Our team is relatively small - fifteen people, but very young. The oldest has recently turned forty. On the eve of the New Year holidays, one of our colleagues, his name is Vadik, invited everyone to spend the weekend at his dacha in the village. “Visiting a fairy tale,” he said. Vadik did not get tired of praising his summer cottage. Far from the city in a pine forest, off the beaten path. Sea of ​​snow, Russian stove, there is a bath. Almost everyone agreed. With the exception of accounting, which now worked even on weekends. I looked with sympathy into the sad eyes of our chief accountant, Kati.

- Do not worry, Katyukha, I'll bring you a cone.

- Yeah, comforted! - Offended she turned away.

The chief gave us a service minibus, but they could not fit everything in, so part of the people agreed to get to the place in their cars. I got into this part too.

- Sash, maybe I can go with you, so that gasoline does not burn for nothing? And so we throw in half, and it will be cheaper.

Lenka lived not far from my house. Two blocks away.

- Of course, Len! No questions. I'll pick you up.

Lena Lesovskaya and I were almost old-timers in this firm. Worked together for seven years. Not to say that we were friends, but we had a warm relationship. Although outside of work, we rarely communicated. She was a very quiet and modest woman. She is thirty two years old, has been married for ten years, but for some reason she has no children. Sometimes it seemed to me a gray mouse in our team. Medium height, not skinny, but not fat. In general, the average middle-aged woman.

So, the long-awaited weekend was approaching. We threw off in advance and bought groceries, juices, and liquor. Everyone was ready. We agreed to leave on Friday evening to celebrate on Saturday night. Vadik explained the way to all those who rode their cars.

“It is on this branch of the road that you stop and wait for everything to get together,” he said, “you will continue to follow me.”

I put on my old camouflage suit, in which I usually go fishing and high boots with fur (still we go to the forest where there are knee-deep drifts). A little thought, put in a bag a traumatic gun. You never know.

When I left the house, I found that a real snowstorm began on the street. It was snowing all day, but now it has intensified and the unpleasant piercing wind has blown. I jumped into the car, turned on the ignition and dialed Lena's cell phone.

- Hello - I heard her voice.

- Len, I'm leaving. Get ready.

“I'm already waiting for you at the crossroads,” she replied through the sound of the wind. I can never understand women. You won’t wait for them, they go out half an hour earlier and freeze in the wind.

Taking Lenka, I began to wade through Friday traffic jams to leave the city. Suddenly the mobile phone rang.

- Hello, Sanya! Are you still in town? - shouted in tube Vadik

- Yes. Trying to leave.

- Listen, help me out! We are already on the track. These boobies have forgotten in the office a box of wine and pyrotechnics. You have the keys. Come back there, please!

"Zaskochi there." Easy to say. Another hour and a half in traffic jams push through the entire city. Nothing to do.

Two hours later, Lena and I finally got out of the city, and the car rustled with spikes along a country road that was poorly cleared of snow.

- Well, how is your husband? Let go without any problems? - jokingly, I asked, - Still, we are going overnight.

- And I never have any problems with him, - Lenka smiled, - I sometimes even doubt if I have a husband at all or not.

I realized that I had touched some sore subject and decided not to further develop it.

- Well, all the same, Vadik came up with this trip, - I turned the conversation to a different channel, - Though we will have a little rest from work.

- You're right. I do not really like corporate parties in the office. Noisy and stupid. And you can't escape, - Lena replied thoughtfully.

- And in the country means you can escape?

- Of course! - She laughed, - In the forest to the bears!

She has a beautiful laugh. I suddenly realized that I had never heard Lenka laugh.

“Yes, only you didn’t get dressed to meet bears,” I said.

Indeed, I found what to wear in the winter in the woods. Leather low shoes on a low heel, some, not that leggings, not that gaiter and a short fur coat with a hood.

“It seems it wasn’t cold when she was going,” she said guiltily. - Well, then the bears will not go. I will sit in the house. At the stove.

We turned off the federal highway. Here the road was absolutely terrible. Seines reached forty centimeters in height. Not far ahead there was a truck that, like an icebreaker, made our way through. If it were not for him, the road would be impassable further. Melo is getting stronger. Particularly strong gusts of a side wind even threw the car slightly to the side.

“Hmmm,” I said thoughtfully, “the weather is clearly against our holiday.”

- Even scary, - Lena cringed, - And if we get stuck here?

- We will warm each other, - I joked, - we have so much wine.

Lena just smiled sourly and threw a passing glance at me.

Under the jokes, I tried to hide my anxiety. What if we really get stuck? Because of the blizzard, the road can not be disassembled. Get out of the car is also unreal. Will notice at the moment. I dialed Vadik's phone.

- Hello, Sanya! - his voice was lost for the howling of the wind, - We stuck! There are such drifts. The whole track is worth it. The end of this traffic jam is not visible. Where are you?

- We're going somewhere. Turn left, as you said, and go to the fork.

- Which left? to the left also we did not reach. Immediately cork. How could you overtake us?

Good deal. Where did I turn? And the navigator broke, as luck would have it.

- Wait for now. If you see what car, then stop and ask what nearby settlements, then call me back and I will orient you.

I slowed down. That hit. The idea of ​​the trip has ceased to please me. It would be better in the office noted.

Lena sat in silence, probably thinking the same thing.

- I do not understand! - I admitted, - We turned on the next turn after the store of building materials, as Vadik said.

- Or maybe it was another store? - Lena timidly suggested.

Indeed. In this blizzard the devil will not understand what kind of shop was there. Need to turn around. I turned the car around and tried to drive back. The road has already been covered up so much that our tracks were not visible. From careless driving, the car hooked the snowdrift on the side of the road with wheels, turned sharply, and slipped into a roadside ravine, covered with snow.

- Mommies! - screamed Lena.

- We arrived! - With annoyance, I hit my hand on the steering wheel.

The motor stalled and silence fell. Lena looked at me hopefully, as if I could have done something. But to do something is still necessary.

- That's what, Len, you sit a little here. Try to contact Vadik and explain the situation. I will leave the keys in the car, if it is cold, then start and warm up. I will quickly run, see what is in the district.

- Oh, maybe not necessary! - Lena almost burst into tears, - I’m scared here alone.

I looked at her face. Now in the twilight, dimmed by the light of the dashboard, with pupils of bright eyes widening from fear, she seemed to me beautiful. I wanted to hug her, pull her close and kiss ... kiss ... kiss ...

I shook my head, shaking off my obsession.

- Len, there is no other way out. I won't go far. If you call anything.

Opening the door of the car, I jumped into a meter snowdrift and, with difficulty picking up fresh snow that did not have time to cope, began to make my way from the side of the road to the forest plant, which was about ten meters away. Not a single car on the road has not passed.

I wandered about twenty minutes.

- The road is completely covered with snow, - I exhaled, taking my seat in the car and slamming the door, - Even the tractor will probably not pass now.

- What to do? - in the eyes of Lena appeared fright.

- Did you call Vadik?

- I do not take the phone.

I pulled my cell out of my pocket. No network signal. Just great.

- That's what, Lenka, there for ...