Evgeny Mikhailovich was known as a thoughtful, consistent, and attentive person. He achieved everything on his own, without the help of influential relatives or connections. The blows of fate were nothing to him, as he knew how to coolly look at the situation from the outside and think through his own actions to solve problems.
Some believed that he just got lucky once, which is why it was so easy for him to start his own business. Others understood that it was the result of many years of hard work. At a younger age, he would justify himself, telling many how he started his own business from a few kiosks, and then realized that there was no point in casting pearls before swine.
Although he was a successful man, he lived his entire life with only one wife, not trading her for a young model, and raised two children. He gave them everything necessary for life. His son Artem graduated from law school and started working in his father’s company. But his father allowed his daughter to do what she wanted. She chose photography.
He dreamed that his son-in-law would work for him in the future. But where to find such a person? His daughter Alina was not eager to join her father’s company; it wasn’t women’s business to engage in business. And Evgeny Mikhailovich was glad that his daughter had become a creative person. He earned to spare her from work.
No, Alina didn’t become the kind of photographer, like other girls who often take selfies and post pictures of their pets online. Even respectable publications purchased her photographs, as she was a magnificent specialist. Sometimes she loved to take photos on ordinary film, as Evgeny Mikhailovich did in his youth.
The man even bought her a photo studio so she could run her own business full throttle and not know difficulties. Alina was a well-behaved girl and did not create problems for her father. And Evgeny Mikhailovich did not have to pull her out of various unpleasant situations. After all, she preferred hanging out with her friend Yana, reading books, and sometimes shopping. And she didn’t like drinking.
But Evgeny Mikhailovich rejoiced too soon. Alina received a major order for a magazine about tourism. She was asked to take pictures of the lifestyle and nature of the Black Sea region, preferably of small villages and small urban-type settlements. She was to present domestic tourism in her photographs. And she finally left the house with her friend Yana to take unglamorous photos for middle-income travelers.
The work on the photos took exactly a month. She traveled to Arkhipo-Osipovka. The girl returned with a light sea tan on her skin; she was literally glowing inside, very happy. Her father appreciated the beautiful photos. And Alina mailed them to the client.
“It’s just a village on the Black Sea, but look how beautiful it is. I haven’t seen such beautiful landscapes before,” the girl said inspired.
“You are really talented, Alina,” her father praised her, looking at the professional photos.
A month later, Evgeny Mikhailovich’s daughter received a new offer—to take more photos of Arkhipo-Osipovka. And she went there again. Very soon, Alina’s father learned that she had a romance there. The village was so picturesque that she wanted romance. These were her first relationships, moreover, with a local guy.
“Calm down, Evgeny,” his wife kept saying, “she has always been a convenient child, never doing anything out of the ordinary, and you are used to a daughter who is easy to deal with. But she’s already grown up. It’s time for love too.”
“Oh, I feel uneasy, what if he is using her?” – Evgeny Mikhailovich decided.
“Remember how you courted me, how strict my father seemed to you. And then you were completely penniless, just starting your own business.”
“Yes, of course.”
“This passion of hers will pass, she will fall in love with a guy from her own circle,” his wife said calmly.
“Mom, dad, I am going back to the Black Sea, a young man is waiting for me there. We plan to get married in the spring.”
“How so, Alina?! He is using you, knowing you have wealthy parents.”
“He works at a local school as a teacher of Russian language and literature. And he has housing, although it’s small,” the girl declared proudly.
“That’s all we needed!” – Evgeny Mikhailovich said decisively.
“Dear, you are behaving like a tiger in a cage, pacing back and forth, we have already discussed this topic,” said Alisa Vasilievna, Evgeny Mikhailovich’s wife.
“I’m just very worried about this situation.”
Closer to the evening, the father called his daughter to the kitchen to talk over a cup of tea.
“Daddy, this isn’t like you. You obviously want to talk about Alexey? Do you want to dissuade me from marrying him?”
“Of course, as if it’s not enough that you, a rich, educated girl would marry some villager. You probably realize that yourself. It’s not right. And I won’t let you do this. To be truly happy, you need a guy from your own circle. What, are you going to go to the village to twirl cow tails?”
“But I love him.”
“You see, even your childhoods were different. At first, you will find it interesting with him because you are in love, but then you will have to work hard. And you don’t even wash your dishes; you have a dishwasher. Village life is completely different.”
“Dad, you still think that the village is full of illiterate peasants in bast shoes. In reality, the same people live there. And many moved there from the city. My Alexey even studied at a university in the city,” Alina smiled.
“Really? And then why did he return to the village? He could have achieved a lot in the city! It’s clear, he’s spineless, doesn’t want to try.”
“Many like exactly that kind of life, calm and serene. You don’t understand, dad.”
“Believe me, you’ll have to save every penny there, and you’re not used to that. Will you dig in the garden to feed the family? I’m not going to financially support such a family.”
“Dad, I’m not little anymore. And I’ll figure out my personal life somehow.”
Alina really didn’t like that she couldn’t yet earn enough to live on. And she didn’t like to take money from her father, feeling then that he would influence her, trying to push his position. But her friend managed to distribute funds so that they were enough for both of them for a month. Therefore, Alina didn’t often come to her father for help. And now a job had come up that could earn her a decent fee.
Alina dreamed of achieving everything independently. And it wasn’t because she was very stubborn. It was just more interesting for her to live that way. And her father would have been very proud of her.
Unfortunately, during the trip, Alina sprained her ankle while walking along a muddy riverbank. Pain pierced her nerves, and the girl cried out. True, her camera did not fall as it was hanging around her neck. This was very pleasing.
