«— You understand that I don’t need you hanging around here, right?» Maxim said to his wife. «So, I can suggest you move to the village.»
«What village, Maxim? What are you talking about?»
Tamara no longer cared. She had been betrayed by the person closest to her. They had started their work from scratch together. Tamara sold her apartment, and Maxim sold a room in a communal flat to start their business. They moved from one rented place to another, saving on everything. Thanks to Tamara’s sharp mind, they managed to get on their feet.
And then Maxim started feeling like a king. Tamara never expected such betrayal from her husband, which is why she didn’t notice how he gradually transferred everything into his name. So cleverly that if they divorced, Tamara would be left with nothing. And once everything was set, he filed for divorce.
«Maxim, do you really think you’re acting decently right now?» she asked.
He sneered.
«Don’t start. You haven’t been contributing for a long time. I handle everything on my own while you just sit around.»
«You were the one who said you could handle it without me, that I should rest and take time for myself.»
«Ugh, I’m tired of these pointless conversations. Anyway, there’s this house or farm—something my former boss left me as an inheritance. Remember Ivanovich? He remembered how I used to help him. Well, he passed away and left me this nonsense. It’s perfect for you. If you don’t like it, you’ll end up with nothing.»
Tamara smirked bitterly. She no longer doubted that her husband would do just that. It felt like she had lived with a stranger for 12 years.
«Fine, but I have one condition: you officially transfer the farm to me.»
«Sure, not a problem. Fewer taxes for me.»
Tamara didn’t say another word. She packed her things and left for a hotel. She decided to start over. It didn’t matter what awaited her—a ruin or an empty piece of land. She would see it, assess it, and if it wasn’t worth it, she’d return to the city, start from scratch, here or somewhere else.
Tamara looked at the car, satisfied. It couldn’t possibly hold any more—it was packed to the brim. Everything else would stay with Maxim and his mistress…
If Maxim was counting on her intelligence and help, he would be sorely disappointed. The girl clearly wasn’t the brightest, but her arrogance could fill a bucket. Tamara had seen her a couple of times. If she wasn’t mistaken, the girl had been Maxim’s secretary.
Maxim handed her the papers, and Tamara calmly took them.
«Good luck to you,» she said.
Her husband burst out laughing.
«And to you. Send me a photo with the cows.»
Tamara got into the car but didn’t reply. She simply shut the door and drove off. Only when she was out of the city did she stop and let the tears flow. She didn’t know how long she cried. She only snapped out of it when someone gently tapped on her window.
«Dear, are you alright? My husband and I are at the bus stop, and you’ve been crying and crying. You can’t do that.»
Tamara looked at the elderly woman with gray hair, not understanding where she had come from. Then she saw the bus stop in the rearview mirror and smiled.
«I’m fine, just overwhelmed,» she said.
She got out of the car. The old woman started talking again:
«We were visiting a neighbor. She’s in the district hospital here, all alone—no one to visit her. Now we’re heading back home. Maybe we’re going the same way? We’re going to Mikhalki.»
Tamara raised her eyebrows.
“— Is this the Mikhalki where the farm is?”
“— The very one. Only now, the farm is just a name. The previous owner passed away, and for some reason, no new one has come along. But people keep working out of habit, and also because they feel sorry for the animals.”
Tamara smiled.
“— You won’t believe it, but I’m heading to that very village. Let me make some room, and I’ll fit you in.”
The grandmother sat next to her, while the grandfather was settled in the back seat. He chuckled.
“— Oh, I already feel like a box or a bag.”
After driving a little, the grandmother turned to Tamara.
“— And what’s your name, dear?”
“— Tamara.”
“— A lovely name, very kind. I’m Valentina Yegorovna, and my husband is Mikhail Stepanovich.”
“— Nice to meet you.”
“— The pleasure is ours. Most wouldn’t even offer; we’d still be shaking around on the bus. Are you here on business, or what? I don’t recall seeing you before.”
Tamara looked at the grandmother cheerfully.
