Alexey looked around again. He was terribly worried that someone would notice him getting back into the shabby suburban bus. Now his surroundings were completely different: acquaintances might snicker if they found out he was from the backwoods where his mother lived, whom he visited from time to time.
It would undoubtedly be calmer if he didn’t go there at all. But Alexey didn’t plan on slaving away for someone else, and he needed to find some way to make a living. A couple of times a month, he went to the village to bring back groceries and some money.
Essentially, his mother kept her small farm for his sake. Everything was sold at the market, and the money she carefully saved was stashed away for her son. This visit, he decided to stay for two days to explain that he wouldn’t come as often because he had supposedly found a job. Although, serious changes were brewing in his life.
This story started no more than 3 months ago. That’s when Alexey met her, Karina. She wasn’t just another girl; she was the ideal he had often pictured in his imagination.
Stylish, beautiful, and confident, and she had money—well, her father did. He supplied Karina with sums that Alexey could only dream of. But she was always wanting more—like Alexey, she didn’t support labor discipline but loved to have fun as if the money would never run out.
Lyosha was enthralled by her and each time watched his beloved with bated breath. They quickly became close, found they had a lot in common, and were nearly inseparable.
One day, after a conversation with her father, Karina angrily threw her phone against the wall:
—”I wish I could stop being embarrassed for you.” Did you hear that? He’s embarrassed for me!—she exclaimed.
Alexey, who had only met Karina’s father once, suggested:
—How about you change everything? Get married. Your father will surely give you a stake in the company, and you’ll become not only independent but quite wealthy.
Karina looked at him as if she saw a ghost.
—Oh, really! So, you’re much more insightful than I thought.
Then she jumped into his arms:
—So, Lyosh, will you marry me?
At first, the guy didn’t grasp everything that was happening, but soon he imagined a life with Karina. Of course, he wanted to marry someone like her, and the idea of a life of wealth never left his mind.
Less than a month remained until the big event, and he sincerely believed that this time too, his mother would help with money for a decent suit. Although Karina claimed she would cover all expenses, for him, it was a matter of principle. After some thought, Lyosha decided not to tell his mother about the upcoming event because he was ashamed. He thought it would be better if everything went quietly and unnoticed.
His mother, although still full of energy, had a rural naivety that no attire could mask. The peasant nature just burst forth from within her.
In general, Alexey kept silent.
The conversation went as he had planned. His mother praised him for supposedly getting a job and placed a substantial bundle of money in front of him.
—Apparently, a mother’s heart sensed that the money would soon be needed, so she butchered and sold the piglets, and you see, it was just in time. You should buy yourself some decent clothes,— his mother suggested. —That one is all worn out, frayed, and overwashed.
Lyosha barely held back a laugh.
—It’s not really a problem. Thank you, dear, I knew you wouldn’t leave me in trouble, that I can count on you.
Vera Maksimovna hugged her son. — I am your mother. How can I turn away from you? The next morning, as he left his childhood home, Alexey glanced at her, thinking that he might never see her again, that this visit could be the last.
He wasn’t planning on coming back, hoping now to have his own money. And his mother would never come to him, simply because she didn’t know where to look. A new phase of his life was starting, one that had no place for her.
The wedding took place in the city’s most prestigious restaurant. Karina looked stunning as a bride and, this time, didn’t overdo the alcohol.
— I’ll endure until the end of this event, otherwise, my father will be very displeased, — she joked.
In reality, her father had reasons for concern, as Karina sometimes lost control when drunk and could do absolutely wild things.
When guests began handing out gifts, Alexey’s attention was suddenly drawn to a woman standing in the corner of the hall. It was his mother. She was making her way through the crowd with a huge bag full of homemade preserves.
He broke out in a cold sweat. He quietly told Karina that he would be right back and ran to meet his mother. Grabbing her hand, he led the woman outside.
— Lyosha, where are you taking me? I was so worried I wouldn’t make it. The telegram apparently didn’t get through. Galina the postwoman broke her leg, she’s lying at home. Luckily, I heard about the wedding of the oligarch’s daughter on TV, — she said on the go. — And there was your photo, my son! Oh, congratulations, dear!
Alexey, losing his temper, shouted:
— Why are you here? Do you want to ruin everything?
— Lyosha, what are you talking about? I came to your wedding, brought your friends some homemade preserves, let them try some real food, — she replied enthusiastically.
— I don’t want to see you here. Do you understand that you don’t belong in this company? Do you even realize what level of people are gathered here? Vera Maksimovna looked at her son, her eyes already sparkling with tears.
Alexey, without looking back, returned to the restaurant, where the sounds of music were coming from. Vera stood in the middle of the street. She calmed down a bit, then picked up her bag and slowly walked away, leaving a trail from a broken jar of jam.
There were so many gifts at the wedding that Alexey and Karina didn’t start working on the company, which was a gift, until two months later. They had to listen to her father’s persuasions that if they didn’t take care of the company, it could be sold.
Gathering their courage, they finally got down to business. They believed that finding a competent manager they could rely on was paramount. Strangely enough, it was Karina who found the right person: a young and sharp man who immediately understood how to run the business.
Alexey believed that he and Karina would now find peace and happiness. However, he was in for a disappointment. Karina, previously only interested in entertainment, suddenly switched to work. This puzzled and even hurt him, as he had imagined a different future.
He was sure that Konstantin, the man his wife hired, was doing an excellent job. Why was Karina spending so much time at the office?
