Nikolai trudged through the forest, breathing heavily. Behind him were tens of kilometers that he had overcome with great difficulty. How he longed now for food and drink, and to forget the pain in his feet. Yesterday, he had tripped over a log in the twilight and scratched his legs. Now they were swollen. He had to endure unbearable pain and keep going. Otherwise, they would soon find him. Then he would never be able to prove his innocence and would languish behind bars until his old age!
There was the lake, there was the clearing, which meant his native forest would soon appear. His ears rang, his head buzzed non-stop. Kolya wanted to fall on the grass, but he overcame himself.
“You can’t give up when things get tough,” he quietly told himself. “You have to fight for freedom!”
With these words, the man trudged on, carefully stepping on the ground littered with moss and branches. The lake was getting closer. Soon, the cabin he was heading to began to emerge. Showing up in the city was not an option, as his photofit was surely plastered in all visible places.
“My God, have I really arrived?” he whispered, barely holding back tears as he approached the cabin. The man fell to his knees, thanked God for his salvation, and entered the dark hut. He couldn’t light a lamp or a light because there was no kerosene or matches. Nikolai listened to strange sounds and froze. Someone was inside. It was night outside, and it was impossible to see who it was. Kolya stood still for a minute and listened to the noise. “A woman!” flashed through the man’s mind. At that moment, the moon appeared in the sky, and its light flooded the hut. Nikolai saw who was sitting on the bed. It was indeed a woman. She leaned over a child and whispered something to him.
“Hello!” Kolya finally said. The stranger flinched. “Excuse me, but who are you? How did you end up here?” “I… I won’t harm you,” she began. “My name is Taisiya, and with me is Nastya. We are hiding from my husband. Nastya has a fever, and I just don’t know what to do…” “Do you have any fever-reducing medicine?” the man asked her. “Yes, there were a couple of pills somewhere. I need to look in my purse.” “Then give the child half a pill now, and tomorrow…”
Kolya thought. He wanted to help this unfortunate woman, but how could he if he couldn’t be seen by people? “What about tomorrow?” she asked. “Tomorrow morning we’ll go to the city.”
Nikolai was glad he had made it to this shack. All night he tossed and turned, tucking his legs under him. The pain in his feet gradually subsided. Sleeping on wooden boards wasn’t as cold as on the ground, so the worst was behind him. He kept falling asleep and waking up, thinking about little Nastya, about himself, about how he would retrieve that video camera, and then be acquitted in court…
The child’s temperature rose again in the morning. “There’s very little medicine left,” a worried Taisiya told Nikolai.
Only now did he see the large abrasions and bruises on the woman’s neck. “Who beat you?” he looked at her in shock. “My husband,” she answered. “I told you yesterday: we ran away from him.” “Is he insane? How can someone raise a hand to a woman?” “In his opinion, he can do anything,” Tais sighed. “We must not waste a minute, otherwise Nastya will only get worse,” Nikolai worried. “It’s a long walk to the highway, but only from there can we get to the hospital!”
The woman was also curious why he wore prison clothes, not ordinary clothes. She tried to inquire about this, but Kolya quickly said:
“Later, later, Taya! Get ready, and quickly!”
He carried the child in his arms because the girl could not walk on her own. Fortunately, his legs weren’t hurting as much anymore, and he could move easily. Taisiya walked beside him and prayed to herself that they would reach the highway soon. Occasionally, she pulled pieces of bread from her purse and shared them with Nikolai. He eagerly swallowed them, having forgotten when he last ate properly.
“So, you escaped from prison,” Taisiya realized, listening to the story of the escaped prisoner. “Understand, if I find that video camera, they will let me go,” the man shared. “The main thing is not to waste time now.”
He told the traveler how he ended up in prison because of an investigator’s mistake. A crime happened at Nikolai’s yard. Some passerby took a life, but Kolya ended up serving the term. Unfortunately, the man couldn’t find the video camera he had installed in a secret place. Only in prison did he remember exactly between which bricks it was located.
