Chapter 3 — Chapter 3
"Here are the keys, take them right away," Victor said to me as we finally settled into his large car, which impressed with its newness and costliness.
"Do I really not have to pay anything?" I repeated my question, well aware of the car's value and worried that his services might be too expensive for us.
"Definitely not. Don't worry," he said firmly, giving me an encouraging smile in the rearview mirror.
"I think I forgot my medication," I suddenly realized, turning pale.
"I got them, everything's fine!" my son responded, handing me a bag.
I took out the last Validol and slipped it under my tongue, leaning back in my seat. "My nerves are shot..." I thought to myself tiredly.
Our trip to Tula took about three hours, after which we grabbed a bite at a cafe and hit the road again, bypassing the city and heading towards the village. When we arrived there another two hours later, we were held up at the entrance because there was a checkpoint.
"Good day, Viktor Stepanovich! Who are you bringing?" two burly security guards inquired, peering into the open car windows.
"Hello! It's Peter's granddaughter, here to claim her inheritance," the lawyer explained briefly.
They looked us over with interest, then opened the barrier and let us through. The houses outside the window flashed by quickly, and as I looked at them, I clearly understood that the residents here were not struggling. Very soon, we left the village and, after driving a bit further, stopped near a high iron fence.
"We're here," our driver said, opening the doors and helping me out of the car. I held the cat in my arms because I was very afraid he might run off. However, he sat calmly in my lap, and throughout the journey, he stayed on the front seat, either watching the road or sleeping.
Walking ahead, Victor opened the gate with a key from the bunch, letting us into the yard.
The house turned out to be built from expensive materials and faced with stone, and although the windows were not plastic, they looked very beautiful, being large with a semicircular top. My eyes were immediately drawn to the large veranda, the red tile roof, and the covered balcony with glass doors. In front of the house, there was a tiled area, and to the side, a large garage was visible. Walking slowly around the plot, I peeked onto the veranda and into the overgrown garden, where I saw flower beds, a greenhouse, a sauna, and a shed enclosed by an additional fence.
"Do you have a driver's license?" the man asked me, smiling as he looked at our astonished faces.
"Yes. I had a car, but I sold it because I couldn't afford the repairs. Plus, my son needed a good laptop, and that covered it," I replied, not quite understanding where he was going with this.
"Then there's a gift from Peter for you..." Victor said, opening the garage doors, at which my son and I froze in amazement, seeing a huge SUV inside.
"Mom, do you know what this is? A Toyota Land Cruiser 200! Do you know how much it costs? Millions! Grandpa lived pretty well," Stas managed to say, approaching the car.
"Good Lord, the insurance on this must cost as much as this entire house... What am I going to do with a car like this?" I muttered quietly, watching in shock as my son opened the car doors and climbed inside.
"The insurance and warranty service have been purchased for ten years, so even oil changes will be free," the lawyer explained, looking as pleased as if he had given us the monster himself.
"What's the catch?" I asked, looking at the man.
"Everything is completely clean. You can return it to the dealership and buy something cheaper," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"Mom, please don't sell it!" Stas shouted from the driver's seat, his face beaming with joy.
"Later, we'll deal with it later. I'm tired, can we go inside now?" I said, still holding the cat, who was pulling me down with six kilos of pure charm.
"Yes, of course," Victor nodded and walked to the veranda to open it, then the inner door, which was wooden and carved like a piece of art. My son followed us, looking around and still smiling happily.
"Well, Baggy? Let's go, it's customary for the cat to enter a new house first," I said to my pet and let him go; he shook himself off and walked forward with dignity, as if he had always lived there. After sniffing the air in the hallway, he went into the kitchen and jumped onto a chair by the table, then meowed loudly.
"No surprise there. Food first," I laughed, exchanging glances with my son.
"Mom, stay here. I'll bring everything in," he offered, rushing out of the house.
"It's so clean..." I said quietly, looking around and marveling at the order in the house.
"Before coming to get you, I hired a cleaning company and also set up television, internet, and checked all the utilities," my lawyer boasted.
