Love stories of real people. Love stories and romantic life stories

People from different countries talk about joyful moments from their lives…

• Today I told my 18 year old grandson that no one asked me to prom when I graduated from high school, so I didn't go. He showed up at my house this evening dressed in a suit and took him to his prom as a girlfriend.

• Today I was sitting in the park eating my sandwich for lunch when I saw a car with an elderly couple pull up to an old oak nearby. He rolled down his windows and heard the sounds of good jazz. Then the man got out of the car, helped his companion get out, took her a few meters away from the car, and for the next half hour they danced under an old oak tree to the sounds of beautiful melodies.

• Today I operated on a little girl. She needed the first blood type. We didn't have one, but her twin brother has the same group. I explained to him that it was a matter of life and death. He thought for a moment and then said goodbye to his parents. I didn't notice it until we took the blood and he asked, "So, when will I die?" He thought he was giving his life for her. Luckily, they are both fine now.

• Today my dad is the best father you can ask for. He is my mother's loving husband (always makes her laugh), he's been to every one of my football matches since I was 5 (I'm 17 now), and he provides for our entire family by working as a construction foreman. This morning, when I was looking in my father's toolbox for pliers, I found dirty folded paper at the bottom. It was an old journal entry written by my father exactly one month before the day I was born. It read: “I am eighteen years old, an alcoholic, college dropout, suicidal unfortunate victim of child abuse and a criminal history of auto theft. And next month, a “teenage father” will also appear on the list. But I swear that I will do what is right for my baby. I will be the father I never had." And I don't know how he did it, but he did it.

• Today my 8 year old son hugged me and said, "You are the best mom in the world." I smiled and asked sarcastically, “How do you know? You haven't seen all the mothers in the world." But the son, in response to this, hugged me even tighter and said: “I saw it. My world is you."

• Today I saw an elderly patient with severe Alzheimer's disease. He can rarely remember his own name and often forgets where he is and what he said a minute earlier. But by some miracle (and I think this miracle is called love), every time his wife comes to visit him, he remembers who she is and greets her with the words "Hello, my beautiful Kate."

• Today my Labrador is 21 years old. He can barely stand up, can hardly see or hear anything, and doesn't even have the strength to bark. But every time I enter the room, he happily wags his tail.

• Today is our 10th anniversary, but since my husband and I recently lost our jobs, we agreed not to spend money on gifts. When I woke up this morning, my husband was already in the kitchen. I went downstairs and saw beautiful wild flowers all over the house. There were at least 400 of them, and he really did not spend a dime.

• My 88 year old grandmother and her 17 year old cat are blind. A guide dog helps my grandmother move around the house, which is natural and normal. However, recently the dog began to lead the cat around the house. When the cat meows, the dog comes up and rubs its nose against it. Then the cat gets up and begins to follow the dog - to the stern, to the "toilet", to the chair in which she likes to sleep.

• Today my older brother donated his bone marrow for the 16th time to help me with my cancer treatment. He spoke directly to the doctor and I didn't even know about it. And today my doctor informed me that the treatment seems to be working: "The number of cancer cells has dropped dramatically in the last few months."

• Today I was driving home with my grandfather when he suddenly made a U-turn and said: “I forgot to buy a bouquet of flowers for my grandmother. Let's go to the florist on the corner. It only takes a second." “What is so special today that you should buy her flowers?” I asked. “Nothing special,” Grandpa said. “Every day is special. Your grandmother loves flowers. They make her smile."
• Today I re-read the suicide letter I wrote on September 2, 1996, two minutes before my girlfriend knocked on the door and said, "I'm pregnant." Suddenly I felt that I wanted to live again. Today she is my beloved wife. And my daughter, who is already 15 years old, has two younger brothers. From time to time I reread this suicide letter to remind myself how grateful I am to have a second chance to live and love.

• Today, my 11-year-old son is fluent in sign language because his friend Josh, whom he grew up with since infancy, is deaf. I am pleased to see how their friendship grows stronger every year.

• Today I am the proud mother of a 17 year old blind boy. Although my son was born blind, this did not stop him from studying excellently, becoming a guitarist (the first album of his group has already exceeded 25,000 downloads on the network) and a great boyfriend for his girlfriend Valerie. Today his little sister asked him what he loves most about Valerie and he replied: “Everything. She's beautiful."

• Today I served an elderly couple in a restaurant. They looked at each other so that it was immediately obvious that they loved each other. When the man mentioned that they were celebrating their anniversary, I smiled and said, “Let me guess. You've been together for many, many years." They smiled and the woman said, “Actually, no. Today is our fifth anniversary. We both outlived our spouses, but fate gave us another chance to love.

• Today my dad found my little sister - alive, chained to the wall in the barn. She was abducted near Mexico City five months ago. Authorities stopped looking for her two weeks after she disappeared. Mom and I have come to terms with her death - last month we buried her. Our whole family and her friends came to the funeral. Everyone except her father - he was the only one who continued to look for her. “I love her too much to give up,” he said. And now she's home - because he really didn't give up.

• Today I found in our papers my mother's old diary, which she kept in high school. It contained a list of the qualities she hoped to someday find in her boyfriend. This list is almost an exact description of my father, and my mother only met him when she was 27.

• Today in the school chemistry lab, my partner was one of the prettiest (and most popular) girls in the whole school. And although I had not even dared to speak to her before, she turned out to be very simple and sweet. We chatted in class, laughed, but in the end we still got fives (she turned out to be smart too). After that, we started talking outside of the classroom. Last week, when I found out that she hadn't yet decided who to go to the prom with, I wanted to invite her, but again I didn't have the courage. And today, during a lunch break in a cafe, she ran up to me and asked if I would like to invite her. So I did, and she kissed me on the cheek and said, “Yes!”

