On Saturday, I was finally given a day off and I decided to go on a long-awaited fishing trip. The weather was excellent. Despite the fact that the yard was the end of June, the temperature was hot in August. On Thursday evening, I carefully prepared all the gear, bought some bait, pulled out a tent and a sleeping bag from the closet. On Friday evening, after returning from work and not even having dinner, I left all the junk in the trunk of my cornfield, and rushed to the long-beloved lake thirty kilometers from home. Having settled on “my” glade on the shore, I threw the feeders for the fish, and in anticipation of the evening bite, I began to set up a tent.

At about eight o'clock in the evening, when I was already sitting on the shore, sadly watching the still floats of fishing rods and chewing a sandwich, the engine noise suddenly came from the forest. “But this was not enough,” I thought with anger: “Not only that, the bite is gone, so also someone is not easy.” There was only one road out of the forest and it led right onto this clearing. In general, they rarely go there. A heavily killed road runs through a dense forest, where small hemp, pits filled with swamp water and steep slopes are often found. So you can only get on the SUV or bike. And there is nothing remarkable here: a large glade, a bank overgrown with reeds and a dilapidated house of a Soviet fish farm. It is much easier to drive up to the lake on the other side, where there is both an asphalt road and a sandy beach, and special places for fishing. I drive it here, only for solitude. But today, it seems, not my day. It’s good if the same quiet fishermen like me go, or maybe ...

My thoughts were interrupted by an old UAZ “loaf” with a red cross of medical service on the hood that came out of the forest. He famously stopped in the middle of a clearing and turned off the engine. Confirming my worst fears, a merrily screaming crowd, mainly consisting of women, began to get out of the opened cabin door. Quickly filling the virgin silence with loud cries and laughter, they began to pull some bags, things, bales out of the car, and I realized that quiet fishing was canceled. I even had the thought of getting ready to go home, but I decided to go fishing anyway. Do not often get out. In the end, the main bite to be at dawn, when these tourists, I hope, subside. Two men jumped out of the cockpit of the UAZ and stretched their backs that were sore for a long journey. High reeds hid me from them, but one lady, laying out blankets on the grass, shouted to someone: “Look ka! There is already someone's tent here. ” I turned away and stared at the float again.

The fussing and merry laughter in the meadow was beginning to annoy me.

- Biting? - suddenly boomed someone behind my back. I turned. Nearby stood the driver of the UAZ. He was a fat, bald man of about fifty. He looked at my gear with interest.

- Not. It's hot yet ... - I answered him, - and noisy ...

- It is yes, - the man shrugged guiltily, turning around on a glade, - women, what can you do. Excuse me for interrupting.

We got to talking. The guy's name was Mikhail Ivanovich. He worked as a driver in the village clinic. Here, the whole team and got out at the end of the working week to celebrate the day of the physician. As usual in medical institutions, their team was mostly female. Of the men was only he and his friend Alex - the husband of one of the doctors. Michael was also an avid fisherman and lamented that he did not take the bait with him. I kindly suggested that he use one of mine.

- Well, thank you! - He was delighted, - Now, however, it makes no sense to catch. In this heat, nothing bite. But early in the morning, I will make you a company!

Despite the fact that the sun was already drooping, the heat, indeed, was terrible. Degrees 35. Even mosquitoes and gadflies were not noticeable. Medical ladies slowly sat down around their tablecloths and grounding and rattled with iron dishes.Mikhail Ivanovich tried to persuade me to join their table, praising some of his homemade liqueur, which he very much wanted to treat me to, but, having received a categorical refusal, he ran off to the ladies, promising to return a little later.

I spent forty minutes on the beach, but there was no hint of a bite. Spitting, I collected fishing rods and went to the tent, having decided to get some sleep. A fire was already burning on the glade, and Mikhail Ivanovich laid out skewers with a juicy kebab on a small camp grill. The ladies, seeing me, began to talk quietly about something. Pretending that I do not care for them, I gently laid out the gear on the grass and climbed into the tent. With its rumbling, the stomach reminded me of the dinner that was missed in a hurry. Unscrewing the thermos, I filled a mug with hot coffee. Out of the food, I only had one orphan sausage sandwich left. At this moment, the wind treacherously brought to me the smell of roasted meat, causing another resentment of an empty stomach.

- Young man, excuse me. Can I talk to you? - I heard a female voice. Throwing back the tent, I looked out. The first thing that caught my eye was the barely tanned female legs drowning in green grass. Looking up, I saw a tall, smiling woman. In appearance she was about forty. Very long white hair streamed from its shoulders, covering its high bosom.

“As the eldest of our small team, I would like to invite you to the“ table, ”she said, pointing with a nod to a covered meadow where seven of the women and two peasants, who were silent, looked at me in anticipation. I began to sluggishly refuse, but the woman’s perseverance and the kebabs sizzling on the grill quickly broke my will. I was presented to all honest companies, and Mikhail Ivanovich presented a full plastic cup of some dark liquid, and stretched out a smoked skewer with hissing meat.

- Hold on! - he said proudly, - tincture of my own production! Vouch for quality.

I brought the glass to my face and immediately struck the pungent smell of alcohol with some kind of juniper hue.

- No thanks! - I smiled politely, - I do not drink fishing. And I don’t drink at all. Pour better juice.

- Well, oh, so will not work! - at once the ladies bawled out, - a holiday only once a year. You can drink one glass for us!

- Respect women, Zhenya, - a little imperatively, but with a sweet smile, said the head of the polyclinic (she invited me to the tent).

- Good. But only one! - I decided, - For representatives of the most humane profession!

I drained the glass in one gulp and dug my teeth into the hot skewers. The drink was surprisingly mild. As if I drank a weak wine, which I said with admiration to Mikhail Ivanovich.

- I thought that all doctors drink only alcohol.

“Of course alcohol too,” the driver laughed, “but only at work.” And on vacation, I prefer the tincture. She is in the grass. And relaxes, and improves the tone, and the head does not hurt in the morning.

The sun was already hiding behind the horizon, but the heat did not subside. Sniffy ladies piled me with questions on a variety of topics, from fishing and work to personal life. Reluctantly, I told them about the fact that I am 25 years old that I work as a cadastral engineer and have not yet acquired a family. Considering that the doctors and nurses were in the majority of women already aged, I was immediately showered with suggestions to introduce me to some of my daughters, nieces and second cousins. I just languidly smiled. I was not quite comfortable. I don’t like big companies at all, and especially unfamiliar ones. Fortunately, interest in me soon disappeared and the women plunged into a discussion of internal intrigues and gossip at the hospital. A pretty young woman was sitting right in front of me and often looked at me with laughing eyes. She had a surprisingly familiar face, but I could not remember how I knew her. Meanwhile, Vanych poured another full glass of his tincture. My head was already well-behaved, but I still made an attempt to refuse.

- Do not worry! By morning cool you will be like a piece of glass! I promise! - dismissed all my doubts driver.

We drank more.It was already about ten o'clock in the evening and it was rapidly getting dark. At this time, I ...