— Lida, explain to me, what have I done to you? — the dispatcher inquired, glancing gloomily at the driver.
— Stop making up things that aren’t there, — Lida snapped.
— What is there to make up? You’re well aware of this client. Is there no one else to serve him? You keep sending me. He’ll go crazy with all his importance. He’ll keep the car for two hours and pay barely a pittance…
Lida turned to her.
— If you’re not happy with our way of working, switch to another taxi service. Just choose one where there are more men, or you won’t have any room to stretch your legs.
Vera was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed:
— Ah, so that’s it! You got jealous of your Sergey? My God, who is there to be jealous of!
— Get moving, the client is waiting, — Lida glared at the screen of the old computer.
— Lida, you’re wrong. You know he didn’t harass me, he was just giving me a ride home.
Lida abruptly spun around to face her.
— I know! But others drop you off in ten minutes, and you and Sergey took a whole half hour.
— It was a flat tire, you know that well.
— That’s what I’m saying: the route is the same, no one got a tire punctured. Probably because you weren’t rummaging through the bushes. Your ride, take it.
— I’m not going.
— Not going? When the bosses find out — you’ll be looking for a new job.
Vera even ground her teeth. She simply couldn’t afford to be without income right now. She had joined the taxi service because her husband had died a year ago. He had died with another woman. Right before they decided to divorce, and the loan they had taken for the car and repairs hung over Vera.
At first, she hadn’t given it much thought, but then, when the bank people showed up at her home, she grabbed her head. Now she was working two days on, two days off at her main job and two days on, two days off here. Although the taxi made more money. And a few days ago, Vera had submitted her resignation from her main job to work only here.
If she got fired, it would be very dismal. If she lost her job here as well, she wouldn’t be able to work anywhere. “Well, Lida, you bitch! You dragged your husband into the taxi and now you’re jealous of every skirt. You give him the best orders, and everyone keeps quiet. Nobody wants to quarrel with Lida. The woman is vindictive, nothing is ever right for her. Any misstep — and you’ll be on minimum wage.”
Vera got into the car. There was nothing to do but drive. How she hated that conceited, turkey-like passenger! All alone, yet so full of importance. Dust on the car, not driving softly enough, and then calling the service and discussing the entire ride in detail. And the trip was so short: just a quick stop here and there. But he was some acquaintance of the boss. That’s why everyone tolerated him.
Vera left the base. If the first order was like this, the whole shift would be the same. It had been proven more than once. Their base was located a bit out of civilization—a couple of big hangars in an industrial zone. There was a car service and a car wash—basically, everything needed. And it didn’t bother anyone.
She merged onto the road and suddenly slammed on the brakes.
— Oh! — Vera jumped out of the car.
A large dog lay on the road. A beautiful one, seemingly a collie, although Vera wasn’t very knowledgeable about breeds.
— What are you doing here, sweetie? — Vera sat down next to it.
The dog looked at her with sadness and fear. And then she realized—a car had hit the dog. Vera carefully felt him. It seemed his bones were intact. The impact must have hit his body.
— So, what now? — She thought for a second, then decisively stood up and picked up the dog.
The dog was quite heavy, but she managed. The dog whimpered quietly. After laying him on the back seat, Vera rushed to the veterinary clinic where her friend worked.
— Alyona, dear, I’m bringing you a dog, — Vera said, steering with one hand while holding the phone to her ear with the other.
— What dog?
— Alyo, I found one on the road. It needs to be examined. I’ll leave the dog with you and come back in about an hour. I have an important order.
— This is all fine, of course, but… Vera, you know—no one does anything for free here, and I’m not the boss.
— Alyo, of course, I understand, I’ll pay.
Her client was already waiting.
— Behave yourself, — Vera patted the dog. — I’ll be back soon.
The dog seemed to understand her and even licked her hand.
When Vera arrived at the address, another car from their fleet was already there. The passenger glared at her angrily.
— You’ll pay for making me late! I was supposed to have an important meeting!
Vera sighed hopelessly.
