It was unbearably hot on the bus, the open hatches and windows did not save the tired passengers from the stuffiness, who were annoyed by the huge traffic jam. Olga was returning from work, lazily pondering what to cook for dinner. Of course, her imagination painted exclusive dishes of marbled beef or truffle ravioli. Sighing, she settled on buckwheat with meat patties, deciding that this choice was no worse.
Sitting by the window, the girl looked at the evening city: it was still light outside, some hurried on their errands, some strolled in the shade of the alleys, hiding from the heat. A man walked his dog. «Basset,» Olga automatically noted. Working as a veterinarian for eight years, she could identify the breed of any dog, even by its bark.
A young couple with a stroller passed by. Their baby, not wanting to sit still, stood, holding onto the visor of his transport, and smiled toothlessly. Olga sighed sadly – for five years she had been unable to come to terms with the fact that she could not become a mother. She and her husband had visited numerous medical centers, but the cause of infertility had never been determined. Shaking off the heavy thoughts, the girl noticed a loving couple – a tall slim man and a plump blonde, shamelessly merging in a passionate kiss.
«How sweet,» thought Olga, enviously in a good way. Being in her eighth year of marriage, she already and didn’t remember what it was like to lose her head from love and, forgetting decorum, give in to feelings.
Finally, the man pulled away from his beloved, who, throwing back her upturned nose, laughed, not letting him out of her embrace. He turned his head to the road and Olga almost screamed in surprise – it was her husband Anton.
The bewildered woman looked around and realized that she could not get off the overcrowded bus stuck in traffic right now. Looking out the window again, she saw her husband, wrapping his arm around the blonde’s waist, helping her into a taxi. Olga pulled out her phone and could not decide what to do with it – call her husband or photograph him for proof of infidelity. The taxi drove away, leaving her in deep thought.
Olga had met Anton in her second year of university – her best friend Svetka had invited him to her birthday party because he was friends with her older brother. Toha, as his friends called him, was four years older than Olga and was already working at a construction company at the time. He immediately fell for her – a beautiful, long-legged brunette with tanned skin and large brown eyes.
Anton gave the impression of a very reliable man – he worked a lot, had his own apartment in the city center, and a good car. He wasn’t a romantic and didn’t give Olga bouquets of roses, believing it was better to spend money on boots or a warm jacket, and the girl agreed with him, seeing it as a sign of a mature person.
When Olga graduated from university, they got married. Life was seemingly good – her husband started his own business, she got a job at a veterinary clinic. The only cloud in their life was the lack of children and Anton’s constant pursuit of money. He tried to earn even more, investing in his business, and his wife supported him, trying to manage all household expenses with her salary. Of course, she wanted to travel, or at least get away to the sea once a year, but Anton always persuaded her to wait a little longer and went on business trips, negotiations, leaving his wife alone at home.
A couple of months ago, Svetka said she saw Anton in an expensive restaurant with some woman. Olga didn’t believe her friend then, knowing that luring her husband to a restaurant, especially an expensive one, was unrealistic. So she dismissed this information, attributing it to Svetka’s nearsightedness.
Finally, the bus got past the traffic jam, and Olga began to feverishly think about what to do next. Her imagination painted various pictures – from a proud silent divorce to a cruel murder. Realizing that neither option was suitable, as she definitely couldn’t keep silent and didn’t want to clean blood off the walls, she decided she needed to devise a plan for revenge that would make her husband wake up in a cold sweat for a long time, seeing her in his dreams.
Olga couldn’t describe her feelings – jealousy, combined with anger and misunderstanding of what was happening, prevented her from thinking clearly. She got off at her stop, went to the grocery store, and for some reason bought a cake.
Entering the apartment, the girl stood in the hallway for a long time, looking at herself in the mirror. It was unclear to her why her husband had cheated – Olga always caught admiring glances from men and listened to countless compliments about her appearance every day. She took out her phone and called Svetka.
«I saw him with another woman,» she said, unexpectedly bursting into tears.
«Ol, don’t cry. I told you. And why do you need him? Toha has been a terrible miser and a self-absorbed peacock since childhood, you just didn’t want to see it. I’ve seen him a couple of times with that skinny scarecrow,» Svetka tried to comfort her friend.
