Vera never talked to her friend about her personal life. She knew the Volokh family, sometimes went to birthday parties, but always alone. Vera was silent about her married lover, and Vika pretended not to notice her secretive personal life. Vera did not know that in the past, Victoria had such an instructive and difficult story, although with a happy ending. And Vika, in turn, having heard her friend's story, felt that the situation had gone too far. Vika realized that Vera had already lost this battle. The main thing is that ArinaBryantseva in this unequal struggle felt sorry and let go of the stupid fool. Although in the back of her mind, something told Vika that Ara did not take prisoners and shot them on the spot.

Oleg Bryantsev has always been a very exemplary boy, a loving son, and a caring grandson. He loved his mother and grandmother very much. In fairness, it should be noted that mother Olga and grandmother Zina loved Oleg thousands and millions of times more. If this overprotection and putting a child on a pedestal as a little God can be called love.

Oleg's father left the family when the boy was eighteen years old. Having suffered in eternal quarrels and scandals about the upbringing of the child, the family broke up, the father was forbidden to punish the boy for pranks, give him to sports or take him fishing. It was a pity to punish him, he could get injured in sports, and in nature – catch a cold. The slightest desire of a man to teach his son was met with hostility. And it ended with another stupid and vulgar scandal.

Grandmother Zina, who came from the countryside to help with her grandson, remained in Moscow. Bryantsev senior's apartment was a large one, left as a legacy by rich and distinguished relatives. His great-aunt had no children, and the only heir was a grandson her dear and beloved sister, Maxim Bryantsev, Oleg's father.

Having met Olya at an exhibition of paintings, a modest, visiting girl studying the art of the Silver age, Maxim just a few months later made an offer. Pair of Bryantsevs was a demonstration among the society of artists and the Bohemia of Moscow. Quiet, intelligent, and smiling Maxim and Olga carefully hid their main life cross, they tried to get pregnant for a long time, but fate, generous in everything, did not give them a child for many years.

Maxim was forty, Olga was thirty-eight.

– Pregnant! – with joy and relief, the district gynecologist reported.

The late pregnancy was severe. Olya went blue from toxicosis and thin from headaches and nausea. In the last months, she was put on storage. And behold, at the beginning of the ninth month, the long-awaited first child, OlezhkaBryantsev, was born.

The boy was very weak and sickly. Baba Zina rushing to help her daughter, and it was reliable support and help. They took turns sleeping, the little boy screamed from colic and often had a fever. In the first three years of life, three adults never got eight hours of sleep each. Oleg was ill with all children's and adult diseases, lay in all hospitals, managed to break not only his hands but also his legs on the playground, so until he was three years old, they did not let him down and did not lose sight of him.

A little later it became easier, the boy got a little stronger, almost equal in height and weight with his peers, was ill once every six months and almost never missed school.

The family returned to its usual rhythm of life, Maxim and Olga were engaged in work in the field of art, and Olga's mother helped around the house and with Oleg.

– Pregnant, – the district gynecologist looked at Olga.

In the house until the morning there was a discussion, Olga decided to give birth, although Maxim was against it. The mother was on her daughter's side.

The miscarriage occurred almost at the sixth month, or rather, the child could not stand the virus that Olga got sick with, and died in utero. She asked not to tell the gender of the unborn child, even though she knew in her heart that it was a girl. She had already secretly named her, Eva.

Since then, the Bryantsevs family has had a black streak. Olga gave up her job at the state gallery and devoted herself to her son. And if his grandmother had taken care of him before, now both women were praying for him. At first, the husband blamed his wife's insanity on a severe loss and then realized that the wife had gone mad because of her only son. All-day long they waited for him from school, taking him to music, drawing, and language classes. Maxim wanted to give him to swim but met with such a cruel rebuff that he closed the subject.

Once Oleg, spoiled by two eternal servants, stole a pension from his grandmother's purse and bought binoculars, cigarettes, and chocolate. Maxim wanted to punish the impudent youth, but his mother and grandmother, with bloodshot eyes, rushed at his father and son-in-law like tigresses.

The head of the family began to come home later and later. Then he started staying with a work colleague. But he left the family like a decent man, leaving everything when the child turned eighteen.

Oleg, who had pretty much driven his mother and grandmother with his antics, became subdued after his father left. Looking at himself from the outside, he shook himself up, entered the Moscow Polytechnic, and moved to a hostel. Without his mother and his grandmother, it was difficult for the first few weeks. Then he forgot that someone had cooked for him, washed, cleaned, and ironed. He made friends with his classmates and was surprised to discover football and swimming.

Oleg was the best in computer science at the University. In the late nineties, computers were available to ordinary citizens like spaceships. And having learned that the computer wants their happiness, his mother and his grandmother called Oleg's father and asked for half of the sum of money. He listened to the offer, bought and brought to them a real computer, a gift for his son's birthday by himself.

The only condition that the computer was at the mother’s and grandmother’s flat (Maxim's former apartment), Oleg was happy as a young dolphin. Now he disappeared for days in the family home. Mother Olya and grandmother Zina was crying with emotions of happiness, his father came once a week to visit his son and always found him at home, on the spot. Moreover, Anatoliy, his best friend, who was finishing medical school, came to work on the computer with Oleg every day. And women, instead of one, now had a double joy. They loved Tolik as if he was their son and grandson.

Vera spoke to Oleg rather coldly, for the first time in a long period of their relationship.

– Cat, hi, why are you so sad?

– Oleg, I called you a lot of times the day before yesterday and yesterday. I decided not to bother you today. My friend picked me up from the hospital yesterday and brought me home.

"From the hospital?" What happened? he pretended to be so surprised that even Vera, who was in love with him, did not believe him this time.

"Stop being ridiculous. I was taken to the hospital to see your friend, your wife. Didn't you know? You didn't get a call? Or did you decide not to bother me? I will die so I will die, – self-pity covered the girl with such force that she hung up for the first time.

As she washed away her angry tears with mascara in the bathroom, she didn't pay attention to the screen when the sound of the bell echoed across the tile.

"I've already told you. Is something unclear?

"Excuse me, is this Vera?"

The voice on the other end of the line was agitated and trembling. Obviously, the woman had been preparing for this conversation for a long time. And today I decided to dial the desired number.