Chapter 3: Great-Grandfather

Autumn flew by with a red fall of leaves, all the trees in the neighborhood were bare, even the centuries-old stoic oak next door solemnly dropped a yellowed leaf, Julia went early for a walk along the highway, where telegraph poles howled, stealthily from the sky the rain sowed small beads, snow crumbs carefully covered wounds, anesthetic-the wind was cold, put a bandage on quiet footsteps.

The pain was letting go. In the daytime. And at night, kilograms of wax, decorated in candles, burned in the apartment. Julia burned everything. The past, the present, the future. There Was Nothing Left. Nothing and No One. Emptiness. There is only a tiny spark in the void. The rest of Julia.

One day, a woman lit a bonfire in the night forest, screamed into the sky, scared, it seems, all the residents in the district, the police squad called did not dare to interrupt the funeral service of a previous life, and the guys stood nearby while she sang a song of longing and pain.

The soul, ready at any moment to rush to freedom from bodily shackles, was torn apart, Julia wanted to break up, upside down from a cliff, and into the sky. Desperate to take off, she cried her eyes out, begged for Dad...

To understand the cause of pain does not mean to be able to live to the end of suffering, there is no good will in suicide, it always happens under pressure.

A painful homesickness covered my head...

In the third week of her imprisonment, Julia had a dream in the morning.

- A huge table set in a clearing at the top of mountain places, from horizon to horizon, on a snow-white tablecloth, the splendor of treats and drinks. My father has an accordion in his hands and tons of tenderness in his eyes. Women’s and men’s faces are shadows, children’s cheerful hubbub, a tall, youthful grandfather separated from the numerous guests and went to Yulia.

– Listen to your heart, take your time..., – the famous great–grandfather said with a smile, - everything has its time, let yourself get lost in this maze, do not be afraid of either the path or the achievement of the goal. Learn how to...

The dream dissolved into a milky mist and the mountain wind carried away the fragments of the phrase.

After waking up, Julia lay for a long time on top of a colored faded bedspread, and for the first time in a long time, the woman smiled at her reflection on the mirrored ceiling.

A new game

Zakhar arranged for Yulia to get a guest card to the fitness club. An elite institution is hiding in the city center. In the silence of the courtyards behind a man-made park of evergreen acacias, a lush crown of finely curved, fiery yellow autumn branches hid the building, inconspicuous from the outside and dazzling magical inside. An ideal place for businessmen and businesswomen to relax, the mirrored walls and floor of the modern miracle of art design were impressive. The chrome of the gym equipment rivaled the Hollywood smile of the employees and was reflected by millions of constellations on the ceiling.

At the reception, a skinny doll-like girl in a strict black dress, wearing incredibly high and uncomfortable stilettos, greeted Yulia as a very dear guest.

The manager radiated genuine joy, the girl was smiling broadly with silicone-inflated lips and if not for the obvious dress code and cliches of behavior in such a place, she could well have been sincere and sweet.

Wide-open eyes in a fan of thick eyelashes secretly studied the visitor, next to her Julia allowed herself to relax and enter the role of a local khanum, now her main goal was not the evening hostess of the hall, but a fitness instructor, a bigger beast.

Julia had no doubt that he was a professional in the art of setting traps. It was worth being careful with him.

Julia allowed the girl to “walk” herself around the gym of the club, selflessly playing the role of a capricious businesswoman, the owner of a marriage agency, and impressed fitness gurus interested in a new client.

At the reception, casually pushing back her graying hair, the woman lifted the arches of stylish horn-rimmed glasses, adjusted the collar of an Italian cream blouse coquettishly thrown over dark jeans.

To top off the image of a bored wealthy lady, Yulia was wearing expensive terracotta riding boots today, fashionable jodhpurs this season, which Zakhar brought from somewhere, - solid client money and the reputation of the boss were at stake, - the shoes were really chic and indecently comfortable.

Yulia Sergeevna, sitting in a soft leather armchair, as if reluctantly, lazily looked at the fitness instructors who were frozen in anticipation of her decision.

There is! I checked it out!

Albert. The one who is needed. An imposing, well-groomed young man of about thirty-five, as if casually passing by the reception desk, caught sight of Julia. He was distinguished from his fellows by a neat ponytail of copper-red thick hair, an elastic and strong body in incredibly bright tattoos. The man was almost handsome, if not for the look. The predatory gaze of a lynx killer. There was a natural hunter in the animal’s appearance, capable of waiting for his prey for a long time.

For today, his prey is Julia.

- Madam! What can I do for you? – the man spoke very sweetly, a charming smile with thirty-two teeth could disarm the entire Pentagon.

- Well, he has a lot of charm, - Julia, deciding to tease the boy a little, asked again, like an echo - Are they useful?