– Оh! What are you doing home?
– I came to pick up a medical card to go to hospital.
– Why did not you take it right away? Not to return to school?! What is going on?!
«She is loosing temper already, – thought Maxim. – If I tell her that I failed chemistry, who knows what is going to happen…»
– Which classes did you go to?!
– Literature was cancelled… – Max said quietly and understood that mother already figured out about his grade.
– What was then? What were you asked? What have you got?! I need to get everything out of you again?!
He had time to put shoes on already and tried to leave but mother blocked his way and when he tried to bypass her she pushed him forcefully and started to slash with a cloth on a face, yelling hysterically:
– What did you get?! For how long are you going to humiliate me?!
Maxim did not want to take any action, not even speak, but time was running fast and he, extending a hand for another cloth slash, pulled it away from his mother’s hand and threw in the leaving room, forcing out of himself with a major effort:
– I failed chemistry. Only one class! Are you satisfied? The rest I will fail tomorrow.
He stood up from the pier-glass abruptly, while his mother was standing still, astonished from what she heard, and passed in the narrow way.
"Could I work him to the rage? – Thought Valentina Nikolaevna after he left. At that moment she felt that she does not like to fume herself, but enjoys traumatizing and getting on his nerves. She was astonished at her actions. A very strange feeling. Right now, being a little shocked, she clearly understood it but in the usual condition-never. The door Maxim slammed sobered her mind but Valentina Nikolaevna didn’t even remembered what happen recently.
Leaving the house, Max saw nothing in front of him and his thoughts were very far away. At that time it appeared that everything happening does not depend on him, as if it was a regular event, not a burdensome one. However, why it affects his feelings the way it does he could not explain. Newly precipitated and joyfully crisping snow, fresh frosty air still had some influence on Maxim. Brightening sun light blinded him. Passing near school, he heard sparrows twittering, looked under his feet and noticed that the snow level is already reaching his ankle.
Sky was covered with clouds but in the gaps sunlight was giving warmth and Max hold for a minute trying to calm down. He did not succeed in that thought – tears were trying to break through. At that time he did not want to go anywhere. He grabbed snow and felt coldness, even thought it was not really cold, he just acknowledged that he should be feeling coldness. Hands turned wet and reddish and started to evaporate steam. Young man remembered his return home and another wave of emotions and impressions overwhelmed him, disturbing from clear thinking. He did not remember how he made it to the hospital but when he saw the tall porch he stopped and marvelled the view. It was all powdered with an even layer of snow and appeared ethereal. Maxim lifted his foot carefully, drowned it in the snow, making sure that he stands steadily, and slowly walked up the hospital stairs. Grabbing the door handle he suddenly realized that something was going to happen to him in the hospital: something was warning him of the waylaying danger.
