Chapter 1. A chance meeting

 The novel. Love forgotten on the seashore.

Vladislav Koptsev.


               
                Chapter 1.
.

                A chance meeting.               
   
    Looking at this landscape very similar to the one where I once said goodbye to her. I mentally began to replay those long-ago events in my memory. And I remembered everything again, down to the smallest detail, I remembered that unforgettable summer and our unexpected meeting and those amazing events associated with it.
    We met her in a small resort town. I was very young and free, she was married to what I understood to be a very wealthy man who was older than her. They had a small child. She did not love her husband. We met by chance on the beach, and I noticed her there right away. She had a slightly plump, beautiful figure with high breasts. I preferred them more then. I liked the too slender ones less. As one of my fellow soldiers, a lover of women, joked rudely.-- A man is not a dog who throws himself at bones. She's just right for me, I thought. The sun had already risen high and was baking well. I was in good athletic shape, having recently returned from the army, after officer training, and I did not feel the heat. Spending whole days on field exercises and shooting at the range. Marching in boots under the scorching sun and making marches.  The sun's rays gently caressed my tanned skin with their warmth, a light breeze from the sea carried a pleasant coolness, it was pleasant and good for me. At this time, there were few people on the beach, most vacationers preferred to hide somewhere in the shade. She was alone and lying on a large terry towel. In a bright, open, beautiful swimsuit.  There was a bag and an open book next to it, but she wasn't reading it. She was lying with her face turned away from the sun, with dark sunglasses raised on her forehead and looking somewhere into the distance towards the sea. I walked around her, keeping a respectful distance so that she wouldn't notice me circling around her and looked at her from all sides.  Class, I thought. That's a pretty girl. From her white, slightly tanned skin, it was clear that she had been here recently and it was quite possible that she was alone here. I lay down in the distance and began to think about how best to approach her, maybe I would be lucky and she really hadn't managed to get another admirer yet. And mentally began to develop a plan of action, weighing the odds for and against. Hardly, of course  she is alone, so pretty and one might say very attractive. What can I say, as a rule, all more or less beautiful women are often boring. Moody, arrogant and imposing, they think too highly of themselves. It's not so easy to get to know them. They, who have long been accustomed to adoration, are not very accessible. And they are rarely free. Except perhaps by quarreling with one of his many fans. And it is very possible that if you try to approach her, suddenly out of nowhere, one of them will show up here. And then, who knows, you might even have to wave your fists, running into a fight with some cocky and overly jealous boyfriend who found me next to her. Word for word, sharp words will go smoothly turning into insults and a quarrel can escalate into a small fight or assault, as they say in police protocols. Here, who will be stronger. But acquaintance in this case will no longer take place and you will also hear a couple of affectionate words from this angry girl and the screams of vacationers.- The police. Call the police, they're fighting here. And if there is a police patrol nearby, you can easily find yourself in their limousine with a grille on the window. And in that case, I might have to spend most of my vacation with a broom in my hand for fighting in a public place. Having a free rest on a plank bed visiting the police. Chuckling to myself, I imagined this picture. Well, of course, this is the fruit of my imagination and this is unlikely to happen, but if the army and martial arts have taught me something and it won't matter, we can do it. The main thing here is who she prefers, I thought presumptuously. The circumstance, I must say, is not predictable. Such beauties like, as I imagined at the time, tough guys, confident in themselves, who can punch an opponent in the face if anything happens. Everyone respects strength. And of course, in the future, I dreamed, with such a beautiful woman you can not be a tightwad, you have to be attentive and attentive about the flowers there, sweets and other gifts do not forget. And in order to interest her, a special approach is needed, you can not crumple and mumble, it will immediately send her away. A woman should be surprised and carried away by something extraordinary, not quite ordinary, intrigue, express admiration for her appearance, be interesting to her, learn a couple of beautiful poems, funny jokes, tell her interesting stories, looking for them in various magazines and other literary sources. It is pleasant to surprise with a free manner of address, with your self-confidence and at first not too arrogant and beautifully take care of her, elevate her in your eyes and charm, but also subtly be able to show her that if you are not macho, but somewhere in general you are. These thoughts involuntarily crept into my head from the fact that the fumes from yesterday's feast were still wandering in me and I was drawn to spatial reasoning, and I still could not gather myself, as I did not fully come to my senses and still could not make up my mind in any way, and figure out how to act, how to approach her and where to start.  Come on, what's there to guess. where ours has not disappeared. At least I'll have fun and chat with this beauty, and then how will it work out.  I have nothing to lose anyway.  Finally making up my mind, I looked at her carefully once more. She had blonde hair. regular facial features and some kind of low-key beauty. At first, you don't even understand what attracted you to her, but after looking more closely, you begin to realize that she is really very pretty. Well, what a beauty, we were not going to storm.  Forward to the mines. I encouraged myself, trying to overcome the sudden inopportune shyness that sometimes arises if you want to meet a beautiful woman, fearing that she will rudely and contemptuously send you somewhere far away. And you, annoyed and humiliated, will leave her alone and stumble around licking the wounds of the moral plan received from her in the form of contemptuous and insulting words bordering on insult, after her extremely unpleasant, mocking and humiliating rebuke. This happens sometimes if you run into some arrogant and not very polite beauty.  But, at that moment, the excitement of the hunter awoke in me. It's such a special feeling when you're all extremely focused and purposeful, approaching your victim, afraid to scare her off and miss, waiting for the most appropriate moment to hit the target. Well, dear, we have nothing to lose, and we are also not blindly sewn, and far from being freaks. Stop dragging your feet.  Attack. Forward. I got up and slowly walked over to her and asked.
