But everything has an end.
He climbed up on the porch and entered the apartment. He took off the hood of his coat and sighed with relief, enjoying the warmth and serenity reigning here.
He saw Vera Grach, and smiled. Nina Lapina was pottering about in the kitchen.
«Dinner is almost ready!» she exclaimed. «Wash your hands.»
«What weather!» Ruslan shook snow off his coat. «I thought I’d become a snow man.»
Vera looked through the window. «My God!» She gasped. «My car didn’t start,» she explained to Ruslan. «So I walked. After school I passed the house and came in here, hoping the weather will ease and I could go home. But I see now I was wrong.»
«Don’t worry.» Nina smiled. «Vlad will be home any second, he’ll drive you.» She checked the refrigerator and became upset. «Sour cream. We’re out of sour cream. How can we eat borsch without sour cream?»
«I’m so hungry.» Ruslan made a puppy face. «I just need some hot food to warm me up.»
«Vlad!» Nina saw her husband enter the apartment. «Don’t take your clothes off. Let’s go, we need sour cream.»
Vlad looked at Nina and sighed. He almost never refused anything she asked, but now he was very tired. He got the first driver’s license in his life less than a month ago, and driving in such weather scared him. However, he did not want to show this to his wife. So he only said, «I’m waiting in the car.» And he went outside.
«Wait!» Nina grabbed her coat. «Guys, we’ll be right back. Vera, dear, could you give Ruslan his dinner, please? Larisa is in her room, please tell that dawdler to start preparing for bed.»
«Go, go.» Vera waved to her. «I’ll do everything, don’t worry.»
Nina left and got into the car, sitting on the front seat.
«Put on your seat belt,» Vlad told her with a gloomy face.
«Come on.» Nina looked outside. «In such weather nobody will notice if I’m buckled up or not.»
«I won’t go anywhere if you don’t do it.»
«Oh.» Nina fastened her seat belt. She knew Vlad very well, and if he said so, he would do so. «Are you happy now?»
Glum, he did not reply, and drove away.
Nina looked at her husband with concern. «Why are you so angry?»
He muttered something, but she did not understand.
«Some trouble at work?»
«Honey, I’m trying to drive,» he said nervously, and only now Nina realized the seriousness of the situation, so she fell silent and looked outside.
The snow was sticking on the front window, and the wipers were almost useless. The car barely had contact with the slippery road, and Nina got scared too, and understood the feelings of her husband.