— I’m sorry.
She understood perfectly—her “sorry” was now worthless. She hadn’t even reached the clinic when Lida called, and with barely concealed glee she said:
— Vera, you’re fired. I’m not surprised. When a person thinks only about other people’s husbands, they don’t need to work. Good luck.
Vera threw the phone onto the seat.
The dog had a bandaged paw and a suture.
— Well, nothing serious. The bones are intact, though the bruise is very severe. In a couple of places the skin is damaged. In a few days it should get better. The main thing is, keep giving him fluids. He probably won’t eat. Vera, whose dog is this?
— I have no idea. I found him on the road.
— Strange. The dog is very well-groomed. You know, there are just pet dogs, and then there are those that are taken care of professionally. You can tell by the claws, the fur, even the teeth. They even had his teeth cleaned.
— Do people clean dogs’ teeth?
— Of course. Well, not for all dogs and not always.
The dog was standing on his own feet.
— For now, we’ve injected a painkiller so you won’t have to carry him by hand. It’ll last a couple of hours. Otherwise, in two or three days, he should feel better.
Vera opened the car door.
— So, handsome, shall we go?
The dog carefully climbed in, lay down on the seat, and rested his muzzle on his paws. Vera smiled. Sometimes, dogs can be so clever.
They settled the bill. The doctor, upon learning that she had found the dog on the road and had no connection to it, halved the price. So, Vera got off lightly.
She lived in a private house. And now that was very convenient. No need to climb several flights of stairs, and the dog could be walked. Vera parked the car, closed the gate, and opened the door.
— So, handsome, can you manage on your own?
The dog very cautiously got out of the car and immediately lay down on the grass. After resting a bit, he got up and headed to the house, where Vera opened the door and waited for him.
For two days, she stayed cooped up at home. It was upsetting and a bit frightening for the future. She needed to look for a job, but she didn’t want to leave the dog alone. It was clear he wasn’t feeling very well. By the evening of the second day, he had eaten a little. Vera almost burst into tears.
— My handsome, my handsome! That’s great! So, we’re slowly on the road to recovery.
They began to go out into the yard. The dog settled in the shade and watched closely as Vera fussed over the flowers.
— You’ll stay home alone. Behave yourself, I’ll be away for a short time. I’m going to run to the store, or we’ll soon have no food left.
The dog lazily wagged his tail and calmly lowered his head onto his paws. Vera smiled.
— Ah, if only some people were as sensible as you. What can you do?
She gave the dog a kiss on the nose, clearly leaving him bewildered, and went out the door. At the store, she quickly filled her cart with everything necessary. She smiled. Yes, it was just a dog, not a person, but it was still nice to know that someone was waiting for you at home.
— Hello, Verochka!
She turned around. Standing next to her was Sergey. The very husband of Lida.
— Hi, Sergey. How are you?
— Why aren’t you at work?
— In what sense? I was fired.
— Hold on. The boss later came and revoked that order. He said he had problems—his daughter’s dog had gone missing, and he was inseparable from her. You know his daughter is disabled and they manage without a mother. So he got carried away. Lida was told to call you, and that man, who is an acquaintance of his, advised him to use another service.
— Wait, Sergey, what dog?
— Don’t you know?
— No, how should I know?
— I see. And about work, Lida didn’t call me, nor will she.
— Why? — Sergey looked at her in surprise.
— Because, in her opinion, all I think about is dragging you to bed.
Sergey looked stunned. Then he frowned.
— Okay, and I never believed it when the guys told me… Vera, come back. I’ll sort everything out.
Sergey turned and headed for the exit. Vera first regretted telling him everything, and then decided—if Lida is going to throw a wrench in the works, then let another woman-driver take over.
And as she walked home, she thought about the dog, about the boss, about his daughter. She had only seen the taxi owner once. He rarely appeared at the base. He had long since moved on to another major business. Yet he still kept the taxi because that’s how he started out. Vera had heard bits and pieces about his sick daughter, but only superficially. And now she’d learned about the dog. What if? What if this was the very dog that had gone missing?
