The Antonovs’ car was once again parked outside the house. Vera realized that the insolent guests had, once again, disregarded her request for them to get out of her little apartment.
“Dear guests, aren’t you tired of the hosts? Relatives of my ex-husband were visiting without permission, but their hostess taught them a lesson.”
“No, these are real occupiers, invaders! They don’t understand normal words. We’ll have to resort to radical measures and ask Avdey for help. I didn’t want to do this, God knows, but they simply left me no choice.”
Avdey was a local authority. He instilled fear throughout the neighborhood. He had a few stints in not-so-distant places. And now, as he had proudly mentioned to Vera during their meeting, he had set up some sort of legal business and was now earning a living lawfully.
Vera wasn’t planning to be friends with him, but she always greeted him when they met, as she had been taught since childhood. Avdey, or Avdeyev Kirill, had once been her classmate.
“If you need anything, dear Vera, just reach out. I’ll help with any problem. If you need money, come by; if someone dares to offend you, we’ll stand up for you. I clearly remember how you always used to cover my expenses in Russian.”
At that time, Vera had thought that, well, at least with him she would never need to ask for help. But now she simply had no other option.
Two years ago, she had split with her husband. Life, as they say – they just didn’t get along. Vera longed for stability and what she considered a normal family – a cozy family hearth and children. But Vlad wanted something different, something unrealistic. One moment he dreamed of winning a million in the lottery – or better yet, five; the next, he wanted to move to Bali and live there, swimming in the ocean; then he’d consider moving to Moscow to make big money. That’s where he went after the divorce, leaving his little hometown on the Volga.
That’s why their time together didn’t last long. Their life goals were too different. They hadn’t accumulated any shared property, so there was nothing to divide when they divorced.
Soon afterward, Vera inherited a small but very nice apartment from her aunt, not far from the city embankment.
The apartment’s location was very convenient. Vera’s colleagues even suggested that she rent it out to vacationers who came to their city for the summer, since it was cheaper for her to rent a place farther away from this well-appointed area.
From the windows of Vera’s apartment, one could see the Volga and a sandy beach. Nearby, just a five-minute walk away, was a beautiful, modern embankment along which numerous tourists loved to stroll in the evenings.
Vera decided that she would live here herself. Ever since she was a girl visiting her aunt, she had always admired the views from those windows. Vera would look at the river and dream that one day a prince would sail by and whisk her away to far-off places.
And then, a few days ago, an unexpected event occurred.
It was Saturday, and Vera, taking her time with her household chores, was busy with her errands. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The woman was taken aback; she wasn’t expecting anyone. All her rare guests usually informed her in advance of their visit.
She quickly slipped into her robe, as she was used to casually roaming around the house – minimal clothing and a funny ponytail on her head. Approaching the door and looking through the peephole, she initially thought that the visitors must have the wrong apartment. She didn’t recognize any of the people standing on the landing.
“I’m not going to open up, this clearly isn’t for me,” she said to herself and went back to cleaning.
But within a minute, the knocking resumed. Moreover, Vera heard the strangers shouting something to her through the door.
“What’s all this about?” she wondered, returning to the hallway and pressing her ear to the door.
“Vera, dear Vera, open up, it’s us, the Antonovs. We’re only here for a moment, just to ask you something. Please open the door for us!”
“Antonovs?” Vera was surprised. “Who are they?”
There was a commotion in the entrance hall. The uninvited guests continued to shout. Their insistent pleas to be let in had probably been heard by everyone in the building.
“Alright, I’ll open the door, find out who they are and what they want, before they scare the whole building,” Vera decided.
She cracked open the door but had no intention of letting anyone in.
“Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“Vera, don’t you recognize us?” asked a young woman who was trying to squeeze her way into the apartment.
“No,” Vera replied, even putting out a foot for extra caution.
Of course, she recognized them, but she continued to pretend that she was seeing these people for the first time.
“Come on then! We’re the Antonovs, Tanya and Sergey. You know, your Vlad is family. Sergey is, well, his cousin. Have you forgotten us? We’re from Vorontsovka. We came to your city. We got your address from some mutual friends. Remember how we danced joyfully at your wedding?” the impudent woman continued.
“I don’t remember. And besides, Vlad is no longer mine,” Vera said, realizing that the situation was becoming ambiguous. She was starting to get nervous.
“Well, it’ll all come back to you. Will you let your guests in?” Sergey asked.
“I wasn’t expecting any guests,” Vera replied.
“Oh, we’re not guests, what are you saying! We just want to sort something out, give the children some water, and maybe take them to the restroom after our long journey,” insisted Tanya.
Standing behind the couple were a boy and a girl.
“And what is it that you wanted to sort out?” Vera asked, still not letting them into her apartment and glancing at the children.
They looked tired, and the children, indeed, seemed pitiable.
“Well, we just wanted to find out where it would be best for us to stay for a couple of days so that it wouldn’t be too expensive. You’re the one who knows your way around here better. We decided to take the kids to the city, show them everything while they’re on holiday.”
“I’m not interested in that. There’s the internet. Just look it up there.”
“Vera, come on, don’t be like a stranger. Let us in. We’ll be just twenty minutes – we’ll rest and then go off to find another place to stay,” Tanya continued cunningly.
“Alright, come in,” Vera consented, berating herself for her soft-heartedness.
The guests immediately made themselves at home in her apartment. They changed into casual clothes, each taking turns to use the bath and the restroom, and then they asked for tea and sandwiches.
