Different thoughts swarmed in his head. And all that sad. About how he is unlucky in life and even about the fact that he is an extra person on this already sinful planet. Alexander Telegin, or Alex, as his rare friends called him, gazed out of the carriage window without enthusiasm. Trees, villages, cities flew by. And again the trees. Not even a hint of a miracle ... What, somewhere in the subconscious, hoped this young, moderately pleasant, but some average person with an inconsolable gaze.

“I’m twenty-five years old now, and everything is lost with me,” thought Alexander, “the girlfriend’s favorite has given up, the job is lost, and then what ...?”

Fate really harsh with Alex in recent days. It all started with the fact that he was thrown by his beloved girl Masha, with whom he met for nearly three years. Preferred him, windy in the profession of a journalist of a newspaper of a provincial southern town, to a more reliable and wealthy son of the mayor of this city. Not an oligarch, of course, but by local standards a completely wealthy person. Masha didn’t come to the meeting, and then called, saying that “love is gone” and tomatoes also lost their natural freshness.

But they have a small town and Alex soon from the good people found out the true reason for the termination of relations. To some extent, he understood the former girlfriend - the girl would certainly have a good, well-to-do life. Alexander, with all his desire, at his four thousand bids, and plus the “piece” the fee could not fully provide the girl. And Mary's requests were high. That ring with bryulikom she wanted, the trendy expensive phone. And once with regret noted:

- Good you, man, Alex, but it is a pity that without a car ...

Her new friend had a car in stock. And not just some “Zhiguli”, but a fancy “Jeep”, which by the standards of its native city looked very cool! So Masha was simply in a wild delight when the youth of the town governor paid attention to her. It was a girl's chance. And Alexander somehow believed in love. Therefore, after separation, he washed down inconsolably. And he naturally was not up to work. And tutu just in the editorial office of the “City News”, the reduction has burst. Newspaper business, as we know, is not particularly profitable. Especially in small towns. Therefore, it is always necessary to find “guilty without guilt”

In this case, it turned out to be our friend Alexander Telegin. In any case, the editor, without regret, parted with the young journalist, to the joy of the old guard. The reason - downsizing and many days drunkenness Alex. Although, to be honest, with the “green serpent” almost the entire small team of editors was friends. But Alex turned out to be extreme.

Having lost his job, our hero stopped drinking from surprise. And even thought about his future. Then he decided to leave. His parents, of course, were not driven anywhere, but they looked without pleasure at the suffering of an overgrown unemployed offspring. Alex, as once Griboedovsky Chatsky, drew to Moscow. At home, he was already kept nothing, and in the capital he hoped to at least earn. Although Alex had no concrete offers of employment. He lived in Moscow, his great-uncle, whom he saw only a couple of times. Telegin hoped for his help. After all, a relative in Moscow is already a success.But Alex did not even hope for happiness in his personal life. Yes, and did not believe in love.

Now he was driving in an empty compartment (for some reason there were no vacant seats on the reserved seat) and he was tugging over a cup of tea, which the elderly unsmiling conductor brought a duty service. Alex, in moments of sad thoughts, didn’t even wonder why at the height of the holiday season his car, knocking along the rails, was practically empty. At least, in three near-compartment passengers were not observed. But he was a journalist, and quite persistent. But personal "hammered" all professionalism.

- Good evening! The voice came out in silence with a slight hoarse.

Alexander turned his head and saw in the doorway a short, graying man, gazing inquiringly at the young man.

- Good - Alex hastily said hello, trying to smile affably.

In response, he received a kind of smile. But the question in the eyes of the new passenger remained:

- Strange, it seemed to me that I bought tickets for three compartments ...

- Probably some kind of mistake, - Alex stood up and dived into his pocket to get a ticket.

The man stopped him:

- I believe you...

“Well, yes, you can’t trust people, technology,” he mumbled, squeezing into the room. Things with him were only a fashionable leather case of modest size.

- And I will not disturb your friends? - Telegin inquired with sincere anxiety, - after all, you probably counted on all places ...

- If you can only prevent, then only my loneliness, - grinned a man, not without interest, I consider Alexander.

- So you bought three coupes ...

“To be alone on the road,” the man finished the phrase for him and extended his hand to Alex:

- Sergey Anatolyevich Shevchenko ...

“Alexander Telegin, Dmitrievich,” Alex murmured, responding to the greeting. For some time his sad pillows faded into the background, and our hero began to guess who his companion was. It is clear that with money. This was mentioned by the fact of buying up a three-compartment sole for itself, as well as a well-groomed and expensive look. In principle, such people should not drive in simple “fast” trains. At least, in ordinary coupe exactly unlikely. For them, at least, a “sleeping car” should be ordered.

“There you can meet a lot of acquaintances, and I am so tired of them,” as if Sergey Anatolyevich read his thoughts, “society, you know, is a bit annoying.

Sasha's surprise grew. He could not have imagined that a person could read his thoughts.

“You just, Alexander, have all the questions written on your face,” Shevchenko laughed, opening the “diplomat,” “since you’ve violated my loneliness, let's talk,” and got a flask of brandy with a foreign label, “Good brandy, I recommend. Then miniature cups appeared on the table.

- I don’t drink at all ...

- Do not deceive me, and not yourself. Moreover, a few drops of good brandy never hurt. I say this to you, like an old Jew, and Sergey Anatolyevich filled the glasses with a brown, pleasantly smelling liquid.

“Sorry, but you are not like ...,” Alex continued to be surprised.

- On a Jew? And my name is Ukrainian. But in fact, I am the son of the land of Judaism, ”Shevchenko said happily, touching a mini-glass with Alex,“ and do not believe it, Alexander, even proud of it.

The drink was really good. Although I burned my throat, but then I pleasantly enveloped my stomach. In the morning, from the moment of landing, Alex did not eat anything, so a sip of even high-quality alcohol made him feel a little tipsy. And already, to some extent, he was grateful to a new acquaintance for the fact that he appeared infamously from which station and just talked with him, distracting him from sad thoughts.

- Where are we going, Alexander? - Sergey Anatolyevich inquired, still looking intently at Alex, as if studying him.

- To Moscow...

- For work or rest?

“More on work,” Alex sighed, sighing sadly, “I’ll look for you.”

“I see,” Shevchenko nodded with his head, “in search of happiness to the capital ...”

- Yes, what happiness there. I just want to find myself ...

- What have you lost? - despite the seemingly old age, Sergey Anatolyevich's eyes were young and piercing.

“It seems that, for some reason, Alex seemed to feel astonishing trust in this seemingly complete stranger.” Maybe gramulki brandy played a role. Although Telegin in other temporary drinks of alcohol and more, and not drunk.

But then began to fill the second turn of the drink. Alex raised his hand in protest.

- Calm down, young man, now this is what you need. You look unhappy, but in my opinion not a bad person. And it seems to me ...