Two roads, two roads. Peace and war in visual vector
They studied together at a pedagogical school, lived in the same dormitory, went to dances together, where the modest Vasya, terribly shy of her name, usually “propped up the walls”, while the smart and bright Lida was snapped up - almost every week the guys muttered a friend a friend for the right to dance with her all evening or to accompany the enchantress home.
… Vasilina Petrovna has worked in a kindergarten all her life. God did not send her children, and Vasilina transferred all her unspent love to other people's kids. I played with them, learned songs, wrote poems and came up with new games, wiped their snotty noses, consoled them in their little childhood sorrows, and even took them home with them if parents who were late at work did not have time to pick up someone.
The boys clung to her like motes of dust to a magnet, and the girls clung to her like flowers to the sun. Vasilina, whom everyone called nothing else but "mother Vasya", selflessly bathed in this love and shone with happiness …
Other teachers looked at her with slight envy, but since everyone knew that Vasilina had no children of her own, this envy rarely took heavy forms, remaining mostly a "light" feeling, which sometimes inspired Vasilin's colleagues to various notions and pedagogical feats. Although, of course, there were those who slandered in the corners: "Which of her is a teacher, did not live on her own, wretched, what will she teach strangers?.."
A skin-visual woman in a state of "peace" almost always becomes a source of love for others, a bright speck of warmth, to which both children and adults are drawn. But her life could have gone according to a different scenario. To be desirable and attractive for any man, bright and feminine, changing suitors like gloves, spinning in an incessant dance of love, youth, carnal desires, like the light of a ramp illuminated by admiring male glances …
Such was the life of Vasilina's bosom friend, Lida's girlfriend, nicknamed "Advertising". From the yellowed old photographs, she looks not with tenderness and humility, like a young sweet Vasya, but with mockery and challenge. A spectacular slender brunette with a kind of elusively attractive audacity in her expression. I want to admire this face unconsciously, trying to solve the riddle of mockingly narrowed dark eyes.
Two friends
It is a pity that the photographs do not transmit pheromones, otherwise these subconscious sensations could be easily checked on some man who turned up under the arm. Not a single one can indifferently pass by a skin-visual woman in a state of "war". The only one, unique, enticing with its relaxedness and sex appeal. It was for such women that the word "manliness" was invented - it, like no other, expresses the essence of the attraction of a skin-visual beauty. Since childhood, she is surrounded by boys - she plays with them as a nurse, saves them from an imaginary battlefield, gives them toy injections, and growing up, turns into a "fighting friend" that everyone wants, because of whom they lose their heads, cheat on their wives, commit nonsense …
This daring and at the same time compassionate girl will never become a mother, her evolutionary role is to be a fighting friend, desperate, familyless, walking along the rocky paths of war shoulder to shoulder with men. There is no time to give birth, there is no hen instinct, a settled, calm life seems to be an unbearable burden and mortal anguish. There is only one goal - to seduce the male part of the tribe in order to maintain its fighting spirit, or, conversely, to calm and relax, distract from the war, give a short moment of respite and pleasure. A wiggle, a witch, a lovemaker, a slut - as soon as they do not call a skin-visual temptress, less successful companions in love. This was exactly what Vasilina's friend Lida was like when they were twenty …
They studied together at a pedagogical school, lived in the same dormitory, went to dances together, where the modest Vasya, terribly shy of her name, usually “propped up the walls”, while the smart and bright Lida was snapped up - almost every week the guys muttered a friend a friend for the right to dance with her all evening or to accompany the enchantress home.
Strictly speaking, Advertising was not such a beauty, rather, just a pretty girl with the correct facial features, however, there was something defiantly attractive about her. She liked to like men, she was intoxicated by their attention, she often changed gentlemen. She could playfully turn anyone's head, but she herself felt a sweet shiver, except perhaps from the jewelry that fans gave her from time to time. Yes, and treacherous pity from time to time pushed her into the arms of some idiot.
It was this weakness of her that became the reason for their break with Vasilina. It began with the fact that the shy Vasya suddenly had an admirer. A simple hard worker, a factory bus driver, who once, driving his PAZik past the stop where Vasilin's bus was waiting, did not slow down and poured dirty water on the girl, hitting the wheel in a puddle. An innate conscientiousness made the guy stop. He apologized and gave Vasya a ride home; this is how their friendship began, gradually growing into something more, at least so it seemed to Vasilina.
But one day everything collapsed. Vasilina left to work as a counselor in a pioneer camp, and Advertising remained for practice in the city. The conscientious driver ran into the hostel several times to visit Vasya, but instead he found only the recklessly flirtatious Lida. Perhaps she didn’t want to make eyes at her friend’s boyfriend, but can you curb your skin-visual nature?.. By the time Vasya returned from her Komsomol-pioneer practice, her driver was already head over heels in love with the fatal Lida-Reklama …
A skin-visual woman, born to be a combat friend of many men, each of whom is equally dear and dear to her, in peacetime risks becoming a subversive of someone else's family hearth - she too easily turns the heads of men, even the most serious and decent. However, if a potential "Valkyrie" is born or passes into the state of "peace", then greedy and lustful male looks will never find her. Her desire to give and evoke sensual love is sublimated into unconditional love. She hides her pheromones from everyone in a row, turning into a sweet, intelligent teacher, lonely and most often childless, but passionately adored by other people's children.
