Hey, Verny, feeling hot?»
Viktor affectionately patted the loyal dog on his dark muzzle. «And why did you leave the house, old timer? You could have just stayed home.»
No, he decided to follow me to work.
The elderly male German Shepherd, his coat streaked with gray, nodded his head as he shooed away the persistent insects. How many years had passed since his master returned from service! If he could speak, the dog would have told how he and Viktor used to patrol the border, how the shots rang out, and how he heroically rushed at the enemy to protect his man. And when he came to, he couldn’t understand for a long time why he was lying on a table, all bandaged up. He tried to tear the bandages off with his teeth, but to no avail. His head fell back weakly.
«The dog can no longer serve,» the doctor reported to the sentry chief. «Three bullets in the chest. He survived by a miracle. He needs to be discharged. And you, Sergeant, were practically born in a shirt,» he said to the bewildered Viktor. «If it weren’t for the dog, you’d be lying on an operating table right now. Or even your comrades might have been digging your grave.»
«Comrade Captain,» the young man addressed his commander, «don’t discharge Verny. In a month I’ll be demobilized, and I’ll take him back to the village. With cow’s milk, he’ll regain his strength quickly.»
The sentry chief looked at the doctor, then at the sergeant, his gaze lingering on the dog, and then he called his deputy.
«Pal Sanych, register Verny as on assignment, add him to the payroll. When the sergeant goes home, let him take the dog with him. And also,» he stopped the departing officer, «recommend the sergeant for an award for eliminating dangerous intruders.»
Seven years passed. The dog grew very old and his hair turned gray, but he wasn’t ready to die—much to Viktor’s great joy—and he followed his master everywhere. Viktor himself had become an indispensable person in the village. Upon returning, he immediately started working for the local farmer. The farmer almost revered him—golden hands, capable of fixing any machinery, hardworking, responsible, and disciplined.
«Viktor, I know I load you with work. Out in the yard, there’s a combine harvester that’s been sitting there since Soviet times, never started. Could you take a look at it? The harvest is coming soon, and there’s no money to rent one. Better yet, I’ll increase your salary and find a caregiver for your mother.»
«Alright, Andreevich. I’ll check the tractor’s hitch now and get on it.»
The promise of a caregiver for his mother struck a deep chord in Viktor’s heart. The elderly farmer had become like an elder relative to him—paying his salary regularly, and even more than they had agreed upon. And the young man didn’t ask for any further reward.
Two days later, when Viktor was helping his mother step into the yard, a woman knocked on the gate.
«Hello, I was sent by Andreevich.»
Viktor looked at the visitor. She was about forty, had a pleasant appearance, and was dressed neatly and modestly. He liked the caregiver.
«I brought this right away,» she said, showing an electric wheelchair. «It’s not new, but it works perfectly.»
From then on, Marya became a member of their family.
«Vityusha, this isn’t my business,» the woman began one day. «I’ve only recently moved to these parts. You’re a prominent, hardworking young man, and yet you don’t have a wife. Why is that?»
At the mention of “wife,” Verny growled discontentedly and barked loudly at the gate. The caregiver flinched, smiling nervously.
«It was three years ago, or maybe two, I don’t quite remember,» the man began his story. «There was a girl living here—a fair-haired beauty. Many suitors sought her hand, but she rejected them all. I decided to try my luck because I liked her very much. And she agreed. We had a lavish wedding in the spring. Summer came, and I noticed that my wife was not very domestic—lazy, too unwilling to feed the chickens, afraid to milk the cow, and so on.»
Viktor fell silent, remembering those days.
«Then I started noticing that she kept her distance from me. She would go out to the veranda to sleep. I would approach her, and she would return inside. I thought, let’s see what’s going on. My father was still alive back then. We had left the field early with him, and she was home alone, hardly taking care of things. One moment she’d bring water, the next she’d neglect feeding the animals. One day, when I needed to be home urgently, I arrived and rushed in, only to find her on the veranda, admiring some agronomist. I grabbed a shovel handle and struck both of them. ‘Take this, dear wife—a ticket to the city. You’ll live there and do nothing.'»
Viktor fell silent again, breathing heavily.
«I kicked them both out the gate, threw her belongings away, and said, ‘May your spirit never return.’ I even tore the agronomist’s trousers to shreds. I never saw her again.»
The man sighed.
