Julia Rudenko - I am your woman!

© Julia Rudenko, 2015

© Roman Gyreev, translation, 2015

Created with intellectual publishing system Ridero

One more book about love. One more pretender to become a new «Robsky» or «Dontsova». But we‘ve got plenty of them, haven’t we? Writing ambitiously about everything and nothing at the same time. Young, trying to imitate the «sharks» of the genre… But they don’t differ from each other… This idea occurred to me when I took a manuscript by an author unknown to me with a bold title «I am your woman!». It was obvious the debut woman writer threw down a challenge to men readers. It‘s seen with the naked eye. But what was that challenge? I wondered if she would be able to attract readers’ attention during the whole book.

I read the first part and realized: Yulia is a complicated nature with delicate feelings, who uses grotesque forms of describing man’s character and allegories of justice skillfully. You can find everything in this novel: the Chechen war, Love, «werewolves in epaulets», but the main peculiarity of Yulia Rudenko’s prose is that she made me, sate and «spoilt» with new books, see, feel, read the dramatism of human relations between the lines. This conflict – the collision of different life positions, how to act in extreme situations – is that very challenge.

The main heroine of the novel is endowed by the author with the idea of struggle for her love. She is not a business-lady, about whom they’re writing now, she is not a superstar. Dasha Sviridenko is a young mother, who fell in love by chance, being married. The girl is tormented with doubts if she must preserve their family for the sake of her son. But Life puts everything and everyone on its places. Simple as it may seem…

But… I don’t want to retell the plot. There are a lot of things in it you should think over yourself. I can see a serious background in comic army episodes and in wild outburst of those who got enormous power. And behind this naturalism there is a strong woman writer who can get to the most hard-hearted man reader with her talent. The novel «I am your woman!» is a courageous attempt to change the world that is falling into the precipice rapidly.

For those whom the gods love, unhappiness turn into a blessing.

Moscow recovered from its long sleep. The first sunbeams fell on the Baikal Hotel. It was a September Sunday in 1995, and the weather seemed to be mild that day. Andrey Malcovich lay on his bed in one of the deluxe suites, clasping the pillow with his hands and pressing it down himself, and smacked with his lips in a childish manner. When the sunbeams touched his face he opened his eyes, turned around reluctantly and looked at the digital clock. Six minutes were left till the ringing of his alarm-clock.

It was quiet in the room and outside. Andrey closed his eyes again and made an attempt to return to the magic world of his night visions. «Well, What was your name, you, night enchantress, the girl from my dream?» – he thought. Then Andrey Malcovich remembered he had fallen asleep during the TV-show dedicated to Mata Hari, the beautiful dancer from the early XX century. And his brain gave in to the television wave. This amazing image from the past penetrated into Andrey’s subconsciousness and was still there. The contours of a naked girl were wrapped around with mist. She was standing on top of a rock and stretched her arms to Andrey. He came closer without any word. Coiling around him like a snake, with all her entity, she awakened his desire. The dawn coolness was spilt in the air.

Suddenly there was no air to breathe any more… The thick mist beset him like a ring. Her lips were like fire. Andrey felt as if her heart itself had penetrated under his skin and was beating there. Just a gulp of fresh air he needed now! He tried to release himself. The girl stepped backward and vanished. Andrey was alone. That horrible silence again. And it was before. But now Malcovich felt that silence, he even heard it! The sense that he had lost something forever made his heart shrink and freeze for a while.

He could hardly make a single step forward. And then he felt himself falling down the precipice.

His strong and sunburnt body lay still and stretched on the bed. His Blanket slipped down on the floor. So Andrey woke up. It was high time for him to be off.

Half an hour later, after handing in the keys to a charming receptionist girl, Andrey inserted a plastic card into the door-slot so that to leave the floor. But behind the door he saw two ugly guys. They asked him rudely to insert the card once more and let them in.

Still imagining the young receptionist’s eyes full of innocence, Andrey went straight to the elevator. But all of a sudden the ugly guys blocked his way, and Andrey noticed one of them taking something out of his bosom harshly. «It must be a gun» – he thought. It scared Andrey. But he reacted instantly hitting the first at his jaw and right after that kicking the second’s belly with his right knee.

It was enough to overcome them. They were lying on the floor. Andrey looked under the edge of the first bully’s jacket. Well, he wasn’t mistaken: the bully had a gun on him. So Andrey took the gun, put it into the pocket of his leather jacket and without waiting for the lift coming jumped over the fallen and ran downstairs clutching the rail.

On the ground floor Andrey stopped for a while, breathed away and went up to the exit. Then as if by chance he stopped at the security guard’s desk and made a thoughtful remark:

– The last sunny days we are having! – and, squinting a bit, andrey leaned to the sentinel’s face and whispered:

– On the eighth floor I was attacked by two bastards. Tried to get in. Perhaps, they’re armed.

