Chapter 1. 9. Souvenir

  The houses were immersed in sleep. Here and there lights were shining in the windows.

  I stepped out onto the sidewalk. It was later than I thought. Travel time is deceptive.

  There was no light in Nuance's window. I rang the bell at the entrance. Nuance's quiet voice rang out:

  “I'm listening.”

  Everything was as usual when I showed up.

  “Nuance, hello...” I said quickly.

  “Hello... Where are you?”

  “I am near.”

  “I just fell asleep.” I listened to her voice with a light breath. “I'll open the door now.”

  I walked slowly towards the entrance. I hadn't seen Nuance for a long time. We met when she was on holiday at the coast.

  When I entered the apartment, she froze motionless with her hands raised above her head, looking at me in the mirror where she was combing her hair.

  I approached Nuance and hugged her.

  “Nuance, my dear…” I kissed her. The comb fell to the floor.

  Nuance gently freed herself and, without looking at me, picked it up.

  “You must be hungry,” she said.

  I followed her.

  “Why didn't you come for so long?” asked Nuance.

  “Sorry. But I was thinking about you all the time.”

  “Is that true?” Nuance smiled weakly and sat down opposite.

  “Of course. How are you?”

  “Normally. Usually, I wanted to say.”

  “Every time I come, I'm afraid to find someone at your place.”

  “Who?” smiled Nuance.

  “A fat businessman or a handsome actor.”

  “In vain. Is that really your opinion of my taste?”

  “No. But for me they are all the same,” I said.

  “Are you jealous? Stop it... But now you can be calm.”

  “Why?”

  “I have no one.” Nuance stood up and ran her hand through my hair. She kept her other hand in the pocket of her robe. “I have no one but you. You know that yourself.”

  “I love you very much, Nuance.”

  “I know that,” she said. “When you showed up last time...”

  “Yes, I remember. It seems I ruined your evening.”

  “Yes, you ruined everyone's evening. The guests left.”

  “I was impolite,” I said.

  “You're blaming yourself, stupid. You didn't ruin my evening.”

  “I didn't have the strength to wait for the guests to leave,” I said.

  “No one said a word after that.”

  “Okay. Will you eat with me?”

  “What are you saying! No.” Nuance took out a tray of food and examined it. “It's ready.” She sat down. I hugged her.

  “We'll eat later. I don't want to now,” I said.

  Nuance lowered her head. Closing her eyes, she kissed me. We stood up at the same time. I felt her palms embrace my shoulders, my head. “You're a good one...” Nuance whispered very quietly.

  We went into the room without even noticing it. My head was spinning with love for Nuance.

  It was night. A faint light came from the sconce in the corner.

  “I'll be right back,” said Nuance, and I was left alone. Her room was cozy, like a nest.

  I liked her commitment to the same environment. New books appeared in the bookcase. Nuance loved to read and often recounted to me the contents of what she had read.

  Many other lighted windows froze in the night.

  I never saw anyone in these windows. At night, when they were lit, it seemed strange.

  For some reason, halls with high ceilings arose in my imagination, paintings in gold frames on the walls, and windows high up.

  What an inevitable sadness from a multitude of people. There are many of them, they are different, but all are alike, and I want to unite them all.

  “You didn't fall asleep?”

  Nuance appeared with a tray in her hands.

  I looked at her beautiful model figure, at her face with doll-like fresh cheeks.

  She had a short haircut, long straight eyelashes. She had impeccable doll-like beauty.

  “You eat,” said Nuance. “I'll tell you a story. It seemed strange to me. I just don't understand anything.” She thoughtfully took a bite of her sandwich and turned her dark eyes, which were wide open even when calm, to look at me attentively. “I'm working at the theater now. It's undergoing restoration. Vogue and I are having lunch in the theater cafe. She drew my attention to one person. I've become somewhat absent-minded lately... This person was constantly looking at us. He was never absent. We dine differently and quickly, without lingering, but this person was always waiting for us, as if with a chronometer. There was always a ready meal on the table in front of him, but he never ate, he only stubbornly looked at us.”

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  “What happened next?” I asked.

  “He came up to introduce himself.”

  “He courted you?”

  “Yes.” Nuance blushed a little. “He called me and sent flowers. I couldn't stop him from doing that.”

  I thought.

  “Why?”

  “He did all this unexpectedly. I didn't have time to prepare myself for a refusal.”

  I thought that one courtship ritual is enough for a modern woman.

  The main thing is that everything goes in the right order and all formalities are observed.

  A trifle, it seems.

  “And then he invited me to a very expensive restaurant.”

  “Apparently, he had to pay well.”

  “Yes.” Nuance looked at me point-blank. “He paid in full. During dinner, he continued to be very polite. He joked a lot. True, his jokes were some kind of...” Nuance was doubtful.

  “The jokes were not funny?”

  “The jokes were funny, as far as I understand, but the man did not know how to be funny. I did not find it funny,” said Nuance.

  “But you still laughed.”

  “Of course.”

  “Saying goodbye to you, he kissed you passionately.”

  “You wait. You interrupt me all the time. Even now, I am not in the mood for laughing. I am afraid to seem stupid or overly impressionable to you. I did not dislike him, but I was not going to let him do anything unnecessary.”

  “I understand.”

  She looked at me with gratitude.

