Chapter 15. An unexpected conflict...

Vladislav Koptsev
    Coming out of the next room, I looked at Lena. She sat silently and looked past me with a strange, absent look. I was amazed by what I heard from her conversation with Egorov, when I was hiding in my improvised ambush, and I really wanted to smoke. I nodded to Lena in the direction of the loggia doors and, going out onto her spacious landing, took cigarettes out of my pocket and lit them greedily. He leaned against the railing and looked down. To my right, there was a stunning view of the city, surrounded by greenery, located along a wide bay. Its coastline, curving in a huge arc, stretched like a long ribbon to the horizon, disappearing in the distance behind a steep curve of the coast, dissolving into the blue haze of the sea. From a bird's-eye view, the colorful roofs and facades of the houses were visible, hiding in the dense greenery of the trees, which covered the entire area with a continuous green carpet. High-rise buildings, hotels and inns, glistening in the sun with glazing, towering high above the buildings of urban development, stretched along the coast among its lush vegetation, striking with their imposing appearance, and seemed to float above the sea. And right in front of me is a coastal park with thickly overgrown tall trees. Its wide alleys, hiding in their dense thickets, spread out in long rays in different directions, framed by ornamental shrubs and flower beds with bright, beautiful flowers growing on them. And then the sea was blue, sparkling and shimmering in the sunlight.
 
   I stared blankly at all this beauty and thought with sadness that it was over, and I finally lost my beloved woman, who had gone through so much trouble because of me. She was the woman I had so unexpectedly fallen in love with, but for whom, alas, I turned out to be just a temporary crush. And now that all these unpleasant events were over, she treated me, if not with hostility, then with utter indifference. After what happened, her loving feelings for me quickly dissipated, like a light mist in the rays of the rising sun or smoke from a dying campfire that burned me badly. And it was hard for me to realize this and accept the breakup of our relationship.
 
     What can I say, I wound myself up with annoyance and regret, letting my imagination run wild. Most likely, this beautiful woman, spoiled by attention, is probably no longer capable of loving anyone. Having wasted her feelings on the numerous fans and admirers who hung around her. Accustomed to adoration, easy flirtations. And like any beautiful woman, being in the spotlight made a lot of things easy for her. You just have to wave your finger. Therefore, she quickly became disillusioned with her fans. And she couldn't stop. She constantly needed new experiences, sometimes ending in a short light hobby, nothing more. And I was just another victim or whim of hers. A romantic adventure. Which ended quickly, having come across these troubles that had suddenly befallen her. The culprit of which, quite unwittingly, quite accidentally turned out to be me. And an epiphany quickly came. And what could we possibly have in common with this married woman? Also with a small child, living in another distant city, well-off and prosperous. And unlike me, although I am free, I still have nothing behind me except my ardent love for her and my youth. As Egorov sarcastically put it, having neither a stake nor a yard. And sadly, he was right. What could I give her? And how could I provide her with the comfortable life she was used to? The devil pulled me to contact her, I thought with annoyance, and fall in love with her like a fool. What could I expect from contacting her, other than a light flirtation without commitment. There aren't many girls around me. One can only imagine how stupid I look in her eyes now with my love, which is so inappropriate and absolutely unnecessary for her. For her, it has now become just a painful, protracted and boring adventure. And she probably wants to forget everything as soon as possible and get rid of me as soon as possible. I have absolutely nothing to count on. I completely lost my head, quite unexpectedly falling in love with her so much. I need to pull myself together and, no matter how hard it is for me, get away from her and forget this obsession as soon as possible. And there is no need for any explanation, and she and I understand everything without words. We have to leave, there's nothing we can do about it, there's no need for these unnecessary conversations and excuses. There is an insurmountable obstacle in front of us, a deep chasm that I cannot overcome.