For three months Alexey kept silent, but finally couldn’t hold back and said everything to his wife.
— We didn’t agree on this! You’re at work all day, even though you have Konstantin, whom you pay. Let him handle everything! We haven’t gone out together in a long time.
Karina looked at him strangely.
— Yes, dear, you’re right. I’ll think about where we could go.
Later that same evening, she announced that their friends had invited them to a country house. Alexey was delighted and kissed her. This was more like it, he thought, and began rummaging through the closet, deciding what to wear to the party.
Karina took her phone and dialed someone’s number.
— All is well. We’ll be there at seventeen hundred.
At the party, Alexey noticed that Karina wasn’t drinking and was surprised.
— Are you okay? Are you well? — he asked her.
— Someone has to be sober to drive us back, — she replied.
This surprised him even more, as Karina used to not care about driving while intoxicated. He wanted to say this to her, but didn’t get a chance — conversations with guests dragged on, then there were toasts, dances. He didn’t see her until she found him.
— Lyosha, let’s go home. You can barely stand, — she said.
Alexey laughed and hugged his wife.
— I like you even more when you’re so serious.
He vaguely remembered what happened after that. In his memory were only the voices of Kostya and Karina, sounding next to him, as they already stepped outside.
— Let’s go, — she said.
Alexey felt relaxed and drowsy. He trusted Karina, believing she was sober and everything was under control.
He was rudely awakened by a jolt.
— Get up, drunkard, what have you done? — the police shouted.
Opening his eyes, Alexey found himself sitting behind the wheel of a car, with a person lying in front of the tires. He was stunned.
— It wasn’t me… I didn’t do this! Where is my wife? — He screamed.
— Look what you’ve drunk yourself into. You threw her out of the car a kilometer from here, she miraculously wasn’t hurt. She called the police, said that you, darling, drove drunk, — one of the officers explained.
— It’s a mistake! I couldn’t have done this! — Alexey replied desperately.
— And also, while you were sleeping it off here, we dug around and found out you cashed out an indecently large sum without paying taxes. Basically, prison is crying for you. Start confessing, because you’re looking at a substantial sentence, — added another policeman.
Alexey felt as if he was in a fog.
Only in court, looking at Kostya and Karina, did he realize that they had set him up. They intended to get rid of him for money and insurance. Alexey cried:
— Mom, what have I done…
Karina didn’t even come close when the sentence was pronounced. He screamed in despair, banged on the bars:
— It’s all a setup! I wasn’t driving, I haven’t seen any money!
Of course, no one believed Alexey. Who did he think he was, reaching for the money of such an influential person who even condescended to him and gave his daughter away to him? And a hit-and-run with a fatal outcome… all under a heavy dose of alcohol. The judge sentenced without hesitation. Fifteen years.
The first two years in prison dragged on for Alexey like an eternity. He didn’t even think about writing letters, as besides his mother, he had no one left. Relatives and friends he had met through his wife didn’t want to hear about him, and he had turned away from others. He felt abandoned. He couldn’t write to his mother; his conscience wouldn’t allow it, knowing how he had hurt her.
One day he was unexpectedly called for a meeting. Alexey continued sitting motionless, for which he received a kick to the side and shouts from the guard:
— Filimonov, are you deaf? They are calling you!
He jumped up, looking amazed at the guard.
— What’s the matter? — Alexey mumbled, stunned by the suddenness. He didn’t understand who could be visiting him.
When he entered the meeting room and saw who was brought in, tears welled up in his eyes. He threw himself at his mother’s feet.
— Mom, please forgive me, — he repeated through sobs.
Vera Maksimovna stroked his hair, herself sobbing quietly, and whispered:
— And forgive me, son, for not realizing in time. We’ll figure something out.
At first, Alexey greedily ate everything she brought. He couldn’t get enough of the home-cooked food: he broke off pieces of chicken and bread but couldn’t satisfy his hunger.
— God, what have they done to you, — his mother sighed. — I sold the farm and found a lawyer. He’s confident the case was fabricated.
Alexey froze and stopped chewing.
— Do you think we have a chance? — he asked doubtfully. — Her father is influential. You don’t know what these people are like. — Well, our lawyer also has a motive to set things straight, — his mother replied.
— Let’s try.
— I’m sure it will work out. But what will you do afterward? Will you head to the city for new fortune?
Alexey shook his head:
— No, I’ve had enough. I’ll return to the village, work in the fields, and help you with the farm.
Within six months, the case was revisited, and Alexey was released.
It quickly turned out that Karina was the one driving that day. She and Kostya believed so much in their cover that they failed to remember the cameras half a kilometer from the scene, which recorded their maneuvers. How they intentionally ran over a drunk homeless man, dragged a sleeping Alexey behind the wheel, and disappeared.
The financial schemes also surfaced: Karina and Kostya planned to live it up abroad at someone else’s expense. Moreover, Kostya had debts he planned to close this way. Karina’s father refused to cover for his daughter and her friend, and both went to prison.
Returning home, Alexey started living again with his mother. He tried to help her every way he could and thanked the heavens every minute that he had her.
A year later, his life settled down, he became an indispensable person in the village, gradually forgetting past troubles.
His mother tried not to remind him of the past, and those around them didn’t know the story at all, so they gossiped about something else entirely. That Alyosha Verokin went to conquer Moscow, but a beauty there broke his heart, and he returned home, tail between his legs.