-- I won't bother you if I lie down here.
-- You're interrupting, she said with displeasure and turned away. So, I thought, the show-offs begin. I think I was right. But he wasn't going to give up. We need to change tactics. To impose and, something there, to gundet is not an option. I'll try to fool around. Humor is a big deal.  Everyone likes jokes and jokes.  It disposes. It's easier to get to know each other that way.- I'm sorry, I'm very uncomfortable bothering you, I just wanted to ask you to keep an eye on my things so that thieves don't take them away. She looked at me with displeasure. I had nothing with me except a newspaper and a pack of cigarettes with a lighter inside. She grinned. I gave her a polite bow and said.
- I am very grateful to you, may the Almighty send you his grace, the virgin of unwritten beauty and went swimming. Glancing at her briefly, I noticed that she turned away and smiled at hearing such an unusual and unexpected compliment for her, but did not want to show it to the impudent man who pestered her. Surely no one has ever called her the unwritten virgin of beauty and she clearly liked it. After swimming in the pool and refreshing yourself. Having dumped the remnants of the so-called alcohol syndrome in the cool sea water, after last night I went to my diva. Having decided to make fun of her and play her, pretending to be some kind of blissful, out of this world to begin with.  It will be an original and unexpected mI love her, who has long been accustomed to the usual vulgar harassment, and what might interest her. Let her think that I'm not an ordinary person and maybe it will intrigue her. It's not every day you meet such a weirdo on the beach. The main thing is to hook her first, and then it will go. If she falls for my joke and we get to know each other, I'll admit that I played a prank on her. Let's laugh together and it will bring us closer. Politely thanking her for guarding my things, I told her that she was wrong to be angry with me, I was very uncomfortable that I had violated her privacy and prevented her from enjoying sunbathing and thinking about something sublime and noble while reading an interesting love novel. - And why did you decide that it was love. She asked with a grin. - A revelation has come to me. - Yes, and you are a visionary. - No, I was just thinking, what else can such a beautiful girl read about on the beach, if not about love passions. Although it's a sin, of course. -- And you are a strong believer. -- Yes, my dear. - As far as I. know, all believers wear a cross, but why don't you have one? She asked mockingly. And I realized that she had taken my bait. This goldfish. Once she started to keep up a conversation with me. And at the same time, he was somewhat confused, not knowing what to answer her. But she helped me out by telling me. - You probably belong to some kind of sect. - no. This is a very sad and instructive story. I would tell it to you, but I understand that I am very unpleasant to you and in my modesty I dare not bother you anymore. Moreover, I see that my appearance is very unpleasant to you and you look at me with poorly concealed disgust.- Why did you decide that? I don't think I said that. - Thank you for your kind words. I bowed slightly to her. I am used to people's callousness, persecution and ridicule. I had high hopes once. But he followed the path of sin and vice, indulged in adultery with young women, drunkenness and gluttony and was expelled. And now I just bring good to people, help and sometimes, to the best of my abilities, treat mental and physical illnesses. And I discovered the gift of clairvoyance. - And you, that you can tell fortunes. "What is it?" she asked, looking at me in disbelief. Predicting fate is a big sin. I just have visions sometimes."I feel like you're kidding me."  - I had no idea. - And you, who used to be a novice, or as they are called, I do not remember, studied somewhere. - I was standing in the choir, I said, not realizing what I was saying. Remembering that this is a place for singers and reciters. And to get away from unnecessary questions and not be exposed ahead of time, I told her.- You will forgive me for my intrusiveness and tactlessness, but I see that you are probably hot, if you allow me, I can look after your things, and you go and take a dip. The water is so good, warm. My name is Vlad and I temporarily live in those houses over there, that's why I came to the beach in such an inappropriate way, not dressed, so that you have nothing to fear, your things will be completely safe, and I will not allow anyone to encroach on them. After listening to me, she was still dissatisfied with something, but clearly confused by my rather strange speech and the nonsense that I was talking to her, said.-- Perhaps you're right, we should go for a dip, it's very hot and I went to the sea. When she went swimming, I, as they say, ate her figure with my eyes and was very disappointed, saying to myself.-- Yes, Masha is good, but not ours.  There was no wedding ring on her finger. I decided it was a bummer and began to look at the people sunbathing around me. There was no one comparable to my beauty there. It was a pity, I thought, but I didn't want to leave her anymore. Soon she returned refreshed with wet hair and lay down on her terry cloth bed, a large towel that looked more like a sheet.
