Semyon Markovich, an elderly but very well-groomed man known as a millionaire and owner of several firms and companies, sat in the police chief’s office with his head bowed, ready to sink through the floor. He was being reprimanded like a little boy!
The police chief could no longer contain his emotions:
“Dear Semyon Markovich! This is beyond all limits! We’ve already turned a blind eye to your grandson’s antics many times. But this time he has outdone himself! To race on the highway in a delirious state, smash both his own and our patrol car, and then fight with an authority figure. This is too much… With all my respect for you, I cannot overlook this. Vladimir is now in the hospital under guard, and then he’ll serve time, and that’s final. Perhaps prison will knock some sense into him!”
“I understand, I lost the boy, he’s completely out of control. But please, don’t get too heated. He’s still my grandson… Give me one week, and I will take drastic measures, and my rascal will never cause you problems again,” the businessman pleaded tearfully.
Semyon Markovich left the police station red as a boiled lobster and angry as the devil. He got into his luxurious car and ordered the driver:
“Take me to the hospital, I’m going to deal with this scoundrel!”
And he tiredly closed his eyes and pondered, “When and how did I lose Volodya?” going through life’s fragments in his head like duplicates in a film.
In his younger years, together with his wife, Zinaida, they worked at a research institute. They lived modestly, honestly, like all Soviet people, but happily and peacefully. They raised their son Matvey, pouring all their soul into him, sparing no time—and he grew up to be an excellent guy, graduated brilliantly from an economic institute. In the tough nineties, jobs were scarce, and wages were even worse, no money at all. That’s when Semyon Markovich turned to business. The son, still young, helped in everything; they went through everything together! They fought off “roofing” and survived the default. And the business started, spun, and gradually grew into a powerful network.
Naturally, such a business industry took a colossal amount of effort, health, and most importantly nerves. Meanwhile, the son married successfully, and a grandson was born. They named him Volodya. The businessman rejoiced, thinking of handing over all affairs to his son in his old age and enjoying his rest.
But his dreams did not come true! A cursed accident shattered the oligarch’s life to pieces! The son and his wife were still alive when the ambulance arrived, but despite all the doctors’ efforts, the couple died, the injuries were incompatible with life. The culprit of the accident, a young and drunk reckless driver, was sentenced to a long prison term, Semyon Markovich made sure of it, but what use was it! It wouldn’t bring his son back.
Three-year-old Volodya became an orphan. Perhaps, if not for the grandson, the businessman would have broken down, unable to bear such grief. And Zinaida continuously cried a river and turned all dark—a joke, the only son, the heir, the hope and support gone from life…
A month after the funeral, Semyon sternly told his wife:
“Here’s the thing, mother! Let’s stop the sniveling. We need to get our boy back on his feet!”
Indeed, Zina slowly thawed in caring for the little one. She loved Volodya with an unconditional, blind love, endlessly indulged him. The boy was allowed absolutely everything! He got used to commanding and demanding! Any whim was fulfilled immediately, even if it was far from normal.
And Semyon Markovich dived into business, needed to strengthen the capital, so, of course, he didn’t see much and didn’t notice at home. He came home late and exhausted, falling into bed without strength. In rare moments of family rest, he showered his grandson with expensive gifts, trying to compensate for the lack of attention and time.
Thus, Volodya grew up arrogant, self-satisfied, a brat, and a major. From an early age, he understood—grandpa is always busy, and grandma will do everything and will keep quiet if necessary. The main thing was to press on pity, saying, ‘I’m an orphan, without a father and mother, and you would scold me too?’ This phrase worked magically on Zina, she immediately became blind and deaf to the antics of her dear grandson.
Vova studied terribly, was rude, dared to teachers, made greasy jokes to girls, and even got physical. After all, he knew nothing would happen to him, the school was private, and granddad—a patron.
In university, the same story—the guy was only formally listed there. He ran to discos all night, and came home only in the morning, usually in a delirious state, and fell asleep, sometimes even without bothering to take off his shoes.
Zina, of course, tried to scold her grandson in the morning:
“Volodya, come to breakfast. We need to talk seriously. How long will this disgraceful behavior continue? I’ll tell grandpa everything! Look, your late father, unlike you, was a smart man, studied excellently, built a career, and you!”—tears always welled up in the woman’s eyes at that moment.
“Granny, what breakfast? Don’t nag, my head is splitting! And don’t threaten me with grandpa, he’ll grumble, and that’s it. All I hear is: ‘Father this, father that…’ Who cares about studying nowadays? It’s boring!!”—the young man snapped back.
Time passed, Zina increasingly gave up, got sick, and couldn’t calmly watch as her beloved Vovchik burned his life away and ruined it, and last year the woman passed away. Semyon Markovich withdrew, emaciated, and for a while completely abandoned Volodya, deeply grieving the heavy loss of his beloved Zina. And when he came to his senses, looked around, he realized that he had completely lost his grandson. The boy completely went off the rails, became aggressive, evil, and arrogant. And today, the scoundrel, what he pulled off! Well, no, something has to be decided radically!