«With the skinny one? She must weigh at least 150 kilos!» Olga was surprised, once again confirming that her friend was indeed nearsighted.
«Well, a small dark-haired woman,» Svetka cautiously asked.
«No, it was a huge blonde,» Olga responded angrily, «she kissed him so hard I thought she was going to eat him.»
«Oh, so that’s not her,» Svetka sounded oddly relieved.
«Great, so there are several of them,» Olga said distractedly, drenched as if with icy water.
«I’ll call you after work,» Svetka quickly hung up, realizing she had said too much.
Olga unpacked the cake, took a fork, and without cutting the treat, started eating it right out of the box, mourning her feminine fate. After about five minutes, she was nauseated by the sweetness and self-pity. Determined that she would definitely devise a sophisticated plan for revenge, Olga even cheered up.
Someone rang the doorbell. Anton knew his wife had already come home from work, so he didn’t bother looking for keys in his bag. She opened the door and let her husband in, restraining herself from hitting him when he kissed her cheek as usual.
«Hello, bunny,» greeted his wife Anton, and Olga felt sick realizing that he probably called all his women «bunnies» to avoid mixing up their names.
Her husband washed his hands and went to the kitchen. Seeing the ravaged cake, he asked in surprise:
«What are we having for dinner today?»
«Cake,» Olga replied and sat down at the table.
«Uhh, isn’t there anything else?» grunted the husband, amusing the girl.
«No, I thought we hadn’t had cake for a long time!»
«You on your period or something?» grumbled Anton under his breath and took out eggs from the fridge, «maybe we should fry some?»
Brushing away the image of a bewildered husband with a frying pan on his head, with yolk running down his forehead, Olga responded:
Fry it, and I’ll go lie down,» she said, and left for the bedroom.
«Definitely that time of the month,» muttered the husband, trying to figure out where the frying pans were stored.
Anton clattered loudly with the dishes, his whole demeanor showing his displeasure with his wife’s behavior.
After dining in proud solitude, the husband entered the bedroom and announced that he needed to leave on a business trip for a few days, maybe a week.
«Where are you going?» Olga asked curiously.
«Oh, to an industrial town, there are several options for warehouses and production facilities,» Anton replied evasively, «nothing interesting—just negotiations, bricks, shingles, and other delights.»
«When will we go somewhere to relax? I haven’t seen the sea in three years,» the wife pouted dramatically.
«Bunny, it will all happen, you know we need to invest a little now so we can afford everything later,» Anton tried to kiss his wife.
«I have a headache,» Olga turned away, barely restraining herself from making a scene.
In the morning, she watched as her husband, humming a tune under his breath, packed his suitcase. Olga refused to make breakfast, citing her headache, and coldly said goodbye to Anton, telling him she had to go to work.
After leaving the house, she bought herself a coffee, called the clinic to take a few days off, claiming she was sick, and then settled in the gazebo near the house, thinking about what to do next. Her phone rang; it was Svetka, who told her she saw Anton’s surname in the airline program where she worked.
«Your beloved is flying to the sea. He departs today at noon,» her friend informed her.
After getting the details, Olga asked Svetlana to book her a ticket to the same destination, but a few hours later. The resort town was familiar to her—she and her parents had vacationed there several times in her childhood, loving it for its clean sea and small beautiful beach.
Suddenly, Anton burst out of the building and, jumping into a car, sped off somewhere. He was without his belongings, meaning he planned to return home. Olga went into the apartment and saw that her husband had already packed his suitcase. Opening it, the girl found, besides swim trunks and t-shirts, a small box wrapped in beautiful gift paper. A plan formed instantly. Mentally thanking her husband for his pathological thriftiness, she pulled out an identical suitcase and remembered how she had persuaded her husband not to buy them. They were good quality but in an awful yellow color, but since one could buy two for the price of one, Anton decided it was a good deal.
Olga stuffed the second suitcase with toilet paper, cardboard boxes, various useless rags, and, unable to resist, laughed as she also packed a bag of trash that her husband had forgotten to take out for two days. Smiling triumphantly to herself, she grabbed a sports bag, threw in a couple of dresses, several swimsuits, flip-flops, cosmetics, and left the apartment. Her husband’s gift to his mistress was also in her bag.