"Please check if everything is safe," I said. - I didn't let anyone in here and guarded your things very vigilantly. She looked at me appraisingly and thanked me anyway. And I wanted to keep fooling around. Apparently, yesterday's feast was still affecting. We did a good job with the neighbors yesterday for the sake of getting to know each other. Although the wine was light and almost everything had worn off. I've noticed for a long time that intoxication goes much faster at sea, and to tell the truth, I wasn't really into it. When I realized that she was married and there was nothing for me here, I got tired of playing her, especially in such a stupid way. But after that, I still found some kind of courage and I decided to continue to make fun of it. I opened the newspaper and began to read it in silence, and then, as if talking to myself, I began to feign indignation. -- Wow, what's going on here.  People disappear in broad daylight. The police got off their feet.  Women are being kidnapped . They're probably taking them to harems in Turkey. It's even amazing how husbands leave their wives alone without supervision. At any moment, they can kidnap you anywhere, even on the beach. They put us to sleep with some kind of potion and be healthy to us. Read it here. I was composing confidently. - I wonder how your husband, excuse me, could leave you alone when such a dangerous gang of criminals is operating here. It's good that I was there to protect you. By the way, I've been practicing martial arts and I can stand up for you. I tried to get information from her about her husband's whereabouts. This started to interest me a lot. Why is she here alone? Maybe she came here without him after all. There was a faint hope."You have a very rich imagination, Vlad," she said.  Apparently bathing did her good, I thought, she changed her anger to mercy, generously condescended to me and allowed herself to continue talking to me. She also called me by name. Believe the good. The ice broke. I cheered up. But, as it turned out, I was happy early, what she said later made me a little confused. But that was later. In the meantime, I continued to rant. - I somehow didn't notice anything like that for myself, I enthusiastically replied to her remark, pleased that she paid attention to me. I don't really like fFiction. They invent all sorts of nonsense, who is good at what. Sometimes they make this up, you can choke on laughter. It is more interesting for children. However, there are also good books. I was fascinated by them as a child. Jules Verne, Belyaev, Herbert Wales. The War of the Worlds. And the hyperboloid of engineer Garin, for example. I recently watched this old movie on the retro channel. You even remind me of this actress who played the main role, I forgot her name. Zoya, I think. Or about another ancient film about Ichthyander. You've seen these old movies. I tried to draw her into the conversation. - Yes, she answered shortly, apparently not disposed to maintain further communication with me. After a short pause, I continued to cast the line. Still trying to get her to talk and win over. - But you, I must tell you, are behaving rather carelessly and thoughtlessly. Maybe. I'm one of those bandits who are operating here. She grinned and said. - Yes, Vlad, I see that you really have a very rich imagination or maybe something is wrong with your head.- I was taken aback by surprise after her words and did not know at first what to answer her.- First of all, you don't look like a bandit at all, she continued - Why is that, - I said, as if offended, - what does it not look like. "Because," she said sarcastically, "bandits don't talk as much as you do." They prefer to act in silence, without empty chatter, as they say on the sly.  And they don't tell everyone where they live and what their names are. - Well, I hesitated, there are also different types of crooks. - That's exactly it. Just a crook is more suitable for you, they usually try to ingratiate themselves and deceive their intended victim. But in this case, you are not even a crook, but such, you know, a cheap boyfriend, a lover of female representatives, a beginner and still not very experienced seducer, something like a beach ladies' man. He was standing in the choir. At least you know what it is.
