There was a regular Saturday clamor at the Cherkizoff market. The snowflakes danced in the winter twilight, sparkled within the street-lamp rays, fell down at the people's shoulders. Some decorated Christmas trees could already be seen here and there. Everything around breathed the fascinating, cozy atmosphere of the forthcoming holiday.
Two pretty fresh-faced young girls in Alaska fur-coats halted by a tent with cocktail dresses. Those were Yana and Olive in search of flash outfits for themselves and Christmas presents for their Arkhangelsk friends.
"Look, what about this perfect little dress?" chatted Yana as she fingered a piece of the red cloth hanging on a mannequin, "It will match perfectly well with my red leather boots and silken underwear!"
"Cool! I mean, gorgeous! Dima is going to be totally smitten!" Olive said approvingly.
Yana's eyes sparkled merrily. Olive liked her friend to be excited like this. Before meeting Dima Negodyaev Yana had constantly been down in the dumps, complaining about her unhappy lot. Now things were changed: Yana had become lively and happy owing to Dima Negodyaev. Ever since she had fallen in love with him in Arkhangelsk back that summer her feeling for him had never ceased. Every night talking to Olive on the phone Yana was keen as mustard about him. She spoke of her plans to meet him on the New Year's Eve, called him special, rare and perfect, said that it was love at first sight and he was the one.
"I want to make romantic dinner for him on the New Year's Eve," Yana blabbered as she and Olive had picked a couple dresses and now were on their way to the gift aisle. "I'll bake a special breaded carp for Dima... What gift do you think is better for him: maybe that nice little pink teddy bear?"
"Oh, come on! He's not a girl!" Olive snorted, "What is he going to do with that your teddy bear? He is more into modern devices..."
"Then, maybe this pretty little framed picture with Chinese hieroglyphs? Look, this hieroglyph means "I love you"... According to Feng Shui he should hang it in his bedroom, over his bed..."
Olive gave a sad smile.
"I'm afraid he won't appreciate it..."
"Oh my God, I can't wait for the New Year's celebration!" Yana went on not listening to her, "I'm looking forward to seeing my darling Dima... It's going to be the best New Year ever! When the bells chime and I write my wish on a piece of paper and burn it, I'll drink the ashes in my champagne and, I swear, I'll kiss his mouth and he won't be able to resist me, and he'll embrace me so gently... I will be so happy, because he is just perfect, he is the best man in the world..."
Olive listened to her friend's rapturous gushing and it made her feel worse. Yes, she agreed that Dima was perfect. Olive fully shared Yana's tastes, and she would probably have fallen in love with him, too, had she not been engaged already or if he hadn't been her best friend's crush. Olive had always adhered firmly to the principle of friendship, denying the long-standing constructed myth that girls friendship doesn't exist. She would have been happy if things had worked between Yana and Dima, but there was a problem. Firstly, Dima was Olive's friend as well. And secondly - every time she tried to talk to him about Yana, Dima freaked out and ended the conversation. Olive was afraid to bring it up again, and Dima had been avoiding talking to her recently. Maybe he had got something, or there might have been another reason, or everything at once. One night Olive made an attempt to bring it up with Saltikov, but he instantly cut her short, saying that Dima wasn't into Yana and it couldn't be helped.
— Но, может быть, не всё так плохо? — робко возразила Олива, — Может быть, всё-таки можно что-то сделать?
"But maybe, things are not so bad?" Olive replied timidly, "Maybe something can be done about it..."
"Nothing can be done." he said dryly, "You can't force someone to love."
"Is there no hope at all for her?"
"Not at all. Absolutely not. Poor Yankee, in a word."
"Things are bad, definitely, " reflected Olive as she was left on her own, "It's such a shame, the girl has finally got out of depression, caught a little glimpse of happiness in life... How can the truth be told to her now? How cruel it would be to clip her wings while she is so rapturous, so inspired! Only her dreams give her a reason to get up in the morning. If she knows the truth she is going to be angry with the world. Look at Michael, how gutted he is now after he his breakup with Volkova - he takes no joy in anything... No, I will not tell her. Let her stay with her dreams. God willing, a miracle will occur and Dima will reciprocate her feelings..."