“You said you’d only be here for about twenty minutes, didn’t you?” Vera asked irritably as she set the kettle on.
“Yes. We’ll have our tea and then get going. Later, you’ll regret not greeting your guests properly. At least serve us some tea!” the bold Tanya insisted.
Over tea and all the snacks that had to be laid out on the table, they cheerfully reminisced about their wedding with Vlad and various humorous incidents from their lives.
The guests had worn Vera out within ten minutes. While the adults sat at the table making a lot of noise for a long time, the children went to the sofa to rest after the journey. They soon drifted into a nap.
“Let them sleep. Besides, Sergey and I are also tired. After all, we’ve been on the road since five in the morning. Then we’ll get up and go look for a rental apartment. Just let’s nap for about fifteen to twenty minutes.”
The audacious guests settled right on the living room rug, having tossed a couple of pillows from the sofa onto it.
“Oh my, what have I done? Why did I open the door?” she lamented, but hoped that once the guests woke up, they would finally leave her apartment.
But that day, they never left. They spent a long time searching through advertisements for a suitable place, but found nothing. They ended up staying the night at Vera’s.
“In the morning, we’ll leave. We promise!” the guests confidently declared.
The next morning, they indeed began to pack up.
“We’re going to check out an apartment nearby. If we like it, we’ll move in there. And you can leave your things here for now, alright?”
“Take them! I don’t need them here. I planned to be out all day today,” Vera protested.
“Well, go then. And we’re going to wander around the city, swim in the river, sunbathe, and in the evening, we’ll pick up our stuff. It’s right here nearby,” the uninvited guests shamelessly lied.
And by Sunday, they still hadn’t moved out of Vera’s apartment. They claimed that the apartment they liked was already taken.
And then, today, on Monday, while returning home from work, Vera saw the Antonovs’ car again by the entrance.
She sat on a bench and took out her cellphone.
“Kirill, hi. It’s Vera, do you recognize me?”
“Of course, dear Vera! Who else could address me so affectionately, except you and your mother? What’s wrong?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me.”
Vera briefly explained her situation to Avdey.
“Understood. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Wait for me.”
Vera went upstairs. Inside, life was in full swing. The children in the living room were watching cartoons on the TV, the volume turned up to the max. Their parents were sitting at the kitchen table, once again celebrating their vacation with alcoholic drinks.
“Dear Vera, come join us,” they cheerfully called out when they saw the hostess.
“Dear guests, aren’t you tired of the hosts?” she asked, looking at all the merriment.
“Come on, don’t start!” responded a tipsy Tanya. “Let’s go to our place.”
Vera ignored them, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her former classmate.
Soon enough, there was another knock at the door. Opening it, the hostess was momentarily taken aback by what she saw. Then, suppressing a burst of laughter, she invited Avdey inside.
“Oh, who is it that’s feasting here, my dear?” he asked the stunned guests.
And there was every reason to be stunned! Avdey looked quite extravagant. He wore a bright magenta blazer from the nineties, underneath which was a shirt of an unthinkable shade of green, unbuttoned at the chest to reveal numerous tattoos narrating the tumultuous fate of their bearer. A gun protruded awkwardly from the pocket of his trousers, which Avdey periodically pulled out and then hid again. Completing the picture was a large scar running across the man’s cheek.
“G-good day,” Sergey stuttered.
“I’m asking, who are you, you scoundrel? Are you catching on to what I’m saying? Who are you and why are you here, with my woman?” Avdey demanded, his tone filled with strict authority and importance.
“I… we… We’re just visiting Vera. We came here to her place…” Sergey continued to stutter alone, as Tanya was unable to speak.
She watched in fear as Avdey, during the conversation, occasionally scratched his forehead with the gun, pulling it out of his trousers.
“And were you invited? Dear Vera, did you call them?” he asked Vera, who was standing nearby.
“No,” she replied, trying to sound serious.
“No?” Avdey exclaimed with emotional surprise. “So that means they came on their own?”
“Well, we’re leaving now,” Sergey said, wiping his greasy mouth and hastily getting up from the table. “Tanya, why are you sitting there? Go get the kids. It was nice meeting you, but we’ve got to go.”
“Stop! What’s all this? And pay up! I’ve never seen you before, and you decided to take advantage of our place and now you’re trying to stiff me? Money on the table!” Avdey roared.
“Yes, yes, alright. Right now. Vera, how much do we owe you?” Sergey scrambled again.
“Talk to me directly, you bastard! It’s five chunks per day, that’s what. Vera, what’s the total?” Avdey continued sternly.
“Three days,” Vera answered, surprised.
“Well then, that makes fifteen chunks. Is that clear? Plus five – for my food. You were sitting at my table and eating my supplies, even though I hadn’t allowed you to.”
“Yes, yes, of course. We just have ten thousand right now. Can we send the rest later? Once we get home?” Sergey asked, flustered.
“Alright, I’m feeling generous today,” Avdey replied, once again twirling the gun in the air.
“Thank you so much! You handle things so skillfully!” Vera told Avdey as the audacious guests left. “And is that a real gun?”
“Of course!” Avdey declared confidently, then burst out laughing and added, “It’s just a lighter. The boys hooked me up for my birthday.”
“Thank you again. I wouldn’t have managed without you.”
“Don’t mention it. Just remember – with people like these, you have to be tougher and not let them treat you like a doormat. It’s a lesson for the future, Vera. Learn it well. Life is harsh.”