Before the guard could ask anything Malcovich started to the door. The automatic doors slid apart noiselessly and closed up behind his back.

The sturdy guard hurried to the telephone to call the militia.

Fifteen minutes later four militia officers convoyed those two bandits in handcuffs, and Malcovich, the former navy captain, sitting in his silvery Buick, drove away from the parking lot. He was on the way to a city where he could make a packet of money, the city that was a real gold-mine. Grozny was its name.

– Well, it’s beyond my comprehension! I simply can’t understand it! There shouldn’t be any foolhardy daring of yours in our life. We’ve just married and now you are eager to leave me and commit exploits at the world’s end. Normal people marry, bear children, bring them up…

– That’s it! Bring them up as they were brought up a long time ago. And it is not a good way. If we are always hiding and being afraid of modern life whatever cruel it is just imagine who our children will become! For God’s sake, I’m going to work, not to make exploits as you say! I finished a military school. That’s my profession! You knew quite well who you’d marry.

– But it never occurred to me you would choose Chechnya!

The quarrel in the Garov family seemed to become serious. If Larisa Ivanovna, the young officer’s mother, hadn’t interfered God knows what would have happened.

– Please, Lera, do come down! Sasha* is not a little boy! He’ll just go there and see if it’s so dangerous as they say. Maybe, the devil is not so terrible as he is painted as the proverb says. Besides, he can earn a lot of money as others do. Then you’ll save money to buy a flat. Then a new car. And live happily.

– Larisa Ivanovna, my parents told me they’d begun to build a house for us! We are not so poor that Sasha should go to the world’s end to get money, are we? And risk his life! He can be killed there!

Alex* was offended by his wife’s remark. He felt uneasy that Lera’s* parents were richer than him and occupied high posts. And his mother, a simple accountant, brought him up by herself. He wished Valeria had never mentioned their poverty.

– Let’s stop it! I’ve made up my mind to go. That’s final! – said Alex abruptly and rushed out of the room shutting the door.

Larisa Ivanovna stood up from the chair with a sigh:

– It’s time to warm up the cutlets. And the ducks need some grass. – she said and left the room too.

Valeria was alone. She didn’t want to do anything, to argue with them any more. All her words are of no use. Maybe she is a square peg in the round hole here? But why on earth did he marry her? Not Katya? Not Glasha? Not someone else? He is so handsome and attractive! He could have chosen any girl he wanted. All the chicks in the street «re dreeming of him.

But Sasha preferred her, Lera Lavrova, a tutor in the kindergarten. Yes, she is not very pretty. But rather well-off, thanks to her parents. She could live as she wanted. Not worry about the future.

How wonderful their love-affair began! Lera leaned the back of her armchair and recalled how they’d met first.

It was a Sunday evening in summer. She was returning from the sea-side in her Opel. He, being a last-year cadet, was on the way home for summer holidays. So he was hitchhiking on the road, at the outskirts of Krasnodar.

Lera stopped her car beside him. Alex opened the door, flopped down onto the seat and began kidding:

– Nice to meet you! My name is Alex. Alex the Hijacker. Hijacker and car-stealer. And what’s your name, you, wonderful owner of a not less wonderful car?

– …Va-le-ria, – Lera answered in syllables, drawling the vowels, and pushed the gas and clutch pedals gently, without any fuss.

Shifting the gear she hit Alex with her elbow by chance. The latter didn’t lose his head and put his hand on hers:

– Can I help you?

Lera moved aside slightly but the guy took off his hand at once:

– Well, I only wanted to help you. Don’t think wrong of me. – Sasha said and stared at her.

Lera turned her eyes to the highway in front of her. Hardly overcoming nervous strain that seized her, she continued driving. Lera felt she was blushing and tried to break that strange, uncouth silence:

– By the way, where are you going? – she asked Sasha.

– To the stanitsa** of Dinskaya. And may I ask you a question? Where from and where to are you going now? You, such a beautiful, young and brave Amazon?

Lera was taken aback again. She tried to speak of the sea-surf, but everything mixed in her head. Alex saw it. And he was pleased. He was so pleasedwith his newly-invented image of a hijacker and seducer that suddenly he whispered right into her ear:

– Lera, dear, please relax! Or you’ll skid but I want to live…

And then Valeria suddenly pulled the brakes. At that moment she wanted only one thing – to get rid of this impudent passenger. But at the same time she was pleased with his courting.

– Please… – but Alex didn’t let her finish.

He nearly bumped against the windscreen but turned harshly and caught Lera by her shoulder, pulled her to himself and kissed. She couldn’t resist.

She remembered trying to protect her virginity: «We can’t do it! We’ve just met… know each other for a couple of minutes». But this attempt was too weak. Alex put his hand lower and lower. Her breasts betrayed her and made her moan…

*Alex, Sasha, Sanyok – diminutive for Alexander, Lera – that for Valeria.

**Stanitsa – a Cossack village.