The days passed by, calm and peaceful. There were some little adventures, too - for example the time when Pete fell to the cold water of the lake and Maija had to pull him back into the boat. Or when at the first rain it was discovered that there are still some leaks in the hut"s roof after all. When Sandra discovered that her bed was completely wet, she was extremely annoyed.
"I could just as well sleep outside, I wouldn"t feel much difference - dad and the boys can never fix anything, the only one whom I trust here is Pete."
The day after Pete fixed the leak in the roof and Sandra"s bedcovers were replaced, they rescued a neighbour from the other side of the lake who nearly drowned in the deep water.
Maija learned to swim and spent the entire days outside. Sandra"s parents made sure she ate a lot and got enough sleep. A healthy glow appeared in her eyes and she even gained some weight - her old bathing suit was a bit tight now.
Somehow, the days passed by soon and it was the rainy morning of the seventeenth of July - Maija"s fifteen"s birthday. When she woke up, she didn"t remember it at all - until she stepped into the kitchen and saw the huge birthday cake that Sandra"s mom baked for her.
"Oh, how lovely," - she said, surprised, - "you shouldn"t have - I mean, it"s nothing too special, I never used to celebrate."
"No objection," - Sandra"s mom smiled, - "it"s your birthday - and your father is supposed to come any minute, so let"s wait for him. He called yesterday but asked me not to tell you anything until today - apparently, he has a surprise for you, dear."
Vlad arrived ten minutes later. He squeezed Maija in his arms so tight, that she could hardly breathe - like always. She laughed.
"How I missed you, my little girl," - he said, - "How pretty you became. Nothing is better for one"s health than a simple relaxing vacation in the nature. I"m so glad I"m here to celebrate your birthday with you. How about opening your presents?"
Maija got a new dress from her dad ("looks good on you, Mai, not quite as loose as I was afraid it would"), a pop-music record from Sandra ("bought it in the city a month ago"), and a hand-knitted sweater from Sandra"s mom ("I wish I knew about your birthday beforehand, dear").
After they ate the cake, Vlad said, with a mysterious smile:
"Dear, I have a surprise for you."
"What is it, papa?" - she asked, her eyes sparkling. She looked very pretty in her new dress, her long hair covering her back with dark, silky waves.
"I"m taking you to the South tomorrow," - he said proudly, looking at her face to see the effect that his words have made.
"A visit to aunt Johanna?" - asked Maija with a naughty smile.
"No, dear, not at all," - Vlad assured her, - "I booked a hotel room on a small tropical island. I think you"re going to love it, dear. I hope you don"t mind that I planned everything without consulting you - I just wanted this to be a surprise."
"No, papa, of course not," - she smiled, - "I"m so glad you found some time between work and writing your book. I"m sure it"s going to be a lovely holiday; it has been a while since we spent some time together. And I"m going to miss you all," - she looked at her friends, - "see you at the end of summer - right?"
"We"re going to miss you too, Mai,"
"See you at the end of summer,"
"Don"t forget to send us postcards,"
In half an hour five people were sitting in Vlad"s car - Vlad, Maija, Sandra who wanted to spend some more hours with her friend, Will who was unseparatable from his girlfriend, and Pete who realized in the last minute that he has a couple of things to do in the city.
Maija was sitting with Sandra and Will at the back seat; Pete was sitting next to Vlad at the front of the car.
"That"s lucky," - told Pete, - I nearly forgot that I have to talk with the club"s manager about my next working season. I"ve got some really good ideas to discuss with him, might bring us lots of income next year."
"He only wanted to be with you," - Sandra hissed at Maija with a vicious grin. Maija pushed her elbow into Sandra"s ribs. - "ouch! Can"t I tell the truth here at all?"
"Stop teasing me, please," - asked Maija, - "really, I"ve had enough trouble with Tommy, and with - with - "
"Come on, say it. With the potato-head that actually believed something that came out of Helena"s mouth."
When they said goodbye at the airport, Pete took Maija"s hand in his and said:
"See you at the end of summer, little sad girl. I hope to see you a bit happier when you"re back."
"Thank you," - Maija replied, - "no need to pity me."
The beauty and colorfulness of the tropical island made a strong contrast with the green and grey colors of the northern forest. Their hotel, which was located right on the shore, was luxurious. For hours, Maija could walk at the shore, letting the warm waves of the ocean lick her feet, collecting shells and polished stones. The bright-colored birds that dived in and out of the green jungle that which began right behind the hotel, looked like huge exotic flowers. Vlad had something to say about every species that was included in his book.
About every couple of days, Vlad made mysterious phone calls to the North. He would say "I have to call the editor", or "my colleagues at the institute". Every day, he wrote a postcard.
The distance made Maija"s heart ease up. Sometimes it seemed to her that Martin was nothing but a dream - a dream full of grey rain, a sad fairy tale that could never come true. Sometimes she sighed and smiled gloomily, feeling resentment towards him. Sometimes she almost saw him in front of her - young and handsome, with his warm eyes and his kind face, sitting on the stone by the roots of his oak tree in the park or looking out of his living room"s window. He seemed so alive that she almost heard his footsteps behind her. And then she thought about what a great time he must be having right now and a wicked feeling took over her heart again.
"He"ll never see me crying," - she decided, - "he"ll never know."
She started playing tennis and bought herself lots of new dresses. Like a warrior for a battle, she prepared for going back to the North.