Marina struggled with great effort to get to her feet. A sharp pain pierced her back, yet there was no time to delay. If she didn’t gather the forest’s treasures—mushrooms, berries—the approaching cold would turn into true torment.
“Lord, Andrey, how are we going to get out of this? How do we go on? Why didn’t you take care of us?” she silently pleaded with her husband as she gazed at the photograph pinned to the wooden crucifix.
There were simply not enough funds for a marble tombstone, and even the prospect of obtaining them seemed hazy. Under these circumstances, she had to worry about not collapsing from exhaustion herself. Gently, she stroked her now-distended belly with her palm and left the enclosure. The homestead was located near the outskirts of the village, right on the way to the forest thicket. Every time she set out to gather nature’s gifts, Marina would visit her late husband’s memory. She wasn’t even aware that something was drawing her there. In principle…
It was Andrey who had been the cause of her unfortunate situation. Had it not been for the pregnancy, she would have long ago abandoned it all and moved to the metropolis. She would have found some kind of work. She learned of her interesting condition only after his death. And only then did she fully understand what awaited her. Andrey had brought her out of the city. Or rather, they hadn’t driven—they were fleeing. At night, so that no one would see. Marina…
She had become the wife of a cheerful, vivacious man who showered her with gifts. And then it turned out that her dear husband was an avid gambler. Sometimes luck smiled on him, but more often it turned away. On the night they fled the city, Andrey confessed that he owed a hefty sum—a sum that could have gotten him killed without a second thought. Marina didn’t want to run with him. She understood that it wasn’t a solution. But Andrey…
He left her no choice, declaring that otherwise she too would suffer. They settled in a dilapidated little hut on the edge of a small village. Her husband insisted that it was his grandmother’s house, about which no one knew. Several months passed. Marina slowly adjusted. Andrey found work as a tractor driver. She got to know and even befriended the neighbors. And she began to believe that everything would improve, until one day Andrey didn’t come home.
Marina felt an inexplicable anxiety all day. She waited for him at the gate, but he never appeared. An hour passed. A headman’s UAZ rolled up to the house. “Get in quickly!” He shouted. She dashed to the car, already suspecting that something was terribly wrong. Andrey lay on someone’s quilt. She immediately noticed that he was barely breathing. She screamed not with her voice, but rushed to him.
With difficulty, her husband opened his eyes and whispered, “Don’t return to the city, stay here. Forgive me,” — and he closed his eyes forever. For the burial, she had to borrow money. She didn’t work; there was practically nothing in the house. And within a week, she discovered that she was carrying a child. She would never part with the baby for all the treasures in the world, but how was she supposed to go on living now?
She bolted the latch on the gate. Even to erect a proper enclosure, she had to take on debt. She found work as a cleaner at the local school. The salary was laughable, and almost all of it went to paying off debts. Marina sighed. Perhaps those who have family have it easier. They always help, support. She ventured deeper into the forest thicket. Mushrooms had to be gathered. Marina dried them, marinated them.
Marinated and dried mushrooms sold well at the market. That was her method: she kept a small portion for herself and sold the larger part. After all, she needed to buy something for her future baby. And nothing had been prepared. She had gone quite far into the forest wilderness. Everything on the outskirts had long been taken out. And village old ladies rarely ventured this far; returning would take too long. Besides, she needed to be cautious. What if something happened? The birth was imminent.
But she tried not to think about it—maybe it would all pass. Marina spotted a cozy clearing and headed in that direction. Mushrooms love such secluded spots in the forest. There, she was sure, she’d fill her basket. Marina parted the thicket and was dumbfounded with astonishment. What was that? Almost at the center of the clearing lay a helicopter. Its blades were broken, the machine had tipped over. It looked small, almost like a child’s toy. Apparently…
It had appeared there recently, almost just now. Marina slowly approached. She had never seen such an aircraft up close. She stopped. And then she heard a strange rustling, as if someone was moaning. The woman flinched. She wanted to run, but held herself back. Could it be that someone was inside?
“Hey! Hey, who’s there?” she called out.
Silence in response. Marina…
Climbed onto a ledge and ventured inside. She couldn’t simply leave without figuring out what was making those sounds. What if there was a person inside? Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light. But once they did, Marina immediately made him out. The pilot was buckled in by a safety strap and was pinned by something heavy. She immediately deduced that one of his limbs was broken. That was why he couldn’t free himself.
“Hey, are you conscious?” she asked.
