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Golden сarriage for Cinderella. A novel about love
Svetlana Mirrai
The book tells about the love of a young woman and a married priest, and what price they had to pay for such happiness. You will also understand what the cricket that lives behind the old buffet is silent about.
Golden сarriage for Cinderella
A novel about love
Svetlana Mirrai
Proofreader Oksana Sizova
© Svetlana Mirrai, 2022
ISBN 978-5-0056-4287-5
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
From the Author
Once upon a time, a great king ruled in a small country. In this beautiful kingdom, a girl lived with her father, stepmother and non-native sisters. The named relatives nicknamed her Cinderella because she often did dirty and dusty work around the house.
Wait a minute, dear reader will say, but where is the novel based on real events? Probably, reading the title of the book, you will think that the author may begin to tell the good old fairy tale of Charles Perrault “Cinderella”, only remade in his own way.
But there is some truth in this. This story happened in real life, it happened to a person who survived it from the beginning to the very end.
And when you finish reading the book to the very last page, you will learn a completely new story of a modern young woman, in which people who met her on their way also saw Cinderella. Will there be a fairy tale? Of course it will, only you yourself will have to understand whether it is miracles or the inner strength of the heroine’s character and immeasurable love for a loved one helped her to live on and fight against the vicissitudes of fate.
The book tells about the love of a young woman and a married priest, and what price they had to pay for such happiness. You will also understand what the cricket that lives behind the old buffet is silent about.
Chapter 1
Sometimes, under the guise of love, a test comes to us
I often ask myself the question: how will I love a man if I meet a sincere and real feeling. Love is something important to me in life, and I wanted to be honest in my relationship, because it will be my real love.
So the frosty winter is over, and the first spring days have come, the sun’s rays, like bunnies, playfully play on my window.
Beautiful early morning. Opening the sash of the window frame and taking a deep breath of spring air, I take a sip of fragrant coffee brewed in a new coffee machine, press the “start” button on my laptop, the monitor lights up, and long live the miracle of scientific progress. I like to read articles on the Internet in my free time, sometimes I visit the Odnoklassniki website and communicate with my friends there.
And here’s the letter, I wonder who it’s from?
– hello.
They wrote to me from a page without a photo, I usually ignore such mail, but now I decided to talk, maybe some friend is hiding behind a faceless profile.
– Who are you? – I wrote back.
– My name is Peter, I am a priest, I serve in the Orthodox Church. I live in the city of Chernihiv in Ukraine. I’m not old yet and I’m not young anymore, I’m forty-three years old.
– Very interesting, and I’m Vlada.
– Good health to you, Vlad, and your family!
– Father, I live alone and am not married.
But there was no more response.
I had to finish my coffee alone.
It didn’t cost me much effort to put on makeup, because my naturally well-drawn facial features practically didn’t need to be tinted. Blue eyes with long, fan-like eyelashes, a straight nose and beautiful wide eyebrows lay in an even line on my oval face. My figure was slim, but for this I always had to sit on long grueling diets in order to maintain a thin waist and beautiful legs. My long blonde hair gave my face freshness and made me younger than my years.
Soon I left the house and was at work in a beauty salon all day. There was a lot of work that day.
The weather began to deteriorate in the evening, it was raining, interfering with melted snow and mud, it turned the road into a gray, muddy mud. Because of this, it was hard to walk and had to avoid puddles. For a few minutes I stopped at the entrance and, admiring, looked at the evening sky. Bright stars were burning on it, and among their brilliance I saw a constellation very similar to the Big Dipper. It even seemed to me that she was looking at me with her sad eyes, probably she was missing a little bear next to me, like me.
I quietly went into the apartment and closed the door behind me. In order not to be bored, I sat down at my laptop, and when I opened the Odnoklassniki website, I read there an interesting message from my new acquaintance, Father Peter.
– Your happiness is not going anywhere from you.
“What a nice man,” I thought. And I posted some of my successful photos, turned off the computer and went to rest.
Love cannot be predicted or hurried, it will come by itself with the beautiful murmur of the stream and the singing of birds, transforming your whole life.
At the age of thirty-five, I had quite a successful business in the field of beauty. My salon was called “Healthy Care” and was located in the center of Novosibirsk. When the front door opened, the bell rang, notifying of the arrival of each visitor, and at this time the face of our administrator Ekaterina spread out in a kind and hospitable smile.
– Good afternoon, what can I offer you,” she said politely.
So the days passed in the hustle and bustle of work.
One day I got free a little earlier than usual, went to the Odnoklassniki page and saw a message from Father Peter.
– You are a nice lady, judging by the photo. I would like to hear your voice.
I was pleased with this, and without hesitation I texted him my phone number.
There are so many roads and moments in life that decide our fate, and we do not think that this second will be the main countdown of your new path.
The next morning, the smell of coffee cheered me up, and after a few sips, my brain was already in working mode. A minute ago, I wanted to climb into a chair with my feet, turn on the TV and spend the whole day like this.
But the phone rang and I answered.
– Vlada Romanovna, I’m really waiting for you at work, I need to talk, – Katerina, my assistant, said in an anxious voice.
“Okay, I’ll be right there,” I replied.
I went outside, the weather was sunny, a light breeze touched my face and gently blew my thick, long hair.
The phone rang again, I was sure that Katya was calling me, so I quickly said:
– I’m running, I’m running.
And she quickened her pace.
