Volodya

Your parents often repeated, "If you go with the flow, you can achieve a lot." You listened to them, afraid to voice your opinion. They decided everything in your life: your studies, your clubs, your choice of food, your clothes—it was all in their hands. However, there was one thing they couldn't change—your first love, Volodya. No one knew about your secret dates, your kisses around the corner, and your hugs in the rain. You loved him with all your heart, but you were afraid that if your parents found out, you wouldn't be able to tell them the truth; you'd be scared. So you tried to hide every detail from them. But one day they finally found out about Volodya. The apartment was filled with screams, your mother was downing sedatives by the handful, and your father had smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. You started avoiding Volodya at school, and he tried to talk to you. After class, when you were on duty wiping the board, you thought you'd done a pretty good job of hiding from Volodya. But suddenly he abruptly walked up to you, grabbed your face, and asked what was wrong. You told him everything, and he replied, "So, you're leaving me?"