“Is it still far?” Taya asked, carefully stepping over the bumps. “Yes, about five kilometers, no more. About an hour’s time,” Kolya replied. “We’ve already covered half the distance. We need to rest a bit, or my legs will start hurting.” “What’s with the legs? Let me take a look.”
She sat down next to him, pulled a bottle out of her purse, and treated the scratches on the man’s feet. “It would be good to apply an aloe leaf,” she sighed. “But we don’t have such a flower.” “Thank you for that,” the man thanked her. “You won’t give me away, will you?” “No, what are you! You’re helping us. Why would I betray you?” “And my wife didn’t care. I don’t know why she told the police that I was guilty of that crime… Maybe that was her way of getting rid of me?” “Only she knows, apparently,” Taya spoke. Then she touched her daughter’s forehead and gasped: the temperature was rising more and more. “Let’s go quickly!” Nikolai commanded, grabbing the child in his arms. “Otherwise, we might not make it.”
Upon reaching the highway, they stopped the first car they saw, and after some time, they found themselves in the city. The woman went to the hospital, and Kolya walked to his home, pulling his hood lower on his face so no one would recognize him.
To his dismay, the police were already waiting for him near the house. “Great! He’s coming to us!” the man heard as he approached closer.
Nikolai explained the reason for his escape, and soon managed to pull out the video camera, from the viewing of which everyone understood who was really involved in the crime. It turned out to be the lover of Kolya’s wife.
“So that’s why she so fervently accused me!” the escaped prisoner guessed. He was acquitted in court a few months later. Those days were especially long for Nikolai. He was released, and waiting at the entrance were Taisiya and Nastya.
“I’ve been thinking: you’ve done so much for me, so I decided to thank you,” she said.
The woman was an excellent seamstress, and as a gift, she presented Nikolai with an elegant jacket. “It suits you very well!” she exclaimed. He admired his reflection in the mirror and said: “Just think, you’re also a skilled craftswoman!”
Then he looked at Taya’s face, glanced at her neck. “Did the bruises go away?” he asked. “They’re gone,” she sighed.
Taisiya’s husband, Edik, had long tried to “put her in her place,” believing he should keep strict control over his wife. Otherwise, who knows, she might want to run away or cheat on him. So it didn’t hurt to beat his wife occasionally for prevention. Edik didn’t care about Taya’s emotional state at all.
“Wives were always beaten in the past, and nothing, they lived together until old age,” he often said if she suddenly began to cry. “And anyway, you gave birth, so sit and don’t stir anywhere. Obey your husband, and you will be happy!”
Taya was like a punching bag for him, on which Edik could express all his emotions. He also occasionally beat and intimidated their daughter. “Did you really go back to him?” Nikolai inquired of the woman.
She shook her head. “No, we rented an apartment. I’m working,” she confessed. “True, I’m afraid to file for divorce. I know it will be grounds for persecution. I don’t even know how we’ll live from now on.”
Kolya pondered. “Listen, I have an offer: do you want to not pay for the apartment and be under protection?” he asked her.
She looked questioningly into his eyes, and he continued: “If you move in with me, you and your daughter will have a separate room. Payment by piece: cook me food. And of course, you and the child will have your share.”
Taya smiled. “Can I bring my dolls, Uncle Kolya?” Nastya chirped. “Not only dolls, but all your toys!” the man replied.
Half a year later, Taya and Edik were divorced…
Nikolay returned home in high spirits. He had long wanted to do this but had not dared. Perhaps Taya just hadn’t been officially divorced until now. But now he knew exactly what he would tell her that evening.
Removing his outerwear, Nikolai walked into the kitchen with a radiant look, where a delicious dinner awaited him. At the table awaited his wife and daughter. “My dear Taechka,” he began. Pausing slightly, he continued: “Wait, I forgot everything I wanted to say. In short, be brief. Marry me!”
With these words, he got down on one knee and presented the woman with an opened small box containing a beautiful gold ring.
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