We sat on the glassed-in terrace of a small cafe on the waterfront. The winter sun gently warmed my right cheek, throwing freakish glares on the cups and saucers standing on the table, reflected from the spoons and napkin holders. The twins sat to my right with their backs to the glass and, as usual, fought on forks. My father settled down on the left with my Deck. He begged for it from me in the morning, and now nervously fingered Cards and frowned, biting his lips.

Our first full weekend over the past three months.

The waitress, a little, snub-nosed brunette with huge brown eyes, brought us another batch of coffee and smiled charmingly, directing her smile to me personally. I smiled back. When we first arrived at this cafe two hours ago, she looked sullen and sleepy. Her uniform shirt was tightly buttoned up with all the buttons, and the skirt was only two fingers above the knees. When she brought us the first batch of coffee, the top button of her shirt was already frivolously unbuttoned, and the skirt became shorter by at least a centimeter. She brought the second batch already with two buttons unbuttoned and a skirt suddenly shortened to a whole palm. Now, her shirt was almost unbuttoned to the navel, the skirt barely covered the rounded ass, and before that the strictly pinned hair on the top of the head was scattered over almost bare shoulders.

The twins exchanged glances and winked at me in sync. Father sternly looked at them and folded the Cards.

- Found there something new? - I grinned, hiding the deck in his pocket.

He shook his head.

“Just wanted to check one thought.”

- And your deck is not suitable for this?

He shook his head again and took a long sip of coffee.

- You have more cards ...

“My Brothers and I have the same decks,” I shrugged.

“Same, but not exactly,” he replied.

- Spread it, - I smiled, - that you found such an interesting thing.

“Not your business,” he said sharply.

- Dad, did something happen again? - I looked at him with dismay.

When a father begins to talk like that, it means that a task is waiting for us. He and his grandfather never warn us in advance and never give all the information, but I learned to foresee the very possibility of a new business according to such indirect signs as its irritation or grandfather's concern.

I sighed, without waiting for an answer, and also raised my cup to my lips, when suddenly ...

- Farit?

I raised a frightened look at my father and instinctively pressed my head into my shoulders. The twins looked at each other again and stared at me in bewilderment.

Father slowly turned his head in the direction of the voice. The expression of his face in an instant from just gloomy turned into angry.

- What does it mean? - He said through clenched teeth.

“Dad, I ...” I began, and was silent.

What could I say? What did I break the order? What I did not fulfill the task entrusted to me? What of some even to me not entirely clear motives, I just did not erase her memory? All erased, but she was not. Will he understand? I doubt it. He is perfect, infallible. He always does everything exactly and demands the same from us.

There were tears in my eyes, and I looked away.

“So,” he said. His voice remained calm, but I felt like everything inside him was bubbling. It cost him a lot of effort not to stop crying - you have ten minutes. If in ten minutes she remembers what happened at school, I will have to remove her. Remember, we don't need extra witnesses.

“Dad, but ... she didn't see anything,” I begged. “She doesn't even remember how she got there!” They pumped her tranquilizers, and then I completely cut it down ...

“Ten minutes,” my father repeated, and rose from the table. The brothers, as if on cue, followed suit.

I lowered my head.

She sat on my left in the place of her father:

“Hello,” she smiled, and the sun reflected in her greenish eyes.

I gave her a short, angry look and turned away.

“I seem to have warned you,” I said dully. - I asked you not to look for meetings with me. I said that if someone finds out that you remember everything, they will simply kill you ...

“Farik, but ...” she put her hand over my palm. I abruptly pulled her away and hid under the table, only glancing at her face. She seemed upset.

- He gave me ten minutes. If during these ten minutes I do not erase your memory, he will kill you, ”I said quietly and turned to the window.

Her chair creaked, and then I felt her palms on my cheeks. She turned my face to her and looked into her eyes. I tried to look away, but it was all in vain.

“Honestly, I thought you were teasing me,” she said seriously. - But now I understand, you are just kidding me. I can not sleep for three months. I close my eyes and see your face. I listen to music, but I hear your voice. I go shopping and mentally advise you. Farik, I ... - she suddenly let go of my cheeks and burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.

“Sveta,” I wanted to calm her down, press her to my chest, hug her, kiss her, but I restrained myself from this, feeling the heavy gaze of my father on me.

Suddenly, all sounds subsided, as if someone had paused the world. It became so quiet that I even heard my heart pounding wildly. And then on my shoulder lay a soft strong hand. I looked up. He stood to my right, putting his hand on my shoulder, and smiling with his royal smile. I involuntarily smiled back.

- Grandfather, - I sobbed, - what should I do?

“Decide for yourself,” he jerked his shoulders ridiculously and sat down in the chair on which Shaul used to sit.

- Like this? - I was taken aback.

- And so, - he smiled even wider. - You see, I knew, more precisely, I guessed that you would not erase her memory.

I frowned.

“She’s so sweet, so touching, and you took care of her so much.” In the office of the head teacher, you were worried about her, and not about yourself and not about the twins, although they were in much greater danger. And finding her in Irina’s arms, you didn’t think about how fascinating and exciting this scene was, but that she didn’t understand at all what was going on around her.

- Do you know about this? - I was surprised.

He grinned:

- And now decide for yourself. You can now erase her memory, take away from her not a month, but four months of life - you will have to withdraw your image from her memory completely - or you can marry her. Any decision you make will be right.

“Marry ...” I repeated thoughtfully. - What would you do in my place? - I asked when he got up.

He shuddered again, ridiculous.

- I would not be in your place ... When you make a decision, just snap your fingers, I will start the time.

I lowered my head again.

Decide youself. Easy for him to say. On the one hand, I would be very pleased if she remembered me, moreover, if she was next to me. And on the other hand, I understand perfectly well that I am not a couple to her, that she will be ill, that she will never be happy with me.

I put my head in my hands. It was strange - I had never cared before what a woman would feel next to me. For me, only my desire and my needs always existed. If I wanted her, I was just tempting her, not really thinking about what she wanted. Because a priori I am always sure that everyone wants me. Even now I’m sure that she wants me - otherwise she wouldn’t come in here - but for some reason I was very uncomfortable even just sitting next to her, for some reason I didn’t like to see her tears and think about her just like about the body. I wanted to stretch my arms, hug her shoulders, press my lips to hers, caress her, but I did not dare to do this without her consent.

Yes, she herself has to tell me what she wants - to forget me, cross out of her life, or stay with me and become my wife.

I looked up at her. She sat with her hands over her face and bowed her head low ....