But a single hope for a miracle was definitely not enough. The problem wasn't solving on its own, and Olive could feel that things were approaching a dead end. It was hard to know the whole truth and be silent, watching Yana's castles in the air grow from huge to obscene, and knowing they would all collapse sooner or later. After shopping at the Cherkizoff market where Yana left almost all her monthly salary buying gifts for Dima which he might not even take, Olive understood it couldn't go on like this, so she decided to have a big talk to Negodyaev that very night.
"Yana loves you," she declared without beating about the bush, "She's already buying gifts for you. Don't you dare make a run for it, she can't take this!"
"Shoot, what have I got to do with it?" Dima blurted out with irritation.
"You've got a lot to do with it! She loves you, not me! Wait, don't hang up, let me tell you..."
Olive had read a lot of books about relationships, yet it didn't make her a good psychologist. Only after a while she figured that in the conversation with Dima on such a delicate subject she had got the wrong tone. Having the sincere desire to make Yana and Dima happy, she forgot that people can't be treated like objects and can't really be forced to love something or somebody taking no account of their preferences. Who knows, maybe afterwards things would have been different if she hadn't brought it all up. But it happened as it happened.
"It will be plain spiteful of you if you let her down. If you have a shred of conscience you won't do that to her..."
"Leave me alone!" Negodyaev flared up, "I don't want to see her, I don't want to see anybody! Leave me be, all of you!"
"So, you don't want to see her, eh?" said Olive, flaring up as well, "The girl loves you with all her heart and you're turning your nose up at her! Then I'll give you a piece of my mind - you are a dry, callous piece of shit!"
So Dima and Olive fell out over it.
"Take it easy," was Michael's reaction to Dima's story, "Well, Yana's coming to see you, what's so wrong with it? It won't hurt you to have a little talk with her."
"Everybody gets me with it, parents' friends and others, even Shumilovna wants me to meet her daughter," Dima replied, "Now it's Yana and her love, but the thing is, I knew almost nothing about it."
"Listen, Dima, you really need to figure things out with the girl," said Michael, "If you don't like her, just say so."
"I can't say yes or no, for I've talked to Yana for about three hours in sum."
Olive dove headfirst into the problem of the relationship between Yana and Dima. She racked her brain over that issue, trying hard to find a way to make it work, unconsciously seeking asylum in the other people's problem so she could forget about her own. Trying to bring Yana and Dima together Olive partly distracted herself from the fact that her own relationship with Saltikov had long been coming apart at the seams. Every week his coldness and indifference for her became more obvious; his rare messages sent just for show attested it most eloquently.
Meanwhile, the New Year was just around the corner. Olive and Yana were already packing up for their trip to Arkhangelsk. Yana was counting the days, looking forward to seeing her darling Dima, while Olive kept sighing and reflecting on how Saltikov was going to meet her over there...
"Our train's tomorrow already," said Olive to Yana, "But Saltikov never calls, he won't even ask what our car number is. Honestly, I don't like it..."
"Relax," replied Yana, "I told him our car number."
"When?"
"Last night when talking on Skype."
"Did he ask about me? He doesn't even call me..."
"He asked how you Pumpkin were," said Yana, "I said you're great, we're coming."
Olive gave a sigh of relief. He was waiting for them, she thought. Maybe she should call him and tell him what time they were departing...
Olive didn't have the heart to call the guy first, though. She limited herself to a message in which she informed him about their departure and asked him to bring Dima to help them with their luggage. Saltikov called her back immediately.
"Everything's fine, Pumpkin. I've already rented an apartment for us..."
"Is it?" asked Olive with concern, "I haven't heard from you for quite a while."
"I've got too much work, Pumpkin," said Saltikov and, catching the sad note in her voice, he added: "Okay, Pumpkin, go to bed and don't worry about anything. I love you."
And he hung up on her.