– Sasha, please don’t do this…Let me go, I won’t tell anyone anything! – Julia pleaded, who was tightly held by the arms and legs by unfamiliar, tall guys.
Seeing Alexander unfastening the belt on his trousers with a mocking smile, the girl realized her mistake…
***
Yulia met Sasha three years later, after the funeral of her parents, as a result of an accident when they became victims of an explosion, a gas cylinder. Technical expertise showed that the gearbox on the cylinder was faulty, but such news could hardly change anything in Yulia’s life. She was left completely alone, in a small barrack house that her parents were able to buy, a couple of years before her death. Having worked all their lives in state–owned enterprises, they could never boast of large incomes and taught their daughter that money is evil.
The girl grew up in very ascetic conditions, and due to lack of funds, she often changed the clothes of her neighbors and her mother so that she had at least some kind of new clothes. The staff of the parents were able to collect as much money as they could for a modest monument and handed them over to Yulia.
She decided that it was better for her to move to a bigger city and sold the house for a nominal sum, after which she left and came twice a year. Today turned out to be her fifth visit…
**”
Sitting on a bench in front of the graves dear to her heart, Yulia was sadly silent, remembering how her father took her fishing with him, and her mother was angry that her daughter caught a cold while bathing in cold water. But when the girl recovered, her mother took her to the market and chose her the most beautiful dress – bright blue, with ruffles and a wide, silk belt. This dress lay in Julia’s suitcase for a long time, even when she grew up, as a kind of reminder that there was still a place in her life for such moments of happiness…
– Am I interrupting? – a young, male voice rang out over the girl’s head, and Yulia saw a tall, broad-shouldered young man with strikingly light, blue eyes and shoulder-length dark brown hair standing next to her.
Yulia shook her head, although the prospect of meeting someone at the cemetery, at the grave of her own parents, was not part of her plans. The stranger did not take his burning gaze off the girl. As an experienced predator, he felt defenseless in his gut and just wanted to make sure of it. Besides, Julia was beautiful, although she had no idea about it. Her late mother always told her that a girl should not flaunt herself, that she should not attract the attention of others.
“Whoever needs you will find you anyway. There is no need to dress up and make up like a doll. Do not impose yourself, but wait for a man to come to you. And then he will say that you were brought up incorrectly. Who will need you if someone spoils you?
Julia nodded, but in her heart she longed for the fact that one day a tall, handsome guy would come up to her, fall in love with her and take her with him. They will get married and live happily ever after…
However, after the death of her parents, the girl had to make sure that everything was not so simple. Her fellow students, who studied with her at the economic college, paid attention to bright, flashily dressed brisk girls, and no one noticed Yulia, modest in every sense. She was the best in the course, but she didn’t even have any friends to be secret with.
The student dormitory, where Yulia shared a room with two other girls, was buzzing from morning to night, and the screams of the janitor, who went from room to room, demanding to restore order, were constantly heard.
– Julia, why don’t you communicate with anyone? her roommates asked her. – You always go alone, you spend all day reading books. She’s so beautiful, but you dress like an old woman, there’s nothing youth out of clothes. Where do you buy your clothes?
Yulia was ashamed to say that she had no idea how to choose the right clothes and that she was taking what the cunning merchants in the clothing aisles advised her. Most often it turned out to be a dress, a nightmarish color or an old-fashioned cut, in which a slender girl turned into something shapeless and of indeterminate age.
Julia worked part-time at a local shopping center, and the owner of one of the boutiques was horrified at the sight of her outfits. After critically examining the girl, she took her to her room and demanded:
– I’ll help you get dressed properly, otherwise you won’t look at you without tears. See, there’s a bunch of dresses on the hanger, find yourself something. What did your mother only teach you?
– She’s not there, – Yulia looked down, – my parents died a few years ago.
The woman was confused, but continued in an insistent tone:
– I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But you still have to choose something for yourself. Here, try on this dress, a turtleneck … jeans … and this jacket… should fit normally … – ignoring the girl’s protests, she took her into the fitting room and forced her to change.
When Yulia first saw herself in such an outfit, she thought that she would not recognize her own reflection…
Where was that clumsy aunt she saw every day, looking in the mirror? Everything she tried on sat on her slender figure, as if molded, and emphasized her large gray eyes and light delicate skin.
– That’s what I understand, the miracle of transformation, – a woman’s voice was heard behind Julia.
The owner of the boutique looked at her with admiration.
– Come on, come out here.
