Nikita fell in love with the devout Serafima while still in school. He would meet her at the entrance of her building every morning and follow her to school. After classes, he would do the same.
Sima would hide in the entrance of her building, and Nikita just stood there. He didn’t want to go home. In his mind, he composed a story in which he and Sima were the main characters, and they were so happy. At home, he would record this in his notebook. He had many such stories with different names for the characters, but in his mind, he always imagined himself and Serafima.
Sima wore clothes down to her heels and never left the apartment without a headscarf. On weekends, she and her grandmother went to church, and Nikita followed them at a distance.
When Sima’s grandmother died, the girl changed. She remained modest, but no longer wore a headscarf, and her dresses and skirts were knee-length and not as wide. Sometimes she wore jeans with a blouse. This was her mother’s influence. She had previously not wanted to defy her mother-in-law, but now she explained to Serafima.
“Daughter, I also believe in the Lord, but He doesn’t care what clothes you wear. It is customary to wear a headscarf or kerchief in church. There’s no sin if you wear clothes like all your friends do. Besides, you have them.”
Nikita didn’t care how Sima looked now. As far as he could remember, he had always loved her. The only change was that he now had rivals. Classmates started looking at Sima as if seeing her for the first time. They noticed her beautiful hair and slim figure.
That day, as usual, Nikita followed Serafima, but not alone. His classmates joined him. At the entrance, Sima stopped.
“Nikita, will you help me with math?”
“I’d be glad to,” and, taking Serafima by the hand, he disappeared with her behind the entrance door.
This was the start of Sima and Nikita’s friendship, which over time turned into love.
When Nikita was in the eleventh grade, his father was transferred to Moscow for work. His family had no relatives in that city, but Nikita stubbornly refused to leave because of Serafima and explained to his father:
“I’m not planning to leave in the middle of the school year. I’m bound to get a gold medal at this school, but in the capital, while I’m adjusting, something else might happen. Then you’ll sell the apartment.”
“Dima, Nikita is right. Let him stay,” his mother supported him.
Nikita’s freedom led to him now studying with his beloved girl in his own room. Only he couldn’t persuade her to be more intimate. This happened when they were preparing for their final exams.
After the graduation party, Nikita tried to persuade Serafima to go with him to the capital, but it didn’t work out.
“Sorry, Nikitushka, but how can I leave my bedridden mother?”
“We’ll hire a caretaker, and I’ll cover the expenses,” the boy offered desperately.
“I suggested that to dad, but he doesn’t want strangers in the apartment. Sorry, but it’s not meant to be.”
“Too bad, but I’ll come to visit you on holidays.”
Serafima saw Nikita off to the train, and on her way home, she cried all the way. At the entrance, she met her father.
“Where have you been? Mother needs feeding, then bathing, and putting to bed.”
Nikita sent Serafima a message saying he missed her on the train. Her father replied: “Don’t write or call. I’ll never leave my mom. The doctor who treated her before your departure proposed to me, and I decided to marry him. Sorry, but I don’t love you. You were just needed to somehow finish school.”
After this, Serafima’s father put Nikita’s phone number on the blacklist and deleted the message addressed to him on his daughter’s phone. That’s how he arranged Sima’s fate for the sake of his wife.
Serafima waited for Nikita’s call. She ran out of money on her phone and asked her father to top it up. In the morning, he promised to do it before leaving for work.
“Don’t leave the house and don’t abandon mom. She had an attack last night, and I gave her medicine. If you miss this moment, we’ll lose her, like we lost grandma. There was no one with her on the day she died. I’ll pay for your phone, but remember. If Nikita needs you, he himself will call or write. Though he could have already called you a hundred times.”
Time passed, and Nikita didn’t call. Three days went by. So he must already be in Moscow and immersed in city life. Sima realized she was not needed by Nikita.
Reading Serafima’s message, Nikita was very surprised. He couldn’t have imagined that she had used him just to get a diploma. Offended, he wanted to delete her from his contacts, but kept her message as a keepsake. Upon arriving in the capital, he bought another phone with a Moscow SIM card and put the old one in a drawer. Thus, the connection between the two loving hearts was lost.
Nikita enrolled in an institute. His longing for Serafima continued, and he focused on his studies. Girls didn’t interest him. Time dragged slowly, but Nikita continued to struggle with the feelings he still harbored for Serafima.
After graduating from the institute with honors, Nikita got a job at a magazine. He traveled around the country, gathering materials. He wrote essays and sent them to the magazine. He had relationships with some girls, and women.