   After finishing my cigarette, I entered the room and sat down next to her. He took her hand, kissed it, and then said: "I'm very glad that it's over. You're so smart, I admire you. You beat him. And she didn't just win, but forced him to respect himself, so much so that he, this cynical, treacherous, intelligent and hypocritical man. An experienced operative and an excellent psychologist, he even began to make friends with you, because he understands that having such an ally is worth a lot." Lena's face remained expressionless. She listened to me in silence, looking off into the distance.
   - I admire you and the strength of your character. I continued my passionate monologue.- And now that it's over, you need to forget about everything, have a good rest and come to your senses. And you will live a calm, comfortable life again and you will be able to just live easily and joyfully. You don't need me anymore. Forgive me, darling, I overestimated my abilities. Without thinking at all about the consequences and what our relationship will lead to. Just, as they say, had my head in the clouds. Now, after everything that happened, I understand everything perfectly. I'm really sorry that everything happened like this, I was too frivolous, to say the least. My sudden love for you has brought you nothing but big trouble. You were very right then when you told me that we shouldn't date, it wouldn't lead to anything good. I'm sorry for everything. And yet, no matter what, I am very grateful to fate that she gave me those unforgettable moments of happiness that I experienced thanks to you, my dear, thank you for everything, I will never forget it, I was completely absorbed in my love for you and did not think about anything. But now the moment has come when it's time to reflect on what lies ahead. And ahead of us, alas, nothing awaits us except separation. There is a high wall in front of us that we cannot overcome. It's a pity that I realized this late, or rather, I didn't want to think about it.
 
  Lena continued to listen to me in silence, without saying a word. It's over, I thought, secretly hoping that she would say that everything was wrong, object to me, restore hope, but she remained silent. I realized that she didn't want to talk to me about anything else. She just waited in silence for me to leave. There's nothing to count on anymore. It's over. I hugged her tightly and kissed her. My throat was constricted, and I could no longer speak. Barely squeezing out of himself: "Goodbye, Lenochka. Goodbye, my dear," and went to the exit. At the door, I turned around. I looked at her for the last time, at her beautiful face. There were tears in my eyes. With difficulty restraining myself, I said to her one last time: "Goodbye, darling, forgive me for everything," and left.
 
   After leaving the hotel, I walked along, not understanding the road and not seeing anything in front of me. I could see her face, thoughtful, indifferent, and detached. She didn't even try to stop me, to say something, to object, or to express her attitude towards me. She just wanted to be alone and finally get rid of me. I thought sadly. And he went through the park to the embankment. There was a kind of emptiness in my head, an unpleasant feeling of acute regret, longing and the bitterness of loneliness. Well, it's over without any unnecessary words or explanations on her part. I had already become a complete stranger to her and was not needed by her. The weight of parting weighed heavily, and there seemed to be a stone on my soul. I had one thought: I need to forget about her as soon as possible and leave here. There's nothing keeping me here anymore. I sat down on a bench on the embankment and stared at the sea in front of me in silence for a long time. Into its vast blue expanse. People sunbathing and bathing in it. They look at motorboats rushing across the sea, dragging long yellow bananas and plastic washers jumping on the waves and other watercraft of water attractions. Parachutes soaring in the sky with thrill seekers dangling high above the sea, frantically clinging to the tethered slings. And somehow I couldn't even believe that all this had really happened to me. It felt like it was just a strange, amazing dream I had. We need to shake ourselves up and forget everything as soon as possible. Feeling upset, after finishing another cigarette, I got up and headed home.
 
