He heard singing and chirping birds and the usual noises of the campus. Everything harmonized with his spirited mood. Jeff was in love and he knew it, and did not feel sorry that this love was forbidden.
He heard a car fail near him, and Jeff turned to the sound. It was a light blue car. A slender blonde girl with fluffy curly hair got out, opened the hood, and stared at the engine.
Jeff walked to her. «Problems, ma’am?»
«Yes, officer.» She nodded. «My friend asked me to pick up his daughter after the school, and this stupid piece of junk ruined all my plans.»
Accustomed to Russian accents, Jeff guessed who she was, and asked just to be sure. «Do you mean Vlad and Larisa Lapina?»
«Yes.» Marina looked at him in surprise.
«Don’t worry, Vera Grach will pick her up,» said the police officer. «I’ve just talked with her. Nina Lapina asked me, so I did.»
Marina gazed at his jocund smiling face and suddenly understood that there was a stronger reason than just a wish to help.
«Impossible!» she thought, astonished. «I would believe that the Sun goes around the Earth before I’d believe that Nina has something going on with that man. Or it’s Vera? That shy gray mouse? No way! But Nina? Give me a break! Maybe he felt something for her, without her responding? Poor him, then. Nina’s crazy about her hubby. But what if I’m wrong?»
This episode caused Marina to think about her own love, and absurd, pointless hope revived in her heart.
It was the final exam. David, Vlad, Marina, and some other monitors were walking between tables, watching the students working.
Suddenly David noticed a girl was cheating, and he addressed her. "The exam is over for you.»
The girl blushed and tried to make excuses. But Vlad took her papers, and the student got up and quickly went to the exit. Before leaving, she hissed, not looking back, «Anyway better to cheat on an exam than on a spouse.»
Despite that she spoke very quietly, it reached David’s ears. No one else heard it, and the professor pretended he had not noticed. But Marina saw how his face clouded and understood everything, and depressing pity squeezed her heart.
Vlad Lapin involuntarily recalled a similar incident. It had happened in Moscow many years ago, but he still clearly remembered it. It was also a final exam and Vlad was the first to finish it. He had not married Nina yet, but they were engaged, so he lived with her in her room, and helped her to study.
Now she was sitting two desks away from him, and was working hard at the test. Worrying about how she was doing, Lapin decided to wait for Nina, and he pretended to still be working.