The husband was watching his wife for the first time in his life. There was no anger. It would appear after he caught her with the man for whom she had come to St. Petersburg. That such a meeting would take place, he had no doubt, otherwise why say that you are going on a business trip to which no one had sent?
About the fact that his wife’s trip – non-business, her husband found out completely by accident at a soccer game. By some unknown twist of fate, he found himself on the stand next to his wife’s boss, the director of the Institute for Advanced Study.
The close proximity, the mediocre game of the teams and good weather promoted communication, and they got to talking.
– How is your wife’s health? – asked the director.
– Fine, as always. – She’s going to St. Petersburg today for a two-day seminar.
– St. Petersburg? How strange! But I did not send her anywhere. She asked for two days at her own expense, said she was not feeling well.
The man who had been following the assailant glanced incredulously at his wife’s boss. He was not lying, his eyes were clear and calm.
– Maybe I didn’t understand something,” he mumbled, at a loss for what remained of his interest in the game.
On the way home, he agonized over what to do. But he came up with nothing.
His wife behaved as usual. She cooked dinner and invited all the family. In the evening she packed a travel bag and drove to the train station.
Before she left, her husband asked her which hotel she was going to stay at. His wife was surprised by the unexpected question, but answered. After seeing her out the window, her husband realized what he had to do.
He sat down at the computer, bought a plane ticket and booked a hotel. He told his mother-in-law and son that he was going to his mother to solve some problems. He called his boss and took two days off.
When he arrived at the hotel, the man asked to be seated closer to his wife. The girl at the front desk checked the reservation, checked the availability, smiled and said that he was very lucky: there were two vacant adjoining rooms, where she would check them in.
– Just please don’t tell my wife about me! I want to surprise her,” said the man in a conspiratorial tone.
– Yes, of course! – The administrator nodded. – I will not tell.
– Thank you! – he thanked and went to his room.
The man felt like a spy. Not knowing why himself, he could not believe in his wife’s treason, although her lies were obvious.
When his wife appeared, he was already at his post in the hotel lobby, hidden behind a large tub of tropical plants. He watched her check in, then followed her up to his floor.
In the room, he pressed his ear to the wall and heard the sound of pouring water. A woman was taking a shower. After about an hour the door of her room slammed, and he hurried after his wife.
The woman walked in the direction of Nevsky Prospect. The man kept at a distance, cautiously watching her. She did not seem to have a definite purpose, she was just walking around. A couple of times she went into a cafe. The man, like a true detective, had to feed on the subsistence food, what he could buy along the way.
“I don’t understand anything! – he puzzled. – It doesn’t look like she’s going out with anybody. Just wandering around, that’s all. It’s strange. Why did she come? Maybe she had a meeting that fell through.”
The man followed his wife around all day. By evening he was so tired of being followed that when she headed toward the hotel, he breathed a sigh of relief. But doubts still plagued him: “Maybe the guest will come to her closer to the night?”
In the room he lay in bed without undressing and listened to every sound. But unexpectedly for himself he fell asleep. In the morning he woke up to the sound of the TV in the next room, a health program was on.
The second day was a twin brother of the first. The man again followed his wife on her heels, but never caught her doing anything inappropriate. In the evening, Arina checked out of the hotel and went to the train station. Oleg had only to fly out after her.
In the morning, while he was still asleep, she opened the door with her key.
– How was the business trip? – he asked.
– Fine, – she answered. – ‘Everything is as usual.
“So, as usual? – he thought grudgingly. – She’s going away just to wander around a strange city. But why?”
