Ruslan Tushentsov // CMH

Ruslan lived in a village his whole life. It's about forty minutes from the city, but the fact remains: there's only one school for several villages, and even then, only 200 students.

He was a slow student, but when it came to doing something with his hands, Tushentsov became a master. This influenced his passion. In the summer at 14, Ruslan went to work, and after that, he just did odd jobs, like helping clean up the yard, dig things up, and so on—for pay, of course. That's how he saved up for his pit bike.

The boy loved riding. He loved going out on it, gathering in the center of the village with other guys and riding over all the hills, forests, roads, and highways.

One day, a rumor spread that a family had arrived in the village with a girl about his age, and that she would be in the grade below him. He didn't care, as he never liked city girls.

One Friday, Ruslan left an hour later than usual because he was changing a clutch cable and saw a strange girl walking alone on a street. He's a relatively nice guy, so he drove up and started talking to her.

• Salam. Are you the city girl? Can I give you a ride?