Alexey has loved animals since childhood. From the age of seven, he begged his parents to get a dog, but they were categorically against it :
– Lesh, well, it’s necessary to take care of her, walk, comb, train! And my dad and I are at work from morning to night, you just started going to school.- said the mother to her little son.
– Yes, Alexey…. The puppy will be bored alone all day, whining, it will be a pity for him. – Lyosha’s father supported his wife.
– Okay, okay … but when I grow up, I will definitely get a dog … or a cat at least, – said the upset boy.
At school, Lyosha liked biology lessons most of all, where the teacher talked about various animals, their habitats, features and habits.
After school, he often came to the Pet Store, where all the sellers were already familiar with him and were always happy when he visited them. The boy stood for a long time in front of the cages with puppies, kittens, parrots and rodents.
When Lesha turned 16, he firmly decided to become a veterinarian. His love for the animal world did not decrease over the years, he fed stray dogs and cats all the time, rescued chicks that had fallen out of the nest, crumbled bread to ducks.
The parents did not want their son to be engaged in such an unpromising business:
– Alyosha, go to law school. Believe me, if in five years, you still decide to become a veterinarian, you will learn this profession in a year, but you will not become a lawyer in such a time.
– Mom, why can’t I do what I love? Every second person in our class goes to the institute to study law, well, where are there so many of them?
– Lyosha, don’t argue with your mother! She is thinking about your future, in 10 years you will say thank you for not succumbing to a youthful hobby. You will need to provide for your family, pay for the apartment, for food, and the vet gets no more than a janitor, believe me.
– What makes you think that? What kind of nonsense is this?
Alexey got angry and went to his room, slamming the door loudly. He was tired of daily quarrels with his parents, their pressure and advice. He realized that it was useless to prove his case to them and decided to leave home.
He called his friend, Kolya, about whom his parents did not know:
– Hi, Kohl. Here’s the thing… In general, I urgently need to find temporary housing. Can I stay with you for a week? And then I’ll find a place to move.
– Hi, Lech. Wow… yeah, sure, no problem. Moreover, my parents went on vacation to Prague, so welcome!
During the night, Alexey collected all the things he needed, he was not going to leave his parents forever, but he realized that only when he starts earning well with his favorite business, he will be able to come back and prove that they were wrong.
At six in the morning, when everyone was asleep, he left the house and went to the bus stop. He began to worry whether he had made the right decision, whether he would be able to enroll for free, without the help of his family, how quickly he would find a job.. All these thoughts worried Alexey, but there was no turning back.
Fifty minutes later, he drove to his friend’s house, knocked on the door, but no one answered. So he knocked for about three minutes, and finally his sleepy, yawning friend opened the door.
– Have you forgotten that I’m coming?
– Hello to you, too. I didn’t forget, but I overslept, yes. Come on in. Will you have coffee and breakfast?
– Yes, I won’t refuse. Thanks, Col.
Five minutes later, there was a pleasant aroma of coffee and fried eggs in the kitchen.
– Come on, Lech, tell me what happened.
And Lyosha told Nikolai everything.
– Ndaa… I was lucky, of course, I want to do business, so no one puts pressure on me. I think you’re doing the right thing, if this is your dream, you need to go to it.
– Yes, that’s what I think. Exams are in a month, we need to prepare well.
And Lyosha began to study biology, chemistry, Russian language and mathematics every day, subjects that were necessary for admission to the specialty “Veterinary Medicine”.
Kolya’s parents decided to extend their trip after learning that their son has a friend visiting:
– Son, then we will not arrive before your admission, so that it would be more convenient for you to prepare and we would not interfere with you.
Kolya had three tutors, and he did not worry about his admission, in any case, even if he had not entered the budget, his parents would have paid for his education.
But it was harder for Lyosha. He often wanted to ask someone for help, but the school teachers themselves were not very strong, they could only teach within the framework of the school curriculum.
There was a veterinary clinic not far from Kolya’s house. Alexey decided to go there, talk to the doctors, and, if allowed, see how the operations are going.
A young receptionist met him at the entrance.
– Good afternoon! How can I help you?
– Hello. I would really like to talk and consult with local doctors. You see…. I also want to become a veterinarian.. And it is important for me to communicate with a person of this specialty.
– Hmm, well… now all the doctors are busy and they have a full day scheduled. Unless someone agrees to talk to you after work.- the girl said uncertainly.
– Could you find out if someone can? I won’t take much time.
– Okay, I’ll ask you now.
Alexey waited for about ten minutes. And finally a girl came up to him and said:
– You know, it’s not working out for everyone today. But one doctor, Gennady Yurievich, said that you can come here on Saturday at twelve o’clock, and he will have a lot of time to answer your questions.
– Okay, I’ll come, thank you. And Alexey wandered home.
There were still four days until Saturday, he decided to prepare well for the meeting, wrote out the questions he was interested in, learned more about the clinic where Gennady Yurievich worked. When Lyosha returned home, his friend met him and said:
– Lesh, I saw your mom in town today. She can’t find a place for herself, walks around all her friends and is looking for you. Call her, tell her everything’s fine.
– OK.. I’ll call you. In the evening, Alexey dialed his mother’s number:
– Hello, Mom, hi.
– Lyosha, Lyosha, well, what are you doing, how could you do this, you didn’t even say where you went. The mother’s crying, trembling voice rang out.
