The friends didn’t understand what Varya saw in Pasha. Always gloomy, doesn’t smile, doesn’t like to have fun.
“You’re so young, so mischievous, and yet you got together with this… old man,” the girlfriends said, even with disgust.
“What kind of old man?” Varya laughed. “Pasha is only three years older than me.”
“But he behaves like an old man,” they persisted. “Well, what interest do you have in him? We’d understand if he were rich. But as it is…”
– Oh, girls, – Varya shook her head, – you don’t understand anything. While your guys are jumping around at parties, mine is doing repairs in the apartment. While yours are joking, mine is making me breakfast so that I can sleep longer in the morning. Yes, he is not the most sociable, and he doesn’t like to joke. But I know that behind him, as if behind a stone wall.
The girlfriends, due to their young age, really did not yet understand that a family cannot be built on fun alone. Varya always seemed older than her age, and she immediately fell deeply in love with Pasha. It seemed that inside this formidable man there was a gentle kitten. And Varya knew that no one saw him the way she saw him.
The New Year was approaching. Varya had no illusions, she knew that there was no romantic surprise to be expected from Pasha. He immediately asked her what she wanted as a gift, and Varya answered. She herself decided not to ask Pasha, she said that it would be a surprise. But it seemed that he didn’t care.
Three weeks before the New Year, Varya approached Pasha. They had recently started living together, Varya had moved in with a man. And she was gradually furnishing his bachelor and very ascetic den.
“Do you have a Christmas tree?” she asked, knowing what she would most likely hear in response.
— Christmas tree? No.
“Do you remember that New Year is coming soon?” she asked ingratiatingly.
– I remember. I’ve never decorated a Christmas tree. But if you need one, we’ll buy one.
“It is necessary,” Varya smiled.
And how come the girls don’t understand why she loves him? He didn’t even have to be persuaded, he didn’t have to be given any arguments. He may not need all this tinsel, but he understands that Varya needs it. And he doesn’t ask unnecessary questions.
“Then we’ll go to the mall this weekend,” he shrugged.
“We also need toys and garlands,” Varya continued. “If anything, I can pay for them myself.”
“Don’t make things up,” he frowned. “You’ll choose for yourself, because I have no idea what’s needed.”
“Okay,” Varya agreed.
On the weekend they went to the shopping center. Varya decided that she would immediately buy products for the New Year’s table that would keep for a long time. Green peas, for example. Which, in fact, she told Pasha about.
“Why peas?” he asked.
– How, why? – Varya laughed. – I didn’t think that someone would have such a question regarding the New Year’s table.
She thought that Pasha would immediately get it, but he still looked at her with confusion.
– Pash, are you kidding? Olivier… It’s a traditional New Year’s salad.
“Okay then,” Pasha shrugged, pulling out the cart. “Olivier, so Olivier.”
Varya knew that Pasha was indifferent to all the New Year’s entourage, but this conversation confused her. It’s one thing when you don’t care, another when you don’t even understand what it’s about.
But soon Varya forgot about everything because she found herself in a fairy tale. Lots of decorations, garlands, Christmas trees – so different and beautiful!
The girl immediately apologized to Pasha.
– Sorry, but we’re here for a long time. If you don’t want to go with me, you can wait in the car, and when I’ve packed my basket, I’ll call you, and you’ll meet me with the purchases.
– Oh, come on. I’ll go with you.
In Varya’s family, the tree was always decorated chaotically. All the toys that the family had were hung on it. It turned out to be very colorful. And although this was also interesting, Varya dreamed of decorating her tree in one style, like in beautiful pictures.
That’s why she really did take a long time to pick. But Pasha didn’t complain, he waited patiently and steadfastly until his beloved looked at and touched everything with delight.
They barely managed to drag everything to the car, considering that there was also a huge Christmas tree in the box.
When they got home, Pasha immediately collapsed on the sofa. It was obvious how tired he was from all these trips. But Varya, on the contrary, was in anticipation.
“I want to decorate the tree right now!” she exclaimed.
“Lord, where do you get your strength from?” Pasha muttered.
– So you always have the strength to do something you really like. After all, you have the strength to watch TV? – Varya objected.
“Yes, because you don’t have to move,” the man chuckled.
Varya just smiled. While Pasha was watching the movie, she was setting up and decorating the Christmas tree. Varya saw that Pasha was occasionally glancing at her, while she pretended not to see. And Varya decided to try to involve him, too.
– Don’t you want to help me?
– You’re doing just fine yourself.
Varya smiled.
– Pash, decorating a Christmas tree is not work. It’s a tradition, a family affair that increases the anticipation of the holiday. In your family, did you not decorate the Christmas tree together?
“In my family, we never dressed her up,” he said.
Varya’s hand with the golden ball hung in the air.
