Damir

1980

The young man knocked on the door of the road motel room. A minute later, a rather beautiful girl in a light, short dress and with long blond curls appeared on the threshold.

- Why did you come, and where is your brother?» with surprise on her face, she asked and looked around.

- He'll not come.» Narrowing his eyes, the tall dark-haired guy answered and, without waiting for an invitation, stepped into the room.

Startled by his unceremonious behavior, the girl stumbled aside. Meanwhile, finding an open suitcase on the bed with a bunch of folded things, the visitor stopped in the middle of the room. He took a quick glance at the situation, after which he spoke in an authoritative tone:

- You must return to your home and forget about him forever!

With bewilderment looking at the guest, the girl immediately answered him, « this will never happen!

If you really love him, then listen to me.

He turned and looked into her big blue eyes with his black.

From his gaze, she start stepped back. But at the same time, she said quietly, « it's not for you to decide.

- You don't understand, family ties mean a lot to us. And he will be greatly traumatized by being separated from his family. Because of you, he goes against his father.» His brows drew together at the bridge of his nose, and his tone took on a harsh note. « It just won't stay like that, will happen trouble. Go and leave him!

He tried to make her understand the seriousness of the situation. But she stubbornly threw him her sharp «No!»

At that moment, though, she was literally trembling. Suddenly there was a feeling of anxiety, bordering on fear, as if something bad were about to happen. Moving farther and farther away, she leaned her back against the wall by the window. And her gaze yet was fixed on him.

The guy noticing excitement of the girl, at first couldn't understand what about she was so worried. Even he didn't even move from his place, with his hands in his pockets, just stood and talked.

But, holding her breath, she looked out the window as if waiting for salvation. The day drew toward evening, waiting emptily for her beloved. And to the last, she didn't lose hope of hearing his footsteps. But they not came.

In the meantime, he continued to stand still as he pondered the situation. To leave everything as it is, and disappear, it seemed to him already impossible. Having come here, he was obliged to at least try to make a difference. After all, he felt it was his duty to save his family from the threat hanging over her at all costs. Looking at it more closely, the guy made disappointing conclusions for himself. In fact, his brother's chosen one had a truly attractive appearance: white porcelain skin, sensual lips, soft pink, like a baby, coupled with a halo of gold in her hair. And at the same time, she had the rounded figure of an already established woman with long, slender legs. There was something to admire ... and from what, to lose him head. But the brother had to be stopped. And he decided go to the extreme.

The anxiety in her eyes began to grow as she discovered that this man, who had suddenly appeared in their love nest, was slowly approaching. And his sight did not bode well.

More than 30 years later.

Damir was sitting on a bench near the alley leading to the building of the business center, where he had just met with the lawyer of the Saidi family.

He put his head in hands and closed eyes. News that he learned didn't fit in his mind.

One day his life turned upside down. And he had no idea what to do with it now. Ask for advice on what to do, and informing someone about, the guy not hurry. Although some decision to make in such a situation also didn't make sense. All he had to do was accept the fact he was presented with and just let it go.

For a while, he just paced back and forth, then sat down again and thought. Emotions crucified him from the inside. He couldn't even decide whether to be happy or upset. But for some reason, his soul was in turmoil and experienced more pain than happiness.

Understanding with his mind that there was no one to blame in principle, he found himself deceived by fate, something like a defective toy thrown into a pile of rubbish. Then, when his personality was already formed, when he learned to survive alone, without anyone's help, went through all the torments, he was suddenly given a different life program.

It turns out that there was no need to overcome so many difficulties in the game of survival. Even, in order for him to get an education, his poor mother had to work without rest. And when, in principle, he has already managed to get up from his knees, it turns out that everything could be much simpler. It could have been different.

The thought of his mother tormented his heart. But still, after some time of painful languor, he returned to the university dormitory, where he lived for the 5th year, from the very first year of the Faculty of Law.

- Are you okay?

- Yes, yes,» Damir replied absently, lying on his bed with his boots on his feet.

The roommate and his best friend, Vadim, who came from the shower, looked at him and was quite surprised. Usually, Damir followed the cleanliness with meticulous scrupulousness, but here he was lying with his arms thrown behind head in a jacket and shod. Shrugging, he turned to the closet in the corner of the room and began to change, deciding not to continue the conversation. Apparently he understood that a comrade needed solitude. He quickly left him alone and go.

Two days later, Damir went to Bolgar, to his hometown. The last time he was there was almost five years ago.

So much water has flown under the bridge since then...

He sat in the plane and looked out the window, but other pictures ran before his eyes. Memory leafed through the footage of a carefree childhood spent in the suburbs of Bolgar. Then the years of growing up, with its difficulties and thorns, through which he had to go through alone, since his father died, even before he was born in a car accident and there were no brothers or sisters. He had to harden, probably from the cradle. For as long as he could remember, his mother had always worked. And for the most part, he was on his own. And that means he was left alone with all his victories and defeats. Remembering the special moments of his reckless youth, he smirked.

I wonder how Marat is doing there, a brave guy. He lay down in the cell of his memory with a sign «special». Damir smiled, remembering their fight. Although there was very little pleasant, or rather none at all.

