Elena Speranskaya - Imprint of Heart. Illumination with love

“Beautiful and modern. Take care of your father; give your girlfriend something of value from yourself. She will be pleased,” Alexey said and ran his hand along the curve of her back.

“But listen, this is for our children,” she continued.

“Did she die?” his question caused Lucy’s perplexity.

“No, but suffered a serious trauma to the skull. Have a rest. I’ll probably go.”

“I’m escorting you,” he suggested, dressing. “We’ll finish it after.”

“It’s encouraging, I’m almost ready. Come on,” she said, standing at the door and adjusting her coat.

The next day it was Sunday. Alexey appeared at exactly six at her home, as they agreed. He greeted her father. Lucy changed her clothes. She put on her outgoing dress, remade from the mother’s old, silk.

“Dear dad, we are invited to visit our employee. Perhaps I will be late,” Lucy warned, looking at Alexey when her father listened to something on the radio.

Sveta lived completely in the other end of the city, so they had to take a taxi. They drove up to a tall, fourteen-story building of modern architecture with two high-speed elevators. The apartment on the top floor consisted of three rooms, an improved layout. Lucy and Alexey came before others.

Sveta led the guests to all the rooms, even did not forget the loggia. The rooms were large and bright. Guests liked everything.

“Sveta, will I help you to lay dishes on the table,” Lucya suggested, sympathetically.

“You may help. Here’s an apron,” she held out a thing of clothes folded in a double size. “I’ll put the children to bed.”

The guest took care of the table setting. Sveta had beautiful tableware: a Czech dinner set for twelve persons, lots of crystal, nickel silver forks and spoons. The landlady came up to her, she liked how Lucy had covered the table.

Gradually, the guests began to gather. They were introduced. Lucy met a friend of Sveta’s husband and his wife. They worked in another shop. They waited for the appearance of Sveta’s younger brother – Jacob from Riga, but he called and told to sit at the table without him, his departure was delayed due to the weather.

Sveta was very upset, but immediately invited everyone to the table and cheered up:

“We are excellent housewives,” she complimented Lucya. “You helped me,” she said softly to her. “Take salads from the refrigerator and put them on the plates, and I’ll cut the bread and spread the napkins.”

“I envy you so much,” Lucy said a little softly too. “You have a wonderful family, nice children, and an apartment. Are you probably happy?”

“Oh, yes I am, surely. But it did not come all at once. When Robert and I got married, we did not have any.”

The guests were seated in pairs. Near to Lucy on the right side sat Alex, and to the left Robert – the husband of Sveta. The first toast was offered by the owner of the apartment: “For peace and friendship between nations.”

The second toast was offered by Alexey: “For fine women.” The general merriment began: they danced, laughed, joked. Alexey did not leave Lucy all evening, but invited Sveta to dance as a sign of respect for the hostess of the house.

At the end of the evening an abundant table with several kinds of salads, hot, jellied fish, grenades and mineral water was emptied. The guests began to disperse. The first hurried Lucy:

“Sveta, I need to go.

“Of course, of course. I understand. It’s too late.”

Sveta corrected a beautiful, knitted dress and threw her head back in agreement. Dense fair hair waves were scattered on the shoulders.

“And I need to go. Lucy, let’s go together.” Alexey hurried too.

“I’ll wait for you while you get dressed,” she answered eloquently.

It was dark outside. The weather was roaring. A cold, sharp wind blew. The sky was completely black and there was not a single asterisk. While they were dancing, it rained, had not completely stopped, drizzled in small drops. There were puddles everywhere. With gusts of wind, the streams of water increased. Alex picked up his collar.

“Come quickly, Alex, or you’ll catch a cold. Why did not you put anything on your head?” she, worried, began to show maternal care.

“Do not worry. I’m seasoned. Do not wash your feet…”

Suddenly the rain was poured with such force that it was difficult to distinguish anything in front of them.

“Let’s go under the awning,” she pointed to the shield near the store, “or into the entrance, wait until it’s raining,” she offered ardently and with love.

“You’re not afraid of the gray wolves eating you,” he joked. “The bunny.”

“You’re joking, but I’m not to jokes, I’m already soaked with water all the threads. Here, touch what cold hands I have.”

Alexey touched Lucy’s hands. Yes, in fact, they were cold.

“You’re my ice, we’ll come here soon, or I’m afraid you’ll catch a cold.”

They ran into the nearest open porch. It was damp and cold, but the main advantage was that cold water did not flow from above. Alexey shook off the raincoat and raindrops from his head.

“Allow me to look after you and shake off water from shoulders.”

“Do, please, otherwise I’m really afraid of catching a cold. I do not want to hurt at all.”

The rain intensified. Lucya stood at the open door. Rainy streams densely crossed the air. The water drained to the face and to the palms stretched forward. She stood, watched as the palm filled with water and recited the memorized lines from her girlfriend’s book “Illumination with Love”:

Autumn

“What are you whispering?” Alexey asked frightened from somewhere above, crouching on the step of the stairs and continuing to shake the water from the cloak.

“If it was not for the cold wind, then…” she did not finish, as if she wanted to say something and changed her mind, and stood and thought about something tensely.

“I’ll get a taxi now. The rain will pour all night; we can not hang around here. We’ll spend the night next time.”

He got out of the porch entrance, but so as luck would have disappeared, not a single car was rushing past. Suddenly, in the distance, Mazda appeared, sparkling with a wet roof. Alexey waved his hands. The car stopped, a driver looked out of the window and said briefly:

“Sit down.”

Alexey called Lucya. She ran out of the entrance, deftly opened the back door and sat in the corner, followed by Alexey. He said the address.

“How are you feeling? Were you chilled?

“It’s tolerant.”

The car buzzed and jerked. The driver switched on the receiver. The weather forecast was reported: “Warm weather with short-term precipitation is expected”.