One day he wrote an article about a clinic where infertile women could experience the joy of motherhood. Tall, slim, and good-looking, he caught the attention of someone who offered him to become a donor for a reward. Nikita thought, understanding that without Serafima, he would never have a family, and agreed.
After receiving the test results, Nikita was very surprised. He turned out to be infertile. Treatment was offered. When asked if he had had any stressful situations, he replied:
“My girlfriend left me, and I still can’t forget her. But she’s married, and maybe she has children. God apparently decided that I’m not the right man for her.”
“Nervous strain, most likely, affected your health condition. Will you undergo treatment?”
“What for? There’s no worthy girl for me to marry, and it’s even better this way. If anything, there are no consequences or obligations,” Nikita left the clinic after saying this.
Then Nikita’s life became hectic. Meeting women, he tried to drown out the pain inflicted by Serafima. They had an attractive and stunning journalist, Ninel, at the magazine. She noticed Nikita and invited him to celebrate her appointment at a cafe near the magazine in the evening. He didn’t refuse.
They ended the evening at her apartment.
“Oh wow!” Ninel was amazed by Nikita in the morning.
“Well, I’m not a boy anymore and have long learned how to please women.”
“Shall we continue?”
“Agreed, but no obligations. I’m a confirmed bachelor.”
“And I’m not planning to get married yet. But you move in with me. I think it will be more convenient for us.”
“I’m more comfortable living in my apartment, but I can come over when you call.”
“Nikita, but I can move in with you.”
“No, Ninel, no woman’s foot has stepped into my lair. Mom’s the exception. She shows up to clean and grumble.”
“What a wonderful and impregnable man you are,” Ninel proudly got out of bed and casually threw on a robe.
Nikita dated Ninel, and on business trips, if there was a chance, he also met other women at hotels. So time went on.
After another business trip, Nikita slept in one morning. The doorbell rang, and he reluctantly opened it. At the threshold, Ninel shocked him.
“I’m having a baby by you. I hope you’ll break the rules and marry me.”
“Why did you lie about being pregnant by me? I’m infertile.” Nikita threw Ninel out of the apartment.
“Wait, we’re not finished,” Ninel yelled on the stairwell.
Realizing that he couldn’t just get rid of this girl, and not wanting the neighbors to hear these screams, he opened the door.
“What else?”
“You were misdiagnosed. Check again, Nikita.”
“I’ve already been through this at three clinics,” he lied to get her to leave.
“Sorry, but I really wanted to marry you. You’re right, I couldn’t get pregnant by you. Maybe you’ll let me in?”
“I warned you. Only the one I still love can enter, but that will never happen. I’ll come to you in the evening, but now you need to go to the magazine,” and Nikita slammed the door.
That day, Nikita was assigned to travel to his hometown and interview the new mayor. He didn’t want to go there, but arguing with the chief editor was pointless. After buying a train ticket, Nikita headed to the station but didn’t forget to grab his old phone just in case. Maybe to call former classmates.
There was a crowd at the city hall. After completing his mission, Nikita was about to go to the hotel. He wasn’t planning to meet Serafima, but he saw her among the people. He couldn’t help himself and approached her. A gift of fate. So they got to know each other.
“Do you recognize me, Sima?”
“How could I not recognize a city dandy. You left and forgot a simple girl.”
“I forgot? You were quick to plan to marry. At that moment, the doctor was more important to you than me.”
“What are you talking about, Nikita? You made up some doctor.”
“You forgot everything, but I’ll remind you,” and he rummaged in his pocket.
“Sorry, I left the old phone in the hotel room. Let’s go, and I’ll remind you of your farewell message.”
At the hotel, everything was clarified, and Serafima told her story.
“I had a son by you. Named him Romochka. He’s twelve now and looks a lot like you. He knows you’re his father. Saw us in school photos. He promised when he grows up, he’ll find you in Moscow, to look into your shameless eyes.”
“I have a son? That’s…”
“Let’s go, Nikita. Mom died a long time ago, and a few years later, dad did too. He couldn’t cope with her loss. I only now understood why he acted that way with me.”
Nikita took Sima and their son back to Moscow with him. There, he and Serafima got married. Roma goes to school, and Serafima works in the library.
After many years, happiness returned to this couple.
May the little God wake you in the morning,
Walk you barefoot through the dew.
Wrap you in a cloud on the hillside
And hold your body warm.
Embrace your other half
And infect her with drowsiness.
A beautiful dream will be your reward
In a cloud of tenderness and love.