Embarrassed under her gaze, Julia stepped forward and froze. The woman walked around her and suddenly offered:
– Listen, you with such an appearance and figure can make a cool model for our catalog… Let’s just say I give you everything you tried on, and you start working for me. Stop scaring people with a mop in grandma’s outfits, there are enough such shots without you.
So Julia, quite unexpectedly for herself, turned out to be a promo model. She immediately warned that she could participate in the filming only in the evenings, because she was studying to be an accountant, and the hostess did not object. The girl did not even expect that she had so much to learn.
However, after a year of work, she presented a striking contrast to what she first crossed the threshold of the photo studio. Having received once again a fee for work and an offer to work with another agency, Yulia went to the cemetery to visit her parents’ grave. And there I met Alexander…
***
He was sitting in his car, waiting for the stranger to get out. He did not know the city, because his former classmate Nikolai asked him to come here. Driving through the streets, the guy drew attention to a beautiful girl who, with a melancholic look, was buying flowers and getting into a minibus to the cemetery. Since Julia was late, Sasha decided to go behind the fence himself and look for her. Now, finding her near one of the graves, he did not take his eyes off her. His phone was on silent mode, and he didn’t answer the call soon:
– Hi, Kolyan… yes, I’m waiting for someone here… yes, we’ll meet later. I’ll call you back…
He himself decided to approach the girl and strike up a conversation. According to Yulia’s first words, Sasha realized that she was more than inexperienced in communicating with the opposite sex, and this thought excited him.
After telling each other their names and exchanging a couple of meaningless phrases, the young people silently left the cemetery. Yulia started walking towards the bus stop, but Sasha blocked her way and offered with a smile:
– Don’t take it for arrogance, but I think it would be better if we chat a little. I’m driving, and the minibus won’t be here soon.
Julia looked around and thought that her interlocutor was right. Nodding, she silently wanted to get into the back seat, but Sasha, with a gallant look, opened the door in front of her, next to the driver’s seat:
– So it will be more convenient for us to communicate. And then I feel like a taxi driver, you see, and I will ask for money for the trip.
– If you want, I can pay, – Yulia said hesitantly, and the guy burst out laughing:
– Awesome! I’ve never imagined myself in such a role in my life… and you’re cool, however…
Julia smiled shyly and straightened a stray strand of hair. Despite the spring day, it was cool, and she put a beret on her head, in which she looked like a model from a French magazine.
Sasha chatted casually all the way and at the end of the trip, touched his fellow passenger’s knee with his hand. Julia abruptly pulled away, and he grinned to himself:
– Look, what a touchy one! It’s even more interesting this way…
Arriving in the city, he followed where Julia went and called Nikolai.
– Listen, I met a chick here…Awesome beautiful, but some kind of nerdy … her name is Julia. Do you know one?
Nikolai answered in the negative, but showed interest:
– And if we arrange a meeting in honor of acquaintance? Do you know where to find her? I’ll pull up a couple more guys…
– There is a country house nearby, where my ancestors stay in the summer, – Alexander said, studying the map of the area. – Can you cover the clearing in that place? I’ll give you the address, bring food, drinks, girlfriends there… if there is. We can have a good time until morning. How do you look at it?
The friend agreed, and the guy sent him the address by message. Sitting in the car in front of the hotel, he studied which room the lights would turn on. His patience was rewarded: on the third floor, in the room on the left, the lights turned on. Having figured out where it could be, Sasha boldly went to the reception:
– I need a girl who just entered her room. So beautiful, with gray eyes and a dark beret. Name is Julia. Where is she staying? She left her phone in my car… His confident voice and the habits of barchuk, did not cause any doubts among the employees, and they called the room number.
Julia was very surprised when she found the guy who gave her a lift in front of her door.
“How do you know where I’m staying?” – the girl asked him suspiciously, to which Sasha smiled broadly.
– I’m not such a fool to miss such a beauty, – his answer made Yulia blush. – I’m sorry that I burst in like that, I just couldn’t help myself. You see, today is a friend’s birthday, everyone will be there with girls, and I’m alone. I thought I’d just sit there until I saw you…Will you keep me company? Julia did not want to go with him, something in his behavior did not inspire her confidence, but she decided that she was too strict with an unfamiliar person.
– I want to rest, I have to leave tomorrow, Julia tried to close the door, but the new acquaintance turned out to be very persistent.
“Let’s meet downstairs in three hours, I’ll take you myself and bring you myself,” he kept saying, and Yulia gave up under his onslaught.
“It’s going to be a little late, actually,” she tried to refuse, but Sasha laughed merrily:
– What are you, the time is quite childish! Don’t be afraid, we’ll leave together tomorrow, just tell me which way you need to go.