"Did you know we were coming?"
"I hoped so. I need some documents. Tomorrow I'll bring the permission slip for you to sign and everything else that's required."
"Here's the folder. Take what you need. And here's the passport," I said, placing the documents I had been carrying on the table. As soon as my son brought everything else in, we fed the cat first, then set up a litter box for him in the bathroom.
"I'll bring it tomorrow morning. I'll call you first to see what groceries you need so you won't have to go out yet," Victor said.
"I brought everything, so I'm going to check out my room!" Stas warned me, dashing off with the cat.
Tired, I sat down on a chair and looked at the man.
"Rest. If you need anything, call me even at night, though it's generally quiet here and the people are decent," he said, understanding my state.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
"You're welcome!" He smiled and headed to the door, and I walked him out and closed the gate.
After unpacking the groceries, I turned on the spacious refrigerator and put the kettle on the stove, then looked around more closely. The large kitchen looked cozy, packed with modern appliances, though clearly unused, as some were still in their packaging. Opening the cabinet doors, I found no food, but instead, I saw beautiful tin cans with labels on them.
"Calming tea, heart tea, energizing tea, cold tea... What a stock!" I exclaimed in amazement as I read some of the labels, deciding to brew a soothing infusion for my son and me. Lifting the last jar, I found a letter beneath it, sealed but addressed to me.
"Hello again, Anechka. The tea is herbal blends that I gathered myself. Drink it without fear. One teaspoon per glass of water. There's an instruction in each jar on how and how much to drink. Thanks for coming!" the note read.
After brewing the chosen tea, I made sandwiches and went to unpack the rest of our belongings, or else everything might get terribly wrinkled. Peeking through the open door of one of the rooms, I saw Stas, who had already unpacked our bags and was sitting at his laptop.
"Honey, want some tea with sandwiches?" I called out to him.
"Yes, Mom. Let me just set up the internet, and then I'll make some for you," he replied, petting the cat that was sitting on the table and intently watching the images flashing on the screen.
Nodding in response, I continued down the hallway and randomly opened one of the doors. "Ah, this is the living room," I determined to myself, glancing over the sofa, chairs, and the large wall unit opposite, filled with books, dishes, and a big TV.
Next, I found a study that surprised me with its antique atmosphere and delighted me with a leather chair, a solid wood desk, and shelves full of books. "The next one must be the bedroom," I thought as I returned to the hallway and walked further, stepping into a new room. A large bed greeted me, along with a huge wardrobe and two nightstands. All the furniture was dark burgundy, but a soft coffee-colored carpet and matching curtains lightened the overall palette. Approaching the window, I opened it wide, wanting to air out the room and blissfully inhaling the scent of the forest with its blooming herbs. "Summer is already in full swing," a fleeting thought crossed my mind as I surveyed my new domain.
Taking his share of the sandwiches, my son returned to his room, while I decided to have my snack in the garden. I walked along the path and, spotting a bench under an apple tree, sat down, savoring the fragrant tea. Suddenly, Baggy dashed in front of me, leaping onto my lap.
"Where did you come from? Did you jump out of the window?" I asked, stroking his back.
It was getting late when I stood up and headed back to the house. I wanted to take a shower and go to bed, as the day had been packed with events.
After showering, I stood in front of the mirror and began examining myself, not fully understanding what exactly displeased my husband about me. I had thick, black hair that reached my waist in a braid, straight eyebrows, and fluffy lashes framing my green eyes, a thin aristocratic nose, and full pink lips. Overall, everything was quite fine, except for the first wrinkle between my eyebrows, a remnant from when I suffered from pain... Running my hands over my ample chest, I sighed quietly, studying my reflection. "Slim waist, wide hips, a firm butt, long legs. What more did he want? What's wrong with me? My age? I don't get it..." I shook my head, thinking to myself, then put on my favorite bear pajamas and climbed into bed. "Morning is wiser than evening," I decided, quickly falling asleep.