  When I finally arrived, I found in my room a noisy group of drunken guys and girls I didn't know, who were talking animatedly and noisily, sitting at a table covered with various snacks and bottles of wine. When I appeared, everyone was quiet at first, staring at me, and then they made even more noise. Drunk, Lyosha greeted me joyfully, introduced me to the drunken company and introduced me to those present. And then, noticing my sullen look, he asked loudly: "Why are you so gloomy, are you in trouble, or did you have a fight with your friend? Stop being sad, let's have a drink instead." The girlfriends looked at me appraisingly, and then, after whispering something among themselves, they laughed together. One of them, a pretty, pretty girl, looked at me with a slightly clouded, not quite sober look, and said in a confident tone: "Come on, give the newcomer a penalty. Let him catch up with us." It was clear from her self-confident and resolute tone that she was the mistress of the situation here. Lyosha poured me a glass of wine, and I said, "For a pleasant acquaintance," and downed it in one gulp. Everyone's attention involuntarily shifted to me. —Now let's have a drink together," said Marina, that was the girl's name. — And let Vlad give us a toast.- Lyosha poured the wine again, and I raised the glass. "We're listening,— she said in a commanding tone. I wasn't in the mood to make toasts. But now I had no choice but to gather my thoughts and say a few words. I raised my glass and silently considered what to say to them. The pause dragged on. — And why are we silent? Marina addressed me ironically with a grin.
 "Yes, he's confused and doesn't know what to say," one of the girls teased me, and the other whispered loudly to her, so that everyone could hear it: he's kind of slow-witted and, apparently, dumb, he can't connect two words. And they laughed together. That's a goat, I thought, getting a little angry. I need to pin her up, too. Everyone stared at me expectantly. — Well, we've already drunk to our acquaintance, — I told them. - And now I suggest we raise our glasses to the beautiful ladies present here who have graced us with their presence. With their delicate beauty, like beautiful fairies who have flown to us from somewhere, they serve as a wonderful decoration for our company. Especially the one who spoke so flatteringly about me. For which I am very grateful to her. And I also raise this glass to you, Marina. You were the first to pay attention to me, and kindly invited me to say a few words to your friendly company gathered here as, I can safely say, the queens of the ball, for your captivating, charming smile and your enchanting beauty. I don't think anyone would dare to deny it. Men drink for women standing up. Hurray! There was silence after my words. Then one of the fairies said in surprise, "Wow. Wow, that's right." Everyone jumped up from their seats. And the drunken company shouted in unison: "Hooray." An unimaginable noise arose. Everyone wanted to say something, interrupting the other person. Glancing at Marina, I noticed that she was looking at me intently, studying me. Someone poured more wine into my glass, saying, "Well done, well done," and I drank it without hesitation. I got to this party just in time, I thought. This is exactly what I need after such a painful breakup with Lena. I wanted to smoke, so I went out on the veranda.
   After lighting a cigarette, I began to look at the expanse of the sea in the distance. The wine I drank had its effect, I felt a significant relief, the tension that had been holding me down from our breakup with Lena had noticeably subsided, and I felt much calmer and more confident. And he wasn't so worried about what had happened anymore. Everything has somehow become blunted and faded into the background. At that moment, someone came out onto the veranda, and I heard a woman's voice: "Oh, you're here. Are you sad in proud solitude?"—"Why did you decide that? I just went out for a smoke." "And Lyosha said that you must have quarreled with your friend, that's why you came so gloomy." "Your Lyosha knows a lot," I told her, feeling drunk. "Why is he mine?" "I'm sorry, I just said that. I know that Leshka has a girlfriend. And he usually doesn't mind other people's business. Do you have a boyfriend here or are you alone? She somehow smiled wryly and casually waved her hand, as if waving away something. "Give me a cigarette," she said. I handed her the cigarettes and lit them with a lighter. "Have you been here long?" "What is it?" she asked me. — It depends on how you count it, but in general, we can say that it's not very good.  - And that I've already made a friend here.  - We broke up with her. - yes. Interesting. So Lyosha was right after all. She took a few puffs and threw the cigarette away. I smoked in silence, noticing that she was looking at me intently, as if studying me with some kind of mysterious, gaze. I felt that she was drunk. "Do you like me?" she suddenly asked. After a short silence, I said to her, "Well, what can I tell you, Marinochka? You can't help but like a bright, beautiful woman like you. Lucky your friend." I threw away the cigarette and smiled at her. "Well, shall we return to the table? Your friend there is probably already worried and jealous of you. And he's coming here now." She suddenly moved closer to me and, hugging me, began to kiss me, who was taken aback by surprise. Then she pulled away, took my hand and pulled me along, dragging me behind our house, where a thickly overgrown shrubbery hid us from prying eyes. And we enthusiastically began to kiss her passionately. After some time, our sudden passion was interrupted by the voice of her boyfriend, who began to call her loudly.: "Marina, where did you go? Marina, where are you?" We hid, and then she whispered to me, "Let's get out of here." I didn't have time to open my arms and pull away from her, as her boyfriend appeared from around the corner of the house. When he saw us, he exclaimed, "You bastard!" I let go of Marina and turned to him. He lunged at me, and before I could dodge, I was hit in the face. But due to the fact that he hit on the move, not aiming, the blow turned out to be sliding and not very strong. I jumped out of the way, braced myself, and took a boxing stance. He came at me again, flailing his arms like a windmill. Looking at him, I realized that he had no boxing skills, and taking advantage of this, I stood up in a stupid defense, waited for the moment when he would open up, and hit him with a right to the head. He groaned, but he was outdated.  The guy was strong, agile, with built-up muscles, healthier than me. Apparently, he's doing some kind of sports, I thought, and, gathering myself, I struck him another precise blow. Getting excited, we began to violently attack each other, dodging the fists of the opponent and trying to strike back. He still managed to hook me quite well a couple of times when I was distracted, turning towards Marina, who was shouting loudly at us: "Stop it. Enough. Stop it. Igor, stop it now." At that moment, a drunken group jumped out of the cabin, hearing Marina's desperate screams. "Separate them!" she screamed. Soon we were surrounded by the entire tipsy group who ran out of the house to Marina's screams. The guys jumped up and separated us with exclamations: It was clear to everyone that the fight was about Marina. There were shouts of "Come on, let's go have another drink" and they dragged us along. "Girls, bring the glasses and booze over here. We need to calm them down." They immediately poured me a full glass, which I drank in one gulp. There was a lot of noise and hubbub around. Everyone was shouting and making noise, and suddenly someone shouted, "Let's go to the sea, let's go for a swim." "To the sea, to the sea, let's go to the sea," the excited crowd roared, and in a friendly crowd rushed to the sea. I didn't follow them and was left alone. Marina was nowhere to be found, she had disappeared somewhere.