Marina’s knees trembled betraying her. Fear gripped her so much that words could hardly describe it. The man groaned. Marina pulled out the small knife she always carried for mushroom picking, inspected the injured man, and cut one of the safety straps. Immediately, she propped his arms so that he wouldn’t collapse. The stranger moaned and slowly opened his eyes.
“Help me… Save me!” he rasped, groaning again. “My limbs… my arm…”
It seemed his legs were intact. Perhaps they had simply gone numb from being in an awkward position for too long? Marina began to vigorously massage them. The man even cried out in pain, but she realized that there was no other way. Eventually, he calmed a bit and opened his eyes slightly again.
“Who are you?” he managed to ask in a barely audible voice.
“Marina.”
He managed a weak smile:
“Thank you, lovely Marina.”
She practically replied:
“We need to immobilize your arm and get you out.”
“I can’t do it,” he shook his head weakly.
“We have to try. Come on, I’ll help you.”
Marina literally carried him on her back. When they emerged into the fresh air, the man noted her roundness.
“Have you completely lost it? You shouldn’t be lifting heavy things!” he exclaimed.
She silently found some suitable branches, removed her overcoat, tore it apart, and fashioned an improvised splint for his injured limb. The man nearly lost consciousness several times, even biting his lip until it drew blood…
Yet not a single sound escaped him.
“We need to head to the village. It will be dark soon,” Marina said.
“I can’t make it,” he replied hesitantly.
“Then you have only one option—stay here,” she said indifferently, shrugging.
The man looked at her with a childlike pout.
“Alright, we’ll try,” he finally agreed.
“We will,” she nodded.
Using a stick for support, he took several steps. Then he looked at her:
“Marina, I left my briefcase inside. It’s red. It’s extremely important to me. Please.”
The young woman nodded. The briefcase immediately caught her eye, and she went inside to retrieve it.
“Well then, shall we go?” she asked decisively.
They reached the village only in the dead of night. Never before had Marina been so utterly exhausted.
“Maybe I should call someone? Get some help?” she asked.
“Please, no. Don’t call anyone so that no one finds out,” he pleaded.
Marina sighed:
“Well, history repeats itself? Although…”
Why should she worry? This man was a stranger to her. He’d recover and vanish. She didn’t need new problems.
“Alright, you can stay with me for now,” she agreed.
The man nodded:
“I won’t let you be in my debt. My name is Maxim, you know.”
In the morning, Marina barely managed to get up. Every muscle ached. Noticing her condition, Maxim said:
“Rest. Just tell me what needs to be done, and even with one hand, I’ll manage.”
“You yourself can barely move,” she retorted.
“Don’t worry, I’m strong,” he smiled.
Marina noticed that he now had a new bandage. It was of better quality, professionally done. Probably he had re-bandaged himself. In the three days Maxim had been with her, Marina had come to know him as if he were family. They talked a lot…
Maxim didn’t elaborate on himself, while Marina poured out almost her entire story. He later protested at length:
“How do you manage on your own? In your condition?”
Marina smiled:
“Well, I’ll somehow pull through.”
Maxim shook his head:
“No, you can’t live like this.”
And three days later, a car stopped by the house.
“Who is that?” Marina asked, peering out the window. “Oh my goodness!”
Maxim got up:
“As I understand, they’re acquaintances of your husband?”
Marina nodded and sank heavily onto the couch.
“Stay here, I’ll talk to them myself,” he said.
Marina looked at Maxim in horror:
“You… you don’t know them!”
“They don’t know me,” he replied calmly.
Maxim stepped out into the yard.
“Hey, guys. Any trouble?” he asked casually.
“Well, the lady certainly is in trouble. Her dear husband owes us money. He’s with the other world. But someone has to pay, right? There’s no one else but her. And the sum isn’t small,” one of them answered. “Let me in.”
Maxim blocked the entrance:
“You can’t go to her. She’s about to give birth. You’ll only scare her.”
“So what then? Will you be responsible for her?”
“Perhaps, I will.”
Marina saw that the conversation outside was growing increasingly tense. And she realized that because of her, an innocent, completely unrelated person might suffer. She dashed out into the street…
As she stepped onto the porch, a sharp pain shot through her entire body. Marina cried out and fell. Maxim jumped to her side. The men who had arrived shifted their weight nervously. They had no desire to deal with a woman who, it seemed, was about to give birth.
“Hey, listen, we’ll drop by in a couple of days,” one of them said.
“Stop!” Maxim straightened up. “We need to get to the city. It’s going to take too long for an ambulance.”
“Are you kidding?” another one marveled.
