Flower

By Yumeni Tan

In this world there is no justice, and there is no point in looking for it. Probably, every person has a moment when he begins to understand this. My brother took my job. But now he's dead. And only his son stands in my way. But he's no competitor to me because he's a total slacker. But he's no competitor to me because he's a total slacker. So I thought until I learned that a sick boy helps his. Ok, I wish them luck.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Yumeni Tan
• Release date: Feb 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370288700

Book preview

Yelets, 2018

Flowers

Yumeni Tan

Thank you, Vlad Yatskov!

Good luck, Denis Fyodorov!

Copyright 2018 Yumeni Tan

Smashwords Edition

Contents

Prologue

Chapter one

Chapter two

Chapter three

Chapter four

Chapter five

Chapter six

Chapter seven

Chapter eight

Chapter nine

Chapter ten

Chapter eleven

Chapter twelve

Yumeni Tan

18 years old

Russia…

Prologue.

1

It started somewhere on the outskirts of town in a small house.

Are you sure you aren't going tomorrow?

I'm sure.

Why?

Don't want to and, besides, what will I do there?

Oh, Gennady, I could never understand you. You barely finished school with the average E, but at the reciters contest you left your rivals far behind. In any company, you're always in the spotlight. All teachers noted your talent and abilities, but you never really tried. And don't you really want to finally leave your parents' home and live independently?

No, I don't. And I don't understand what's in common between the school contest and ‘Election'?

What's in common? Of course, there is no direct similarity between them, but the school is not only a place where people get knowledge. They get there an opportunity to show themselves. In this school and ‘Election' are very close.

So what?

On ‘Election' you should speak in public. I suppose your literature contests experience would come in handy for you.

Pfff, - he put his face in the pillow, - there should be some brilliant idea, but my head is empty.

Oh, come on, seems like the viewer is interested in what you say. Basically they don't get anything. You pronounce several nice phrases, something smart and all; the viewer is delighted. The main thing is to sell yourself right.

I doubt that being on stage I'll be able to come up even with a couple of clever phrases, he said with a sigh. In addition, to talk nonsense and remain a favorite of the public, one must have an incredible charisma and time-tested trust of the viewer. I have neither one nor the other.

You underestimate yourself so much! Once I also used to go to school. I had good classmates. They were kind, cheerful guys, in general, cool. But if you look closely at them, you can see that there's nothing good for them in the future. Surely you had such a guy in the class who gathered a circle of people around himself where there always was a loud laughter. You think he's so cool, hotsy-totsy, but by nature he's inattentive. Nobody pays attention to his shortcomings, but after school it will affect him. Do not you think it's surprising? You study with different people, help them, they help you, you go through many difficulties, experience happy moments, you want them to get everything so much, but their genetic deficiencies affect them. They don't enter the universities they want, associate their lives with assholes, and reduce their lives by bad habits, in order to make it easier at least a little.

So what? What's the point?

The point is that you're not like that. I do not know for what merits, but you've got something interesting and special for the nature. You do not genius in physics, you're not a writer, but there is something attracting in you ... charisma, I guess. If I had your ability to learn, I would drive ‘Ferrari' instead of using a bus. But you are degrading day after day. All you do is playing the ‘Super Mario'.

It's so nice to degrade.

Of course it's nice, but it's impossible to degrade the whole life long. In the life of every person, there comes a time when he faces the choice. The choice is in making a decision whether to degrade further or start working on yourself. You have everything to make your dreams come true. The only thing that prevents you from being happy is you. Laziness and doubt prevent you from succeeding.

My eternally dulled face became thoughtful.

Look where we live. A small house, we sleep on the same bed. Our father is sick, and the medicine costs a lot of money. Every day we have to get to work by bus. We work as waiters, because we can't pay for the university. Don't you think that all our problems are connected with money? Don't you think that we would be happier if we lived in a big house, our father was healthy, we had a car, and we studied at a prestigious university? So I decided to go to the polls tomorrow. I understand the work is responsible and complicated. But someone must bring happiness to this house.