“— I’m the new owner of the farm. It happened by chance; I don’t know anything about it. Maybe you can tell me what’s going on there and what you know about it?”
By the time they arrived, Tamara had learned a lot: who was stealing from the farm where almost nothing was left, and who truly cared about it.
In the past, the farm supplied milk to many stores, but now there was no one left, and only about twenty cows remained.
“— How many?” Tamara’s eyes widened in shock. She had thought there were only three or four.
“— There used to be more; they sold most of them off. Ivanovich also used to plant the fields, and the cows were well-fed. People earned good money back then. So, Tamara, what are you planning to do? Sell it or maybe try to revive it?”
“— I’ll decide when I get there. By the way, there’s a house mentioned in my papers. Can you show me where it is?”
“— Of course, you’ll recognize it yourself. It’s the only modern one we have.”
Tamara sighed with relief. At least she’d have a place to live. She had been afraid it might be some kind of shack.
A year passed. Tamara walked around the farm, and her eighty cows looked at her gratefully.
Tamara was proud of herself. At the very beginning, when she first arrived, she had wanted to close her eyes and run away: there was no feed, and the fields were barren. But Tamara wasn’t one to faint at the sight of challenges.
Yes, she had to hustle, to fight. Every bit of money she had went to buy feed. She sold all her jewelry and invested it in the farm. And today, she could proudly say she had succeeded.
Sales were picking up; calls were coming in from neighboring regions. People wanted their products, even things they hadn’t started making yet. For example, the cheese production facility was still under construction.
Tamara was now considering buying a couple of refrigerated trucks to deliver products year-round. New ones were too expensive for her, but she could look at used ones.
“— Tamara Igorevna! Tamara Igorevna!” A young girl named Sveta was running toward her.
Sveta came from a large family. Her parents were heavy drinkers, and she had dreamed of living independently. But with no job and no means to move to the city, she had been on the verge of hitting rock bottom herself. Now she was unrecognizable: well-dressed, her eyes shining, and she would occasionally send bags of groceries to her parents.
“— What happened?” Tamara asked.
“— I found it!”
“— Found what, Sveta?”
The girl was great—polite and resourceful—but overly emotional.
“— Look at this ad.” Sveta handed her a newspaper, where an ad for the sale of two refrigerated trucks was circled. The price was appealing because the sale was urgent.
Tamara studied the text carefully. It was clear she would need to bring in an expert to inspect the vehicles, but the price was indeed temptingly low.
Suddenly, she froze, the newspaper still in her hands. The phone number in the ad belonged to her ex-husband’s office. Tamara smirked. It seemed like his affairs weren’t going so well. Or maybe the opposite—perhaps he was expanding and upgrading to larger vehicles.
“— Call them, Sveta. Make arrangements. Tell them we’ll add 5% if they don’t show the vehicles to anyone else before us. I’ll find someone to inspect them.”
Tamara had money in her account, needed the trucks, and wasn’t at all worried about meeting her ex-husband—it was strictly business. She glanced at herself in the mirror. Not bad at all—life in the village had made her fitter, tanned, and generally healthier and stronger.
Half an hour later, the person she had been recommended as the best mechanic arrived. Ivan looked at her so intently that Tamara felt embarrassed.
“— Is something wrong? You’re staring at me…”
“— Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting this. You know, farms usually bring to mind… village women in scarves and rubber boots.”
“— I’ve got a scarf and boots for work,” Tamara replied matter-of-factly. “But I’m heading to the city; why would I need them there?”
On the way, Ivan mentioned that he owned two small auto repair shops. He had lost his wife five years ago, mentioning it briefly, and Tamara didn’t press the subject. Otherwise, he was an excellent conversationalist, and she almost forgot why she was heading to the city.
“— Ivan, slow down near that office,” she asked.
“— Here we are. What’s up with you?”
“— I used to work here. I’m about to buy a truck from my husband. My ex-husband. He didn’t need me anymore, just like the farm he happened to inherit. So, he got rid of both me and the farm in one go.”