• Today my grandfather has an old photo from the 60s on his bedside table, in which he and his grandmother laugh merrily at some party. My grandmother died of cancer in 1999 when I was 7. Today I went to his house and my grandfather saw me looking at this photo. He came up to me, hugged me and said: "Remember - if something does not last forever, this does not mean that it is not worth it."

• Today I tried to explain to my two daughters, aged 4 and 6, that we would have to move from our four-bedroom house to a two-bedroom apartment until I found a new, well-paying job. The daughters looked at each other for a moment, and then the youngest asked: “Will we all move there together?” "Yes," I replied. "Well, then it's nothing to worry about," she said.
• Today I was sitting on the hotel balcony and saw a couple in love walking on the beach. It was clear from their body language that they really enjoyed each other's company. When they got closer, I realized that they were my parents. And 8 years ago they almost got divorced.

• Today, when I rapped on my wheelchair and told my husband, "You know, you're the only reason I want to be free of this thing," he kissed my forehead and said, "Honey, I don't even notice it."

• Today my grandparents, who were in their nineties and lived together for 72 years, both died in their sleep, about an hour apart.

• Today my 6 year old autistic sister said her first word - my name.

• Today, at the age of 72, 15 years after my grandfather's death, my grandmother is remarrying. I am 17 years old, and in all my life I have never seen her so happy. How inspiring to see people at that age so in love with each other. It's never too late.

• On this day, almost 10 years ago, I stopped at an intersection and another car crashed into me. His driver was a University of Florida student, just like me. He sincerely apologized. While we were waiting for the police and the tow truck, we started talking and soon, without restraint, laughed at each other's jokes. We exchanged numbers, but the rest is history. We recently celebrated our 8th anniversary.

• Today, as my 91-year-old grandfather (military doctor, war hero and successful businessman) lay in a hospital bed, I asked him what he considered his greatest achievement. He turned to his grandmother, took her by the hand and said: "The fact that I have grown old with her."

• Today, as I watched my 75-year-old grandparents in the kitchen having fun and laughing at each other's jokes, I realized that I managed to see for a brief moment what true love is. I hope someday I will be able to find it.
• On this day, exactly 20 years ago, I risked my life to save a woman who was being swept away by the fast current of the Colorado River. That's how I met my wife, the love of my life.

• Today, on our 50th wedding anniversary, she smiled at me and said, "I wish I had met you sooner."

This section is dedicated to the theme of love stories. And we women just adore this topic. Reading love stories, we learn not only from the mistakes of other girls, but also from their success in winning men's hearts. We don’t always have time to read long romance novels, but we really want love, at least fictional. But the women's magazine "Own Rules" will tell you not only about the love fantasies of our readers, but also about real love stories that happened in their lives.

It started with a real love story that my mother told me. This story happened before her eyes. The main character is her best friend. It so happened that the first and most real youthful love ended in marriage and marriage, but not at all with those ... And yet, true love was carried through the years and already in adulthood, Nadezhda and Vladimir met again, and then they did not make mistakes, committed in youth. This is a real life love story. Read and discuss, everything is not so simple in it ...

Love stories fantasy or reality?

Another quivering love story - The game of love for life. It is pointless to talk about it - you need to read and enjoy the plot.

For those who remember the pioneer camps and the romance associated with this time, and maybe those who heard about the pioneer camps from their parents, a slightly naive, but no less interesting love story that happened in a pioneer camp will be of interest.

New Year's matchmaking is another fabulous love story. Fiction or truth, you decide. You will definitely like the denouement of this fairy tale!

The following love story did not fit in one article, so it was published in the Dreams Come True trilogy. Perhaps, after reading love stories on our women's site, your fantasy will play out and you will come up with your own no less interesting love story, or maybe you want to tell about a real love story that happened to you personally. In any case, we will be glad if you share your impressions on the pages of the women's magazine "Own Rules", as Angela did. Her love story also did not fit into the format of a short article, the more interesting it is to read the continuation of the love story "Strawberries can be bitter."

"Where are you?" is the cry of the soul. The next reader told us about her love story with the hope that her lost love would be found by reading this confession.

Whatever life is, each of us has love stories. They will be optimistic or saturated with sadness, the main thing is that they be.

I thought for a long time in which section I should place the story I want to tell. After all, the relationship here began precisely at the resort, but, unlike many others, it did not end at the station, but grew into something more, into something that makes you radically change your life, albeit unwittingly, but hurt your loved ones.

But in order. This story happened to my own aunt back in the distant Soviet times. She was married at the time and had a daughter. The husband worked along the party line, occupied a strong position. She also worked as a doctor. It seems that outwardly everything was smooth, but ... By that time, feelings had already faded somewhat, alienation appeared in the relationship. They became more and more distant from each other. When the daughter became a teenager, the aunt began to go to resorts several times a year. Fortunately, the financial situation allowed it.

And in one of the sanatoriums in Odessa there was a meeting between my aunt and the man of her dreams. And nothing that at that time she was already well over thirty. He was also a few years older. It was love at first sight. And, as I wrote above, for her sake, in order to be together, they had to sacrifice a lot. For a long 5 years they corresponded, by hook or by crook they tried to meet once a year in some sanatorium. She wanted not to injure her teenage daughter, to let her finish school normally, he wanted her sons to get on their feet.