Wow, I thought. She's figured me out a long time ago, I thought. - And secondly, she continued, I have already read this newspaper and there is nothing there from what you have invented. And your goal, as I understand it, is to get to know some woman in order to try to have a holiday romance with her, or rather an affair. Maybe something will break off and some frivolous and inexperienced fool or a lover of thrills will fall for you and your homegrown witticisms and nonsense. To the nonsense that you are telling me here, you have stuck to me like a burr, So that in this case you have come to the wrong address. I was stunned by her words and didn't know what to say. Yes, she turns out to be much smarter than I could have imagined and talks like an experienced woman, also mocks me, and I now look like a two-year student from the fifth grade in front of her, How she deftly brought me to the surface. And quickly put it back in place. Although there seems to be nothing surprising in all this. Everyone goes to the sea to relax and have fun, and there who will be lucky and who will strive for what. And women love with their ears, because they say that they don't really like boring and silent people. But in such a situation, I must admit, not every one of my friends would be able to speak out as confidently and directly as she did.  Therefore, despite my seemingly complete fiasco and defeat, I respected her and admired her insight and directness.  A. - You should work in the prosecutor's office, I said. You're not from there by any chance. - That's not where she said. - It's a pity, with your abilities and character, you would make a good prosecutor or investigator in particularly important cases. I do not envy those who would have fallen into your hands then, they would have received it in full. - What to say. You're like a Kibrit from a TV series about the police. The investigation is being conducted by experts. I liked this once very popular movie. It was recently broadcast on TV. According to the program "idols of old cinema". You are even somewhat similar to her. I just admire your insight. Major Tomin is not your husband by any chance. - Not by chance, unfortunately. I don't watch such films, unlike about you. She added, somewhat distantly, after a short pause. Thinking for a moment about something of his own.  It was a rather unexpected admission on her part. That's right. He's sorry. So there's something wrong with my husband.  Gee, I thought, getting more and more respect for her. She was about my age, and she talked like an experienced woman.  I wonder if the girls are dancing, I remembered a saying. And what about the husband. He probably got drunk with his friends with joy that he had finally escaped to freedom to the sea from a stuffy city and a lot of boring work and would not calm down in any way. That's why we quarreled. That's why she's so angry. They definitely had a fight. And he's probably sitting with his buddies right now, somewhere in an air-conditioned bar, pouring himself a beer. This is much more interesting for him than lying on the beach in such heat with a hangover next to his wife and staring at women passing by and beauties coming out of the sea, fearing that she will notice it and raise a scandal on the whole beach without being ashamed of the neighbors. And then I caught myself thinking that I was more and more attracted to her and even began to wake up some kind of jealousy of her husband, some people are lucky. What a woman! I thought with admiration. Not some kind of dummy. Or else she is not yet an experienced and naive girl. But a real woman. She won't let anyone offend her, and you can also get it from her yourself. A gorgeous residence. As one of my friends used to say, giving the highest rating to a woman. Although. I must say, I didn't really like that expression of his. It sounds too rude and humiliates a woman. What should I do to attract her? I think I have a serious crush on her. But she's married. Her husband is hanging out somewhere nearby. But I didn't want to think about it. Everything is still not clear with her husband. I justified myself. And despite all the ambiguity of the current situation and the fact that we only knew her for nothing, I suddenly felt an irresistible attraction to her. My condition, strange as it may sound, was somewhat reminiscent of how in the army young officers, leaving the regiment commander red, sweating after a powerful dressing down, instead of being outraged, after listening to the thundering speech of the regiment, accompanied by a good portion of non-normative vocabulary, joyfully reported, well, he poured it on me Our commander is now. It's already getting hot. And they were surprisingly pleased at the same time, as if they had received an award.  In the army, they are not shy in their expressions. And the stricter the commander, the more he is respected.  I have been in such a skin myself, as they say, more than once. And when I had to give orders myself, I wasn't too shy in my expressions either. So it was a familiar thing to me. Therefore, following my army experience, when I received this rebuke from her, I was not offended, but on the contrary, I only respected her even more. After telling me everything she thought was necessary, she fell silent. A little later, when I came to my senses, after she had so abruptly turned me down, I said.- I'm sorry, but you don't know me at all. I just recently arrived. I saw you. I really liked you, so I decided to get to know you. But I didn't know how. You confused me with something, with some of your inaccessibility and beauty. I decided to have a little fun to get to know you in this way, that's why I was talking all this nonsense. And what's wrong with that. And you jumped on me right away. Some kind of seducer with no experience, an unfinished womanizer, and even I was assigned to the crazy ones. It's a shame even.  In general, I somehow turned out to be Vanya from the pier in your understanding. She was silent,  I realized that she was very nervous about something and she wasn't up to me right now.  He just takes his anger out on me, but quite culturally and politely without crossing the line.  I was still trying to make a joke, but then she rudely cut me off, telling me. - Listen, why don't you go somewhere far away from here, you wit, self-taught. I don't have time for you right now. I lit a cigarette and without saying another word went to the sea, realizing with great regret that after such words I had nothing more to do here. And I really don't get anything here anymore.
  But it turns out that I was very wrong.  That's how it all started. Women, women, how sometimes you are difficult to understand and how often you are unpredictable...