  “We started talking about various trifles near my house, he showered me with his strange jokes again, he probably considered himself a witty conversationalist, then suddenly he hugged me, his face breathed such passion that I felt awkward. Then he suddenly fell back and froze.” Nuance fell silent.

  I was silent too.

  “He was motionless. No pulse, no breathing, nothing. It was terrible.”

  I said absentmindedly:

  “A weak organism. The man is only apparently healthy.”

  “No. It's different. He froze. I can't explain it. The capital's doctor Patient didn't determine anything. The body was like frozen jam with the aroma of strawberries.”

  “He was sweetly petrified by love.”

  “You always joke.”

  “Yes.” I looked at her. “He was joking too.”

  I sat up abruptly.

  “Okay, you lie down. Do you have a virtuoso Drama living on your coast?”

  “Yes.”

  “I like his allegories. What happened to him? Previously, talent admirers even on television could see him.”

  “Now talent admirers can see him in all bars,” I said.

  “Does he drink?”

  “Slander. This concept does not apply to him. By the way, he is looking for a beautiful secretary,” I said.

  “An interesting prospect. If you become famous, will you take me?”

  “Of course,” I said.

  “But you will never be famous.”

  “Why?”

  “It doesn't matter...” said Nuance.

  “No, you tell me.”

  “Why do you need to know?”

  “I'm curious,” I said.

  “I don't know. You don't need a lie.”

  “A lie... okay.”

  Nuance thought for a moment and asked:

  “What does your friend do?”

  “What friend?” I pretended to be surprised. I knew she would ask. Everyone asks sooner or later.

  “Vitamin...”

  “That's interesting...” I drawled. “Vitamin exists perfectly.”

  “I think he's very bright.”

  “Of course,” I said.

  “He's a realist. Vitamin is very smart.”

  “He's the epitome of intelligence.”

  “But he's very lonely.” Nuance didn't catch the irony.

  It's nice to have such an appearance, I thought.

  “Let's listen to some music?” said Nuance.

  She touched the keys with her fingers, and soft music began to play. I listened, and every sound slowly dissolved in my soul, like ice in a glass.

  “I don't want to sleep at all,” said Nuance. Her face was very calm. I never knew what she thought about at such moments. I just felt very good with Nuance.

  I met the gaze of her mysterious eyes, reached out and kissed her warm, half-open lips. Her head fell back. Nuance pressed herself weakly against me during the kiss.

  It was her element.

  It was the middle of the night. We lay awake. The music played softly, as if it wasn't there.

  “Are you leaving in the morning?” asked Nuance.

  “Yes.”

  “You stay.”

  I thought about it.

  “I don't even know.”

  “You'll sleep well.”

  “Will you come to my place?” I asked.

  “That would be nice,” said Nuance.

  “What's the matter?”

  “I'm expecting guests.”

  I didn't say anything.

  “I want to become a TV presenter for the capital's mayor, Thirst. And what do you do?” asked Nuance.

  “Basically, nothing.”

  “And in the evening we'll go somewhere.” Nuance sat in a cozy pose, moving a pillow closer. “You'll come meet me.”

  I was at Nuance's work. The studio was a mess.

  But the photo will show soft, even colors. The model, despite her famous name, disappointed me. She looked bad, her lips were sadly downcast.

  Even when the makeup artists finished their work, she looked like just a beautiful woman, of which there are many in our time.

  But the moment of shooting came, the light flashed, the eyes directed at the lens sparkled, the face magically changed, the lips parted invitingly.

  It lasted for a moment, the trepidation gave way to an ordinary expression.

  Everything appeared at the most necessary moment.

  Power, accuracy and inspiration appear at the festival.

  This effect causes the influence of another life.

  Strange, vague thoughts wandered in my head.

  Only the influence of another life, other living beings, can cause this.

  While there is another life, there is this fire, there is no life, the fire disappears.

  At first glance, it is an illusion, but it is the real thing.

  The room was warm, and we were about to fall asleep, but we could not fall asleep right away.

  We lay there, sometimes quietly talking, then the phone rang.

  I shuddered a little, not expecting it at all, and Nuance opened her eyes.

  “Who is it?” I asked.

  “I don't know.” She paused, looking at me, and picked up the phone. “Hello. Yes... good.” She looked at me in surprise. “Someone is looking for you,” she said.

  “Who?” I was in no hurry. I was sure that no one knew where I was, and I picked up the phone. There was silence. Not a single sound. Someone was waiting for me to speak.

  “I'm listening,” I said carefully.

  “Do you recognize me?” said a voice that no one could confuse with any other. The voice was powerful, like an eruption. “It's me, Masterpiece. You listen to me carefully.”

  “Where are you, Masterpiece?”

  “Don't interrupt me. It's good that I found you.”

  “How did you...”

  “I told you, don't interrupt. I don't have much time. You come to Boulevard Bankrupt urgently. Can you hear me?”

  I was silent. Nuance looked at me attentively, then turned away.

  “Did you understand me?” a voice barked. “That's it.”

  “Yes, I understood everything,” I said, but the connection was already broken.

  “Are you leaving?” Nuance asked.

  “Yes, I need to go. It's... urgent.”

  “Okay,” she smiled weakly. If she was upset, she didn't show it. “You said you weren't doing anything.”

  I smiled crookedly too.

  “What a farce...”

  Nuance went to the window, looking out onto the street.

  I reached the boulevard, where monumental figures of cripples towered.

  Someone, looking around, quickly headed towards me.