Their divorce had the effect of an exploding bomb. Nobody ever expected this. Tetin's first husband went to his homeland, to another region. He was ill for a long time, but then he married a second time. He maintained a relationship with his daughter, but not with his ex-wife.

Tetin's second husband suffered much more. His wife complained to the regional committee and he, the chief engineer of the plant, was expelled from the party. The Soviet people know what it is and what it leads to. But, in my opinion, his biggest loss is his children. Adult sons did not understand their father and completely deleted him from their lives. All parcels and money orders were simply returned back. At one time, the connection was secretly, through correspondence, maintained with the daughter-in-law. But when her son found out about this, he forbade her to write to her father-in-law under the threat of a divorce. This completely cut off the connection.

The aunt and her second husband started life from scratch. They moved to a completely different city, got a job. At that time they were already about 40 years old. Now, already having a certain life experience, I understand that they really loved each other. And not only loved, but also respected, appreciated, supported. They tried to do everything together. And every year they tried to go to that sanatorium in Odessa, where their first meeting took place.

They lived together for over 20 years. He died in her arms. Cancer. His sons were not at the funeral. They may not even know to this day that their father is dead. A few years ago, my aunt passed away. They are buried side by side.

Valentine's Day is coming soon. I have already prepared a gift for my beloved husband. Because everyone does it today.

At their time this holiday was not celebrated. Yes, no one knew about him at the time. But in order to show their love for each other, they did not have to exchange valentines and soft toys. They proved their love by their actions. Maybe unjustified by relatives and the public.

Sometimes I think, what would I do in their place? Could you change your life 180 degrees like this? Did you decide in exchange for the opportunity to live next to your loved one, to completely break off relations with your own children?

Don't know. As Taras Shevchenko said... the dermal one has its own share and its wide path.... It can be seen that it was destined from above that their destinies-roads would one day merge into one.

Have you heard the tale of the Crane and the Heron? We can say that this story was written off from us. When one wanted, the other refused, and vice versa ...

Real life story

“Okay, see you tomorrow,” I said into the phone to end the conversation, which lasted more than two hours.

One would think that we are talking about a meeting. Moreover, in a place well known to both of us. But it wasn't. We were just making arrangements for... the next call. And everything looked exactly the same for several months. Then I called Polina for the first time in four years. And I pretended that I was just calling to find out how she was doing, but in fact I wanted to renew the relationship.

I met her shortly before graduation. We were both in a relationship then, but a spark really ran between us. However, only a month after we met, we broke up with partners. However, we were in no hurry to get close. Because on the one hand, something attracted us to each other, and on the other hand, something constantly interfered. As if we were afraid that our connection would be dangerous. In the end, after a year of mutual study of each other, we became a couple. And if until that time our relations developed very slowly, then since we became together everything has been spinning at a very fast pace. A period of strong mutual attraction and dizzying emotions began. We felt that we could not exist without each other. And then ... we broke up.

Without any clarification. Simply, one day we did not agree on another meeting. And then none of us called the other for a week, expecting this act from the other side. At some point, I even wanted to do it ... But then I was young and green, and didn’t think of doing it - I just took it and took offense at Polina because she so easily abandoned our reverent relationship. So I decided not to force myself on her. I knew what I was thinking and doing was stupid. But then he could not calmly analyze what happened. It was only after some time that I began to really understand the situation. Gradually I realized the stupidity of my act.

I think we both felt like a good match for each other, and just started to fear what might happen next to our "great love". We were very young, we wanted to get a lot of experience in love affairs, and most importantly, we felt unprepared for a serious, stable relationship. Most likely, we both wanted to “freeze” our love for several years, and “unfreeze” it one day, at one fine moment, when we feel that we are ripe for it. But, unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. After parting, we did not completely lose touch - we had many mutual friends, we went to the same places. So from time to time we bumped into each other, and these were not the best moments.

I don’t know why, but each of us considered it our duty to send a caustic sarcastic remark after the other, as if accusing us of what had happened. I even decided to do something about it and offered to meet to discuss "complaints and grievances". Polina agreed, but ... did not come to the appointed place. And when we met by chance, two months after that, she began to stupidly explain why she then made me stand pointlessly in the wind, and then did not even call. Then she again asked me for a meeting, but again she did not appear.

The beginning of a new life...

Since then, I began to consciously avoid places where I might accidentally meet her. So we didn't see each other for several years. I heard some rumors about Polina - I heard that she was dating someone, that she left the country for a year, but then returned and began to live with her parents again. I tried to ignore this information and live my own life. I had two novels - as it seemed, very serious ones, but in the end nothing came of them. And then I thought: I'll talk to Polina. I couldn't imagine what went through my head! Although no - I know. I missed her... I really, really missed her...

She was surprised by my phone call, but also pleased. We talked then for several hours. Exactly the same the next day. And the next one. It's hard to say what we discussed for so long. In general, everything about a little and a little about everything. There was only one topic we tried to avoid. We were the topic...

It all looked as if we, despite the years that had passed, were afraid to be honest. However, one day Polina said:

“Listen, maybe we can finally decide on something?

“No thanks,” I replied immediately. “I don't want to disappoint you again.

There was silence on the phone.

“If you are afraid that I will not come, then you can come to me,” she finally said.

“Yeah, and you tell your parents to put me out,” I snorted.

Rostik, stop it! Polina began to get nervous. “Everything was so good, and you're ruining everything again.

- Again! - I was outraged in earnest. “Maybe you can tell me what I did?”

“Probably something you won’t do. You won't call me for a few months.

“But you will call me daily,” I imitated her voice.

Don't turn things upside down! Polina screamed, and I sighed heavily.