Back in the gazebo, Olga unpacked the box and, to her surprise, found an unusual gold dragonfly pendant encrusted with gemstones. That her husband had splurged on such a clearly very expensive gift made her angry. The pendant was quite large and very noticeable, so Olga decided to wear it around her neck and confront her astonished husband on the beach. Imagining his face at that moment, she laughed.
A few minutes later, the girl watched as her husband rushed out of the house, suitcase in hand, and settled into a waiting taxi. The first part of the plan had worked—he suspected nothing.
The husband arrived at the airport, where Lyubasha—a capricious and tempestuous chubby woman who brooked no objection—was waiting for him. She was the only daughter of a chain of construction hypermarkets’ owner, and Anton, having easily charmed her, was already planning to manage a truly large business. He had always dreamed of becoming very rich and influential, saving every penny. By twenty-five, he had managed to start his own business, earning a decent amount. But he could not achieve a high status in society, nor did he dream of such incomes—in his fantasies, he was the owner of a large country mansion and an elite car park, accompanied everywhere by personal security, with a dozen servants managing his household. He always wanted to have the very best. Having met Olga, he decided that this beauty must become his wife. He enjoyed how men’s jaws dropped when he introduced his wife.
But she turned out to be his complete opposite—she didn’t strive for wealth, could spend money on something trivial like curtains or dishes. Anton had to convince Olga that his income needed to be invested in business development, so she could only spend her salary. Lately, his business had become unprofitable due to the crisis, but he didn’t give up, trying to find a way out. The solution turned out to be simpler than he thought: women had always admired him, and having met one tax office manager once, he managed to solve several of his problems.
Realizing that his appearance and charm could bring him the income and status he had dreamed of, Anton began to charm rich and influential ladies. Mostly they were all married, so, getting his benefit from interacting with them, he felt comfortable. Lyubasha, however, was different—a young spoiled individual, demanding constant attention. Her antics irritated him, but he understood that this girl was a ticket to a bright and carefree future. Her father was a strict and suspicious man, so Anton tried his best to please him, spoiling Lyuba with gifts and restaurant outings.
He had long decided to divorce Olga, hoping that, over time, his wife would agree to become his mistress. He was completely confident that she could not stop loving him.
After checking in for the flight, the man was ready to strangle Lyubasha, who had been driving him crazy with her whims: first, she was hot, then she froze under the air conditioner, wanted to drink, eat, go to the toilet, and constantly whined that it was better to vacation abroad.
«Bunny, we’ll go abroad later. I just want us to go there for at least ten days, and right now, you understand, I can’t leave work,» Anton soothed the girl.
«I’m tired of standing and actually, I think you don’t love me,» pouted Lyuba.
«But you have a surprise waiting when we get to the sea,» Anton said sweetly, albeit insincerely.
«Surprise? What kind?» Lyuba jumped up, causing her heavy chest to nearly spill out of her open blouse.
Anton always wanted to tell the girl that she shouldn’t dress like that—she wore very short shorts, revealing tops, tight dresses, leggings, which made her look like a sausage. But he had to compliment her, each time amazed at Lyuba’s latest outfit.
«I have a gift for you, very beautiful,» replied the man.
«Give it here,» demanded the girl.
«Bunny, it’s in the suitcase. We’ll get it when we arrive,» Anton tried to hide his irritation.
Throughout the flight, Lyubasha tormented her lover, trying to guess what he had gotten her.
After landing and retrieving their luggage, the girl immediately demanded the gift. Anton, burdened with three suitcases, snapped back, genuinely puzzled why Lyuba needed so many things if they had come for just three days:
«We’ll get it at the hotel!» he barked, and the girl temporarily quieted down.
Settling into the hotel, Lyuba immediately dug into Anton’s suitcase to finally get her surprise. Surprised, she rummaged through a pile of rags and cardboard, pulled out some tied package and, tearing it open, spilled the contents onto the bed. Potato peels, onion skins, a mayonnaise packet, remnants of some food, and atop this pile, solemnly landed a herring’s spine and head. The surprise obviously emitted a disgusting smell.