«Such disgrace was more than my father’s heart could bear. He’d already complained about chest pains, but never had time to see a doctor. And then his condition worsened. By the time the ambulance arrived from the district center, there was no one left to save.»
He stood up and began gathering his tools.
«Time to return to the field. I’ve already talked with you long enough. A summer day feeds the winter.»
On the repaired combine, Viktor was harvesting wheat. The machine worked flawlessly, and his spirit soared. In another hour or two, the field would be empty—time to move on to the next one. Suddenly, he noticed that by the roadside along the path near Andreevich’s fields, a fancy foreign car had stopped. From it, a young man staggered out, descended, and entered the yellow sea of ripening ears of wheat. He lit a cigarette and began relieving himself.
«What are you doing?» Viktor shouted from the platform, stopping the combine. «People are going to eat this! And you can’t do that with a cigarette! Do you want to start a fire?»
Noticing the mechanic, the young man made an obscene gesture and, staggering, headed back to the car. He stopped, flicked the cigarette butt directly into the field of ripe wheat.
«Scoundrel!» Viktor cried.
He knew that the dry stalks would instantly catch fire and that extinguishing burning grain would be extremely difficult. Like lightning, he leaped from the combine and rushed toward the spot where the cigarette had fallen. Verny bolted out of the cab and followed. The man ran, spotted the smoking cigarette butt, stomped on it forcefully, and rushed back to the driver.
«What are you doing, you bastard?»
The combine operator couldn’t hold back and struck the offender with a resounding punch, sending him tumbling.
«I’m going to call for backup!» Viktor shouted. «They’ll arrest you, mark my words!»
«You, you country bumpkin, have dug yourself into a hole,» the young man retorted with aristocratic disdain as he pulled out his phone. «You’re done. My brothers will arrive soon, and you’ll be a corpse.»
Viktor grew even angrier and delivered a resounding slap to the offender, who again crumpled into the grass.
«Ah, you…» the staggering young man cursed. «You’re digging your own grave.»
«Stepan, shut up! Get up quickly and let’s go,» a female voice called from above. «You promised today you wouldn’t drink, and look at what you’ve done!»
«Kateryna, hold on. I’ll teach this country bumpkin a lesson.»
The young man reached into his pocket to retrieve something.
«Stepan, I’m telling you for the last time. If you don’t get in the car immediately…»
«Alright, I’m getting in!» he snapped irritably. «And you, you bastard, remember this: don’t think you’ll get off scot-free.»
Stumbling, he climbed into the car, plopped into the driver’s seat, and the powerful engine roared to life. The car screeched away with tires squealing, raising a cloud of dust.
«See, Verny, what kind of rides some unsavory people have,» Viktor said to the dog. «And on top of that, drunks behind the wheel. We should have one of those… Actually, no, better that beauty who stepped out of it.»
The man noticed how attractive Kateryna was—slim, in an elegant dress, with impeccable hair and makeup—a true goddess.
He walked up to the highway to watch the departing car. But how could he possibly catch up with its speed? Then he noticed something shining near his feet.
«Look, Verny, she dropped her business card. Could it be on purpose? What’s the point?» he wondered in surprise as he picked up the card. «What an aroma… my head is spinning…»
Kateryna silently looked out the window, though her thoughts were preoccupied with her companion. Her father owned several enterprises, factories, and plants—there was plenty of money. But her father insisted she have a relationship with Stepan, the son of a business partner.
And that man was simply repulsive—a feckless son of rich parents, squandering money on bad company where rivers of alcohol and forbidden substances flowed. And she so longed for a real hero, someone capable of protecting her, not…
«Wait, let me get my phone; I’ll call the brothers. They’ll come and sort out that combine operator.»
Glancing at Stepan, Kateryna sometimes felt nauseous. She averted her eyes—as a huge bruise with a purplish tint was already forming beneath his eye.
«I did the right thing by ‘losing’ my business card,» she thought. «Let’s see if that country hero dares to call.»
All day long, Viktor clutched his phone. «Kateryna Semyonova, can you imagine, Verny? Katya Semyonova. Katyusha. What do you think—should I call or not? I really don’t know,» he confided to the dog.
Late in the evening, after finishing up his work and having dinner, he finally decided. His hands trembled slightly as he dialed the number.
«Hello, who is this?»