“I don’t want to end up with nothing again. If you want to see me, then come to me yourself,” I announced to her. “I’ll be waiting for you in the evening, at eight o’clock. Hope you come...

“As you wish,” Polina hung up the phone.

New circumstances...

For the first time since we started calling, we had to say goodbye in anger. And most importantly, I now had no idea if she would call me again, and would she come to me? Polina's words could be interpreted exactly as an agreement to come, and a refusal. However, I was waiting for her. Cleaned up my studio apartment, which I didn't do very often. I cooked dinner, bought wine and flowers. And he finished reading the story: "". Every minute of waiting made me even more nervous. I even wanted to give up my rude behavior and intransigence in the matter of the meeting.

At fifteen past eight I began to wonder if I should go to Polina's. I didn’t go just because she could come to me at any moment, and we would have missed each other. At nine o'clock I lost hope. Angrily began to dial her number to tell her everything I think about her. But he did not finish the job and pressed "Hang up". Then I wanted to call again, but I thought to myself that she might consider this call as a manifestation of my weakness. I didn't want Paulina to know how worried I was that she didn't come and how hurt I was by her indifference. I decided to spare her such pleasure.

I went to bed only at 12 o'clock at night, but I could not sleep for a long time, because I kept thinking about this situation. On average, every five minutes I changed my point of view. At first I thought that only I was to blame, because if I hadn’t been stubborn like a donkey and came to her, then our relationship would have improved, and we were happy. After a while, I began to reproach myself for such naive thoughts. After all, she would have put me out anyway! And the more I thought about it, the more I believed it. When I was almost asleep… the intercom rang.

At first I thought it was some kind of mistake or a joke. But the intercom kept ringing persistently. Then I had to stand up and say:

- Two o'clock in the morning! – angrily barked into the phone.

Needless to say, I was surprised. And how! With a trembling hand, I pressed the button to open the door to the entrance. What will be next?

After a long two minutes, I heard a call. He opened the door ... and saw Polina sitting in a wheelchair, accompanied by two orderlies. She had a cast on her right leg and right arm. Before I could ask what happened, one of the men said:

“The girl checked herself out of her own accord and insisted that we bring her here. Her whole future life apparently depends on this.

I didn't ask anything more. The orderlies helped Polina sit on a large sofa in the living room and quickly left. I sat down across from her and looked at her for a full minute in astonishment.

There was complete silence in the room.

“I'm glad you came,” I said, and Polina smiled.

“I always wanted to come,” she replied. Do you remember the first time we agreed to meet, but I didn't show up? Then my grandmother died. The second time my dad had a heart attack. It seems incredible, but it's true nonetheless. As if someone didn't want us to...

“But now, I see, you did not pay attention to the obstacles,” I smiled.

“It happened a week ago,” Polina pointed to the cast. - She slipped on the icy pavement. Thought we'd meet when I was well...but I thought I just need to put in a little effort. I was worried about you...
I didn't answer and just kissed her.

Current page: 1 (total book has 7 pages) [accessible reading excerpt: 2 pages]

Irina Lobusova
Kamasutra. Short stories about love (compilation)

It was like this

Almost every day we meet at the landing of the main staircase. She smokes in the company of her friends, and Natasha and I are looking for a women's toilet - or vice versa. She looks like me - maybe because we both completely lose the ability to navigate in the vast and endless (so it seems to us every day) space of the institute. The long, intricate bodies of which seem to be specially created in order to put pressure on the brains. Usually, by the end of the day, I start to get angry and demand to immediately give out the monkey that built this building. Natasha laughs and asks why I am sure that this architectural monkey is still alive. However, endless wandering in search of the right audience or women's toilet is entertainment. There are so few of them in our life - simple entertainment. We both appreciate them, I recognize everything by the eyes. When at the most unexpected moment we collide on the stairs and lie to each other that our meeting is absolutely unexpected. We both know how to simply lie classically. I. And she.

We usually meet on the stairs. Then we avert our eyes and make an important appearance. She staidly explains how she just left the classroom. I - that I pass along the corridor nearby. No one admits, even under the guise of a terrible death penalty, that in fact we are standing here and waiting for each other. No one but us is given (and will not be given) to know about this.

Both very amicably pretend that they are insanely glad to see each other. From the outside, everything looks so that it is easy for us to believe.

- It's so nice to meet friends!

“Ah, I didn’t even know that you would be passing through here… But I’m so glad!”

– What do you have to smoke?

She holds out cigarettes, my friend Natasha brazenly grabs two at once, and in complete female solidarity, the three of us silently smoke until the call for the next pair.

“Could you give me your economic theory notes for a couple of days?” We have a test in a couple of days ... And you already passed the test ahead of schedule ... (she)

- No problem. Call, come in and take ... (I).

Then we go to lectures. She is studying in the same course as me, only in a different stream.

The auditorium is damp from the morning light, and the desk is still damp from the cleaner's wet rag. Behind the people are discussing yesterday's television series. In a few minutes, everyone is immersed in the depths of higher mathematics. Everyone but me. During the break, without taking my eyes off the notes, I sit at the table, trying to at least see what is written on the paper sheet open in front of me. Someone slowly and quietly approaches my table. And without looking up, I know who I will see. Who is behind me... She.

She enters sideways, as if embarrassed by strangers. He sits down next to him, looks into his eyes faithfully. We are the closest and best friends, and for a long time. The deep essence of our relationship cannot be expressed in words. We're just waiting for one man. Both are waiting, without success, for a year. We are rivals, but not a single person in the world would have thought to call us that. Our faces are the same because they are marked with an indelible stamp of love and anxiety. For one person. We probably both love him. Maybe he loves us too, but for the safety of our common souls with her, it’s easier to persuade ourselves that he really doesn’t give a damn about us.