Anton, coming out of the shower, met Lyubasha’s bewildered eyes and realized something was wrong.
«What is this?» shrieked the girl.
Approaching the bed, the man stared at the contents of the suitcase, not understanding what was happening.
«Where did you get this?» he asked, shocked.
«Are you mocking me? This is your suitcase! Where’s my gift? This herring or maybe a dirty napkin?» the outraged blonde pointed at the foul-smelling pile on the bed.
The man sat down on a chair and thoughtfully rubbed the back of his head. He realized that this was his wife’s doing and feverishly thought about what to do, to the squeals of his enraged mistress. On the one hand, everything was going well—he could now avoid explanations with Olga and calmly file for divorce; on the other hand, he regretted the money spent on Lyubasha’s gift, which would demand he buy her something in return. Understanding that any business requires investment, Anton resigned himself to his fate and began to soothe the girl:
«Bunny, this is some misunderstanding. Most likely, our suitcase was switched with someone else’s. I’ll call the airline right now and report the swap.»
Lyuba skeptically looked at Anton:
«And if the one who took your suitcase steals my surprise?»
«Then we’ll buy a new one,» the man replied, amazed at his companion’s stupidity—how could she believe that someone intentionally flew with a suitcase of garbage.
«Baby, does anyone else have such an awful yellow suitcase?» Lyuba had some flashes of consciousness, but they immediately died down, «okay, let’s go buy me new surprises.»
Meanwhile, the plane with the deceived wife, who had firmly decided to wear the pendant and go to the beach to ruffle the sweet couple’s nerves, was boarding. Settling into the hotel, Olga changed into a beautiful turquoise swimsuit that accentuated her tanned skin, took a beach mat, a tunic, wore the shining gold dragonfly around her neck, and leisurely headed to the sea. Men turned to look at the beauty, and their wives sent her malicious glances. Smiling, Olga thought that she would never let any suitor near her again, as they were all deceivers and betrayers.
Arriving at the beach, the girl felt discouraged, as there were too many people, and finding Anton with his mistress in such a crowd was not easy. Walking along the water’s edge, she stealthily examined the vacationers when she suddenly bumped into another corn seller.
A tall tanned man with slight gray at his temples didn’t quite fit the ranks of beach snack vendors scurrying along the beach in search of earnings. The seller froze in place, rudely staring at her chest.
«That’s too much,» Olga thought angrily, trying to get around the rascal. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand.
«Where did you get that pendant?» he asked fiercely.
«Are you sick? Let go of me!» the girl tried to break free.
«I’m asking where you got it?» it was noticeable that he was becoming enraged.
«I don’t understand what you want from me? And why are you poking me?» Olga was outraged.
«Let’s call the police, tell them everything,» the man didn’t let go of the girl.
A few people, apparently acquaintances of this seller, approached them.
«Sergey, what happened?» asked one of them, looking at Olga with interest.
«Look what she has on her neck. I personally made that pendant for Inga,» the man replied with a trembling voice.
«Can someone explain what’s going on here?» Olga was ready to cry.
«Where is she? Answer! What did you do to her?» Sergey squeezed her hand even harder.
«Are you crazy? Who is she? This isn’t even my pendant,» the girl cried.
«Sergey, wait, she doesn’t look like a killer. Besides, we need to sort this out first,» said his friend.
«A killer?» the girl repeated in shock.
«His wife had the same pendant, he gave it to her just before she disappeared,» the second seller began to explain the situation.
«Disappeared? How long ago?» Olga was horrified.
«More than a year ago. The police haven’t really done anything, the person vanished into thin air. She went to the city for business and never returned,» Sergey sighed, «so, where did you get the jewelry?»
Olga briefly explained about her husband and his mistress, and herself suggested going to the police.
«I don’t think Anton could be involved in a crime, but he can at least tell where he bought the pendant. After all, if it’s a handcrafted exclusive piece, it must have come to the store through some supplier,» the girl said.
«I need to pick up my son from kindergarten now, then can we go to the station?» Sergey asked somewhat distrustfully.
