5. Brother 1

THE FIFTH BTOTHER


Don’t mind, baby!






- A woman with a mole on her left breast ... Danger! Don't rush to marry her, my son!

My grandmother, a well-known North African sorceress, uttered this warning when I was a child, but I firmly remembered her words - there was a threat in them. Yes, I'll be careful - nothing will stop me from fulfilling my mission.

- Beware of a woman with a mole on her left breast!

It was an alarm that came on whenever I met a new woman. And every time it caught fire in vain. Maybe that's why I couldn't take any of them seriously. They flashed like bright pictures, similar to one another. They quickly bored me, even the most beautiful and skillful ones. Even Polina ... Yes, because it was not her.
 
1.
Sunday. February 19th.

There was no real winter. Snow fell and immediately melted. The air smelled imperceptibly of spring. An incomprehensible anxiety drove her out of home. She wanted peace. Freedom. And something else, something ... She wanted to dissolve in the noise of the streets, in the silence of tall maples in the Botanical Garden, in the chirping of sparrows, in the winking of traffic lights. She was attracted by the unique beauty of this city, this warm day on the eve of spring.

She was in love with him, and so she walked, wandered, forgetting about all the difficulties: just to breathe, to walk, just to live ...

It was Sunday and he decided to give himself a break: the session was over, all the tests and exams were passed, and the summer is still far away. One can relax a little, be with friends, talk, listen to music, maybe hear some news from home - someone always leaves and comes back. The mood was excellent. And although water was squelching underfoot, and in some places on the side of the road the fallen snow was darkening, it was still felt - spring! There will be no dark gloomy winter days anymore.

There were not many people, and there was no one at all in the patch between the Industrial Bridge and the Radio Plant. He turned the corner ...
She looked up at a black guy who suddenly appeared right in front of her. He also looked at her in a strange way. “Probably lost. He wants to ask for directions and does not dare. Wow, black, and so handsome - quickly flashed through her mind. "Well, do ask, don't be afraid!"
And he spoke:

- Sorry, I'm looking for KPI-hostel. Do you know where is it?

- Yes, you are walking correctly, there is some kind of hostel here, you just have to go forward.

- Do you live there?

- No, I don’t.

- And where?

- Well, not far from here… in two tram stops.

- Do you study at the university? - He asked again.

- No, I’m not.

- Where then?

- I don’t studying anywhere.

- Are you a worker?

She felt stupid, answering his questions, it would have been easier to lie something instead, but she went into detailed explanations.

- I do not study or work yet. I came here to study and to work, but I will enter the VGITIS directing department in summer, and before that I want to work at a film studio. But also have to wait now a bit. I was promised to get a job within a month.

He had round, like cartoon animals, very funny eyes. And with those funny eyes of his, looking attentively at her, he suddenly asked:

- Why are you looking at me like that? Is it because I'm black?
She did not even suspect that her eyes, fixed on him from under the fox's cap pulled down on her forehead, seemed to him as big and surprised as his eyes did to her.

- No, it's just…

- What’s your name?

"Oh here we go!" She suddenly felt annoyed.

- What’s the difference?

- Is there no difference? If, for example, we meet again, we will not be able to say hello.

- Martha.

- Martha… Martha, right? – He looks surprised. - Can I invite you to a movie?

- No, sorry. I've been walking for a long time, now I'm tired and want to go home.

- Ok. We can drink coffee, it’s close, just one stop.

- No, I'm explaining to you ...

- Martha, this is not good. We met, I invite you ...

He was very persistent and in the end she got tired of saying ‘no’ to him. Besides, she didn’t want to give him a false impression of the local girls. “He's probably came here recently. He will think that we are all so "wild". It’s not his fault that he came across me!”

They walked slowly to the bus stop.

- Where could I see you before? – He asked.

- No, you couldn't. I've only been in here for a month. I haven't seen you anywhere.

- Maybe be you didn’t notice me?

“No, it can't be,” she snapped. - I have a good memory for faces.

Having got off the bus, they turned into some quiet street. Rue Eugene Potier, Martha read.

- What is your name? - She asked out of courtesy.

- Nitram.

- Ah, - she nodded and forgot at the same moment.

http://proza.ru/2020/08/23/1220