How much time has passed since then? Six months, a year, two years? Since the time when there was one, the most ordinary phone call?

Who called? You don’t remember the name now ... Someone from a neighboring course ... or from a group ...

"- Hello. Come right now. Everyone has gathered here ... there is a surprise!

- What a surprise?! It's raining outside! Speak up!

- How about your English?

- Did you use your brains?

“Listen, we have Americans here. Two of them came on an exchange trip to the Faculty of Romano-Germanic Philology.

Why are they sitting with us?

- They are not interested there, in addition, they met Vitalik and he brought them to our hostel. They are funny. They hardly speak Russian. She (named) fell for one. He sits next to him all the time. Come. You must look at this! “

The rain that beat in the face ... When I returned home, there were three of us. Three. That's how it's been since then.

I turn my head and look at her face - the face of a man who, faithfully resting his head on my shoulder, looks with the eyes of a pitiful beaten dog. She definitely loves him more than me. She loves it so much that it is a holiday for her to hear at least one word. Even if his word is meant for me. From the point of view of injured pride, I look at her very intently and with knowledge of the matter I note that today she is badly combed, this lipstick does not suit her, and there is a loop on the pantyhose. She probably sees bruises under my eyes, nails without signs of manicure and a tired look. I have known for a long time that my chest is more beautiful and larger than hers, my height is taller and my eyes are brighter. But her legs and waist are more slender than mine. Our mutual inspection is almost imperceptible - this is a habit rooted in the subconscious. After that, we mutually look for oddities in behavior, indicating that one of us has recently seen him.

“Yesterday I watched international news until two o’clock in the morning ...” her voice trails off, becomes hoarse, “probably they won’t be able to come this year ... I heard the crisis in the States ..

“And if they do, despite their faltering economy,” I pick up, “they are unlikely to visit us.

Her face is drawn, I see that I hurt her. But I can't stop now.

- And in general, I have long forgotten about all this nonsense. Even if he comes again, you still won't understand him. As last time.

- But you can help me with the translation ...

- Hardly. I forgot English a long time ago. Soon the exams, the session, you need to study Russian ... the future belongs to the Russian language ... and they also say that the Germans will soon come to the RHF on an exchange. Do you want to sit down at the dictionary and go look at them?

After her, he went over to me - it was normal, I had long been accustomed to such a reaction, but I did not know that his ordinary masculine actions could cause her such pain. He still writes letters to me - thin sheets printed on a laser printer ... I keep them in an old notebook so as not to show anyone. She does not know about the existence of these letters. All her ideas about life are the hope that he will forget me too. I guess that every morning she opens her map to the world and looks hopefully at the ocean. She loves the ocean almost as much as she loves him. The ocean for her is a bottomless abyss in which thoughts and feelings drown. I do not dissuade her from this illusion. Let it live the way it is easy. Our history is primitive to stupidity. It's so ridiculous that it's embarrassing to even talk about it. The people around are firmly convinced that, having met at the institute, we just became friends just like that. The two closest friends. Who always have something to talk about ... It's true. We are friends. We are interested together, there are always common themes and we also understand each other perfectly. I like her - as a person, as a person, as a friend. She likes me too. She has personality traits that I don't have. We are good together. It's so good that no one is needed in this world. Maybe even the ocean.

In the publicly visible “personal” life, each of us has a separate man. She has a biology student from the university. I have a computer artist, a rather funny type. With a valuable quality - the inability to ask questions. Our men help us survive the uncertainty and longing, and also the thought that he will not return. That our American romance will never really connect us with him. But for this love, we secretly promise each other to always show concern - concern not about ourselves, about him. She has no idea, I understand how ridiculous and ridiculous we are, clinging to a cracked, torn straw in order to swim to the surface and drown out some strange pain. Tooth-like pain that comes at the most inopportune moment in the most inopportune place. Pain - about yourself? Or about him?

Sometimes I read hatred in her eyes. As if by tacit agreement, we hate everything that exists around. An institute that you entered just like that, for the sake of a diploma, friends who don’t give a damn about you, society and our existence, and most importantly, the abyss that forever separates us from it. And when we are tired to the point of madness from eternal lies and poorly hidden indifference, from the whirlwind of meaningless, but many events, from the stupidity of other people's love stories - we meet her eyes and see sincerity, real, truthful sincerity, purer and better than which there is none ... We never talk about a love triangle because we both understand very well that behind this lies something more complicated than the dilemma of ordinary unrequited love ...

And one more thing: we often think of him. We remember, experiencing different feelings - longing, love, hatred, something nasty and nasty, or vice versa, bright and fluffy ... And after a stream of general phrases, someone suddenly stops in mid-sentence and asks:

- Well?

And the other shakes her head:

- Nothing new…

And, meeting eyes, he will understand the mute sentence - there will be nothing new, nothing ... Never.

At home, alone with myself, when no one sees me, I go crazy from the abyss into which I fall lower and lower. I feel like madly grabbing a pen and writing in English: “leave me alone… don’t call… don’t write…” But I can’t, I’m not able to do it, and therefore I suffer from nightmares, from which only chronic insomnia becomes my other half. Our jealous sharing of love is a terrible nightmare for me at night ... Like a Swedish family or Muslim laws on polygamy ... In nightmares, I even imagine how we both marry him and host in the same kitchen ... Me. And she. It makes me cringe in my sleep. I wake up in a cold sweat and am tempted to say that I learned from mutual acquaintances about his death in a car accident ... Or that another plane crashed somewhere ... I invent hundreds of ways, I know I can’t do it. I can't hate her. Just like she did me.