- You'll whine at me like a sabot, on your knees, right now!» Marat threatened, drawing a figure eight in the air with a bulky chain.

Damir silently followed with his eyes the radius of flight of the edge of chain in order to have time to dodge the deadly weapon flying in his direction. He allowed his opponent to attack freely and in no way hindered it. On the contrary, taking advantage of the moment while the swing of the chain was gaining strength again, he ran up as if teasing him and with a gesture of his hand urged him to continue. And then he ran away again. And this chase continued around the entire perimeter of the site on which they staged a wrestling match. Marat chased after Damir and attacked with a yell, trying to hurt him. But he always can to wriggle out and run away. Finally, the forces of the attacker began to surrender. And the voice began to seem more breaking, and the scope is not so powerful.

Feeling a change in him, Damir realized that his time had come. And during the next flight of the chain, he managed to catch its end, then, jerked it towards himself. Marat didn't even have time to figure out how he ended up in the arms of his enemy. He instantly wound a chain around his neck, instead of a scarf, and then pulled it up. The guy wheezed and his legs buckled.

- Who are you going to put on knees?» Damir asked sarcastically, pulling brass knuckles from the hand of a barely alive prisoner. He looked with horror at his «executioner» expecting the worst. But Damir didn't pay attention to his frightened look and, pursing his lips, with zeal, pulled brass knuckles on his fingers. At the same moment, with a powerful blow to the face, Marat felt a sharp pain, and then the desired peace and tranquility.

Having achieved the result, Damir threw away the bleeding leader of a competitive gang from himself. He whistled to his guys and urged them to stop the ensuing fight. While he was dealing with one here, about ten people from his side were also beating others.

- Guys, stopped!» He shouted, waving his hand at them.

Having found their leader in a pool of blood and unconscious, the participants in the dismantling of the opposing side also came to unhappy conclusions and were forced to capitulate. The guys gradually dispersed.

And so, two criminal groups «signed» an agreement on territorial ownership. From now on, all the affairs of Damir and his company could be conducted freely and without any threats. While, Marat and his guys entered the state of «quieter than water, below the grass». There were no more clashes between them and he, as they say, moved away. But similar skirmishes were repeated more than once with others. Damir, magically, always managed to emerge victorious. Thus, his authority, as the leader of a still small criminal group, grew by leaps and bounds. The guys from the yard punks gradually turned into inveterate bandits. Their activities expanded, as did the boundaries of what was permitted, without descending, perhaps, to serious crimes. However, the members of the group earned money for themselves, in every way and most often illegal. Robbery, car theft and much more were part of their profile. Turnovers increased, and with them the necessary acquaintances and connections, support and participation were acquired.

So everything would have continued until Damir made a mistake.

By the age of 27, he had an income that not everyone at forty could afford. Having acquired money, a close-knit company at that time, of almost 20 people, opened a small club, several game libraries and a couple of establishments in the topic of entertainment and leisure. Money flowed. Soon Damir got behind the wheel of a good car, bought in the city for himself an apartment.

He simply forced the owner of the establishment to sign the necessary papers for the transfer of ownership, setting up a trap for him and later threatening physical violence. For this, he even hired a lawyer. Although he had long been in the process of studying legal issues.

From relatives, he had only his mother. And she didn't know what her son was doing. All this time, she continued to work as a nurse at the local clinic. Only when Damir was stability in his business, he persuaded her to quit. Mother saw that he worked and grew rich and was glad of this. But one day, everything came to an end.

The woman was walking home from the store. And one unremarkable in appearance guy helped her with the bags and offered to bring her on his car.

- Oh, son, thank you!» She was delighted, not assuming anything bad. Women got into the car and he took her away.

Guy said that he was a friend of her son, and he was in trouble, but didn't want to scare her. Just she must go to him and help with something.

After, Damir received a call and a photo of his mother.

In the end, he gave everything he had. He sold a new apartment and a car. Retired from business. He do all in order to save his mother and himself with some of his "comrades in the shop" from prison terms, which they were also charged with for some kind of sins.

From above, where he managed to climb in his still young years, he was immediately quickly and painfully thrown down. He and him mother returned to their little house where he grew up, but still, she was happy. His mother supported him and ran for help to her good the only and right decision. And besides, the most suitable option is to combine his move with studying at a university. Although Damir was already well over twenty, entering the university turned out to be the luck of his whole life!

On the day they were released, her from captivity, him from the police station, he gave her word that henceforth, he would become a serious and decent person.

In fact, he tried to keep his word. The old life was over. He tightly closed the door to his criminal past, turning into a quiet and calm applicant with textbooks in his hands.

No one could ever suspect this guy of a dark past.

It's like he's been replaced. He clearly and clearly set goals for himself and went to them, without giving up and without being distracted by anything secondary. Be it bullies who tried to bring him to the showdown, or smart speculators, with their muddy offers to make money. And all in the same spirit as before, he would not have missed his attention.

From now on, Damir was deaf and dumb. Everything avoided. And although his athletic build and cheeky black eyes made a completely different impression, he was the quietest and calmest student in his course.