  When I look at myself in the mirror in the morning, I saw a decent black eye and dried blood on my lip. I mean, I looked like hell. When Lyosha woke up, he looked at me and said, "Hello, Don Juan, how are you?"
"Nothing like that," I replied, looking at myself in the mirror.
"Are you admiring it?" Lech said to me, grinning. "He's just a beauty. Come on, we had a drunken brawl here yesterday. Did you press his Marinochka? No wonder he got so worked up yesterday and got into a fight. He was jealous of her. She's kind of flighty and very willful. That's a pretty good thing. She's used to bossing around and doing whatever she wants, knowing that men like her because of her pretty face. Well, you're good too: you didn't have time to show up and immediately dragged her into the bushes."
 "How do you know them?" Who are they?
 "They're from the rest home next door. We'll talk to them there. Sometimes there are different problems with food or something, in short, we help each other out, and this Marina and Igor are vacationing there, we accidentally met them. I invited them to join us. They even seem to want to get married, as I understand it. She twists it as she wants. He's a big guy, and he doesn't seem to mumble all over himself, with character. And she's like a calf in front of her, and she's also that moody friend, and she obviously likes tough men and scoundrels like you who know how to approach a woman. Lech laughed.
 - You'd better look at yourself, you won't miss your own anywhere. I told him with a grin.
 - Come on. You probably seduced her yesterday with your sweet speeches and compliments," Lyosha laughed again. - I couldn't resist getting a little tipsy. You know how to charm them. I didn't have time to get acquainted and immediately became a lady.
 - Yes, it all happened by accident. I didn't expect it myself. She was drunk and wasn't thinking straight, and I took it well. That's how stupid it all turned out. If they were sober, they wouldn't have slept. She probably wouldn't have fallen for me then. Seriously, Lech. I had no intention of dragging her anywhere. Drunk, she suddenly started kissing and carried me away. I got something wrong.
 "Okay, don't be petty. And you're having a fight with your pretty girl.
 - We broke up. They parted like ships at sea. And she's married.
."Even so. It's clear. Well, you probably won't be able to see Marinochka anymore. After this scandal, they will most likely leave here.
 - Yes, she's a good friend. It's a pity that this happened. We hurried with her. She's a great friend. I like those. Perhaps we could have come to a quiet agreement with her. You should find out what's going on with her.
 "Oh, come on. You're still hoping for something. She'll sober up and then she's unlikely to agree. Did you like it? An outstanding friend, you can't say anything.
 - Yes, Masha is too good, it's just a pity that she's not ours.
 - Well, don't worry, you'll find more. There are plenty of women here. And the girls from the cafeteria are looking at you.
 - What are you talking about. They're very young. And stupid ones too. You shouldn't even get involved. Why would they mess with their heads? It's somehow ugly and dishonest to take advantage of their inexperience and naivety. I'm more attracted to experienced, intelligent women who know their worth. It's much more interesting with this one, it attracts and excites more strongly. And there's a lot to learn and take from her. And you know, you get some kind of pride inside: such a gorgeous woman, smart, domineering, with character, but she chose me and has to obey me, whether she wants it or not. This is very flattering to self-esteem, and there is a feeling of power over her. And at the same time, there is some special, amazing feeling that arises at the moment when you catch her thoughtful, intent, slightly clouded, you know, with some kind of haze, a special look that betrays her feelings and secret desire, and you realize that this woman likes you. And she's ready to be yours. This feeling of power and lust enhances the senses, and arouses them more. It increases the attraction to her and you get great satisfaction and some special pleasure from it...
- Well, you've got a whole philosophy here. He's the lord of women's hearts. We both laughed at his words. — Well, Lyosha, pour it, I commanded. — I will give everything for the favor of the lovely ladies. In their honor, I raise my glass filled with champagne and vodka in half. — That's our way. That's the case.
— Lyosha, who immediately perked up after my words, exclaimed joyfully. — You're just like a poet, it's not for nothing that women cling to you.
 - They are known to love with their ears. That's why I delight their delicate ears with my lofty speeches. I like to say nice words to women.
- Where did you get such expressions from? It's like something out of an old novel. Like the Three Musketeers. You're definitely a master at this, you can't say anything. Eat sweet.
 - Yes, you're right, Lyosha. Women like beautiful and uplifting words addressed to them, emphasizing their dignity. They are happy to accept compliments, they certainly like it.
- But, in my opinion, this fashion is already going away. Nowadays, simplicity in relationships, arrogance and rude expressions are more in use. Sometimes you hear and wonder: it seems like a youngster at all, but they open their mouths — mate-rewind and such expressions and slang words, but all with show-offs. And because of this, the speech is so poor, as if they hadn't studied at school. And the brats themselves just got off the pot..
 - Yes, Lech, times, alas, are changing. But no matter what you say, many people like beautiful words and refined speech. And although women are often well aware that these are just flattering words, nothing more, but they really want to believe it. This is how our imperfect world works, which dictates its harsh laws to us, whether we want it or not. Such as, for example, this strict immutable law. When the soul asks, pour it out and, without hesitation, drink it quickly. Ha ha ha, Lyosha laughed. — Well, you're on a roll today.
— Yes, Lyosha, you're absolutely right. I got hit twice yesterday. One in the face, and the other from being dumped by a woman I was stupid enough to fall in love with.
   
