she hesitated. Unsure how this young ex-con might take her offer. Anna had heard many stories about how ex-convicts desperately cling to anyone who shows them even a little pity, then drain everything they can from their victim, and after return to prison because they can’t and don’t want to work, and return to crime again.
Kostya grinned, as if reading her thoughts.
«Maybe you would like to return to your city?» she found herself. «Surely you still have friends there, a girlfriend… finally, an apartment.»
He shook his head.
«No, I have nothing left there. Father died in a drunken accident, fell asleep with a cigarette and burned down the apartment along with himself. Friends have long dispersed, and I never had a girlfriend. So I’ll probably stay near my grandfather, get a job. We’ll live together somehow… yes, we’ll live.»
«Thank you, Anna Sergeyevna, you’ve already helped. Thank you again for grandpa. I don’t need anything else. Only maybe a job… because with my past, it’s hard to find one initially.»
«What can you do?» Anna asked cautiously. «Because I have a restaurant, and the work is specific. You’re not a cook, are you?»
Kostya shook his head.
«Thank God!» thought the girl, but of course, she didn’t say it aloud.
«Well, in that case, I’m afraid I have nothing else to offer you. We have a full staff of waiters, bartenders too… True, one of the security guards recently left, and I’m looking for someone to replace him.»
The young man smiled joyfully, wholeheartedly.
«And I was a security guard, before…» he hesitated, «before prison, in general.»
«Then come tomorrow, around three,» Anna sighed. She really didn’t want to hire a former convict, but it was uncomfortable to back down. She had offered to help, after all… As they say, a word is not a sparrow; once it flies out, you can’t catch it.
I’ll have to ask the guys to keep an eye on him… and tell Lyudmila to keep an eye on him too.
Oh… Anna buried her face in her crossed hands, and quietly, sadly laughed at herself. What kind of character does she have? Always finding adventures for herself!
The first two months she watched the new employee closely, and demanded the same vigilance from others.
«Don’t take your eyes off him, Lyudochka,» she asked the manager. «Understand, maybe he was once a simple, honest guy. Maybe he still is. But prison doesn’t change people for the better, and we can’t forget that. Watch him closely!»
«There’s nothing to watch,» Lyudmila laughed. «He copes with the job, doesn’t drink. Polite, no one has complained about him. But the rest is not our business.»
«And still,» Anna stubbornly repeated, «watch him. Otherwise… people are different, after all.»
Recently, Anna began to notice that she no longer relates to people with her previous enthusiastic trust. Suddenly, she felt older than many of her friends, and it was no longer as interesting to be with them as it once was. Once? Or just recently?
She didn’t know exactly what made her grow up so suddenly and unexpectedly: the disgusting story with the swindler Romeo? Meeting Petrovich and his grandson? It’s hard to tell. Most likely, both influenced her, but Anna didn’t want to delve into it. She preferred to dive headfirst into work.
Now she appeared at the restaurant first and left last, often encountering the new security guard in the process.
Kostya never overstepped, he never even tried to talk to her, limiting himself to only greeting and parting phrases.
The girl was quite satisfied with this.
«Tonight there will be a delivery,» Lyudmila warned Kostya. «They’ll bring alcohol. Twenty-five boxes of white wine, remember and count them. They always bring either less or more.»
«Why don’t the bartenders accept it?» Kostya was surprised. «Alcohol – that’s their domain.»
«They do accept it. Only usually deliveries are in the morning, but today the logistics got mixed up. So it’s up to you to accept it.
Twenty-five of white, remember? And check.»
And Kostya was left alone.
He liked working in this restaurant. In prison, often not to succumb to melancholy and despair, he told himself that his life would definitely turn out wonderfully. But he never dared to think it would be this good. He found a job right away, and his grandpa – he had a great grandfather – was nearby. For the first time in Kostya’s life, he had a real family.
And all thanks to Anna. Mentally he already called her only that: Anya, Anyutka, Anechka. She appeared like a good fairy from somewhere and helped. Just helped, for «thank you.» Is it really possible?
«I’d take such a wife – and need nothing else,» he once confessed to his grandfather. «Only where is she, and where am I…»
«Then go study,» advised him Petrovich. «There are many kinds of courses now, you can get a profession. Start working, not just in security, but something more interesting.»