The man had a cunning plan… He instructed the security about everything and entered the room. Volodya lay on the cot, no visible fractures. Just a couple of abrasions and bruises.
“Well, hello, grandson,” the man began.
“Hi, grandpa. Don’t scold, I dented the car pretty bad, just happened, I’m not to blame… And here’s another problem,” and the guy tugged his hand in handcuffs. “You’ll fix it, right?”—the young man asked ingratiatingly.
“Of course, don’t worry, it’s already settled. Get dressed quickly and into the car. Don’t remove his handcuffs,” he ordered the security and left.
“Hey, grandpa, what are you doing?”—the guy was puzzled.
If he only knew what was to come… They drove for a long time on dusty, bumpy roads, about eight hours. The guy was hysterical and complained:
“Where are you taking me? Grandpa, what’s the matter? What are these silly games?”—the young man shouted.
“Good game, called work therapy. You’ll find out soon!”—Semyon Markovich barked.
The young man immediately quieted down. “Better not anger grandpa now,” he decided and even dozed off.
“Wake up, Volodya, we’ve arrived,” the businessman smirked.
The guy rubbed his eyes and couldn’t understand anything. Some remote village, a dilapidated house, hardly a fence. Why they were here, the guy didn’t understand.
“So, my beloved grandson. Listen here. Since you think you’re grown-up enough to drink, party, smash cars, and fight with the police—all these entertainments at my expense, I might add. Then be ready for independent life! And this is now your home. There’s a week’s supply of food in the basement, nothing fancy, just the essentials. Here’s some money for bread, also for a week. After that, you’re on your own! I’m not sponsoring you anymore, you’re an adult. Don’t look for me. If you think of coming back—you’ll end up in jail, there’s still a case open against you, I’ll make sure of it.
As he got into the car, Semyon Markovich waved to the security, the bodyguards removed the handcuffs from the guy and drove off, leaving a cloud of dust behind…
Volodya was in shock! He couldn’t believe what was happening. The first night the grandson slept dressed on an old dusty, sagging sofa. He believed it was a joke, grandpa decided to teach him a lesson, he’d come in the morning and take him away. Surely he wouldn’t really leave his beloved grandson in such a hole.
The next day, closer to noon, the guy realized that grandpa wasn’t coming for him. He wanted to call Semyon Markovich, press on pity as always, but discovered that in this God-forsaken place, the network didn’t catch at all.
The guy was overtaken by anger: “Oh well? Fine, think about it! I’ll live on my own! What am I, little? They’ll miss me in a week and take me back, they can’t go anywhere!”—the young man fumed.
Hunger is no auntie, Volodya had to fuss about the household for the first time in his life. And living in a pigsty was disgusting. Dust and dirt everywhere. Whether you like it or not, you had to go to the well for water, wash the floors, and sweep with a broom…
Unaccustomed, the guy was exhausted in one day so that he fell asleep without back legs, and the old sofa seemed like a soft featherbed to him. Two weeks passed, no sign of Semyon Markovich. The money for bread had long run out, and the food was also running low. The guy started to panic. He made a makeshift fishing rod, dug up worms in the yard, and decided to go fishing at a local pond. Nearby, a villager was fishing from a boat. After laughing enough at Volodya’s futile attempts to catch anything, the man took pity and decided to help the guy. That’s how they met. The fisherman was named Grisha, he worked on a farm in the neighboring village, and fished at the pond, just for the soul.
“Grisha, where can you make decent money around here? Because my finances have run out, and grandpa still hasn’t come for me, he must be really mad,” the young man asked.
Grigory laughed:
“Well, you give! Did you fall from the moon? It’s immediately clear—you’re from the city. Yeah, you can’t find work here even with a torch during the day. To have a penny—you have to work hard. Want, come tomorrow to the farm, we always need working hands. Then we’ll see, maybe you’ll fit for something. Although by the look of you, you’re not used to work,” the man smirked.
“And that’s thanks,” Volodya muttered resentfully. The prospect of working on a farm didn’t impress him at all, but there was nothing else to do.
So began the working weekdays of the young farmhand. At first, the guy was angry, terribly tired, his hands covered with calluses from heavy work, and the terrible stench from the cowshed. But seeing how skillfully and deftly Grigory and the other men did their work, he became ashamed to whine and complain.
Chatting with simple laborers, sweating under the scorching sun, it dawned on Volodya how hard each earned penny was and how it was valued.
Finally, on a day off, a luxurious foreign car pulled up to the house. The guy joyfully jumped out of the house as he was:
“Hooray, finally I’ve suffered enough, grandpa came!”—Volodya rejoiced.
But to his surprise, the father’s attorney got out of the car and delivered terrible news to the young man:
“Accept my condolences, Vladimir! Your grandfather, Semyon Markovich, has passed away. I’ve brought you his will. Please, review it.”
The young man took the document with trembling hands and read it three times before he grasped the meaning of the written words. All his capital and property, the grandfather bequeathed to assist orphanages and shelters. And about him, Volodya, not a word in the will!
