Damn frost. Everything froze well just through. Eomae, the impression that even the hair on his legs turned into tiny icicles. Petrovich tried not to think about his gastronomic set for a bachelor's dinner: two eggs and a sausage (metaphor). And if possible, move in such a way as not to hurt the place, suddenly hears a ringing sound. Although then, in principle, everything, and you can die in this frost. Life is over.

So, in thoughts of the impermanence of life, Petrovich sailed across the ocean of snow and wind to the luminous lighthouse in the form of bright hotel doors. Cheers cheers. What can help the frozen and lonely traveling man on this rainy evening now, ehh, of course, a good glass of ice-cold vodka about fifty grams and a salted cucumber lying on a platter. It is salty, but not any pickled. Although, in principle, a hill of sauerkraut, with a pleasant crunch yielding to your teeth, will also work.

Warm hugs of the hotel hall have done their magic. On the nose, then on the cheeks and ears, little goosebumps ran, slightly tingling the skin, a thaw. Now, and now fifty, and you can take a breath. Petrovich decided not even to go to the room, immediately rushed to the bar. Whoever has never been on a business trip, he does not know how important this place is for anyone living in a hotel. It's like a pier where the ships come, or rather they always come back. As a lifeline, for which grabs, everyone who has run out of booze in the room. Yes Yes. Everyone thinks that the smartest and are gaining all sorts of glass containers in the hope that now is enough. And what really happens? Same as home - a little! And then this very lifebelt comes to the rescue in the form of round-the-clock service to the highly respected guests of our city. Expensive, yes, and what to do?

So what else is a bar? Oh yeah, it's also a pharmacy. What kind of, in the morning you where are being treated? Oooh. Coffee, beer, mineral water, tea, etc. In a word, everything that can somehow calm the body, rebelled from an early rise in a state of hangover. Petrovich was not drunk, he was not going to get drunk, he had no plans to spend the evening at the bar. He just wanted to slap his bag, crunch something after an icy and at the same time feverish liquid, and then go to rest in his single bed number 414. Oh, if Petrovich knew what kind of madness would begin very soon.

- Sanya, for warming, - Petrovich is conveniently located on an uncomfortable bar stool.

Sanya, this is a bartender, he grinned knowingly, and as if by magic, before Petrovich drew a stack of vodka for half a bottle, and then a small, slightly wrinkled cucumber. It is not bad sometimes to have a familiar bartender in friends. Still, Petrovich visited the hotel several times, and almost everyone knew him here.

It is very important that the vodka was ice. Petrovich always insisted, and he constantly practiced himself, vodka should lie in the freezer for three days. Then it turns from bitter to icy tart honey. And now, knocking over the pile, he felt the liquid not plunging into the belly, but slowly sliding down the esophagus, warming its gut better than any tea. In principle, it does not open your mouth, and then the whole effect down the drain.

Everything, now it is possible to exhale slowly and to bite off the cucumber. Having halted a vegetable, Petrovich crinkled blissfully and leaned back.

- Well, Che Sanya, a lot of people you have warmed up today?

“Nope,” the barman questioningly put an icy bottle over an empty pile, “almost none at all.” More tea, or coffee. And still mulled wine.

Petrovich lost in his head the composition of the struggle "for" and "against", and yet refused the second run. Negatively waving his head, he took out a cigarette.

- And in vain. I got warm.

Sanya smiled:

- What a sin to conceal, and I like this kind of warming more (Petrovich understood that he needed to hear about it).Only one client, if you can say, heats up, - he nodded to the corner of the bar.

Petrovich turned around. At the most extreme table, forcing almost all of his space in front of him with empty glasses, a very interesting young man was seated.

- Long time sitting?

Sanya glanced at his watch:

- Two hours, - leaning closer to Petrovich, - some kind of strange. It seems decent in appearance, in the air, and such heresy carries.

Petrovich looked questioningly at the bartender:

- Everything is looking for some assistant, some important thing. Some opportunities missed, he will not forgive himself, only the night remains. Brad is shorter. The most important thing is not drunk, although he did not consume enough.

- Peremerz, - Petrovich clattered his tongue, - from your seats will be. I won today barely the latest brains froze. Okay, Sanya as the fishermen say no tail scales. In your case, not trifles, not empty not glasses to you.

Having accepted the calculation from Petrovich, Sanya began to clean the rack. However, Petrovich was not destined to leave. As soon as he came down from the bar stool, at the same time the mothers were not comfortable back and zanivshuyu back, as in front of him drew a citizen from the corner of the bar.

Without letting Petrovich say a word, a stream burst from the guest:

- Good evening. How nice that I caught you. I ask for a few words. All five minutes. All at my expense. I will not delay you. I ask you to. I am sure you are the one who is needed. I am in an extremely difficult situation. Please take my time. Young man (bartender) repeat. I will not survive failure. Me too (again the bartender). You will see that nothing terrible.

And so on. In a word, Petrovich did not have time to blink, as he was already sitting at the table of a chaotic young man with a glass of icy vodka.

In an hour, maybe less, maybe more, Petrovich was rather drunk, he was cramming to his new acquaintance:

- Vova, why the hell did you give up?

- She's beautiful. She's so, so, she just bothers me.

- In the sense of sick?

Vova knocked over his glass and, without biting, already in principle was not the first, he moaned, clutching his chest:

- No, well, like I fell in love or something.

- Aaaah, God help, - Petrovich repeated the maneuver of emptying the glasses, clicked the bartender, - Sanya, is there another piece of ice?

From the bar’s counter it came a vigorous “and then”, and Petrovich calmed down, which means we continue. And the actual normal drinking was going on. Vova liked Petrovich. Young, hot, he came to his liking. And he could drink, and you know not everyone. And besides, and neighbors, they were on the floor.

- Damn, but you forget it, well, what do you women little? You won, what a handsome man. Well, I did not give you, think.

- Petrovich, I respect you, but you are not right now. You only saw it, you yourself would catch fire. I'm good too. No, that would mean, from the very beginning, with her for something softer.

- And you remember how you drove her.

- So I am ...

- Yeah, this work.

- Well yes.

Another drank.

- You, it turns out, thought that you run here every day, and all that means should be like crazy to dangle?

Vova dejectedly nodded. Petrovich sighed and poured vodka:

- So do not worry.

- No, no, just today is the last opportunity. Petrovich, I beg you, help me. I specifically called her on a business trip. Fuck, if she hadn’t only brought Valka with her. Well, will you help?

Once again, after listening to Vova’s plan, Petrovich flatly refused. What would he once again leaned out on the street, but not in life. And if it, as a banal hooligan, cops will clean? Nope, figushki. Vova persuaded him to still half the bottle. No wonder that he liked Petrovich so much, for good reason, but he still shook it off.

2.

The women walked to the inn as quickly as small drifts on the sidewalks would allow. She was already visible through a blizzard. Like all pedestrians that evening, they tried to get into the room as soon as possible, to any place. In this case, not just a room, but also a place for dinner overnight. When the hotel was no more than five meters from the fence, some type with a scarred face appeared on their way. Quickly breaking through a blizzard ...