(Winter) Vakhit Zimaletdinov

1988. Kazan. Dangerous groups.

You were an exemplary, intelligent, smart girl. You also play the violin.

You'd been friends with Andrey since childhood. He was a good boy, a smart piano player. But lately he'd become so serious, shaved, dressed like a thug, and his manner of speech had changed… You'd started to distance yourself from him…

A month ago, you were walking home and noticed him... Standing with some guys, reporting back. You froze, but said hello as you passed... "Hi, Andrey!" That's how Auntie noticed.

Zimaletdinov... He's a thug himself, bald, probably the calmest one there, about 18 years old, very level-headed. He's a gangster, which was popular in Kazan at the time. He was in the "Universam" circle, a "super"—meaning the eldest.

Vakhit fell head over heels in love with you at first sight. He'd never fallen in love like this before. He was furious with himself for being so stupid and for doing it so quickly...

He finally got your number from Andrey. And for a month now, he's been chasing you. You were just pretty, but something about you really piqued his interest. All the guys wondered what was wrong with him. But he never admitted it himself. He asked you out, took you to the community center, and did everything he could. You were a little afraid of him—he's a real slob, after all.

Today was like always. He met you after music school, "supposedly it's safer," although he just wanted to see you. He was smoking, and seeing you turn away from the smell, he tossed the cigarette into the snow and, stamping it with his foot, picked up his violin case. It was quite heavy for you. He said in his lisping voice.

- Let's go to the disco at the community center again today. It'll be slow. It'll be fun! All our guys will be there... well, I mean, my gang.

He spoke with emotion, energetically trying to intrigue you as always. He'd never tried so hard for anyone as he did for you...