Her friend immediately came to help:
“The last thing we needed was a fracture, lean on me, I’ll be your crutch.”
Alexey Petrovich had been teaching Russian language and literature for three years. But he did not expect that one of his students would enter a pedagogical university to study foreign languages. The village always provided a scanty school education, but this did not apply to Alexey Petrovich. He always conducted interesting lessons, and with Nikita, he also studied additionally.
“You helped me with admission, Alexey Petrovich. You are the best teacher I have ever met in my life! Even close people didn’t believe in me!” – Nikita thanked the teacher.
Nikita shared news, said that he lived in a dormitory. Now they were walking along the muddy riverbank when they saw tracks, and then two limping girls. It was clear that one of them had difficulty moving.
“Alexey Petrovich,” Nikita yelled, “something happened to the girl!”
The local teacher and his student ran up closer.
“Here we go, meeting the locals,” Yana whispered loudly, “these representatives of the local fauna are running towards us.”
“Don’t be afraid, we won’t do anything to you, we just want to help,” said Nikita.
“Hello, I’m the local teacher Alexey Petrovich, and this is my student Nikita, here are my documents, if anything.”
Alina’s blue eyes looked at the two local guys apologetically, as if she was guilty of something.
“I can carry you in my arms, wherever you need, which way?”
“Our car is parked just a five-minute walk from here.”
“Alright,” Alexey picked up the girl in his arms, and then their eyes met.
Alina even blushed, as before, no guy had paid her attention, and here a stranger was literally carrying her on his back.
In the hospital, it turned out that Alina had no fracture. And Yana, her best friend, sighed with relief.
“Walk with a bandaged leg for two days, then the pain will pass, and you can walk wherever you want,” the doctor stated.
When the girls reached the house they were renting for accommodation, Yana quickly fell asleep. Alina couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. She remembered how after the hospital she met Alexey’s mother and grandmother, how they looked at her. They thought Alina was his girlfriend, so they accepted her so warmly and kindly.
That day Alina quickly switched to informal “you” with Alexey. And closer to the end of the day, it seemed that they had known each other for a lifetime. The girl quickly fell in love. Instead of enjoying the trip and successful shots, she worried about having to part with Alexey soon. Unfortunately, he never made it clear that he liked her. This upset and depressed her.
The next day Alina sent the materials they had managed to make on her professional camera to the client. And the man was very pleased.
“Romance that any office worker tired from work would like, yes, they will flock here to rest, and that’s just what I need,” the client praised Alina’s work.
He also recommended her to other people. Now there was no shortage of orders. But it was time to go home.
“Imagine, Yan, now I can manage without asking dad for money. I currently have four clients. We’ve scheduled the work with them for the next year!”
“Excellent, I’m happy for you, friend.”
For Alexey, Alina remained just a friend. He was immensely happy for her, but never hugged her during her whole month in Arkhipo-Osipovka.
True, when it was time to leave, Alina saw Alexey on his moped from afar. He was carrying a huge bouquet of flowers.
“My grandmother, of course, will be unhappy that I cut roses in her garden, but for you, I’ll do anything!” – The guy leaned in and kissed Alina. – Come when you can, I’ll be free again in a month, another teacher will substitute for me. Please! I’ve added you on WhatsApp. Write whenever you want!”
Now she had no doubt that he was also in love. He just didn’t dare confess his love to her, thinking that she didn’t need it. After all, she was a city girl and very spoiled.
Evgeny Mikhailovich declined an invitation to rest with his business partners. And as a reason, he cited personal circumstances. He intended to go to the village where Alina had traveled to dissuade her poor boyfriend from marrying her. He prepared a thick envelope with money.
“I think this will be enough to bribe him,” the man thoughtfully said out loud.
He searched for a long time for the road to Arkhipo-Osipovka, as he had set off from home by car, but eventually found it. Then he saw an old man on a bicycle and approached to ask:
“Hello! Could you tell me where the Russian language and literature teacher lives around here?”
“Alexey Petrovich? At the end of this street, his house still has red tiles on the roof. No one else has such beauty. And a front garden with a huge number of flowers.”
Evgeny Mikhailovich quickly found the right house, walked into the yard, the gate was open, as was the door of the house itself.
He approached the house and loudly asked, opening the door:
“Is anyone home?”
He expected a young man to come out, but no, a stout woman came out, but… he recognized her even after many years:
“Oksanka! Is that you?! How many years, how many winters!”
“Zhenya! I haven’t seen you for so many years, come in.”
“And I didn’t expect that you would be the mother of my future son-in-law.”
They started talking.
Oksana was a widow, her husband Anton, Evgeny’s best friend, had died when he was doing the cladding on his brand-new three-story cottage, the rope broke. And he was gone. And Oksana was pregnant then, although no one knew.
And so Alexey was born. Anton, together with Zhenya, initially conducted business, Anton himself built a house for himself and his wife, although he was a wealthy man and could afford to hire builders. And then the tragic accident…
“I was just coming to meet my son-in-law, and here you come out! I even prepared money for their wedding. Your boy probably grew up just like his father, took all his qualities. Such a son-in-law is hard to find!”
“Yes, he himself did the renovation in the house, come in, take a look.”
Evgeny went inside and was stunned. He had not seen such an expensive renovation even in city apartments, let alone in a village.
“Where would a simple school teacher get the money for such a renovation?”
“He works at remote schools for me. The salary there is higher than in school, so he saved up.”
“I thought so, he’s just like his father.”
Evgeny Mikhailovich, of course, did not say that he actually came to dissuade Alexey from marrying his daughter. Now he believed that he would be the best son-in-law in the world, after all, he was his friend’s son.