The upper turned out to be a good village, with strong farms, clean houses, unpaved, but not broken roads. On the quay, Ilyich famously moored, jumped onto the ramps, stretched. It was late afternoon, he spent the whole day in a boat, and now he was trying to straighten his muscles. The thing in Nizhny was spit, for a couple of minutes, but I had to drag myself so far away. How so? The head of the family is the head of the family. I did not begin to solve this next riddle, only nodding my head respectfully, confirming his words.

Seeing us rising from the river, the woman leaned on the slightly open gate, waited for us to catch up, and sarcastically asked Ilyich:

- Ilyich, and Ilyich? - It was evident that they had long-standing accounts. - No, led to help?

- Here, you echidna, Saltychikha! - He nodded at me. - A man will live in the winter Vovic, came to buy food. And you are all yours !! Ugh, on you! What would a man think?

- And nothing will think. - Suddenly, she was transformed, changing the impish facial expression to friendly. - And where will the young man come from?

- From a camel. - Ilyich cut off, pushing me in the side, saying, come on, don't answer. “You don't need to know this, echidna.”

- You?! - The woman almost choked. And she is nothing young, pretty.

- ABOUT! Ilyich! - On the other side of the road a man approached us. - How is Vovic?

- Hi, Mihas. Yes, alive. - Echidna Saltychikh disappeared behind the fence.

- Irina gathered here to him.

- Here is a chance on the way back. - Ilyich jabbed a finger at me. “A young merchant has arrived.”

- Yes? - The man looked at me. - And what will you buy?

- A life. - I answered brazenly. To me, is it possible for one to twist one's brains, realizing that there is a second, third, fourth plane, they tell me? Let them suffer, and they.

Only having entered Ilyich's house, I understood what Saltychikha hinted at. The young wife was spinning around the kitchen, setting the table. Beauty. Even these clothes, clearly dressed to smooth out their statuesque figure, breasts, slender waists, could not hide from my eyes, yearning for a beautiful woman. Ilyich, leaving me with her, jumped out into the courtyard, but I sat down on a corner, started talking about anything. About the village, about who is better to buy vegetables, potatoes, meat or poultry there and who makes homemade canned food. Natalya answered without interrupting her troubles, which is why I had to walk around the house behind her, helping to get jars of pickles, to put the already warmed up samovar on the table. When everything was collected, Ilyich appeared satisfied. Winking at me conspiratorially, he announced that after a hour and a half the bath would be ready, but for now we were having dinner. I tried to eat a little, because I understood that the bath would not be easy. Somehow I got into such a bath when I was still wandering around the villages, trying to make my meat business. I barely took my feet away. And judging by the bottle exposed by Ilyich on the window sill, it is clear now that this will be the bath.

Bath was across the yard. Coming out on a cool evening, I, clutching a linen change given to me by Natalia — underpants, known for serving in the army as “kalchiki,” shirt, moved to the bathhouse, which shone for me with a rectangle of open door light.

- It's good now. - Ilyich walked behind, slapping his galoshes. - No mosquitoes. And then they will fly, devils, they will spoil everything.

- Ile! - Natalia jumped out on the porch. - I'll call Irinka?

- Yes, call me! - He grinned. In, how! New name Ilya! - It will not be boring! How are you? Do you like to steam?

- I love. But not to loss of pulse.- The issued linen tried to slip out. - The city is a little different.

- Well, you say so, if that. - He went into the waiting room, closed the door. The spirit of heat, soaked in some herbs hit my nostrils, causing shivering. Wow! As there, inside, probably good! - Do not be shy. We're just here.

- Good. - The waiting room is one. Will women undress here too? I trampled on the spot, wondering how to fold the laundry.

- Do not be shy, and the girls at home undress! - He threw off his white clothes, exposing his strong legs, no less strong arms, developed body musculature. Here, you and the villager !? With him draw the Greek gods! - Irinka is Natkina's girlfriend. She moved to me after the death of his wife, and she followed us to her. Then she fell in love with Vovich. Only live on the island is afraid. Maybe he will go with you?

- What is it like? - I look, of course, compared to him pale. And Saltychikha seems to forgive him for this. A young wife in an adult man is a real and persistent irritant in all the cups, regardless of where it is in the city or village.

- How how. - He pulled some cake on his head. - Give on the head?

- Come on. - And why be shy or turn up your nose? He decided to live here, so come on! Live - So what is she?

- She is afraid there alone. How frightened she was then these ... - He stopped himself, squinted at me.

- Those that weather station got stung? - I asked calmly, trying on a hat, assembled from patches of scooter fleece.

- Well yes. - Ilyich took a broom in his hands. - How did you find out?

- So, Vladimir told everything. - Steam hit her heat, pulled down.

- And we will now turn down! - Ilyich expelled me, was delivered. The waiting room was filled with the spirit of a steam room - the dry smell of wood, heated stones, a broom steaming in the water.

- After the first give a little rest. - Ilyich dived to a pile of stones. - Ready?

They came suddenly. We did not have time to move away from the first pair, as the door swung open, letting in transparent clouds of cold air, and with them two girls in sheepskin coats. I got close, spinning myself with a sheet. And not because it was cold from the rushing air, but because I realized one thing. On them, except for these smelly coats, galoshes, there was nothing. They, making a joke about the steam, the sheets and what we did not see here, as if nothing had happened, went to the table, put cups, bowls, and placed glasses. I swallowed involuntarily. From such closeness, my inner world got close, revived, showing the intention to get acquainted. But they dove into the steam room, leaving us their sheepskin coats. Once, the sheepskin coats are in our hands, they are in the steam room, and nothing was visible. They jumped out from there in about five to eight minutes, flushed and already wrapped in sheets. Having sat opposite to us, who had already taken a little bit, they also drank a glass, had a snack, and then proceeded to question me. I tried to answer honestly - since the two girls looked very young, even from close range and without makeup - were better than any lie detector. I understand the situation.

Bath amazingly passed without such. The girls steamed, we steamed, then Natalya and Ilyich steamed, and Irina and I sat and chatted about everything. Natalya, having learned about the death of his wife from Ilyich, who is actually called Vladimir Ilyich, made not an easy decision for the village to come here to live with him. The reason for this decision was quite terry - youthful love. I fell in love with him in the fifth grade, when he came to their school to talk about work on the collective farm. Irina went after her, hiding from the pursuit of her fiancé, whom she didn’t want to leave, but her parents insisted. Here she met Vovic, who, in fact, Vladimir Veniaminovich. And she wants to live together, and is afraid of those that live in a rotten place. Once they scared her crawling through the woods with a basket. Hardly reassured. She is now afraid, and the one from the island is not leg. Rather, does not want to leave the island and the church on it unattended. Here is such a love.

We returned back relaxed, satisfied already in the deep of the night.As I fell on the bed sheets, I fell asleep in what I had - in a set of cotton underwear with a black star and the numbers of the military unit from which this set was bought together with another hundred ninety-nine sets for a can of moonshine in three liters.

***

I woke up from a groan. Restrained moan from behind the wall. Hands involuntarily slid to the eyes, rub them, bring sharpness to the surrounding world. A repeated moan slowed my hands. Natalya and Ilyich were making love behind the wall. They did openly, ...