Maxim dashed back into the house. He was gone for about three minutes. Then he reappeared, displaying a bundle of banknotes:
“I’ll pay.”
The men exchanged glances.
“Alright, load up. But if she kicks the bucket, it’s not on us,” one of them warned.
All the way, Maxim kept her head in his lap. And throughout, he was deep in thought. Soon he would be forty. His life had been full of adventures. In essence, now he could forget his worries and stop working…
Inside the red case were cash, jewels, and new identity documents. He could simply start life over, break off all his risky dealings, start a family—perhaps with Marina—and live as ordinary people. He looked at her face. An attractive woman, only very sad.
They arrived at the destination. Maxim helped her out of the car. Then he addressed the men:
“Leave your contacts; I’ll reach out to you.”
One of them handed him a business card. Maxim nervously lit a cigarette. It had been three hours since they had brought Marina inside, and there was still no news. He had entered the building several times, but the medical staff treated their duties with a lighthearted air. They smirked and said that nothing happens so quickly. Maxim was indignant. What were they laughing about? Is there anything funny in the fact that Marina was in such dire straits right now? Only at dawn…
When he was nearly paralyzed from the long wait, a nurse appeared at the door.
“Hey, daddy!” she called.
He turned:
“Is that for me?”
“For you. And are you watching someone else here?” she smiled.
Maxim rose and approached her.
“Congratulations, you have a daughter. What a beauty! Both with her mother and the baby, everything’s just fine.”
Maxim managed a bewildered smile:
“A daughter? A beauty?”
“Well, yes. What’s wrong with you? You seem uncharacteristically unjoyful,” the nurse remarked in surprise.
Maxim embraced the nurse:
“I’m happy! Truly happy! Tell me, what do we need to bring? What should we buy? We left the house so abruptly…”
The nurse handed him a list:
“Here, take this list. We specially make one for new fathers who can’t remember anything,” she said.
Maxim raced through the town. He had already visited a familiar doctor, who had applied a bandage for him. He was scolded, of course, but the doctor noted that he was lucky—his limb was properly stabilized. Now he had entered a huge shopping mall…
This store had everything for babies. He entered and stood there, bewildered. So much was on offer! And how was he supposed to understand what was on the list? There were terms he had never heard before.
A saleswoman approached him:
“Need help?”
“Yes,” he replied with relief.
After delivering a large bag to the maternity ward, Maxim returned to the mall.
“And now… now I need a crib… and basically everything necessary for the little one and her mother.”
Marina realized that Maxim had repaid her in ways she could never have imagined. He had done far more than simply help her. And the young mother nervously sifted through beautiful frocks, a blanket for discharge, and many other items. In an hour, they would be discharged. They would get to the village by bus, and everything would be fine.
“Come on, dear,” said the nurse.
Marina extended her arms, and the nurse asked in astonishment:
“How come no one is meeting you? How come you’re alone?”
“Nothing, I’ll manage. Let’s get the baby,” she replied.
“Oh, the lot of us women,” the nurse sighed.
They stepped outside, and Marina stood frozen with wide-open eyes. A taxi with checkered upholstery was waiting at the entrance, and nearby—Maxim with balloons and a bouquet.
“Of course it’s me. Did you expect someone else?” he smiled.
Maxim presented the nurses with sweets, sparkling wine, and took the baby in his arms:
“Oh, you truly are a beauty!”
The nurse smiled:
“And I almost believed you were alone. But look at you—a husband like that. Generous, handsome.”
They got into the car. Marina was so overwhelmed that she didn’t utter a single word all the way home. And when she entered and saw the crib…
So many new things, she burst into tears.
“Why are you crying?” Maxim asked.
“I don’t know,” she sobbed.
“You know, Marina, I’ve been thinking—if I’m not completely repulsive to you, maybe we could formalize our relationship. I’ve decided that I want a family. Not just any family, but a family with you.”
“But you understand, they won’t let us live peacefully,” she objected.
“Are you talking about those who came? They’ll let us. I’ve settled up with them. You don’t owe them anything more. And if you tell me to leave, I will. Just don’t worry. You saved my life, so we’re even. But truly, I’d like to stay. Perhaps you could come to love me?” he asked hopefully.
Marina turned to him:
“But Sveta… she isn’t yours.”
“She will be mine. And she will never know, never feel that it isn’t so. I’ll do everything for you,” he promised.
Marina gazed into his eyes for a long while. Then, with a sigh, she pressed herself against his chest. And Maxim gently embraced her and the little one—his daughter and his future wife. And he vowed he would never give them up.