“How so?” she asked quietly.
——————–
“Well, so-so,” he shrugged.
Varya put the ball back into the box and sat down next to Pasha.
– What did you do on New Year’s Eve?
Pasha sighed.
– Oh, nothing, everything was as usual. You know that my mother raised me alone. There was a terrible shortage of money, and she usually took a shift on New Year’s Eve, because they paid more for it. We lived in a room in a communal apartment. There was no place to even put a Christmas tree, and my mother had no time for it.
“Well, what about the gifts?” the girl asked even more quietly.
– What presents, Varya? – Pasha chuckled. – It happened, though, that Mom would bring a chocolate bar from work, which they would give her there. She would give it to me. That was the present.
– And what, there wasn’t even a table? With Olivier salad and tangerines?
– No. It’s good if there was enough money for regular food. And you’re talking about tangerines…
– And what, even when you got older, nothing changed?
– My mother died when I was fourteen. My grandmother took me in. She had a Christmas tree, but she didn’t have enough money either. And at fourteen I was already going out with the boys to blow up firecrackers, – he chuckled. – Of course, we didn’t have enough money for fireworks, but we scraped together enough for firecrackers.
– Well, and then, when you entered technical school to study?
– Well, the whole dorm gathered there. Do you think the students would cook Olivier salad? We had a lot of alcohol, chips and croutons. We were fine.
– What about Father Frost? – Varya was almost crying. – Didn’t he bring you a present when you were a child?
Pasha laughed.
– I hope you understand that Santa Claus doesn’t exist?
– For a child, it exists! And it doesn’t matter who plays its role.
– There was Father Frost in the garden, he gave us some candy. And at home my mother immediately told me that he doesn’t exist. – Varya frowned. – She didn’t mean to be mean, Varya, but so that I wouldn’t expect a miracle and wouldn’t be disappointed. We really were very poor. I remember that for dinner we could share one sausage between the two of us. And soup lasted a week, and there was no meat in it. Another dish was made from meat. It was hard for my mother, there was no magic in our life. My father drank away our apartment, all our things. We had to move into a communal apartment and try to survive somehow. There was no time for Father Frost in such a situation.
Varya couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. And in the morning she went to the store.
She bought a huge sweet gift. And then, after thinking about it, she also took a remote-controlled car. Not from herself, but from Santa Claus. Boys remain boys even in adulthood, and Santa Claus owes Pasha a lot.
They celebrated the New Year together! They greeted it to the chimes of the clock, and then exchanged gifts. Varya got what she wanted – a new purse. And she gave Pasha a backpack, his old one looked really sad. And Pasha was delighted.
Of course, Varya set the table. She prepared all the traditional dishes so that Pasha could enjoy that very New Year that Varya thought everyone had in childhood.
Varya saw that her man was truly delighted. Even on his eternally serious face a smile flickered every now and then. And he liked the tree and the garland on the window, although he did not admit it. Varya saw how he looked at her for a long time, thinking that Varya did not notice it.
They went to bed early. And Pasha fell asleep almost immediately, but Varya couldn’t sleep. She quietly got up and then put the presents from Santa Claus under the tree. On the box was written: “To Pasha from Santa Claus. Sorry I couldn’t congratulate you for so long! Happy New Year! Be happy!”
Varya lay down with a smile on her face. She didn’t know how Pasha would react to all this, but she, in any case, tried to add a miracle to his complicated life.
Pasha woke up earlier. He stretched, stood up and wandered into the kitchen. After making himself some coffee and a sandwich with caviar (even though he had been earning well for a long time, he tried caviar for the first time this New Year), he went into the living room. He sat down on the sofa and glanced at the tree, not understanding why it fascinated him so much. And then he froze.
Putting down his cup and sandwich, Pasha came closer. He read the inscription on the box and then looked back. Varya was not there, she was still asleep.
Next to the box stood a huge sweet gift. Involuntarily, the man remembered how, as a child, he looked at these gifts in stores, knowing that his mother simply did not have money for such things.
He opened it and smiled. So many candies!
But he decided to try it later. He was interested in the box.
Varya found Pasha in the living room. He was sitting on the floor, holding a typewriter in his hands and quietly, like a man, crying.
Varya didn’t say anything, she just sat down next to him.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
– Why are you thanking me? – Varya smiled. – It wasn’t me, it was Father Frost. You see, he finally got to you.
Pasha hugged his girlfriend. He knew before that he loved her very much. But he didn’t understand what she saw in him. So beautiful, so kind. He even thought that Varya didn’t love him seriously, he was afraid that she might leave.
And today he realized how much she loved him. Because only for those who are loved can a miracle be created. Only those who are loved can be made to believe in magic. And today Pasha believed. He believed that Father Frost had come to him. Finally, Pasha’s letter had reached him.