Approximately such a story happened to Vasilina when she was already over thirty. With Lida-Reklama, she no longer met, having gone headlong into work, and then also in caring for her husband, a visually impaired. Vasilina did not remember the story with the driver, she had someone to think about and someone to love, because she was constantly surrounded by children, other people's children.
Mom Vasya
Children doted on mother Vasya, hung on her around the clock, were ready to listen to her with open mouths and obey unquestioningly. Even as they grew up and moved to school, they often ran into kindergarten after school to see her and talk about their successes. Of course, these "races" happened less and less with each new school year, the children grew up and forgot their beloved teacher.
However, new babies were constantly born and grew up around them, who came to replace the grown pupils, and Vasilina Petrovna did not feel a lack of children's love.
But now it's time to retire. The whole kindergarten cried: children, parents, educators, and the young-looking mother Vasya herself. Without the usual daily emotional nourishment, she somehow quickly grew old, became even smaller, and a kind of hidden sadness appeared in the corners of her eyes. It seemed that all the best was left behind.
However, the day came when Vasya's mother, as in her youth, shone in her eyes and even smoothed out wrinkles. Once a concert was held in the town dedicated to the next city anniversary. Vasilina Petrovna and her friend walked not far from the open stage in the park, where artists were replaced one after another.
And suddenly Vasilina Petrovna saw her pupil Petenka on the stage! Only now it was a well-fed stately man who sang in an operatic voice some beautiful song, similar to a hymn. When the song ended, the presenter announced to the speaker: "You listened to an aria from the opera The Queen of Spades performed by Pyotr Sinkov, our fellow countryman, and now the soloist of the London Opera."
It all came together, it was him, Petya Sinkov! With a beating heart, Vasilina Petrovna made her way to the stage, went up to the steps backstage and called out to the singer as he went downstairs: "Petya!" The soloist of the London Opera turned to the voice, hesitated for a second and, with a joyful smile, rushed towards Vasya's mother.
The former kindergarten teacher and teacher were incredibly happy to meet. Petya's parents died, and almost nothing connected him with his hometown. In the person of Vasya's mother, he found a kindred spirit, which reminded him of the happy days of his childhood, became his connecting "thread" with his homeland. They began to communicate, and each visit of Peter to his homeland turned into a holiday with an elegant table and tea drinking. And on the eve of his mother's 60th birthday, Vasya Peter decided to surprise the old teacher - to arrange a concert in her honor. Upon learning of this, Vasilina Petrovna felt some kind of invisible prick in her heart, as if a lethal dose of adrenaline had been injected into it. I wanted to sing, spin, laugh and … make eyes - as many years ago, when she was young and carefree, she went to dances and did not think that she would become a recluse in kindergarten,whose whole life will be concentrated in a small two-story house, from morning to evening filled with children's hubbub …
"Foreigner"
Lida-Reklama, after graduating from the pedagogical school, went to study further, to the institute. She wanted to become an English teacher - in her view the school "foreigner" was the height of chic and grace. It is easy to speak English, catching the envious glances of others, this is not at all like wiping the snotty noses of other people's babies. And she often remembered her friend Vasilina, because Vasin's driver became her first husband!..
She agreed to marry a quiet, modest guy out of … pity. For almost two years, a timid shadow, he walked after the girl, silently sighing and looking at her through the eyes of a devoted dog. Sometimes, in the "breaks" between the gentlemen, she honored him with attention - she took him with her to the cinema, then she allowed him to go home after work. He was glad of these crumbs too. But one day she could not stand it and drove him away for good, when in the evening after dancing, hugging a flying handsome sailor in a dark park on a bench, noticed a familiar silhouette nearby. She rolled a scandal to the modest fellow and, disgracing her in front of the gentleman, melted in the darkness. The next day, the tear-stained mother of the driver ran to Lida: the poor fellow tried to hang himself and the mother's heart was ready for anything to save the blood. She was surprisingly easy to persuade Lida to marry her son.
- You just live with him for a year, and there, you see, he will get used to it, cool down and then calmly leave him. Again, he is quiet, he loves you, he will forgive everything - you will live like Christ's in the bosom, and our apartment is large, bright, as long as you can go to other people's corners, - the woman persuaded Lida, secretly hoping that through for the agreed year, her grandchildren will go, and then the obstinate gulen-daughter-in-law will not go anywhere.
The wedding turned out to be cheerful and exuberant. After drinking a couple of glasses of champagne, Lida got drunk and began to shoot her eyes at the groom's friends. After the second or third "bitterly", because of something quarreling with the newlywed, she took off the ring from her hand and threw it somewhere far away - none of the guests could find it. The older guests clinked their tongues and exchanged accusatory glances. However, these were only flowers.