«Do you think then she’ll notice me?» Kostya smiled.
Grandpa only winked slyly at him.
«You’ve set a high goal for yourself, Kostya. So strive to be worthy of it.»
The wine arrived safe and sound. After chatting a bit with the delivery guys, Kostya locked all the doors again and went on his mandatory hourly patrol of the entire building. In the utility room, he lingered a bit longer than usual, listening to a quiet rustling somewhere where the delivery guys had left the boxes with wine. A mouse, perhaps, got into a box? He had no right to open the boxes, so he would have to wait until morning to figure out the source of the rustling.
From the utility room, he walked to the kitchen, and further – into the dining hall. In this nightly silence, the hall looked particularly striking, and Kostya himself felt out of place amid this luxury.
In the cloakroom, nothing suspicious was observed either. The clock hands were already pointing to four in the morning. Bakers would appear soon. Their shift always started earlier than everyone else’s. The dough for the porous, beloved by all, «ciabatta» bread was prepared from the evening, so there was no time to lose. Moreover, the bakers had many other tasks: to form the dough for bread rolls and put them on proofing, and there was also sweet pastry baking, which always involved a terrible fuss… not to mention preparing various fillings! Kostya initially couldn’t stop himself, so eager was he to try everything: juicy pasties with salmon, fragrant buns with the funny name «brioche,» unexpectedly tasty pies with lingonberry and currant… too much to list!
Fortunately, the bakers always left a part of the baking specifically for the staff.
The security guard was glad that the baking shift would soon start. It wasn’t scary at night in the restaurant, but for some reason, it was surprisingly lonely, and he never liked being alone.
The rustle, coming from somewhere near the kitchen, made him flinch.
Kostya quickly crossed the hall, entered the kitchen, and gasped, covering his face with his sleeve, because a disgusting, concentrated smell of gasoline hit his nose. Under one of the tables, something was smoking heavily. Tearing the fire extinguisher from the wall, the security guard rushed to the source of the fire, and… almost burst out laughing with relief, seeing that it was just a burning floor rag. But a minute later, he didn’t want to laugh anymore, because it turned out that there were several such rags, and they were skillfully hidden, distributed among the boxes, ovens, and Kostya dashed between them with the fire extinguisher, finding new ones, relying mainly on the smoke that kept filling and filling the room.
«Kostya! Kostyushka!»
He groaned and opened his eyes. A cool girl’s hand lay on his forehead. Where was he?
«How are you feeling?»
«Anna Sergeyevna?!»
Now he remembered. And immediately tried to get up.
«Anna Sergeyevna, there…»
«Shh, calm down, or you’ll pull out the IV from your hand. You prevented the fire. But you inhaled smoke, and you have a couple of burns. Lie back down, you shouldn’t get agitated.»
«Who?» he asked weakly, settling back on the cot.
A short melodic laugh.
«My would-be fiancé. He’s already been detained. All that’s not important now. But you – you’re a real hero. You saved my restaurant. As soon as you recover – ask me for anything you want. Agreed.»
«Hand,» he replied without thinking.
Anna stared at the boy, perplexed. What was he talking about?
«Hand? Do you want to stand up again? But you still can’t.»
«Hand,» he repeated, and seeing that they didn’t understand him, he mischievously smiled, «Hand and heart.»
Half a year later, Anna and Konstantin were strolling through a children’s goods supermarket.
«Well, have we picked everything?» Kostya was anxious. «Did we forget anything?»
«It seems everything. And still…» Anna thoughtfully stroked her rounded belly, «I’m sad to leave the restaurant. I’ve gotten so used to being at work all the time.»
«But it’s not forever,» her husband comforted her. «And besides, you’re leaving Lyudmila in your place, and she’s a knowledgeable person, everything will be alright.»
Since he managed to clear his criminal record, proving that he was not guilty of the crime for which he was convicted… and what since then? Life started! A new life, in which he felt much more confident and better. Concrete plans appeared. And even a job in his field was found, although now he was thinking about continuing his education.
«And what will I be now?» his wife interrupted his thoughts. «Just an ordinary housewife?»
He smiled and tenderly kissed his wife on the nose.
«You will always be yourself.»
