ïåðåâîä: http://www.proza.ru/2014/01/03/1453
Chapter 1
A young girl sure in herself, without any diffidence and with a presence of liberty, that influenced her nature walked past a man of solid build with a very good figure. She was walking behind his back and coming nearer she touched his elbow. But he was talking with somebody and didn’t notice her touch. The girl was exasperated a little. She was used to admiration from everybody and always took whatever she liked from the life and she was unnoticed!
- Oh, fellow, take me to the restaurant, - she said without any shyness, though she realized that her behavior was vulgar but she wanted to do so. She was playing.
- You’ll be my boy-friend today. The man looked back with a surprise. His weather beaten face and narrow eyes didn’t look like handsome.
- And what’s then? – He asked taking out her from that condition of a just stop.
- Nothing! – She stepped back.
- Sorry, - he said to his friend.
- Come on, - he said to the girl and pointed to the “Mercedes” of the silver color.
- I will not go with you anywhere! – She answered, trying to be haughty and thinking that she was worth the best. But her legs were shivering and she couldn’t move. Something stopped him from simple flirting. He stretched his hand. She stepped aside as if she was afraid of his touch.
- Don’t touch me, - her voice was trembling. He almost felt the reason of the change in her behavior, but couldn’t understand up to the end. His blue eyes pierced her. The color of his eyes was rather strange for a man of steppe. But at that moment she didn’t think about it. The beauty wanted to run from him as from the fire, her former self confidence disappeared, there was nothing of it. At last she ran away so fast, like a frightened deer.
- I’ll find you – cried the man to her back.
Chapter 2
The summer passed, the autumn was long and dull, and it came to an end at last, a frosty, windy winter came.
One day when the weather was cold and windy the girl met the man, who impressed her so much once more. She just came across him in the street.
- Hallo, - he said, - we have met again. The beauty felt low again in his presence and turned back without any word. But he wasn’t going to let her go away.
- Where are you going? - He caught her hand, - What about a restaurant?
- Let me go! – The girl was nearly crying because of her helplessness.
- Oh no. Now you will not go away from me. You touched me and I don’t sleep at nights thinking about you. – His voice sounded sharply, he was angry.
She tore herself away. The wind covered her eyelashes with snow, and when she was running across the street with almost closed eyes she was nearly run over by a car, because she didn’t see anything around her. There was a police station on the opposite side of the street, looking for a safety she ran inside.
- That man is chasing me! – She cried coming to the post and looking with fear around.
All the present men looked at the door a stately self-confident man was entering the door, he has a brown coat on.
- Oh dear, let’s go home, - his voice was calm and soft. Everybody looked at the girl.
What’s the matter? Who are you? – asked the man on duty addressing to both of them.
- She is my wife, - answered the man, whom she knew very little, - don’t pay attention to her; she has such attacks from time to time when we have quarrels. I am very sorry, let’s go. His eyes were tricky and cheeky.
- I will never go with him. He isn’t my husband! – She cried.
- Oh stop it! Dear don’t divert the man from their difficult work, - he said with reproach and some irony in his voice. – I’ll wait for you in the street.
And he went away. The girl looked at them with surprise.
-All lovers under the sun quarrel just for fun, -somebody’s phase sounded rather trivially.
- You are fools! – She cried angrily for spite.
Then she had been sitting for a little time at the small table looking through the news-papers. And nobody paid any attention at her. Then she went out carefully, there wasn’t that man hereabouts. There were only his steps covered with snow.
Chapter 3
A cold winter was over and spring ran away with its bright colors, it was a middle of summer. The girl didn’t meet the stranger any more. But his narrow keen glance didn’t leave her. It seemed that it penetrated into her soul and turned it upside down. She wasn’t the same as she used to be, she had lost interest to another young men and even to herself. All her thoughts were about him. Only he was before her eyes that man of steppe. His appearance seemed still unhandsome from her point of view, but he became very dear.
And though she felt alert sometimes he attracted her more and more and didn’t leave her.
The man couldn’t forget her too and began to look for her. He learned where she lived. One day he came to see her. When she saw him she had two feelings joy and fear. She ran away with confusion. He began to come very often, but she avoided those meetings as she was afraid of her new feelings. His patience and persistence surprised her. She was pleased by such attention. But her sense refused to adopt his steppe image. Really he wasn’t born among steppe nomads, but during long time that he had been living among them, wandering through space opened to the wind his eyes changed its form and became narrow. It was a defense from the presence of sand in the air. In spite of that their feelings became stronger and stronger. It was a real love. At some moment girl’s emotions became so unbearable that when she heard his voice behind the door she could hardly take herself in hands. She ran down stairs following him. She thought that his expectation came to an end. She didn’t know where she could find him. She ran to the yard and then to the street. He wasn’t seen anywhere. She was very upset when she came back. Suddenly she noticed him in the tree. He helped boys to get a kite that became tangled among the branches of the tree. A free kite flew into the sky taken by wind. The man came down. He and the boys were watching the flight of that plain piece of paper made by children and painted in all the colors. His eyes were wide open and there were joy and admiration in them.
- He is beautiful!
The girl came nearer and the man looked back. His eyes became narrow, but they were shining with tenderness and kindness.
- He is the man of my dream, - she thought and smiled.
I am materializing you.