«Let’s go together to pick up your child, so you don’t think I’ll run away, but I need to change,»
«We’re at a resort, everyone dresses like this, just throw something on top if you want,» Sergey replied, indicating they needed to hurry.
The girl threw a light tunic over her swimsuit, and they headed to the kindergarten together. Along the way, Sergey told her that he and his wife had been together since school.
«You know, she always dreamed of living in a big city, and I was always holding her back. She wanted to go to clubs, shopping centers, but we don’t have that here. She was so beautiful. As a child, she loved watching dragonflies. When Sasha appeared, I ordered this pendant for her. It cost me so much money that I could have bought a car. Inga was so happy, and then she was gone,» the man said, tears welling up in his eyes.
«Wait, maybe she’s still alive, maybe she was kidnapped or lost her memory, I’ve heard that happens,» Olga tried to comfort him.
«I don’t know. I don’t want to believe she’s no longer alive. Poor Sasha just calmed down recently; he kept calling for his mom,» Sergey continued, «he’s not our biological son, we had trouble with children for a long time and I saw how my wife suffered from this. It was a difficult decision—we adopted the boy when he was four years old. Inga hesitated for a long time, but I decided that the child would fill her life with meaning. She kind of shied away from him, as if she felt that she wouldn’t be around long and didn’t want Sasha to get attached to her.
They reached the kindergarten gate. Children played on the playground and a blond boy, seeing his dad, ran to the exit. A teacher stopped him and, taking his hand, led him to the gate.
«Good evening, Sergey Alexandrovich,» the woman said, looking at Olga with interest, «Sasha didn’t eat anything again.»
The little one, frowning amusingly, said:
«Dad, you know I don’t like soup and cutlets.»
«Son, we need to have a serious talk,» Sergey hugged the boy and said goodbye to the teacher.
«Mom?» the boy cautiously asked, his eyes shifting from Olga’s face to the pendant on her chest.
«No, son, this is not mom. This is Auntie Olga,» Sergey replied, not knowing what else to say to the child.
«Where is mom?» the little one unexpectedly asked her.
«I don’t know, but I’m sure mom will be upset when she finds out you haven’t eaten anything,» the girl tried to distract him.
«I like pizza and compote, but the cutlets are so tasteless,» declared the little boy and suddenly took Olga by the hand.
That touch seemed to electrify her. The warm soft little hand confidently placed in hers evoked a feeling of maternal tenderness she had never known before. Sasha talked all the way about how he made a car out of clay at daycare, how the annoying girl Ira broke his craft, and, in general, pushed him around all day.
Then he naively asked:
«Auntie Olga, do you know how to make pizza and compote?»
«I do. Want me to teach you?» the girl replied.
«Of course!» the little boy exclaimed joyfully.
They reached some yard and the man, squatting next to Sasha, told him he had to stay at grandma’s for now, and then dad would pick him up.
«And Auntie Olga? She promised pizza,» the boy asked sadly.
«If she promised – we’ll make it,» Olga replied, meeting Sergey’s disapproving gaze.
The man took the child into the yard and came out a few minutes later.
«Shall we go to the police?» he asked.
«Yes, of course,» Olga agreed.
At the station, they were met with displeased faces. The girl realized that Sergey regularly visited the investigator to find out how the search for his wife was progressing, which annoyed the law enforcement officers who had no news for him. But, hearing about the pendant that had appeared, a police officer became interested, immediately making inquiries at local hotels to establish the whereabouts of Olga’s husband.
Half an hour later, Anton and his companion were brought into the investigator’s office by several policemen. The husband looked confused, and when he saw his wife, he completely deflated.
«Tell the investigation where you got the pendant involved in the disappearance of Inga Sukhodeeva,» the investigator asked.
Anton explained that he had purchased the pendant in a pawnshop and even found a receipt for the purchase in his bag. The blonde, realizing that this was the surprise intended for her, made a scene:
«You wanted to give me a piece of jewelry from a pawnshop? Who do you think I am?»
«Bunny, calm down, I’ll explain everything to you later,» Anton pacified her.
Hearing his habitual «bunny,» Olga felt a wave of revulsion. She looked at her husband and couldn’t understand what she had ever seen in him. She no longer wanted revenge. He was permanently erased from her life.
