Chapters:
1, 2, 3
1
Slavik frisked along a flowering green glade carefreely. Sometimes he tried to catch fast many-coloured butterflies, sometimes he blew away the dandelion`s seeds, which like white parachutes flew to different sides. Recently it was summer raining. There was a feeling of aromatic freshness in the air, transparent dew-drops were visible on the grass, oaks and birches were decorated with bright leaf-bearing attires. At the time the sun caressing with its tender warm rays was approaching to horizon slowly. The baby perceived the world as happy and light as this elapsing June day. A glad smile shone on the boy`s face, and when he was a success and caught up with a butterfly, from time to time it was heard his happy exclamations and merry laughter. Not far off Slava`s father sat on a bench of the park. Having laid aside a newspaper and taken off glasses, Eugeny Mikhailovich kept an eye on his son thoughtfully.“Well, he`ll be seven soon. In September he`ll go to school”, Nikitin thought sadly. “New life, new cares will begin... Liubochka even didn`t see Slavik, how unjust it is! Many years passed, but I still remember the doctor`s face as it was yesterday. But it`s impossible to change anything. Somehow we`ll live together”.
Eugeny Mikhailovich driving away dark thoughts looked at his watch. It was twenty minutes to six.
“Slavka, son! ” called the father, having remembered suddenly. “Come here! Fast, fast, we`ll be late to the cinema”.
“Dad, will it be a good film? ” the boy asked, having run quickly.
“Of course, it will”, answered Nikitin, taking the son`s hand. “Its title`s “Disco dancer”. This film is Indian. Your mum liked such films very much”.
“Is it true”?
“Of course, it is. Well, let`s go, we can be late. Ticket collector will abuse us”.
“Why will he abuse us”? asked Slavik again, going behind his father hardly.
“Because it`s bad to be late”, explained the father calmly. “Cultured people must come in time always”.
Slavik liked the film very much. While the character of Mithun Chakraborty rescued a beautiful girl from gangsters and villains, the agitated baby did not stop to fidget and jump on his chair. But after the story ended happy, justice triumphed, kindness conquered evil as always, there were no a limit of the boy`s gladness. Eugeny Mikhailovich also softened, was moved to tears, although he never had a high opinion of Indian films. Seeing the films with Rajkumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Mithun Chakraborty, most probably, was Nikitin`s attempt to return his past. During a picture-show of such film the young engineer from the plant “Phizpribory” met Liubov, his future wife.
At that time she was a last-year student of the philological faculty and unlike Eugeny frequented Indian melodramas. Liuba, who was an emotional, sincere, rather sentimental girl, fascinated the young man by her character. In her turn the girl liked Eugeny`s modesty, restraint and taciturnity. The latter trait, by the way, was not usual for her. They began to meet. A place of their romantic meeting was the cinema “Issyk-Kul”, where films with Indian film-stars constantly were on.
Nobody could know that the young people`s happiness would be so short, Liuba would die for childbirth, and Eugeny would remain alone with his baby. At first Nikitin lost his head absolutely and did not come to him of grief. It was good that during the first hard months Eugeny`s elder sister, the mother of two children took care of the boy. Then Nikitin recovered gradually, bought books, devoted to care of baby, and began to learn from the wet-nurse`s experience. All his free time Eugeny Mikhailovich endeavoured to spend with his son.
However, as Slavik remembered, usually the father was silent and morose, did not laugh and joke almost. Often they took a walk in the park together. The boy played something, and Eugeny Mikhailovich sat on a bench, read newspapers and magazines. Sometimes he seated the son on his knees and continued reading.
For last seven years Eugeny Mikhailovich had a constant feeling of loneliness, anxiety and uncertainty in the future. Not infrequently Nikitin doubted that he would grow up his son alone. The man understood the boy needed the mother`s cordially and cares, and he could not substitute for his late Liubochka. But he did not want to merry second time as feared that a new wife would not be a real mother for Slavik and would make his son unhappy.
1, 2, 3
2
It was the 1st of September, 1987. Crowds of pupils gathered to a school. Among them the first form`s pupils and their parents, carrying bags and nosegays in their hands, were visible very well. The children`s clothes were traditional - dark blue suits for boys and brown dresses with white aprons for girls, who also had big bows on.“I`m going to school”, Slavik said proudly, smiling with joy, when he saw familiar boys in the yard.
“What is he glad”? elder boys were surprised. “He`s foolish, after lessons at school, he will be cleverer”.
