Читать книгу I am your woman! - Julia Rudenko - Страница 4

– Well, it’s beyond my comprehension! I simply can’t understand it! There shouldn’t be any foolhardy daring of yours in our life. We’ve just married and now you are eager to leave me and commit exploits at the world’s end. Normal people marry, bear children, bring them up…

– That’s it! Bring them up as they were brought up a long time ago. And it is not a good way. If we are always hiding and being afraid of modern life whatever cruel it is just imagine who our children will become! For God’s sake, I’m going to work, not to make exploits as you say! I finished a military school. That’s my profession! You knew quite well who you’d marry.

– But it never occurred to me you would choose Chechnya!

The quarrel in the Garov family seemed to become serious. If Larisa Ivanovna, the young officer’s mother, hadn’t interfered God knows what would have happened.

– Please, Lera, do come down! Sasha* is not a little boy! He’ll just go there and see if it’s so dangerous as they say. Maybe, the devil is not so terrible as he is painted as the proverb says. Besides, he can earn a lot of money as others do. Then you’ll save money to buy a flat. Then a new car. And live happily.

– Larisa Ivanovna, my parents told me they’d begun to build a house for us! We are not so poor that Sasha should go to the world’s end to get money, are we? And risk his life! He can be killed there!

Alex* was offended by his wife’s remark. He felt uneasy that Lera’s* parents were richer than him and occupied high posts. And his mother, a simple accountant, brought him up by herself. He wished Valeria had never mentioned their poverty.

– Let’s stop it! I’ve made up my mind to go. That’s final! – said Alex abruptly and rushed out of the room shutting the door.

Larisa Ivanovna stood up from the chair with a sigh:

– It’s time to warm up the cutlets. And the ducks need some grass. – she said and left the room too.

Valeria was alone. She didn’t want to do anything, to argue with them any more. All her words are of no use. Maybe she is a square peg in the round hole here? But why on earth did he marry her? Not Katya? Not Glasha? Not someone else? He is so handsome and attractive! He could have chosen any girl he wanted. All the chicks in the street «re dreeming of him.

But Sasha preferred her, Lera Lavrova, a tutor in the kindergarten. Yes, she is not very pretty. But rather well-off, thanks to her parents. She could live as she wanted. Not worry about the future.

How wonderful their love-affair began! Lera leaned the back of her armchair and recalled how they’d met first.

It was a Sunday evening in summer. She was returning from the sea-side in her Opel. He, being a last-year cadet, was on the way home for summer holidays. So he was hitchhiking on the road, at the outskirts of Krasnodar.

Lera stopped her car beside him. Alex opened the door, flopped down onto the seat and began kidding:

– Nice to meet you! My name is Alex. Alex the Hijacker. Hijacker and car-stealer. And what’s your name, you, wonderful owner of a not less wonderful car?

– …Va-le-ria, – Lera answered in syllables, drawling the vowels, and pushed the gas and clutch pedals gently, without any fuss.

Shifting the gear she hit Alex with her elbow by chance. The latter didn’t lose his head and put his hand on hers:

– Can I help you?

Lera moved aside slightly but the guy took off his hand at once:

– Well, I only wanted to help you. Don’t think wrong of me. – Sasha said and stared at her.

Lera turned her eyes to the highway in front of her. Hardly overcoming nervous strain that seized her, she continued driving. Lera felt she was blushing and tried to break that strange, uncouth silence:

– By the way, where are you going? – she asked Sasha.

– To the stanitsa** of Dinskaya. And may I ask you a question? Where from and where to are you going now? You, such a beautiful, young and brave Amazon?

Lera was taken aback again. She tried to speak of the sea-surf, but everything mixed in her head. Alex saw it. And he was pleased. He was so pleasedwith his newly-invented image of a hijacker and seducer that suddenly he whispered right into her ear:

– Lera, dear, please relax! Or you’ll skid but I want to live…

And then Valeria suddenly pulled the brakes. At that moment she wanted only one thing – to get rid of this impudent passenger. But at the same time she was pleased with his courting.

– Please… – but Alex didn’t let her finish.

He nearly bumped against the windscreen but turned harshly and caught Lera by her shoulder, pulled her to himself and kissed. She couldn’t resist.

She remembered trying to protect her virginity: «We can’t do it! We’ve just met… know each other for a couple of minutes». But this attempt was too weak. Alex put his hand lower and lower. Her breasts betrayed her and made her moan…

*Alex, Sasha, Sanyok – diminutive for Alexander, Lera – that for Valeria.

**Stanitsa – a Cossack village.