Once, on a difficult day, when my nerves were shattered to the limit, I pressed her against the stairs:

- What are you doing?! Why are you following me? Why are you continuing this nightmare?! Live your own life! Leave me alone! Do not seek my company, because in fact you hate me!

There was a strange look in her eyes.

- It is not true. I can't and don't want to hate you. I love you. And a little of it.

Every day for two years we meet on the landing of the stairs. And every meeting we do not talk, but think about him. I even catch myself thinking that every day I count down the clock and look forward to the moment when she quietly, as if embarrassed, enters the audience, sits with me and starts a stupid endless conversation on general topics. And then, in the middle, he will interrupt the conversation and look at me questioningly ... I will guiltily turn my eyes to the side to shake my head negatively. And I will shudder all over - probably from the eternal cold dampness in the mornings.

Two days before new year

The telegram said "don't come". Snow scratched his cheeks with stiff bristles, trampled under a broken lantern. The edge of the most impudent of all the telegrams protruded from the pocket through the fur of the fur coat. The station looked like a huge pheonite ball molded from dirty plasticine. Bright and clear, the door leading to the sky fell into the void.

Leaning against the cold wall, she studied the railway ticket window, where the crowd was choking, and thought only that she wanted to smoke, she just wanted to smoke like crazy, drawing bitter frosty air into both nostrils. It was impossible to walk, it was only necessary to stand, watching the crowd, leaning against the cold wall with your shoulder, squinting your eyes from the stink that was familiar to your eyesight. All stations are similar to one another, like fallen gray stars, floating in clouds of alien eyes with a cluster of habitual undeniable miasms. All stations are the same.

Clouds - other people's eyes. This was by far the most important.

The telegram said "don't come". So there was no need to look for confirmation of what he was going to do. In a narrow passage, a trampled, drunken bum fell out from under someone's feet, fell right under her feet. Exceptionally carefully she crawled along the wall so as not to touch the edge of a long fur coat. Someone pushed me in the back. I turned around. It seemed that she wanted to say something, but she could not do anything, and so, unable to say anything, she froze, forgetting that she wanted to smoke because the thought was fresher. The idea that decisions can gnaw at the brain just like half-smoked (in the snow) cigarettes gnaw. Where there was pain, there were red, inflamed dots, carefully hidden under the skin. She ran her hand, trying to cut off the most inflamed part, but nothing happened, and the red dots ached more and more painfully, more and more, leaving behind anger, like a red-hot broken lantern in a familiar pheonite ball.

Sharply pushing a part of the wall away from her, she crashed into the line, professionally throwing all the baggers away with confident elbows. The arrogance caused a friendly opening of the mouths of battered ticket dealers. She pressed herself against the window, afraid that she would not be able to say anything again, but she did, and where her breath fell on the glass, the window became damp.

“One before… for today.”

- And in general?

- I said no.

A sound wave of voices struck at the feet, someone vigorously tore the fur side, and very close by the disgusting onion stench of someone's hysterical mouth hit the nostrils - so indignant masses righteously tried to take it away from the railway ticket window.

“I may have a certified telegram.

- Go to another window.

- Well, look - one ticket.

- Are you kidding me, damn you ...., - said the cashier, - do not delay the queue ... you ..., moved away from the cash register!

The fur coat was no longer torn, the sound wave that beat the legs went to the floor. She pushed open the heavy door that went up to the sky and went out to where the frost immediately dug into her face with sharpened vampire teeth. Past the eyes (the eyes of others) floated endless night stations. They shouted after them - along the taxi ranks. Of course, she did not understand a word. It seemed to her that she had forgotten all languages ​​for a very long time, and around through the aquarium walls, before reaching her, human sounds disappear, taking the colors existing in the world with them. The walls were down to the very bottom, not missing a bygone symphony of color. The telegram read "don't come, circumstances have changed." The perfect semblance of tears dried on the eyelashes, which did not reach the cheeks in the vampire frost. These tears disappeared without appearing, completely and immediately, only inside, under the skin, leaving a dull hardened pain, like a drained swamp. She took a cigarette and a lighter (shaped like a colored fish) out of her purse and inhaled deeply the smoke, suddenly stuck in her throat in a heavy and bitter lump. She drew the smoke into herself until the hand holding the cigarette turned into a wooden stump, and when the transformation happened, the cigarette butt fell down by itself, like a huge shooting star reflected in the velvet black sky. Someone pushed again, fir-tree needles caught on the edge of the fur coat and fell on the snow, and once the needles fell, she turned around. Ahead, in a hare mark, loomed a broad male back with a Christmas tree attached to its shoulder, which danced a fantastic funny dance on its back. The back went quickly and with each step went further and further, and then only needles remained on the snow. Frozen (afraid to breathe), she looked at them for a very long time, the needles looked like small lights, and when her eyes blew from artificial light, she suddenly saw that the light coming from them was green. It was very fast, and then - nothing at all, only the pain, squeezed by the speed, returned to its original place. It stinged in the eyes, spun in place, the brain shrank and inside someone said distinctly clearly and clearly “two days before the New Year”, and immediately there was no air, there was a bitter smoke hidden in the chest deep as well as in her throat . Black, like melted snow, a number floated up and something knocked down, carried away through the snow, but not in one place, somewhere - from people to people.