“— No way. I don’t believe it. What kind of sane person would willingly let someone like you go, let alone get rid of you? Let’s go. I want to see this idiot for myself.” Ivan paused briefly, then smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you. I won’t let him swindle you again.”
Tamara was genuinely grateful to him. Even though time had passed, she still felt uneasy.
“— Maxie, where are your buyers?” Alla asked.
Maxim sighed heavily. Lately, sighing seemed to be all he did. Four deals that Alla had prepared had fallen through spectacularly. She always had one excuse: “It’s not my fault they’re idiots.”
Money was catastrophically tight, especially considering how quickly Alla spent it. The trucks weren’t the first thing Maxim had been forced to sell. Now, he didn’t even have enough to pay his remaining staff.
“— Maxie, I stopped by my friend who works at a travel agency today. She has some amazing last-minute deals. I asked her to hold one until evening.”
“— Why?”
“— What do you mean why? We haven’t gone anywhere in three months. It’s embarrassing in front of my friends.”
Maxim felt like he was about to explode.
“— Alla, can’t you see the state of the company? And largely because of you.”
“— Oh, stop it. It’s just bad luck. Don’t start saying your ex never made mistakes.”
“— When Tamara handled a deal, it was always one hundred percent profitable.”
“— So why did you leave her for me?” Alla retorted.
Maxim wanted to say he had regretted it a hundred times, but he didn’t get the chance—a knock came at the door.
“— Mr. Maxim Nikolayevich, your visitors are here.”
Maxim jumped up and froze. Into the office walked Tamara, his ex-wife. If he’d met her on the street, he might not have even recognized her. She was accompanied by a tall, imposing man who looked like her personal bodyguard.
“— Hello. We’d like to look at the vehicles.”
Maxim realized that Tamara was the buyer he had been waiting for.
“— Of course. Let’s go to the lot.”
Alla sighed loudly but followed, even though she clearly didn’t want to. In the elevator, Maxim couldn’t resist.
“— Tamara, why do you need these trucks?”
She smiled.
“— For work, you know. The farm you threw me out to turned out to be quite an interesting venture. And quite profitable. We’re expanding now, with orders coming from far away, but our products can’t handle heat.”
Maxim’s jaw dropped. They exited the elevator before he could close his mouth.
“— Well… here are the trucks.”
The man with Tamara rolled up his sleeves and opened a toolkit.
“— What’s this?” Maxim asked.
“— Tools. I need to inspect what you’re selling.”
Maxim grew nervous. One of the trucks had a serious issue that was bound to surface soon. The mechanic had assured him it wouldn’t be noticeable right away, so he hoped to get away with it.
Half an hour later, Ivan packed up his tools.
“— This truck can be bought. It’ll need some repairs, but nothing critical. But I wouldn’t recommend the other one, Ms. Tamara. The suspension is about to give out; it won’t last much longer.”
Maxim turned red, and Alla immediately jumped in.
“— What nonsense are you talking about? The trucks are in great condition. Nothing will give out. If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t make accusations.”
Ivan smirked.
“— Will you provide a written guarantee that if the engine doesn’t last a thousand kilometers, you’ll refund the full cost?”
Alla was about to agree, but Maxim shouted:
“— Just stop, please.”
Alla glared at him angrily, and Maxim nodded.
“— You’re probably right. Would you take them for less? What will you offer?”
The vehicles were bought at a great discount. Tamara and Ivan left long ago. Alla, after yelling at Maxim and calling him a loser, stormed off too. Maxim sat in his office, drinking brandy.
What had he achieved? He had a young, beautiful wife who bored him to death. And his ex? He couldn’t get her back…
Judging by the looks that man gave her, her personal life seemed just fine too. Maxim hurled his brandy glass at the wall, dropped his head into his hands, and fell asleep.
Tamara and Ivan never parted ways after that, and within a month, a lively village wedding was held at the farm. A year later, they celebrated the christening of little Sonya.