As to Slavik, compressing the father`s hand strongly, he was sure that at school the new fascinating world would open for him. At first sight he liked Vera Nikolaevna Sergeeva, his future teacher, who made parents` and children`s acquaintance the day before. She was a very attentive, sympathetic and well-disposed young woman, finishing a pedagogical college recently.
The teacher went deep into details. She knew what her future pupils could do, what interests they had, about reasons, which would prevent from good attendance and lessons. Vera Nikolaevna talked not only with parents, but also with babies willingly, answered their questions, made inquire about their passions, dreams and hopes.
“Probably, mum was so kind and beautiful too”, thought Slavik, staring at the teacher. He imagined that mum was like Vera Nikolaevna and she had the same tender voice, the same gait and hair-do. At home Slavik again looked at the mother`s photography, which stood on the writing-table of his father. His mum was a blonde with a short hair-cut, and the teacher had a long dark chestnut hair. But the impression on the mum`s face, her wide, open smile, eyes full of tenderness and warmth, were resembled of the young teacher.
The first days, which Slavik spent at school, the boy, as the other thirty pupils of Form 1A, was quiet for change in his life and light emotion. As it turned out school was not like kindergarten, and was more interesting and complicated. At a lesson the boy knew about homework and classwork for the first time.
Slavik wanted Vera Nikolaevna, smiling kindly, to stay longer by his desk, to praise him for correct answers and writing works, fulfilled successfully. For the sake of these happy minutes he endeavoured to learn better, to answer questions more active than the others, to be near Vera Nikolaevna often.
Once a week later after the studies` beginning, at the reading lesson Vera Nikolaevna talked with pupils about children`s literature, asked babies about their favourite fairy characters.
“I can bring books, which I like”, Slavik offered suddenly for himself. “I have many books”.
“What an excellent idea! Very good! ” Vera Nikolaevna praised him, having stroked his head. “We`ll look and read them together without fail”.
Next day Slavik brought except textbooks his favourite books in his satchel. Classmates gathering by Slavik`s desk examined “Baby and Karlson, who lived on the roof”, “Winnie-the-Pooh”, “Mowgli”. The boy cared of these books and asked his father to read them before sleep. Soon the other children followed the boy. At first Allochka, the Slavik`s neighbour, a tidy, good-natured fat girl, brought “The adventures of Neznaika”, and then as by order each pupil began to show his books to classmates. During a few weeks the children were carried away this occupation so seriously that for break they even became to run one after another seldom. It was so curious and wonderful to look at colour pictures, to compare books with each other, which were different not only by their sizes, but also their bindings. This fascinating pastime became interesting also for such hooligan as Vovka, who liked to cast rags, to give insulting nicknames and to throw down exercise and ABC-books of the other pupils.
After the event Slavik got attached to Vera Nikolaevna more intense and waited for every new meeting with her impatiently. At school he likes very much to help the teacher to carry her briefcase, exercise books or to stay and to look at her during break. Vera Nikolaevna also sympathized with this inquisitive, active child, looking at her by his blue eyes with sincere adoration and admiration. Sometimes Vera Nikolaevna took the boy`s hand and they strolled along the corridor. These days Slavik even at night felt her hand`s warmth. Often Slavik had dreams, where the teacher was with affectionate eyes, with a tender, nice smile on a beautiful face. He remembered every minute spent with her, heard her pleasant voice, her kind, warm words.
1, 2, 3
3
In November Slavik fell ill seriously. He had pneumonia and a high temperature for long time. The anxious father did not move away from the son`s bed. The treatment was monotonous - the penicillin`s injections. Eugeny Mikhailovich lost rest entirely, blamed himself for he overlooked for Slavik, but tried to not show his feelings to the boy. Nikitin read him tales in a robust voice, tried to cheer up him with funny stories about his childhood. It was very painful for the father. When Nikitin looked at his son, so delicate, hot, pressing his toy Bimbo to him, Eugeny Mikhailovich lost heart and tears approached to his throat.A doctor came to them every day. During his last visit, he said that a critical moment came and it would be necessary to spirit the boy and to give him power to convalescence.
Eugeny Mikhailovich sat on the end of Slavik`s bed.
“Son, perhaps, do you dream of any present? It will be New Year`s Day in the near future. Do you want to have a new bicycle or a toy plain? I`ll do all for you. And if I can`t, I`ll ask Karlson. He will fly and bring a present to you”.
“Dad, but Karlson lives in a tale”, Slavik objected in a low voice.