But he didn’t calm down, he kept ringing anyway, and as soon as I put it to my ear, I immediately heard a man’s laughter.
– Where are you running to? a pleasant voice asked cheerfully.
– Excuse me, but who am I talking to now? I asked, slowing down a little.
– Dear Vlada, I’m sorry that I don’t know your patronymic, it’s Father Peter calling, to whom you left your phone number in Odnoklassniki.
– It’s very good that you called me,” I said in a joyful voice.
– I feel that you are glad to receive my call. I liked the photos that you posted on your page.
– Thanks.
“You know, you have a very beautiful voice,” Peter said good – naturedly.
– So many nice compliments, – but then the second line intervened in our conversation, and I switched to it.
– Yes, tell me.
– Vlada Romanovna, administrator Ekaterina is unable to work, she has locked herself in the service room and does not come out. What should I do?
– Nelya, I’m already here.
Quickening my pace, a few minutes later I was already in the salon. When the front door closed behind me and the bell rang, there was no reaction. At first glance, one might have thought that I was completely alone in the hall, but my loneliness was broken by sobs and a quiet female voice that came from the service room. Getting closer to her, I pulled the handle on myself, but the door wouldn’t budge, it was locked from the inside.
“Girls… open up,” I said and froze in anticipation.
The lock clicked on the back and the door opened. What was behind it looked very sad. Nelya and Katya were sitting by the sink, and there was a bottle of motherwort next to them, Nelya was holding a glass of water in her hands. Katerina lowered her face down and covered it with her hands, while her body shook with sobs. Katya had a calm character, so it became clear that something very serious had happened in her life.
– Please calm down, let’s talk,” I said in a calm voice, stroking Katya’s back with my hand.
I took a towel and gave it to Katya to wipe her face. Putting her arm around her shoulders, she gently sat her down at a small table for the staff.
“Good, you’re my good,” I whispered in the hope that Katya would want to talk to me. Indeed, my words soon had an effect on her. She took a deep breath, as if she hadn’t breathed at all until that moment, and on exhaling loudly said:
– He’s gone!
– Who left? I asked, not understanding what he was talking about.
– Sasha, my husband. Yesterday he didn’t come to spend the night, took his things and documents, and today he called and said that I wouldn’t wait for him home, and didn’t explain anything else to me,” and tears shone in her eyes again.
– Katyusha, don’t worry so much, you’ve always been strong. After all, the most important thing in life is children and relatives, and he, you’ll see, will definitely regret everything later.
“I think it’s not that simple,” she said thoughtfully.
But her face had already stopped being so gloomy, she became calmer, and we went to our workplaces.
It was a wonderful warm evening, I was walking slowly along the sidewalk home. Cars were rushing towards them along the roadway. The phone rang, it was Katya.
– Vlada, I’m hugging my daughter now and I understand that in the whole world I can’t find a closer and kinder person than my blood, my daughter.
– Katyusha, everything will be fine with you, you’ll see.
I put my phone back away. Suddenly the noise of the engines died down, and all the sounds of the street disappeared, a gentle melody sounded that was coming from inside me, there was a cello, and a violin sang thinly, it was the music of happiness. After all, how good it is when good comes from you, and you extend a helping hand to someone who needs it.
– Heh-khe, girl, give the homeless for food, – suddenly a man’s hoarse voice rang out from behind me. I turned back and saw the stooped figure of a man. He was dressed in old, worn clothes, patches were visible in places, they were darned with threads of different colors.
– Just a second,” I said, and began to turn my pockets inside out, but there were only small bread crumbs and a handful of caramels in them. I didn’t find any change in my bag either, and some large bills were peeking out of my wallet. Now there is silence and expectation in the air.
I took out a five thousand dollar bill and handed it to the man.
– Thank you,” he said, and at that moment the man’s eyes sparkled, and tears rolled down his cheek, “and this is for you,” and he modestly held out several willow twigs, which he had been holding in his hand all the time.
– God bless you, – the man said goodbye.
This touching scene remained in my memory for a long time, and for many years I remembered the willow given to the homeless, it even became some kind of good sign in my life. After all, there was another story with her participation, but I’ll tell you about it a little later.
It rained all night, drumming on the glass first with a small fraction, then with increasing force it hit with large drops and became quieter again. In the morning, when the sunlight began to penetrate into my room, only wet patterns on the glass remained in memory of the rain. Such rainy weather has not been for a long time, and therefore I was happy to look out the window at the sun’s glare, which was reflected in puddles.
The phone rang, and a man’s voice wished me good morning. But I didn’t immediately understand who was talking to me.
– Vlada, it’s the priest who’s bothering you again.
– Come on, Father, what kind of concern can there be, I’m glad you called.
– Then I will call you every day. Our weather is so sunny, and the birds are singing in my soul. How are you?
“We didn’t get to talk to you last time,” I said.
– It’s God’s will for everything. And let’s talk right now.
“I want to talk about faith, hope and love,” I said.
– Probably, it will be about your friends? – the priest said with a touch of irony.
– About self – belief, hope for a better future and about love, which I have been waiting for for a long time, – I did not lose my head, I replied.
– Intricate, as I see it, you are a young lady, but it even pleases me. You can talk to me on absolutely any and different topics. Even the innermost secrets can be trusted with a priest. And with your permission, I want to switch to you.
– Okay, let’s break my rules,” I replied.
– And what, are there any other rules? – he was surprised.
– My personal rules of communication.