Three hours later, Sasha was waiting for her at the reception desk and with a bow brought the girl a bouquet of roses. She was embarrassed – it was the first time she had been given flowers. Sasha put her in the car and drove her to a country house, where his friends had already gathered.
It was an unpleasant surprise for Julia that there were no girls besides her. And the looks that Sasha’s friends, like himself, cast at her, inspired an unaccountable feeling of anxiety and a desire to escape, which Julia tried to do. She wanted to run out onto the road, stop the first car she saw and drive away, but the guys didn’t let her do it. Grabbing the guest, they took her with laughter to the room upstairs…
***
– What should I do now? – Yulia heard through the fog how the guys were talking to each other.
It was all over, and now they were thinking how to get rid of their recent toy…
Near the turn at the country road, a large car stopped, from which two guys took out a young girl, unconscious and carried away from the highway.
It was Sasha and his friend Nikolai, who, after a night of orgy, thought only about not leaving any evidence of what had happened.
Dragging Yulia into the forest, they threw her into a shallow pit and threw branches from above. Seeing that the girl still shows no signs of life, Sasha nodded:
– Come on, it’s not our business anymore.
– And if she wakes up? Nikolai pointed at Yulia.
“Even if she wakes up, it’s unlikely to help her,” Alexander grinned.- It’s a pity, she was beautiful…
They got into the car and drove away. Yulia lay in unconsciousness until she felt someone’s hand touching her face…
The girl came to herself in an unfamiliar, dimly lit room and saw that someone was bending over her.
– I finally came to my senses, I was already afraid that you wouldn’t wake up, – a husky male voice made Yulia shudder all over.
With difficulty focusing her gaze, the girl saw a man in his sixties, who looked at her sympathetically:
– How did you manage to get into such a mess? Coming, or what? I haven’t seen you in these places before…
Yulia muttered something indistinctly and switched off. A simple question of the forester “And what is your name at least?” caused the girl a real panic… she couldn’t remember it… although she knew that she had a short, sonorous name…
***
Yulia sometimes cried from impotence, but forced herself to get up and do something about the housework, so as not to be in a depressed state, all day long. The forester Savelyich called the girl his daughter and treated her like a father, taking her for a walk in the forest and showing what plants and what they are used for. Yulia discovered that she was limping slightly, and the old man explained to her that her leg was damaged when he found her:
– Apparently, you had a dislocation…When I found you, your ankle was the size of a football, all red and swollen… probably fell… all the skin was skinned…
Savelyich did not tell the guest that it was not immediately, but he understood what had happened to her… Traces of violence against the unfortunate woman were all over her body, and he was even glad in his soul that she could not remember anything.
– God forbid anyone else to survive this, – he lamented to himself, seeing how slowly the girl’s body was healing.
She had numerous bruises and bruises, at the sight of which he, who had seen a lot in his lifetime, felt an irresistible shame and anger at those who had done this to a defenseless, weak girl.
– Nothing, dear. You’re young, healthy, you’ll get better… everything will pass, and they’ll get their own, mark my words…
Julia lived like this, the whole winter in the forester’s hut. She was surprised when he left for the whole day and brought her a jacket, warm boots and trousers with a sweater.
“I don’t really know what size you’re wearing.” So I typed it so that you could at least leave the house.
Evushka was grateful to him for that. She still did not remember her name and willingly responded to the name of Ira, which Savelyich had given her.
– My only daughter, that was her name, – the old man shared with Yulia. – She died in childbirth… and the boy did not survive…
One day Savelyich went into the forest to inspect the clearings where the grouse were nesting. When it got dark, Savelyich finally came. More precisely, he crawled – his leg was covered in blood, his clothes were soaked through.
– Here I am an old fool, I didn’t see the trap, – the old man lamented when Yulia helped him.
It turns out that he stepped on a trap in the dark. Thick felt boots and gaiters softened the blow, but he received a bone fracture. Realizing that if he stayed in the forest, he would not last until morning, Savelyich crawled to his hut. Fortunately for him, he did not go far, and there were no animals nearby.
– In such a situation, even a gun does not save, – the old man chuckled. – And I, like an arrogant fool, left the trunk at home, I thought I would get there quickly. Otherwise, I could have fired into the air, you would have found me faster.…
At night, the old man began to have a fever, and Julia realized that something needed to be done. Coming out into the clearing, the girl walked towards the residential village early in the morning so that she could be helped to find a doctor. The watchman at the settlement, after listening to the girl’s excited story, suggested:
– It’s not a low beam to go to the hospital. I’ll call our people now, we’ll figure out the car and take the old man where he needs to be.