- Excuses, would you like something to drink?» asked the pleasant-looking stewardess.

Damir slowly turned his head and looked at the girl in uniform in some confusion. After a second pause, he agreed to a cup of coffee.

- Thanks, sorry, I was thinking,» he said, taking the hot drink from her hands.

Ssweetly smiling, the stewardess commented, « yes, I noticed. You reacted a third time.

He smiled broadly back at her and shook his head.

Mom gladly met her son and, having stood in an embrace for half an hour on the threshold of the house, wiped away her tears, and began to chatter. She told him about what she had been looking forward to all this time and about how she baked his favorite pies and other goodies that he missed in his student life. Damir smiled warmly and nodded his head. «Mother in her repertoire,» he thought. She also mentioned the neighbor's daughter, who helped and supported her in everything. "She has already become such an adult, a bride, a good girl, a beauty," her mother said about girl.

Damir managed to listen to all this while taking off his outer clothes and taking off his shoes in the small hallway of their three-room house. He was touched by maternal attention and caution.

- Yes, thanks, mom, you shouldn't have bothered yourself like that, you already ...» bending over almost twice, he again hugged his short mother, who began to kiss him on both cheeks and cry again.

She stroked his curly black hair and looked into his big dark eyes with great love and pride.

- How beautiful you have become, son ...

Damir pursed his lips, didn't answer, just looked gratefully into his mother's bright eyes.

After supper, the vaunted neighbor girl came with her mother. He remembered and knew them from childhood. The guests came to greet guy and congratulate him on his speedy graduation from the university. After dinner, everyone sat at the table and drank tea. The conversation was about Moscow, about the difficulties and joys of student years, about successes and hopes. In general, about everything that concerned him. Damir understood what all this feast was for and what was expected of him, but he was in no hurry to make a decision. I preferred to quickly slip away from the «party».

- I'll go..., I'll go for a walk,» he said, returning from the restroom and quickly throwing on his jacket, turned to the front door.

- Can Aliyah come with you, son?» Mom suggested, with pleading eyes.

Damir stopped and looked around at everyone present. The women sat with hope in their eyes and looked at him, waiting for a decisive answer. He nodded in agreement. Well... the escape didn't work out.

He and his mother still had a very serious and difficult conversation ahead of them, so he decided not to spoil her mood or offend her. In fact, he had never intended to hurt or upset her. His mother was and would remain and dearest person in the world.

Well... Aliyah had helped his mother in everything while she was alone, had become almost a daughter to her. Surely she would have to stay with her always. Damir glanced in the direction of the modestly paced girl beside him. Almond-shaped eyes, gray like his mother's, round face, long blond hair braided into braids, modest attire, no makeup. A complete contrast to the Moscow divas he was used to seeing.

She smiled embarrassed, and her plump cheeks began to blush. Damir liked her reaction to his scrutinizing gaze. He too smiled his snow-white smile and winked at her.

The guy was in no hurry to ask her out, but he thought about it. He liked her. They was take a stroll around for about an hour or even an hour and a half, chatting and laughing. Then he walked her home and thanked for everything. Before leave her, he promised to call soon. The girl left with all her hopes and dreams. In the meantime, he go back to his house, preoccupied with other thoughts.

At breakfast that morning, his mother told him that she had taken a few days off to spend with her son. The news pleased him and he decided not to postpone the conversation any longer. Settling on the couch, he asked her to sit down next to him.

- Mom, why am I dark and not like you?» Damir asked straightforwardly, looking into the eyes of his smiling mother.

She was a little confused and her smile began to slip off her face. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head at a loss, «You think so?

- Yes, I am different.» Damir said confidently, keeping his gaze on her.

- Well, maybe it's your father's genes...» she excused herself, not understanding what her son was getting at.

- I don't look like a Tartar, he was one too, wasn't he?

- We don't know who his parents were, they died early...

Damir looked at his mother with a half smile answering all assumptions without words.

- I don't understand, son,» the woman indignantly turned her whole body toward him, «what are you trying to say?! I had no one but my husband, and I know exactly who your father is.

- Mom, calm down, please! I never had the slightest idea that you were unfaithful!» Damir assured her and patted on the shoulder. But feeling the tension, he sighed, and after waiting for a pause, continued. « I love you boundlessly and will always love and appreciate you. You are my mother, and that will never change.

She clapped her eyes and her fear grew with every word he said. He exhaled again and turned away. His tongue just wouldn't turn any further! She, on the other hand, sat and waited for him to finish his speech. Just she was afraid of only one outcome, and that was to break up with him. And he understood everything, he didn't know how to properly present the difficult news. After hesitating a little, Damir gathered his strength and took her small hand in his big hands and squeezed it a little. With warmth in his voice, he tried to continue:

- I recently found out that...

- What?

- That... we were switched by accident.

- Who was switched?

- Me and hi.

- Hi who?» The woman went pale, and gulped for air with her mouth ajar. She was frightened by the thought that came into her head.

- Your real son. He lives in Canada, his name is Samad Saidi.