“Correct, I forgot about it”, Eugeny Mikhailovich agreed. “Well, do you want to visit a circus after your convalescence? There you`ll see merry clowns, acrobats, performing animals”.
“No”, the son shacked his head, “I want to see Vera Nikolaevna”.
“Vera Nikolaevna? Vera Nikolaevna phoned twice, she is concerned about you too. But, son, I think you understand Vera Nikolaevna is very busy. Probably, she won`t come to us... ”
“Dad, please”, tears were in the boy`s eyes. “Let Vera Nikolaevna come”.
“All right, son, I`ll try”, said the father with agitation. “But don`t worry. You will grow up and become a man, and men must not cry. Well, Slavik, have a rest now. I`ll go to school to your teacher. Do you agree”?
Having covered up Slavik with a blanket, Eugeny Mikhailovich dressed himself hurriedly and went by quick steps to school, situated across the street from their five-storeyed house. Nikitin found Vera Nikolaevna in a classroom. There were several piles of exercise books on her table, and the teacher checked homeworks of her pupils.
“Ah, Eugeny Mikhailovich”, Vera Nikolaevna smiled friendly, having lifted up her head. “Hello! Sit down, please. How is Slavik? Is he recovering”?
“Good afternoon, Vera Nikolaevna”! Nikitin answered with an involuntary smile. “Now he is slightly better. The doctor said the worst stayed in the past... Well, you see”, he continued, stopping short, “the point is that Slavik got attached to you very much...You won`t believe me, when he was delirious, he called you as Verochka Nikolaechka, and today asked you to visit him. I do hate to bother you. I know you work in two shifts... But would you come to us for a short while”?
“I`d come with pleasure”, said the teacher thoughtfully, who was moved of Nikitin`s words. “Slavik is my best pupil. But what can I do with exercise
books”?
“Have you unchecked works on arithmetic”? Eugeny Mikhailovich asked with interest.
“I should think so”!Vera Nikolaevna burst out laughing. “Thirty copies are here. I even won`t begin to check them”.
“Well, if you are not against, I`m occupied in arithmetic”, Nikitin offered his help. “I think you won`t brush for me”.
“Oh, I wasn`t going to doubt in your knowledge”, the teacher joked. “Ok, take this pile. And I`ll continue to check exercise books on the Russian language”.
Having heard the familiar voice of the teacher, Slavik jumped out his bed and ran to meet her.“Vera Nikolaevna”! shouted the boy, running to the teacher.
“Slavik, why did you rise from bed”? Vera Nikolaevna asked in fright, having seen the thin, pale boy. “My dear, if you do it again, you`ll never get well”. And she took the baby in her hands and then put him to bed.
“I told you he thinks only about you”, Eugeny Mikhailovich confirmed, having cast a grateful glance on the teacher.
“Maybe, it`s not bad”, the woman said, having sat on a chair in front of the boy`s bed. “You must recover, Slavik. Your classmates ask about you constantly and wait for your return”. Vera Nikolaevna saying these words stroked the boy`s head.
While they talked an hour passed. Slavik noticed that Vera Nikolaevna was going to leave them.
“Vera Nikolaevna”, the baby began to cry, “don`t go away... Please, stay here or take me with you”.
The father sitting near them turned pale, his lips began to tremble, but he did not say a word.
“Well, don`t cry, foolish boy”, Vera Nikolaevna shed a tear. “I`m going nowhere”. She took the boy to her knees, embraced him and began to tell him tales.
At first he listened her every word attentively, but then he got tired, calmed down and had sound sleep. Slavik felt as she put him to bed, kissed his forehead and wished him good night. The boy slept long and when he awoke the teacher was not beside.
After that evening every day Vera Nikolaevna came to Nikitins not for long. When after illness Slavik came back to school, all his classmates were especially kind with him, and, if the boy approached to the teacher, she stroked the boy`s head before the other children.
During break Slavik did not let out her hand, when they strolled along the corridor. After lessons, if the father had no time to meet him, he followed Vera Nikolaevna and she compelled to see his home. What did come of it? Vera Nikolaevna accompanied Slavik, then Slavik and his father accompanied the teacher. And after the school year`s end they went to Nikitin`s summer cottage together.It was many years ago. Now Slavik, who is known as Viacheslav Eugenievich, tells tales to his son. Especially he likes to remember one of the stories, the story of his parents - Eugeny Mikhailovich and Vera Nikolaevna.
1, 2, 3