Lyosha’s heart sank with guilt.
– Mom… mom calm down. It’s necessary, you know. If I had stayed, we would have quarreled every day, but I made a decision and I will not back down from it. If you are ready to accept it, I will come back.
– My son… I’m ready, but Father.. He doesn’t want to hear about your admission to the veterinary. He said… that if you go there, he won’t let you on the doorstep of the house, you know… Lyosha, maybe you’ll change your mind after all. Then we’ll get a dog, a cat, or who do you want?
– So I’m not coming anymore. We can see you in the city. Mom, this is my life and I want to choose who to be in it. Love you.
– And I love you… take care of yourself, call at least sometimes.
– I will now, don’t worry.
Alexey hung up the phone. It was hard for him to hear that Dad was not ready to take his choice seriously. Now he wanted to prove even more that he would achieve a lot in life.
On Saturday, Lyosha arrived at the appointed time. Gennady Yurievich was a forty-year-old well-fed man with very kind eyes.
– Ah, young man, are you coming to me? I remember, I remember, well, tell me what you care about?
And they had a long, three-hour conversation about the profession, about the obstacles he would face, about animals and their habits.
– Lyosha, believe me, the main thing here is to really love animals. If you have a sincere desire to treat them, devote your whole life to them, then you can become someone in this profession. But you have to be ready for a lot of difficult moments. Often, you have to tell the owners that their pet failed and they lost it. And most of the time, people will think it’s your fault. You have to think carefully, are you ready for this?
Lyosha thanked Gennady Yuryevich and left the clinic. His words rang in his head for a long time. But he convinced Alyosha even more of the correctness of his choice.
It was time for exams. Lesha successfully passed biology, Russian language and mathematics, but he failed chemistry. It was like the whole world had collapsed for him. He was offered to enroll in a paid department, but for Lyosha it was impossible without the support of his parents.
For three days, Lyosha lay on the floor and stared at the ceiling, unable even to eat. Besides, Kolya’s parents were due to return this week and it was time for him to move out.
“How… how could this happen … what to do now” He kept in touch with Gennady Yurievich. On the bad news, he told him:
– Lesh, come to me. We’ll figure something out. And I gave him the address.
Alyosha arrived at the specified house and went up to the third floor, where he was met by Gennady Yurievich. He lived in an old two-room apartment. He did not have a wife and children, but two dogs immediately ran out to meet Alexey – Jesse and Rex, and a fat Red cat Timofey.
– Come on, they won’t bite. I’m making tea. Over tea , Gennady Yurievich said:
– Lesh, if you want to stay with me. I have two rooms, I’m alone, there’s no problem with that. And with the institute… well, then we have to work. Come to our clinic. I will start teaching you myself, and while you will work as my assistant, you will receive money and study in parallel.
Alexey was very pleased with this offer:
– Thank you Gennady Yurievich! I won’t let you down!
In a couple of days he moved his things to a new house. He also decided to call his mother and tell her that he could not enroll. It was hard for him to admit this to her, he knew that she would again begin to persuade him to enroll in law:
– Mom. So it happened. But I’m not going to give up, I’m going to enroll next year. In the meantime, I will gain experience, I will work in a real veterinary clinic.
– Lesh.. Or maybe still..
– No Mom! No. And Alexey hung up.
Alyosha worked for Gennady Yurievich for two weeks. He helped him with operations, learned how to inject animals, held them when they were nervous and tried to escape, talked to the owners.
The only thing that gnawed at him was the lack of communication with his father and too rare meetings with his mother. He was so eager to share his beginnings with his family, he had accumulated many stories about animals, but, unfortunately, there was no word from his father.
Mom was also very worried. Their relationship with her husband had deteriorated a little, she was upset by his stubbornness.
– Well, you got this jurisprudence… The son is more expensive. The husband was silent in response and looked sadly at their family portrait.
Soon, Gennady Yurievich began to trust Lesha with the simplest operations, which were easily given to him. Lyosha was even glad that he did not enroll, it seemed to him that during the year spent in the clinic, he would get more benefits.
One day, when he came to the workplace, He was met by a smiling Gennady Yurievich. Just Lyosha wanted to ask what happened, when a Labrador puppy ran out to him with a beautiful, brand-new collar. And Lyosha’s father came out after him:
– Dad? What are you doing here?
– Lyosha… me… You see… In general.. I’m sorry. I didn’t think that everything was so serious with you. I was sure that if you lived without us and our help, you would quickly come to your senses, but I was wrong. Now I will not interfere with your dreams… and this is your new friend and we are very much waiting for you at home with him. They didn’t come up with a name, I think you’ll choose it yourself.
And more. I’ll pay for your tuition, it’s not too late to apply.
– Dad! (Lyosha went up to him and hugged him tightly). Thank you….I’m so happy… then I’ll pack all my things tomorrow and come home. I really missed you. And about the training… don’t, Dad. I am getting invaluable experience here, and next year I will do it myself, it will be more correct.
Gennady Yurievich , smiling at the reconciliation scene he saw , said:
– So I’m staying without a neighbor. (he approached Lyosha and shook his hand) – you made the right choice. Your son is a great fellow and do not worry, he will have a wonderful future.
Even among veterinarians there are successful people – Gennady Yurievich said and everyone laughed together, and the little labrador, whom Lyosha would later call Sam, ran around them cheerfully wagging his tail.
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