Yulia herself brought Savelyich by car to the ambulance station, from where he was immediately taken to the emergency room. A few hours later , the doctor reported:
– The patient’s life is not in danger, but he needs care. Can you find a nurse or will you watch it yourself?
Julia decided that she had nothing to do in an empty hut anyway. She stayed at the hospital to look after the old man. Waking up, Savelyich gently ran a calloused hand over the girl’s head:
– Irishka, why aren’t you going home?
Julia shook her head:
– Where will I go without you? You need care anyway, so I’m staying…
A few days later, while the old man was taken away for dressing, Yulia saw her past in slow motion…
Sasha hugged her at the party, calling her Julia…
– My name is Julia! – now the girl remembered what happened on that ill-fated night…
So Savelyich found her in the forest and brought her to him, saved her from certain death. Now it was her turn to repay him with kindness for kindness…
And Yulia, spent whole days sitting next to the forester, reading various books to him and discussing what she had read.
“You’re a good girl, Irisha…” the old man said affectionately, to which the girl smiled sadly:
– I remembered my name… I am Yulia… and now, when you come out, I want to punish this scoundrel who treated me like this…
– Revenge does not bring anyone to good, remember, – Savelyich sententiously raised his index finger up. – It’s better to trust providence to solve this issue, life itself will punish him, whoever he is…
Savelyich was on the mend, and the girl was beginning to figure out how she could arrange his life after discharge, when a tragic event occurred. The orderlies who were taking the old man to the procedures were distracted and did not notice that the forester after the dressing somehow strangely drooped. Deciding that the patient was tired, they put him on the bed and left. At this time, Yulia went to the store to buy Savelyich fresh biscuits. However, when she returned, she was greeted with unexpected news:
– The patient died, a blood clot broke off…
Yulia felt the ground slipping away from under her feet. Only in the morning, they joked and laughed merrily, and half a day later the man was gone?
The girl returned to the city and started looking for a job. She no longer thought about going back to modeling, to her old life. She had seen too much suffering around her, too much had happened to herself for her to switch to another reality…
Seeing a thin, small boy looking at her from behind the fence, dressed in a worn, dirty suit, the girl realized that she wanted to help such children. At least she had a childhood with loving parents, and these unfortunate ones were deprived of such, almost from birth…
Yulia started working at the orphanage and fell in love with her pupils with all her heart. However, the administration told her, after a couple of months:
– Julia, you have to make yourself normal documents so that we can formalize you. And then Oleg Platonovich won’t thank us that we hang everything on him according to the papers, because they will begin to cling…
Oleg Platonovich was a math teacher at the orphanage, taught classes for school-age children. He was not very talkative, and the employees secretly whispered to the girl:
– You know, he used to have a family, but something didn’t grow together there, and since then he has been living alone. And he likes you, he even starts blushing when he sees you…
Oleg Platonovich was embarrassed, like a boy, when Yulia addressed him. The girl began to notice that he sometimes, as if by chance, turns up next to her department when lessons were over…
He offered Yulia his car if she needed to go somewhere. Yulia, having gone to get new documents, unexpectedly stumbled upon … Alexander, who was standing in front of the city administration building. At the sight of Julia, he was speechless. Seeing that she was pretending not to recognize him, he ran to catch up:
– Where did you come from? If you decide to write a statement, you have no proof, no!
– Why do I need a statement? The girl replied calmly. – I came for another one, and you’ll get yours…
Alexander watched her go, then dialed Nikolai’s number:
– You have no idea who I just met! Do you remember that baby we took to the forest?
The guys decided to follow Yulia and find out what she intends to do. Nikolai was not particularly worried, unlike his friend:
– Come on, she doesn’t have any proof.…
– Yes, my ancestor, only sleeps and sees how to remove me from business, – Alexander impatiently waved him away. – If there is a hype on this issue, I will not see the manager’s chair…
Seeing the car in which Yulia was sitting, turning onto a country road, Nikolai suddenly shouted:
– Push the bastard!
They decided to push her off the road, because in this place, behind the fence, there was a deep, rocky ravine…
However, when Alexander drove up to the turn at full speed, a large SUV appeared in the oncoming lane and rammed Alexander’s car, dropping it into a ravine, after which it rapidly sped away…
When the guys were found, both lost a lot of blood and were seriously injured. The verdict of the doctors was merciless :
– Due to severe spinal injuries, the patient will remain permanently paralyzed…
Yulia married Oleg Platonovich, and they adopted two teenage boys, thus becoming a real family…
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