Family life for the young was twisted and twisted, like uneven parquet, lined with a drunken parquet floor. At first, Lida tried to be an exemplary daughter-in-law, but she was bad at it. From time to time she had affairs, and the gentlemen were taken from nowhere, like devils from a snuffbox. The second wedding ring, which her newly-made husband bought from her next salary, was powerless to stop the flow of pheromones emanating from Lida's cheerful coquette in all directions. And the habit of shooting with her eyes was her second nature, which you just couldn't get rid of.
Anal-visual hubby was silent, sighed and endured. His intelligent mother relieved her heart only in rare conversations with her sister living on the other side of the city, and at home she kept quiet more and more, not wanting and not being able to make trouble. It would seem that such a strange coexistence of such different temperaments under one roof would continue indefinitely, however, everything changed the misfortune that no one expected.
The wife of the last chosen one of Advertising turned out to be not just jealous, but a truly aggressive and quarrelsome woman. Having tracked down with whom the faithful was meeting under the pretext of evening meetings of the trade union committee, she decided to act at her own peril and risk. Watching Lida at the entrance on a dark autumn evening, she splashed acid in her face. Lida was rescued by some incredible intuition: as if an animal instinct told her that danger awaited her at the entrance, and, barely opening the door, she managed to cover her face with her palm …
The acid severely disfigured her hand and only in one place spoiled the beautiful oval of her face. The doctors promised to fix everything by means of small plastic surgeries within a year or two, and they kept their promise. Having regained her former beauty, Lida left her husband and set off on a free voyage as a young, spectacular English teacher …
***
Concert for nanny
… The surprise was a success. Peter gave a free concert to which honored teachers and educators were invited. Television also paid attention to him. Mom Vasya was in seventh heaven, telling all her friends about the upcoming event, of which she was the culprit.
On the appointed day, smartly dressed, with her husband and close friend dressed up for the occasion in a tunic, she was sitting in the center of the hall, holding on her knees a bouquet of scarlet roses, bought for a pension penny for “beloved Petechka”. The concert was wonderful. Peter managed to attract several of his fellow musicians to the performance, who played the violin, harp, saxophone, sang alone and in a duet arias from operas, folk songs, famous blues and jazz compositions.
But he began his speech with a poem by Pushkin dedicated to the nanny:
Infancy passed like a light dream.
You loved a careless youth, Among the important Muses he only remembered
you, And you quietly visited him;
But was that your image, your dress?
How sweet you are, how quickly you have changed!
With what fire did the smile liven up!
What fire flashed the welcoming gaze!
The audience was delighted, and tears flowed down the cheeks of Vasya's mother. When she went on stage with her bouquet, Petya hugged her and held her on stage. Approaching the microphone, he said to the audience:
- Dear viewers, before you is my nanny, a woman who gave all her heart to the kids. And that I became what I became, there is also her merit. I dedicate today's concert to her and to all the teachers who give their hearts to children. She is turning 60 the other day, but looking at her energy and love of life, it’s hard to believe.
In response, a storm of applause was heard from the audience.
Vasilina Petrovna felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she did not refuse the microphone that Peter held out to her. Only a tremor in her voice betrayed her excitement when she said to the whole audience:
- Yes, I will soon be sixty. But they remember and love me, which means that my life was not lived in vain.
The audience rose and clapped to the little fragile woman while standing.
PS After the concert, Vasya's mother's friend was waiting for her in the lobby of the Palace of Culture. Vasilina was invited backstage to take some pictures for a local newspaper.
Some youngish old woman with brightly painted lips, putting on an elegant cloak, sobbed in front of the mirror.
- Are you alright? - Asked a friend of Vasilina, touching the woman's sleeve.
- Yes, everything is fine, - she answered, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. And suddenly, as if she could no longer keep it to herself, she threw out on the unfamiliar woman those emotions that, apparently, caused those tears. - You know, I was Petya Sinkov's teacher, I taught him English. After all, it was thanks to me that he learned English, began to rave about England. I don't understand why he dedicated this concert to the kindergarten teacher ?! After all, I put so much energy into him, I doted my soul right in him … - And the woman sobbed bitterly again.
“Don’t worry so much,” her friend Vasilina tried to calm her down. - Anything can happen in life, people perceive everything differently, Petra might have remembered something not quite the way you do …
“You don’t understand, I really deserve more! - the woman could hardly control herself, - He was in love with me at school! Yes! It's true! But this time SHE won … She still won …
Vasilina's friend could not say a word in surprise. And the pomaded old woman dabbed her eyes with an elegant handkerchief, straightened her elegant scarf, looked at herself in the mirror, straightened her hair and went out into the street, proudly raising her head.
… And, just turning into an unlit alley of a nearby square, Lida-Advertising allowed the accumulated tears to freely flow from her still beautiful eyes.