The attorney left, and the young man just stood there, rooted to the porch, stupefied. Then he mechanically took a towel and trudged to the pond to refresh himself and come to his senses. He saw nothing before him, only one thought spun in his head: “Grandpa… How could you! And now I’m destitute… I have nothing but this dilapidated shack! Oh grandpa! What a lesson you taught!”—the young man lamented to himself.
He was pulled out of his state of shock by a scream and thrashing in the middle of the pond. Someone was drowning and desperately calling for help! Volodya, without thinking, jumped into the water and with great difficulty pulled the girl ashore. By that time, she had already stopped breathing. The guy feverishly tried to remember how to perform first aid. Trying his best, he no longer hoped for a miracle. Finally, the girl coughed and began to pink up. The young man fell onto the grass relieved: “Thank God! She woke up!”
The stranger began to come to her senses, her body shook despite the heat. Volodya picked her up in his arms, wrapped her in a towel, and shouted:
“Speak, where do you live, drowned maiden!”
The girl, barely moving her lips, said:
“The chairman’s house, I’m his daughter, my name is Tanya,” and closed her eyes again.
Vova rushed with Tanya in his arms to her house, although the path was not close. With his last strength, he knocked on the window and gate. A dog in the yard barked loudly and a minute later the chairman himself appeared on the threshold.
“My God, daughter, Tanya! What happened to her?”—the man shouted.
“Take your drowned maiden. Barely revived her, thought I wouldn’t save her,” and the young man handed the girl over to her father.
“Oh, foolish girl! What did she think of! It’s all my fault, old fool! Thank you, boy, I’ll never forget. Come inside. Rest, come to your senses. You’re barely standing,” the man commanded.
They put Tanya to bed. Near her, her mother fussed, they called a paramedic. Thank God, everything was fine, the girl just had a severe shock and hypothermia. They gave her a sedative, and the daughter fell asleep.
In the kitchen, Volodya and the chairman talked and drank cold kvass. He said:
“You see, I found a good fiancé for Tanya, well-to-do, we even asked for her hand. But she didn’t like him. Daughter cried, begged me, pleaded not to marry her off, but I insisted and wouldn’t budge. That’s why she decided to drown herself in despair. I’ll never forgive myself! And who are you? I don’t know you, have you been in the village long?”
Volodya didn’t lie or dodge and poured out everything to the chairman. It even felt better for him. The guy had long wanted to talk and consult with someone about what to do next.
“Well, you’ve made a mess, boy!” the man stretched out.
“Know what? You seem like a good guy. Did a good deed, saved my daughter. I’ll help you. Come work for me as a driver. I’ll give you some logs, you’ll fix the hut. Look, you won’t perish if you don’t drink the bitter,” the chairman offered.
“I agree!”—Volodya rejoiced.
Things really started to improve gradually. The young man had golden hands, he relaid the stove in the house for winter, built a new fence, and also a bathhouse. Volodya befriended Tanya. They walked long in the evenings and talked sweetly. He melted at her tender figure, red unruly hair, and soft, cat-like grace. Volodya was amazed at himself, how could he have liked those glamorous city girls with empty eyes before?
It turned out, life in the village wasn’t as bad as it seemed initially. Especially in the evening, when the fog rose and the evening coolness, the stars shone, the herbs intoxicatingly smelled, and the cicadas crackled. Gradually, the young people grew closer and fell in love. Tanya’s father was only happy about this, saw the daughter happy, Volodya cared and loved her.
As winter approached, Volodya ordered logs and chopped them in the yard. Suddenly, the dog Bim started barking loudly. “Who could it be?” the young man thought.
Volodya was speechless when grandpa climbed out of the car! He rushed to him, not believing what was happening, and hugged him to the point of crunching, almost crying with joy:
“Grandpa! Dear! You’re alive? How glad I am!”
Semyon Markovich was also amazed by the metamorphoses. The hut was excellent, order all around, everything house-like. The grandson, rosy-cheeked, grown-up, and so adult. And no trace remained of the former whining major.
“Forgive me, grandson, that I deceived you! I’m alive! I just didn’t know how else to knock some sense into you. Yes, I couldn’t stand it, decided to visit, missed you terribly!”—and the businessman became emotional and burst into tears.
“Come in, grandpa. I’ll make some tea. Are you hungry? I have tasty meat, and excellent cabbage soup!”
“Wow! Did you learn to cook?” the man was amazed.
“You know, grandpa, thank you! I learned to live here!”
“Well, that’s good. Then shall we go home? Since the lesson was useful?” said the millionaire.
“Honestly, grandpa, I don’t want to! I fell in love with a girl, Tanya, want to marry her. I’m satisfied with the work. I like it here. The metropolis is not for me. Bustle, malice, everything there is so fake, no time to look back and catch your breath. You come to me, to the wedding, and in general. I’ll always be glad to see you! We’ll steam in the bathhouse, go fishing. And I don’t want money, when you earn it yourself, you appreciate it much more.
“Finally, I hear the words of a real man. I’m proud of you, Volodya. And I respect your decision. Now it’s not scary to die!”
Grandpa and grandson embraced and talked for a long time about everything.