«Hello. You dropped your business card on the highway today. I decided to call.»
«Oh, it’s you—the formidable man in the coveralls who gave my friend a bruise?»
«So it’s your friend? Thank goodness.»
«Why do you think so?»
«Disgusting type. I didn’t like him at all. How do you put up with him?»
Kateryna fell silent. Viktor feared he had offended her and was about to apologize…
«I don’t understand why I allow him to be around. And why are you calling so late?»
«I just got back from the field. It’s still early. I ran out of fuel. The farmer promised to bring some in the morning, so I had to finish work…»
The conversation dragged on. Realizing this, he said goodbye and asked if he could call back tomorrow.
«I’ll think about it.»
«And how will I know your answer?»
«Just call and you’ll find out.»
They both laughed heartily. After the call, Viktor went to sleep. From then on, they began communicating regularly. After finishing his work, he always got in touch with her, joked, exchanged news, and shared his own. One day, while repairing a suddenly broken piece of equipment, he jumped in surprise when he received an SMS: «Hi. How are you? What are you up to?»
He had to quickly wipe his oil-stained hands and reply. Over time, their communication began to resemble a romantic relationship. They wished each other good night and sweet dreams. One day she admitted that she had seen him in her dream and didn’t want to wake up. The man longed to see her very much.
And another person also yearned to see him…
Stepan was burning with revenge. He gathered his buddies, armed with baseball bats, brass knuckles, and even a knife hidden by one of them.
Familiar places.
They veered off the main road, winding through country lanes. The navigator pointed to a nearby village. Near some houses, they spotted a combine.
Viktor was hurrying to move on to another field when a sedan blocked the road.
«Get out, country bumpkin. We need to talk,» Stepan jeered.
«Verny, get up—the trouble has arrived,» ordered the master as he began descending.
Without further words, a fight broke out. Outnumbered five to one, Viktor stood no chance. He took a club hit to the head, someone slashed his shoulder, and the world began spinning.
Verny jumped off the combine and rushed to help—bit one, snapped at another, and clawed the one who had stabbed his master with a knife. Amid the chaos, Viktor ran toward the village. The dog covered their retreat.
«Beat the dog, finish off the master!» Stepan commanded.
«Move it, the car’s leaving!» someone shouted.
They quickly jumped into the car and sped away, kicking up a cloud of dust.
«Vitya, son, what happened? I saw a car and strangers and rushed over to you,» Andreevich exclaimed as he emerged from his UAZ. «Ah, you little brats—wounded with a knife!» They were taken to the village council, and medics were called. Kateryna waited a long time for a call before she decided to call herself.
«Hello,» a female voice answered.
«May I speak with Viktor?» she asked, thinking she was talking to his wife.
«He’s being operated on. He sustained a knife wound in the fight. He can’t speak.»
Her hands trembled, tears streaming down her cheeks.
«Ah, you bastard! Hang in there, Stepan! Where’s the hospital? I’m coming immediately.»
Verny sat on the porch howling, as if foretelling doom.
With difficulty, Viktor opened his eyes, recognizing familiar features.
«Katya? What are you doing here?..»
«I’m taking care of you.»
«Is that your choice?» a deep bass voice resounded.
«Yes, Dad. And don’t suggest otherwise.»
«Understood,» grumbled the giant as he approached the bed. «Hello. How are you feeling?»
«Hello. I’ve seen worse in the army.»
«Did you serve?»
«On the border with Norway.»
«It can’t be! Closer to Karelia?»
«No, near Nikilya.»
«My dear!» the man became emotional. «I know every stop along that route. Katya, I approve. A border guard is a reliable man. You’ll be safe behind a stone wall.»
A month later, Viktor was discharged. At the gate, Kateryna and her parents greeted him. Nearby, Verny sat; at the sight of his master, he whimpered and limped toward him.
«How did he get here?» Viktor asked while kissing Katya.
«They drove him to the village,» replied the bride’s father. «He was ordered ‘to heel,’ and he obeyed. I knew immediately—he’s a service dog.»
«This coward ran away across the border,» Katya whispered. «He learned of your discharge and disappeared. He’s afraid of prison.»
«I won’t file a report,» Viktor said, shaking his head. «We’ll meet again.»
A couple of months later, Verny lazily watched the guests at Kateryna and Viktor’s wedding, settled faithfully at his master’s feet.
