V#1 Bride
Margie Fillin
Editor Oleg Lubske
Photograph Ann Water
© Margie Fillin, 2018
© Ann Water, photos, 2018
ISBN 978-5-4493-4633-9 (т. 1)
ISBN 978-5-4493-4634-6
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
1. Rain, rain…
Rainy St. Petersburg. Photo by Pexels.com
It was a wonderful rainy day in July in St. Petersburg, very nice and mysterious. July is usually the warmest month in the city, and even night-time temperatures are so pleasant.
I looked out of the window from the 16th floor of my apartment to admire the sunset.
Grey clouds as a cover partially shadowed the sun rays, the sun peeped out from behind the clouds. I could see glittering golden spires and domes of some St. Petersburg’s cathedrals.
The bird’s-eye view of the city was so impressive, that in a moment I felt like flying.
One more week ended at work, and I enjoyed so long-expected Friday evening at home.
– Pretty soon the Fridays and weekends will not be long-awaited anymore, as all days will become the days-off for me, – I thought.
This was out of my plans, but such ingenious solution had been already found (and applied) by the higher-ups of the corporation I was with for ages. My bosses came to the decision that everyone should understand and accept wise policy of the company, which in the end was to be the answer to the company’s difficulties, just for the sake of its prosperity. As per our bosses, the reorganization of the company was inevitability, and it could be a brand-new start for the better future.
I took a clear view of the situation but I couldn’t understand if indeed the fact of “termination of the employment contract” and layoff would be good for me.
– Not as I would like it to be, but in that case… – I thought, – … the best thing for me is to remain optimistic. Let the loss of the job will be my own jump into the future, succession of events and new incredible adventures!
I sat down in the soft armchair in front of my favorite pinewood desk in my son’s room. We used to call it “Nursery” and later it was renamed into “Youthful room”. Have you ever heard about the room being named like that? Suddenly the phone rang.
– Hello, – I quickly answered. – Hi Eagle! Where are you now? Ok. Ok. I understand. Well, then till midnight… Sure, we’ll have late dinner together… Of course I’ll be waiting for you… No, I’m not going to go to bed… Yes, right. No jokes. OK. Take care, Slava. Thank you for calling. See you soon, my dear boy, bye-bye!
My son wanted to stay longer with his friends, and I didn’t mind. Of course, I was missing him, but that Friday evening his lateness wasn’t bad for me. I could start job searching without any rush, so I quietly turned on the computer.
But what a drag it is to look for a job in the net! Could one really find anything worthy there? I would and would not, but I had to solve the job problem, and the net is one of the ways to do this. Everything was ready and in place. I’ve brought my favorite silver tray with seedless grape on the plate, vanilla ice-cream in the glass and a tiny porcelain cup of fresh brewed coffee with cinnamon. In a minute or so I saw my playful cat at the door, in few seconds he jumped up on my knees.
– Felix, my sweetie, do you miss me? Would you like to join me and eat some grapes or do you prefer ice-cream?
I couldn’t help but petting my red long-haired beautiful cat.
– Here you are! – I gave him some grapes.
Believe or not, but Felix ate grapes and never refused the ice-cream. So … “Let’s start, Felix”, and I began my online job searching, as I had planned before.
– Ho-ho! Knock-knock! Is anything suitable here? No thanks, not for me. … And this is for adults under thirty.
Hmm. I hate reading that.
– And why do they prefer young males? – I was wondering.
– Wow! Isn’t that something? They train teachers for 6 weeks to work with infants with the special method. This unique technique allows baby understand and speak a foreign language in several months after birth.
It’s interesting, – I kept wondering.
– What else? – I read the next ones out loud.
“Hotel business, one must have at least five years’ experience…”
“Private chemistry teacher…”,
“Bulgarian-speaking waiter…”,
“Shop assistants…”
– And?
“Six-month trial job in the chain of the new opened supermarkets; then the most talented candidates will get a great chance to get manager’s position.”
– Bullshit! And again, males preferred? – I exclaimed loudly.
– What a mess! Part-time jobs, full-time. Translators, interpreters. Assistant Managers, secretaries, and a governess without any intention cheating on the master’s husband.
I had a cup of my delicious coffee and continued to read the job offers.
“Nanny without bad habits for two twin-boys of good stock.” “Expert in drug abuse/addiction. S/he could be a student of Medical school.”
– Some people have all the luck! Why I’m not a young student any longer? Felix, do you have an idea? – And I pet my cat.
“An administrator fluent in German is needed for a three-star hotel.”
“Insurance company invites young enthusiastic people to work in the summer”,
and…
“We are seeking experienced truck and crane drivers.”
– Just for me! This job site is a piece of trash for real!
I couldn’t find anything appropriate to me, and only out of curiosity I read the next job offer:
“Wedding banquet planner and organizer.”
– Not so bad, and certainly it sounds much better and more joyful if compared with a vacant position of a “Burial Service Representative”. But there is no accounting for preferences, right? Hum. What else? Is anything worth to pay attention at?
“If you are a student,” – that definitely doesn’t suit me. “If you are a young energetic person,” – No or yes? Who knows?
My colleagues often call me “Energizer,” moreover, my favorite Dr. Tatarsky always says: “All the people under fifty are considered young.”
Hmm. He is a great doctor, really so! And I have never heard a better thing from any other doctor. It’s an amazing point of view and such a scientific age gradation. But almost all employers look at it otherwise. Maybe, the thing is that it depends on how you look at it?
And again:
“If you are under 35…”
Where is:
“If you are over 40, 50, and 60?”
– No