She arrived home, prepared dinner, cooked some chicken porridge for the dog, and in the evening took out her phone. The boss’s number was in the app, but looking at the time, she decided not to call, and instead sent an SMS. She composed the message for a long time, introducing herself, and attaching a photo of the dog. At midnight, she sent the message and immediately fell asleep. Perhaps she was overtired from all the nerves.
In the morning she woke up and checked her phone—no delivery. Well, maybe the number had changed or was simply out of range. In the evening, the phone buzzed. Vera was just pondering how to get back to work without overlapping with Lida’s shift. She grabbed the phone, and there were only two words: “Your address.”
The message was from the same number she had texted. So it was about their dog. Vera looked at the dog. She had grown so accustomed to him, but saw that he was sad, missing his owners. She sighed and quickly sent her address. In the morning, she resolutely decided that today she would get back to work. She needed to find out everything exactly. Maybe it was truly time to get out and just ignore Lida. Fewer sightings of her, and that’s that.
Cars stopped at the gate. One she recognized immediately. Sergey drove it. When her own car had broken down, she had worked using his vehicle. But she didn’t see the second one. It was luxurious, large. The dog became alert, stood on his paws. He anxiously looked from Vera to the gate. Vera went to open the gate, her heart pounding. She already understood that the owner had arrived, and Sergey, apparently, was there as an escort.
A man stood before her. She looked at him in confusion. For some reason, she thought the owner would be about sixty years old, yet this man appeared around forty. Behind him stood Sergey and a tearful Lida. And in front of the man, in a wheelchair, sat a girl of about twelve.
— Hello.
A whirlwind swept past Vera.
— Handsome! Daddy! That’s my Handsome!
The dog jumped around the little mistress. He barked, trying to lick her face as quickly as possible. She laughed merrily, hugging and kissing him. A smile appeared on the man’s lips.
— Thank you. I thought we had completely lost him.
Vera snapped back to reality.
— Oh, please come in, come in. I’ll put the kettle on.
Everyone entered the yard.
— Sergey with Lida… Vera, wait. Lida wants to say something to you, and then we’ll go. Today we’re working.
Lida, hesitating, said:
— Vera, sorry. You were called back to work, but I deliberately didn’t tell you. Come on, I won’t bother you.
Vera smiled.
— Oh, Lida, who brings up the past…
Lida smiled awkwardly and nodded. They left. And Vera went to serve tea to the guests. They sat at a table outdoors, watching as the girl and Handsome interacted. Vera recounted how she found the dog and drove him to the clinic.
— I’ll reimburse all the expenses.
— I’m not saying that. You know, it’s interesting—I used to call him my Handsome, too.
When it was time to leave, the girl looked at her father.
— Dad, can you leave us here until the evening? The grass is so beautiful here. Otherwise, we’ll just sit in the apartment again waiting for you to come home from work.
— Vik, what are you saying? Vera has her own matters to attend to.
Vera cut him off.
— Leave it. Vika, look over there, how pale she is. Let her play outside. We’ll eat and rest. Don’t worry.
Gleb Yegorovich was at a loss. He didn’t understand how to react. A pleasant yet unfamiliar woman, the pleading eyes of Handsome and his daughter.
— Well, I really don’t know…
— Oh, dad…
Handsome barked too, and Vera and Gleb laughed.
— Alright. But promise me, if they start misbehaving, call me immediately and I’ll get them.
— I promise, — Vera winked at Vika, which did not escape Gleb’s notice.
He snorted, “As soon as you all manage to conspire.”
Vika and Handsome began to visit her frequently. And Gleb too. At first, he would just pick up his daughter and the dog, then stay for tea, and later invite Vera to a country resort—without Vika and Handsome.
Vera returned to work only after six months. However, not as a taxi driver but as the owner. Gleb was happy to hand over the fleet to his wife. Lida wanted to quit, but after a talk with Vera she stayed. After all, she was experienced, and when Vera had a baby, she would need a good assistant.