Are you ready to sacrifice your youth for us? Isn't it better to enjoy what you have now? We live not worse than everyone else. Let's better watch TV, and you calm down.

You know that I can't.

Then maybe you'll read your motivation books?

I would love to lie on the couch playing the game box, watching TV and reading books, but I can't live like this. You can hope for luck; you can cheat and look for the ways to make money out of the wind. But in fact there is no need to invent anything. All you need is to work, work, and work again. You just need to accept the fact that happiness needs to be earned. And when you understand this, my little brother, then you will begin to look at the world differently. But I have no right to tell you, so do whatever you want. I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow is an important day.

You can't work too much or you'll forget how to think.

Brother answered nothing. Probably I shouldn't say the last words, because I knew that he was absolutely right.

I was lying on the couch, with my hands behind my head, and thinking. About what? About the meaning of life, purpose, a little about happiness and luck. In his last words, I felt anger and tension. Perhaps this is due to the fact that he was always infuriated by people like me who are capable of much, but don't even try to do something. But why did he decide that I belonged to this caste of people? Yes, I am easily trained. I don't understand how one can judge a person's mental abilities, simply because he paraphrases the history or biology graphs well. It seems to me that every student is capable of this. Yes, I took prizes at literature contests. So what? I have an oratorical voice. So what? I have a charismatic appearance. Is this a talent? Perhaps, I argue intentionally so not to go anywhere tomorrow; although within myself I understand that he was right. I have to go to this event tomorrow. Where would I be, if this conversation occurred earlier? What have I done?

After having lied down for a couple of hours, I went quietly into my sick father's bedroom. In order not to wake my brother, I knocked on the door quietly. I came in. My father wasn't sleeping, and intentionally, as if he knew that I would come to him. I sat down on his bed.

Father, I don't know what to do. It seems that my ideal world is crumbling.

No. You know what to do.

Yes you're right. I know what to do, but not sure if I have enough strength. Yet for this position fools like me aren't taken. I'm not the smartest, I'm not the most handsome, I'm not the tallest; all I have is artistry and love for you and my brother. I doubt they will help to fix our material situation. Everything is falling from my hands, I pour out water when washing dishes.

Don't worry about this. It's from your mother.

From my mother?

Yes. You never knew her, because she died when you were only two years old. And I've never told you about her. But I think now is the time. She was an actress in the local theater. She performed there every Wednesday, and every Wednesday I came there. Her melodious, but at the same time strong voice helped her to promote. And how she danced! It must be seen! I remember this dance, as if it was yesterday. It was so graceful. On the day when I asked her to date me, even nature was on my side. After the performance, a sudden shower started. And I had an umbrella by chance. I took her home. Near her front door, we first kissed. Few years later we got married and began to live together. You know, I was very surprised when I noticed that such a talented actress and couldn't keep anything in her hands. Of course, I loved her very much, so I forgave her all the broken dishes. Later, in all this home turmoil, your brother and you were born. I loved you both equally, but if anyone should take the place of the general director of the company, then it's you. Millions of hungry mouths wait when you will become a director and provide them with everything. You must take the responsibility. This work is hard, I know. But only you can deal with it. No one else can.

2

The seventh of August was an abnormally hot day. It was impossible to breathe in the hall where the ‘Election' took place. The question of choosing the general director of the ‘Yelets's love' company was decided there. According to the statute, it's not hereditary position. To lead it, you need to win at the ‘Election'. Participants climbed the stage and voiced their projects for its development. After all performances, the audience (the company's employees) selected the winner. Any employee of the company can take part. No rich children, no heirs, no corruption. Only talented and clever people win here. This is a very important process. After all, the future of the company and the future of the people working there depend on the outcome. The tension was growing. Some participants went to the stage; others left it. Because of the heat the spectators wiped their foreheads with handkerchiefs. One of the participants sat in the auditorium and, not paying any