- Yes, stop, you ... - from the side, someone's heavy breathing gave off a full set of fusel oils. Turning around, under a knitted hat, she saw fox eyes.

How long can you run after you?

Did someone run after her? Nonsense. It has never been like this in this world. There was everything, except for the two poles - life and death, in complete abundance.

- Did you ask for a ticket until ...?

- Let's admit it.

- So I have.

- How many.

- From you as from my own - I'll give it for 50.

- Yeah go..

- Well, a miserable 50 bucks, I give it to you as a native - so take Schaub ...

- Yeah, one, for today, even the bottom place.

She held the ticket up to the lantern.

- Yes, it is true, in kind, do not doubt it.

The guy crunched, twisted a banknote of 50 dollars into the light.

- A train at 2 o'clock in the morning.

- I know.

- OK.

He melted into space, as people who do not repeat themselves in daylight melt. "Don't come, circumstances have changed."

She chuckled. His face was blurred with a white spot on the floor with a cigarette butt stuck to his eyebrow. It protruded from under the sleepy lowered eyelids, and, fitting into the dirty circle, it called far, farther and farther. Where it was, the sharp corners of the chair crushed the body. Voices merged in my ears somewhere in the forgotten world behind me. Sleepy cobwebs enveloped even facial curves with non-existent warmth. She tilted her head down, trying to leave, and only her face was blurred with a dirty white spot in the station tiles. That night she was no longer herself. Someone born and someone dead changed in a way that could not be imagined. Without falling anywhere, she turned her face away from the floor, where the station lived at night, not subject to consideration of life. At about one in the morning the phone rang in one of the apartments.

- Where are you?

- I'd like to check out.

- You've decided.

He sent a telegram. One.

Will he even wait for you? And then the address...

- I have to go - there it is, in the telegram.

- Will you come back?

- Come what may.

What if you wait a couple of days?

“That makes absolutely no sense.

– Will you change your mind?

- There is no other way out.

- No need to go to him. No need.

- I can't hear well - hissing in the receiver, but you still speak.

- What should I say?

- Anything. As you wish.

- Satisfied, huh? There is no other such idiot on earth!

There are two days left until the new year.

“At least you stayed for the holiday.

- I'm chosen.

Nobody chose you.

- Doesn't matter.

- Do not leave. You don't have to go there, do you hear?

Short beeps blessed her path, and through the glass of a telephone booth inside the sky blackened the stars. She thought that she was gone, but it was terrible to think about it for a long time.

The train was moving slowly. The carriage windows glowed dimly, and a lamp burned dimly in the reserved seat aisle. Leaning her head against the plastic of the train partition reflecting the ice, she waited for everything to go away and the darkness outside the window to be washed away by those tears that do not dry up without appearing in the eyes. Glasses that had not been washed for a long time trembled with a small, painful trembling. The back of my head hurt from plastic ice. Somewhere inside, a small, chilly animal was whining. “I don’t want…” a small, tired, sick animal was crying somewhere inside, “I don’t want to go anywhere, I don’t want to, Lord, do you hear…”

Glasses shattered with a small, painful tremor in time with the train. “I don’t want to leave ... the little beast cried, - nowhere at all ... I don’t want to go anywhere ... I want to go home ... I want to go home to my mother ... "

The telegram said "don't come". This meant that the choice was not to stay. It seemed to her: together with the train she was rolling down the slimy walls of a frozen ravine, with melted snowflakes on her cheeks and Christmas tree needles in the snow, down to the most hopeless bottom, where the frozen windows of the former rooms shine with electricity in such a homely way and where false words that there are windows on earth, to which, leaving everything, you can still return ... she trembled, her teeth knocked out trembling where the fast train wheezed in agony. Shriveling, she thought of the Christmas tree needles stuck in the snow, and that the telegram said "don't come," and that two days remained before the New Year, and that one day (it warmed with painful artificial warmth) the day would come when there would be no need to go anywhere else. drive. Like an old sick beast, the train howled along the rails that happiness was the simplest thing on earth. Happiness is when there is no road.

Red flower

She hugged her shoulders, enjoying the perfect velvety skin. Then she slowly stroked her hair with her hand. Cold water is a miracle. The eyelids have become the same, not retaining a single trace of what .... That she had cried all night the day before. Everything was washed away by the water, and it was possible to safely move forward. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror: “I am beautiful!” Then she waved her hand dismissively.

She walked through the corridor and ended up where she was supposed to be. She took a glass of champagne from the tray, not forgetting to give a sparkling smile to neither the waiter nor those who were around. Champagne seemed disgusting to her, and a terrible bitterness immediately froze on her bitten lips. But of those present, who filled the great hall, no one would have guessed this. She really liked herself from the outside: a lovely woman in an expensive evening dress drinks exquisite champagne, enjoying every sip.

Of course he was there all the time. He reigned, surrounded by his servile subjects, in the heart of a large banquet hall. A secular lion, with unconstrained charm, strictly watching his crowd. Has everyone come - those who should come? Is everyone charmed - those who should be charmed? Is everyone scared and depressed—those who should be scared and depressed? A proud look from under slightly shifted eyebrows said that was all. He was half-sitting in the center of the table, surrounded by people, and, above all, beautiful women. Most people who met him for the first time were fascinated by his ingenuous, endearing appearance, his simplicity and ostentatious good nature. He seemed to them an ideal - an oligarch who keeps himself so simple! Almost like an ordinary person, like his own. But only those who came closer to him or those who dared to ask him for money knew how a formidable lion's paw protruded from under the external softness, capable of tearing the guilty with a slight movement of a formidable palm.