She walked out of the investigator’s office onto the street. It felt as if she had left her past life behind, and there was no going back. She needed to think about many things: moving out of her husband’s apartment, renting a place closer to work, some plans for the future, but all she could think about was «Pizza and compote today, I’ll think about everything else tomorrow.»
Someone touched her shoulder, and she shivered. It was Sergey.
«Thank you for agreeing to come to the police. Maybe now there’s a chance to find Inga. If the jewelry was pawned, it means someone robbed and possibly killed her. I need to say goodbye to her properly. I’m to blame. I shouldn’t have made such a noticeable piece of jewelry, then she wouldn’t have been a victim of crime.»
Olga looked into the tear-filled eyes of this tall strong man and suddenly thought that her problems were nothing compared to his grief. Although her husband turned out to be a traitor, he was alive and well, and she didn’t wish him ill.
Anton and his heart’s companion left the police building.
«Oh, I see you’re not wasting any time,» said the husband maliciously. «Consoling a new acquaintance?»
«Anton, be happy, file for divorce yourself. I have no complaints. And sorry for the joke with the suitcase. But you should have divorced your wife first before starting a new life.»
«With what wife? You’re married?» shrieked the blonde. «So it was you who stuffed the suitcase with trash?»
«Yep, I took out the trash, so to speak, both from the house and from my life,» Olga smiled.
Anton and his mistress walked towards the hotel, loudly arguing about something. Sergey, amused by the situation, asked:
«And what about the trash?»
Olga told him about her revenge plan.
«You know, you’re a strong woman. Cheating hurts a lot, I would never forgive such a thing.»
«It hurts. But there’s no point in being offended. You can’t hold onto someone who doesn’t love you anymore. I hope everything goes well for him. There were good moments in our life for which I’m grateful. Just Anton is different. We had different interests, and I won’t judge him for that, let alone hate him. Knowing your story, meeting Sasha, I realized that my situation isn’t as bad as I initially thought,» Olga replied sadly.
«Olga, thank you, I wish you find someone who will appreciate you. You are very beautiful, many men are afraid of such women. But you are kind, so you will definitely be happy,» Sergey said, taking her hand.
«Are you saying goodbye to me? What about the pizza? I promised Sasha,» Olga felt upset for some reason.
«I thought you were just saying that. Then you’re welcome to our bachelor’s den,» Sergey was delighted.
They picked up the boy from his grandmother’s and the three of them went home. Sasha, anticipating the pizza-making process, humorously discussed how he would make the dough and cut the tomatoes. Then he declared that he would need to share a piece with the annoying Ira, who pushes him and takes his toys.
«Of course, son, we should,» said Sergey and winked at Olga.
The evening passed in a warm atmosphere. True, a shadow of sadness sometimes fell on the man’s face, and he often glanced at the phone, hoping for a call from the police.
After dinner, Sergey and his son walked Olga to her hotel, and the boy, hugging her, asked:
«Aunt Olga, will you come walk with me tomorrow?»
«Son, Olga needs to go home,» Sergey said, and the girl thought his voice sounded disappointed.
«Well, I still have two days left, so where’s the rush. Besides, tomorrow’s Saturday. Let’s go to the sea and, while dad works, you can teach me to swim,» Olga suggested to the boy.
«You don’t know how to swim?» the boy asked in surprise. «I already know how. Okay, I’ll teach you.»
«Then we’ll meet at your place at nine tomorrow,» Sergey said and smiled.
Olga waved goodbye and somehow felt very happy. She liked this serious man, and she was completely charmed by the boy.
She couldn’t sleep half the night—thinking about Sergey and Sasha, wondering if Inga was alive, and what might have happened to her. She also worried about having to fly back home the next day and start a completely new life. She thought how great it would be to move to this town and forget everything associated with Anton.
In the morning, coming down to the hotel lobby, she saw her new friends holding a huge inflatable swan.
«Hello, guys. What’s this?» Olga smiled, pointing at the rubber beak.
«Sasha said—to learn to swim, you need to hold onto an inflatable ring. Then we decided it would be better to be a swan,» Sergey laughed.
