The girl from radio communications was standing on the pier trying to protect her face from the gusts of the chilling wind. Her nearly black eyes were watching the submarine closely. Finally, people began coming down on the shore.
One of the sailors, short and lean, went straight to the girl. He was buttoning up his pea coat in motion and turning up his collar, trying to protect himself from yet another blast of wind. Surprise and aloofness could be discerned in his eyes, which were colored like the sea on a cloudy day.
«Nelly! What are you doing here? I told you that when I get free, I will call on you and we will go somewhere together,» almost shouted the man, his voice mingling with the sound of the wind and the waves, his low brow furrowed.
«Victor! I really need to talk to you! Now!»
The girl nervously took the young man by the arm and they walked fast to the host of lights on the shore. The sound of their steps was buried in the thunder of the waves beating against the pier and turning into greyish foam. Shrieking seagulls were a part of this familiar cacophony of relentless movement of salty water.
Several sailors who had come ashore from the submarine, exchanging remarks and chuckling, were watching the receding couple. The soggy autumn rear wind stole under their clothes and the sailors hurried to shore.
The low skies were getting darker by the second, making the street lamps along the road near the red brick barrack buildings of Kronshtadt seem brighter. Victor was walking with his head down, protruding his lower lip so that it nearly touched his nose. He always did it when he was displeased. And now he was extremely displeased! He had to solve another one of his girlfriend’s problems instead of enjoying his dinner and a game of chess in the club.
«Nelly, I am very tired, let’s meet and talk tomorrow,» Victor rolled his eyes up languidly, losing all hope of being released.
«No! Tomorrow may be late!»
The girl’s eyes turned into narrow black crevices, and her stiff dark hair looked as if she had been dragged through a hedge backwards. Victor looked at the rolling roaring waves.
«We have to get married! Without delay! All because of that apartment on Nevsky avenue! Let’s go to the general immediately and make a formal written request to get married!»
«Nelly! I have already told you: we shall get married. We do not have to do it on the spur of the moment! Calm down. I’ll go get some rest, and you do the same and we’ll discuss everything tomorrow,» Victor mumbled in an obsequious way, speeding up his pace.
«You don’t understand! This is our chance! I’ve already done everything myself, but in order to get the whole apartment we have to get married immediately, and it would be better if I got the certificate that I am pregnant!» Nelly’s voice turned into a kind of roar, she was clutching the sleeve of his pea coat and was hopping next to him.
«I reported my flatmate to the authorities and now she is going to be fired. Naturally, she will lose her accommodation! The second flatmate is so old and sick that she won’t last long. And you can be registered in my room only if you marry me!» The girl stopped in despair, clenched her fists and stamped her foot.
«Are you sure it will work out and we’ll be able to get the whole flat all to ourselves? And your roommate will be evicted?» Victor stopped, too. A thoughtful mien appeared on his face and a ghost of a smile settled on his plush lips.
