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On seeing Nadezhda, he hesitated for a moment, then
gestured to her to get in. She said that she needed to take
along the mushrooms. He did not object. For a while they
drove in silence. He told her that he had not noticed her
there before, observed that she was no longer a spring
chicken, and could she not find something else to do. To
her own surprise, she said she would do anything he
wanted. They drove into the woods. She did what she had
seen in the movies. Allowed him to have his way with her,
even though her moments of enjoyment alternated with
great pain. After he had finished, he said that he could not
afford to pay her more than five lati, because he had not
sold much that day. She had got what she had dreamed
about all her life and she still had five lati to show for it! She
was so touched that she gave him all the mushrooms to
take home to his wife and children. He was happily
surprised and asked her if she needed to be driven
anywhere. She laughingly asked to be taken to where he
had picked her up. On the way back he told her about his
life, about his ailing sister and his farm, where there was so
much work. When she got out of the car, he asked her if
she would be there more often.
“Yes,” – she responded, – “Whenever, I can.”
“What’s your name?” – he also asked.
“Nadezhda, Nadya”– she replied.