They left the building, heading towards the beach, when suddenly Sergey’s mobile phone rang. After answering the call, Sergey turned pale and said they had to go to the police station immediately. Olga and Sasha waited for him on the street. The man came out half an hour later, looking drained, and silently, taking the swan, headed towards the sea. It was clear the news was very bad, so she tried to distract Sasha and asked nothing.
At the beach, the girl and the boy stayed to swim, while Sergey, asking her to watch the child, went somewhere. Olga understood that they probably found Inga’s body, and didn’t know what words could support him.
About an hour later, Sasha got hungry and they both went to a beach cafe. Some time later, his father entered, and with a sad smile, said that if it weren’t for the swan, it would have been hard to find them. After the meal, they decided to go home so that Sasha, who was used to napping at daycare, could rest.
The man asked Olga to put the boy to bed and then drove off. The boy settled on the large couch and asked her to lie down with him. They counted fingers, guessed in which hand the candy was, and then, putting his head on her shoulder, Sasha fell asleep. She didn’t move, afraid to wake the child. Olga stared at his snub nose, plump lips, even eyebrows like threads. Realizing that tomorrow this fairy tale would end, she wanted to remember every second spent in this little family.
Sergey returned and, seeing that his son was asleep, whispered to Olga to have coffee. He seemed surprisingly calm and even joked. The girl didn’t understand anything anymore, explaining his behavior as a reaction to stress.
He stepped outside, lit a cigarette, and stared into her eyes for a long time without saying a word. Then, angrily throwing away the butt, he said:
«She’s alive.»
Sergey turned around and went into the house, and a surprised Olga followed him with the words:
«That’s great. Where has she been all this time? What happened to her?»
«She lived in the city with some rich prince, and then, when he dumped her, she pawned the dragonfly and went to the capital to find happiness. Apparently, she found it. She, it turns out, had been having affairs with tourists here, and then followed one for a better life.»
Olga was shocked by these revelations and didn’t know what to say. Sergey continued:
«You know what hurts me the most—I cried thinking she was murdered, that she was mistreated, that it was my fault—I couldn’t protect her. I was also surprised—why my mother-in-law was so calm, while I was going crazy here. And she knew everything. Now I went to her, saying, how could you do this, mom, made a fool out of me. She’s silent. Well, yes, what can she say now. I feel sick, Ol. So sick.»
Sergey went outside and sat on a bench in the yard. Olga, understanding that he needed to be alone, went into the kitchen, deciding to cook something for dinner. Discovering that there was no bread at home, she ran to the store. Returning fifteen minutes later, she encountered the homeowner at the doorstep.
«I was scared you left. Olga, can you stay with Sasha for the night? I need to drive a taxi, and I don’t want to take my son to my mother-in-law’s after all this.»
«Yes, of course. I just need to get some clothes from the hotel,» the girl replied.
«Thank you. He’ll wake up soon and we’ll go get your things,» Sergey thanked her.
«Sergey, I have to fly back tomorrow. The plane is at three. I only asked off work until Monday,» Olga said sadly, realizing how hard it would be to leave them.
«Yes, I know. We’ll miss you,» Sergey managed to say and left the kitchen.
In the evening, Olga and the boy, having fried toast, looked at different dog breeds on the computer. The girl told Sasha about her work and he, admiringly, declared that he would also be a veterinarian. Before bedtime, they talked for a long time, lying in bed, Olga telling fairy tales, deliberately twisting and confusing the characters, causing Sasha to burst into laughter. Sergey called several times, asking if everything was alright.
He returned early in the morning, and entering his son’s room, found him sleeping on Olga’s shoulder. The man stood for a long time looking at the beautiful face of this girl, whom he had known for only a couple of days, but already did not want to let go anywhere.
Olga woke up from the morning chill that blew in from the open window. Sasha was still sleeping sweetly, cutely tucking his fist under his head. She left the room and, seeing Sergey, who had fallen asleep on the couch, involuntarily admired his strong arms, manly face, and the dimple on his chin. «Grandma always said that if a man has a dimple, a girl will be born first,» Olga suddenly remembered for some reason.
