Prologue

By mid-December snow piled up, but it was warm.

For Siberia, a frost of three or four degrees is a thaw.

Martynich went to the morning milking.

Martynich's little woman stands on the outskirts, to go through the whole village to her, and so the woman gets up neither the light, nor the dawn.

It was the fifth hour of the morning.

Or nights?

The damaged, aging moon, turned yellow in a black star-strewn sky.

Martynich in boots with galoshes, in a padded jacket and an old shawl. Martynikha is already the seventh decade, but the woman is still smart - she goes to the club at discos.

The bundle of Martynich noticed from afar - she did not complain about her eyesight.

The package lay on the side of the road and, coming closer, she saw traces and a trampled down place.

An alarming foreboding stirred under the heart. Martynich looked at the bundle, but did not dare to approach.

Finally, mumbling - Lord! - and crossed over, came over and gasped!

Heart went up: the baby slept in the rollout.

1992 year ended.

The country was racing!

1

Zinka prodra zenki. Outside the window, darkness, in the hut of cold, in the mouth of the cat shit!

Huddling in a ragged, zadrypan coat, which and hid, rose from the old, raspy sofa.

On this sofa, five years ago, Martynich quietly died.

Zinke is twenty-five, but she looks forty.

Zinka, barefoot, walked out into the halls, groped a filthy bucket with her foot - sat over him and pissed. The front door was ajar, and Zinka locked it on the hook. She returned to the hut, scooped up a cup of cold water, from a bucket in the kitchen, and gnashing her teeth, either from cold or from a hangover, she drank. She returned to the sofa and fell on him, wrapped in a sheepskin coat.

Zinka stared at the ceiling, and he swam in a circle. Zinka closed her eyes, but movement in a circle continued, she was clouded, a nauseous lump rolled up to her throat and Zinka vomited to the floor.

Wiping her hand, vomit-smeared mouth, Zinka loudly hiccupped, but the nausea passed and didn’t twist again.

...

George was watching the mail when the cellphone rang.

- Jora ... - he barely recognized the voice of Valentina, her cousin, and her heart sank, and a chill crept up from the back of her head

- Jora, your dad died yesterday ...

In an instant, everything around has faded and lost its meaning. Everything!

- Folder! - gritting his teeth against impotence, he knelt down

- Jora, tomorrow is the funeral

“I will come today ...” he exhaled, fell flat and groaned, rolling on the floor.

I called my wife.

Tanya gasped and said that she was coming.

She came, and they got together, and drove to the South, on the electric train.

The train was empty: working day.

He sat by the window, and looked at the monotonous-dull snow-covered world sailing past. My wife sat opposite, looked at him pitifully and, trying to speak once and again, also looked at the window.

In the district center, they were met by Seryoga, Valentina's husband.

From the station to the village six kilometers.

- What happened? - he deafly asked, when Seryoga, having moved a railway route on the outskirts of the district center, switched to the third.

- He complained about the stomach. Thought aggravation gastritis, called an ambulance. He was taken away, and in the first hour of the night they called. Not gastritis was ... an ulcer.

- We did not call at night, anyway, already ... - Sergey paused, then added - He began to drink again ... I talked to him and Valentine, too ... But you know him ... He sent!

- He's in the hospital?

- Already at home. He also underwent surgery. An autopsy is not needed. The coffin of woodwork was made at the expense of the state farm. I bought a fence. While we put a cross ...

Sergey stopped talking, turning into the street where the parents' house was.

The lid, upholstered in black satin, stood on the street, leaning against the wall of the veranda. Near was a cross.

My father was lying in a coffin, set on two stools, in the hall. There were people sitting on chairs, on a sofa and on a bench, against a wall. It was unheated, so they sat in outerwear. Someone from the village, recognizing George, got up from his chair, someone from the bench. They sat down.

Sergey, taking off his hat, stood in the doorway.

The features of his father’s face sharpened, he somehow shrunk and seemed so small.A candle was burning at the head of the head and there was an icon with an image. Another smell was already added to the smell of candlestick smoke, although it was cold in the house.

People got up and left.

Others came in and sat down.

Time froze.

Those who stopped by silently standing or sitting after it silently left. And only two old men, George recognized them - they were the fathers of his classmates, they were talking about something, half a whisper.

Later, when they went to the city, his wife told him - And these two know what they were talking about?

George has twisted his lips

- One said to the other that he was holding rabbits and that their meat was healthy and nourishing. Imagine ?!

George nodded dismissively - I sat closer and did not hear what they were saying, but did you sit behind me and hear? (Tanya began to complain about hearing and has recently been asking again and again).

- Maybe because you did not listen?

- Probably

I didn't want to talk about anything, I didn't want to listen to anyone, and I didn't want to think about anything.

Tanya was silent.

...

When it was dark outside, Valentine came and leaned over to George, said Zhor, let's go to us, have dinner, and sleep. It's cold here, Sergei did not drown.

They still stood and left.

Valentina walked to the right, Tanya, to his left.

- Zhor, we in the dining room ordered lunch for fifty people. They will bake the bread themselves and their products, then give them the money.

He remembered the money and, taking out of his pocket, handed it to Valentina - There are twelve thousand.

- The coffin state farm at its own expense made. Fencing Seryozha bought while we put the cross ...

- Val, Seryoga has already told everything.

Valentine was silent.

My sister was hot and even hot stuffy.

- Val, and what, the girls did not come?

- They are there, Zhor. Did not recognize?

- Yes, I did not look at anyone

- They will sit down a little more and come. On the night of the grandmother will remain.

They wanted to put on the bed, but George asked to lay on the floor.

He lay with his hands under his head. Wife, snuggling to the right side, exactly snuffled after a few minutes.

He heard the nieces come and close his eyes. The door to the bedroom opened - They are already asleep - someone said in a whisper and the door was closed.

He lay, plunging into the memories ...

It is then two years later ...

Increasingly, the dream has become a mother,

Father, too, comes into dreams,

And I can not sleep at night,

And the pain on the heart does not pass.

I still reproach myself for the fact that

He did not come to them as he wanted;

On the New Year ...

Now it's too late ...

And bitter to me, that only wanted.

And it hurts me that only at night,

They come to my dreams,

And that light is near - close to dreams,

Yes, between us darkness of darkness.

But that night, he slept without dreams.

2

By morning, the fever was gone and cool.

Valentina and Sergey got up after dark, and he heard how they interfered with the feed to the pigs, how the floorboards squeaked and rolled cold air when they opened and closed the door.

Zadromyval and woke up again.

Valentina looked at eight o'clock - Do not sleep?

- We get up, Val.

Went to the toilet, rinsed his face and had breakfast.

- Girls do not wake up, let them sleep a lot - said Valentine, tidying up the dishes.

They got dressed and went to their father's house.

- Sergey and I will arrive a bit later - after taking them to the gate, the sister said.

Sergey met them.

He walked with some man whom George, at first did not recognize.

They greeted each other.

- Lyopa and I ... (“Lyopa!” - George remembered) ... at the cemetery. Everything there is covered with snow, Lyopa place ...