   The remnants of the wine I had drunk yesterday were still wandering in my head, and because of that, I was talking all this nonsense. These are, in general, exaggeratedly pompous arguments that are not typical of me. Or rather, I hadn't even thought about it. You can't say anything when you're drunk or when you're not completely sober yet. In the midst of our playful conversation, our neighbor Vasily suddenly dropped by with a hangover. "Wow, what kind of fight did they have with you yesterday?"
 - Yes, yesterday Lech got jealous of his girlfriend and hit me with a tambourine.
 "What are you guys doing?" Are you serious? That doesn't sound like you. It seems like you guys are well-mannered and cultured to allow yourself to do this.
 - Yes, we are joking. On a drunken bench yesterday, by chance, something happened here with one. He was too jealous. But he got a good one, too.
 "Wow," I said. He was probably a fool or drunk.
 - yes. Something like that. Will you have a drink with us? I asked Vasya. The question was superfluous. He nodded silently, and Lech poured the wine into the glasses.
 "Well, to all the good things, so that we could and wanted ... and had money," Vasya gave a purely masculine, well-known old worn toast, and we knocked over glasses together.
   Of course, I couldn't know what good things could be ahead of me. Lately, most of the bad things have happened to me. But what really awaited me later gave me a slight shock...
               
                For the continuation, see Chapter 16.