There were eight hours left until the plane. She went to the kitchen to make breakfast for these two wonderful men with whom she had to say goodbye today. Sasha, smelling the pancakes, was the first to run in, and a couple of minutes later, Sergey entered. The boy chewed the treat and lobbied Olga to cook pizza again in the evening.
«Son, Aunt Olga has to leave,» Sergey said sadly and looked into her eyes as if expecting some decision from her.
The girl felt hurt, somehow hoping he would ask her to stay, although she understood that would be strange since, in essence, they were strangers to each other. The boy cried, running up and hugging Olga:
«Aunt Olga, please stay, I haven’t shown you my bicycle yet.»
«Sasha, let’s visit each other then. I promise I’ll definitely come soon,» Olga replied with tears in her voice, realizing she was lying—her veterinary salary did not allow her to fly frequently.
«Can you ask off work for a few more days?» Sergey asked timidly, looking away embarrassed.
The girl was pleased with such a simple proposal, understanding that he also did not want to part with her. She took her phone and went out into the yard to call her boss.
The conversation with the manager stunned Olga—it turned out that she had been fired from her job the previous week, retroactively, so she couldn’t claim her salary for the month. The manager guiltily informed her that she could do nothing as the request to fire Olga had been voiced by a very high-ranking official of their city.
Realizing that this was how Anton and his mistress were taking revenge on her, she was at a loss—Olga was left without a job or housing. Standing frozen with the phone in her hand, the girl aimlessly stared at her feet.
Sergey came outside and, seeing her look, understood that something had happened.
«Olga, what happened?»
«Nothing special, except that I was fired from my job without a settlement. I planned to get an advance in a few days and rent an apartment, and now I don’t know what to do,» Olga exhaled noisily, sitting down next to the man.
«You can stay with us. Sasha, you know, would be happy,» Sergey said and went into the house to cheer up his son.
«Sasha will be happy… And you apparently won’t be,» Olga thought and felt a pang of jealousy. The boy rushed outside, joyfully climbed onto her lap, hugging her tightly. This took her breath away; she hugged the boy tightly and kissed him on the cheek.
She tried not to look at Sergey, understanding that it was too early to think about her status in his life. Yet she was hurt that she was already in love, and he behaved as if they were just friends. Then a phrase that would forever change her life was heard:
«And to get a kiss from me, should I also climb onto your knees?»
«Better I come to you,» Olga laughed.
Then for a long time, she would wake up in the morning, afraid that it was just a dream that would dissipate as soon as she opened her eyes. But the warm embrace of her beloved husband reassured her that it was forever.
Several times Anton called, asking her to come back home. It turned out that the future father-in-law, learning about the pendant story and that the potential son-in-law was married, forbade his daughter to communicate with him. Lottie was ready to give up all her father’s millions and move in with Anton, but the calculating man was not prepared for such a turn. Dryly wishing him all the best, Olga asked him not to disturb her again.
Several years passed… She and Sasha were sorting out purchases from a school fair. In a week, the boy was going to the first grade.
«Mom, look what a beautiful pencil case I have. Can I put my pencils and pens in it?»
Olga, looking at the school supplies, suddenly turned pale, then rushed to the bathroom, feeling a sharp bout of nausea. Sergey and Sasha watched her in bewilderment.
«Dad, why doesn’t mom like school?» the boy asked in surprise.
«I don’t know,» the man replied with concern in his voice.
Olga came out of the bathroom and heavily sat down on a chair.
«Are you sick? Should I call a doctor?» Sergey bustled.
«Is it because of the pencils?» pondered Sasha. «Better to put the markers?»
«No, son, it’s not because of the pencils,» Olga managed to say, «just soon there will be four of us.»
Sergey swept his wife into his arms, ignoring her protests, and spun around the room.
So Sasha learned that he would soon have a brother or sister. He didn’t quite understand where they would come from and why his parents didn’t know whether it would be a boy or a girl, but decided that he would find out later.
In April, Olga looked out of the hospital window, holding her little daughter in her arms. Her beloved men were walking down the street. Sasha proudly carried a bouquet of flowers. He already knew that his sister had lived in his mom’s belly, just how she got there, the school refused to tell. And his parents said it was from love. «I wonder,» Sasha thought, «if the annoying Ira loves me, will she also grow a baby in her belly?»