She knew all his gestures, his words, movements and habits. She kept in her heart every wrinkle of his, like a treasure. Years brought him money and confidence in the future, he met them proudly, like an ocean flagship. There were too many other people in his life to notice her. Occasionally, he noticed her new wrinkles or folds on her body.

- Honey, you can't do that! You need to take care of yourself! Look in the mirror! With my money... I heard a new beauty salon has opened...

- From whom did you hear?

He was not embarrassed:

– Yes, a new and very good one has opened! Go there. And then you will soon look at all your forty-five! And I can't even go out with you.

He was not shy about demonstrating his knowledge of cosmetics or fashion. On the contrary, he emphasized: “You see how young people love me!” He was always surrounded by this very "enlightened" golden youth. On either side of him sat two owners of the last titles. One is Miss City, the other is Miss Charm, the third is the face of a modeling agency that dragged its wards to any presentation where there could be at least one earning more than 100 thousand dollars a year. The fourth was a new one - she had not seen her before, but just as vicious, mean and arrogant as everyone else. Perhaps this impudence had even more, and she noted to herself that this one would go far. That girl was half-sitting in front of him right on the banquet table, coquettishly putting her pen on his shoulder, and burst into loud laughter in response to his words, with all her appearance expressing a greedy predatory grip under the mask of naive carelessness. Women always occupied the first places in his environment. The men crowded behind.

Clutching the glass in her hand, she seemed to read her thoughts on the surface of the golden drink. Flattering, ingratiating smiles accompanied her around her - after all, she was a wife. She was his wife for a long time, so long that he always emphasized it, which means she also owned the main role.

Cold water is a miracle. She no longer felt her swollen eyelids. Someone hit her with an elbow:

- Ah. Expensive! - it was a friend, the minister's wife, - you look great! You are a wonderful couple, I always envy you! It's so great to live more than 20 years and maintain such ease in a relationship! Look at each other always. Ah, wonderful!

Looking up from her annoying chatter, she really caught his eye on herself. He looked at her and it was like bubbles in champagne. She smiled her most charming smile, thinking that he deserves a chance…. He did not get up when she approached, and the girls did not even think of leaving when she appeared.

Are you having fun, dear?

- Yes darling. Everything is fine?

- Wonderful! And you?

“I'm very happy for you, dear.

Their dialogue did not go unnoticed. Surrounding thought "what a lovely couple!". And the journalists present at the banquet noted to themselves that it is necessary to mention in the article that the oligarch has such a wonderful wife.

“Darling, would you mind a few words?”

Taking her by the arm, he led her away from the table.

Have you finally calmed down?

- What do you think?

“I think it’s bad to worry at your age!”

“Let me remind you that I am the same age as you!”

- It's different for men!

– Is that how?

Let's not start over! I'm already tired of your stupid fiction that I had to give you flowers today! I have so many things to do, I spin like a squirrel in a wheel! You should have thought about it! It was possible not to cling to me with any nonsense! I wanted flowers - go buy yourself, order, but buy at least a whole store, just leave me alone - that's all!

She smiled her most charming smile.

“Yes, I don’t even remember, dear!

- Is it true? - he was delighted, - and I was so angry when you clung to me with these flowers! I have so much to do, and you climbed with all sorts of nonsense!

- It was a little female whim.

“Darling, remember: little female whims are allowed only for young beautiful girls, like those who are sitting next to me!” And it only annoys you!

I will remember, my love. Don't be angry, don't be nervous because of such trifles!

"It's good that you're so smart!" I'm lucky with my wife! Listen, dear, we will not be returning back together. The chauffeur will pick you up when you're tired. And I will go by myself, in my car, I have some business .... And do not wait for me today, I will not come to spend the night. I'll be there for dinner tomorrow. And even then, maybe I'll have lunch at the office, and not return home.

– Am I going alone? Today?!

“God, what is today?” Why are you getting on my nerves all day long?

“Yeah, I take up so little space in your life…

- Yes, what does this have to do with it! You take up a lot of space, you're my wife! And I take you everywhere with me! So don't start!

- Fine, I will not. I did not want.

- That's good! You don't want anything anymore!

And, chuckling, he turned back, where too many more important people were waiting impatiently. From his point of view, persons than a wife. She smiled. Her smile was wonderful. It was an expression of happiness—great happiness that cannot be contained! Returning to the bathroom again and locking the doors tightly behind her, she took out a small mobile phone.

- I confirm. After half an hour.

In the hall, she again lavished smiles - demonstrating (and she did not need to demonstrate, so she felt) a huge surge of happiness. Those were the happiest moments - moments of anticipation... So, beaming, she slipped out into a narrow corridor near the service entrance, from where the exit was clearly visible, clung to the window. Half an hour later familiar figures appeared in the narrow doors. It was her husband's two bodyguards, and her husband. Her husband hugging a brand new girl. And kissing - on the go. Everyone hurried to the black shiny Mercedes - the last acquisition of the spouse, which cost 797 thousand dollars. He loved expensive cars. Loved very much.

The doors swung open, the dark inside of the car swallowing them completely. The guards stayed outside. One of them was talking on the radio, probably warning those at the entrance that the car was already coming.

The explosion resounded with deafening force, destroying the illumination of the hotel, trees and windows. Everything was mixed up: screams, roar, ringing. Fiery flames that shot up to the very sky licked the mangled body of the Mercedes, turned into a huge funeral pyre.

She hugged her shoulders and automatically smoothed her hair, enjoying the inner voice: “I gave you the most beautiful red flower! Happy wedding day, dear."